Legalize Marijuana!

 

             My lego protestor is concerned about the un-regulated flow of marijuana, my lego protestor wants to spread awareness of the health benefits of marijuana. The lego protestors sees much opportunities in legalizing marijuana, such as new market for federal revenue, health benefits, and better regulation in society. In the Winner-Take-All-Politics, the authors mention that political parties goals are often misguided by special interest groups that finance the party. My lego protestor does not encourage substance abuse however he wants to end the overlooking on the drug problem, he wants to suggest a decisive resolution to the drug problem; that is the legalization of marijuana.

             Marijuana is the most illegally sold and used drug in the United States. President Barack Obama himself admitted to smoking when he was a youth. The drug is often labeled as harmful and negative; however, there are numerous health benefits attributed to marijuana. In comparison to other legally sold drugs, such as alcohol and cigarettes which contain lots of industrialized toxic chemicals and have greater potential in causing societal destabilization.

             I will also briefly explore other methods into solving the war on illegal drugs by comparing examples such as the elimination of opium in China. Opium was a major drug problem that was poisoning Chinese society for almost a century however the addiction was eliminated in less than a decade from 1949-1956. In addition to this, I will also compare the effects of marijuana in other societies that have legalized the herb such as the Netherlands and North Korea.

             As I discuss methods on how to gain leverage on the war on drugs, I will also briefly explain the politics, moral and laws that prevent the federal government from decisively separating drugs and society. Democracy and liberal freedom in society can comes with flaws, that at times must be suspended, in order to decisively finish matters through authoritarian means. Niccolo Machiavelli once spoke of how to utilize these sorts of strategies in one of his famous works known as The Prince.

             However the aspects of totalitarian and authoritarian forms of governing would never be adopted by the federal government nor accepted by the American public; which gives another reason to support the action of legalizing the use of marijuana because the federal government would have better control in regulating its flow, and reducing the income for the illegal drug cartels that are also being untaxed. When alcohol was prohibited during the 1930's, the organized criminals gained a enormous profit from the underground bars and brewing and distribution of alcohol.

             My lego protestor wants to spread awareness of the benefits of legalizing marijuana starting with it's health benefits, exploring alternative means to regulating the drug, and a new market that would contribute more tax revenue for the federal government.

                                                         WORKS CITED

"How Marijuana Works." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

"Marijuana Legalization and Regulation." Drug Policy Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

"Hard to Fight War on Drugs When We Are the Ones Fuelling It." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

"RW Online: How Maoist Revolution Wiped Out Drug Addiction in China." RW Online: How Maoist Revolution Wiped Out Drug Addiction in China. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Hacker, Jacob S., and Paul Pierson. Winner-take-all Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer-and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.

Give Us Benefits with PRIDE!

     On June 26, 2013 the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  The Supreme Court announced that this act was unconstitutional.  Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s stated in Washington Times, "By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected an others, the federal statute violates the Constitution” (Savage, par. 2.) This decision changed history for the United States. Although this was the decision made by the court there are people, states and organizations that disagree with the Supreme Courts decision.  The government and people are still negotiating on the benefits for same sex couples. The Lego protester I created supports the legalization of gay marriage for all states for all couples to “Give US Benefits with PRIDE.” This protest speaks for the legalization of same sex marriage in all states because this plays an important role of social justice and receiving benefits for all.  

             The United States is known as the “land of the free” according to the lyrics from the national anthem, The Star Spangle Banner. Legalizing same sex marriage will promote the social justice of our country. The National Association of Social Work defines Social Justice as, an equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities (Social Justice). The legalization of same sex marriage will distribute many advantages for our society. Through these advantages the people will be able to strengthen the national identity of our country, encourage the exercise of same sex marriage religiously and economical opportunities. The removal of anti-gay discrimination plays an important role in “America's international reputation in matters of social justice and in restoring our integrity as a global leader in the provision of civil and human rights” (Lipp, par. 15).  America is the most powerful country we are the leaders of innovations and we set the tone for freedom, and liberty. People who are LGBT make our society a whole less boring. They contribute to the “American life in a multitude of ways culturally, socially, financially, politically, vocationally and spiritually” (Lipp, par. 12). The role of social justice in the legalization of gay marriage in all states will help with allowing gay couples to attain the same benefits as everyone else.

            The constitution states that everyone has protection of their own rights and is beneficial towards legal and health care rights.  At present there are about thirteen states that have legalized gay marriage, seven states that allow domestic partnerships and thirty states that have banned gay marriage (Millstone). Only in these states benefits are available for gay couples, just like any other couple the spouse is allowed to carry over their partner under their benefits. People cannot just up and move to these states where gay marriage is legal to get married and receive benefits. The National Guard in four states: Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma put a banned on allowing military benefits for same sex marriage couples. According to Chris Rowzee a National Guard spouse from Texas takes a stance on the benefits in that state, “the culture that is created in these states the culture that says it is acceptable to discriminate against a group of people. When these states do this, they are telling their military units, commanders and members that it is OK to treat members differently to discriminate against them” (Briggs, par. 9). All people who are citizen or even living permanently in America should receive the same benefits.

America is the country of the free. Legalizing same sex marriage in all states will put social justice to the top and give the same benefits to all. People in our country have human rights.  It should not matter on the skin color, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.  Some governments do not want to legalize gay marriage in their states because it means more money taken away from their salary. When running for office the positions requires officials to take risk in order to better serve and help the country. Together we always stand with pride for our country. Now it is for a change to stand with PRIDE with those who are not quite different from us.  The legalization of gay marriage in all states will be one step closer towards fulfilling the “American Dream.” 

                                             

 Works Cited

-       - Briggs, Bill. "Drive for Equality: Some Same-sex Military Spouses Forced to                                           Travel Far for Promised Benefits." NBC News. NBCNews.com, 24 Sept. Web. 06 Oct.2013.

-     -  Lipp, Murray. "7 Ways the U.S.A. Benefits From the Legalization of Gay                                             Marriage." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 June 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

-    -   Milestone, Ken. "Where Gay Marriage Stands in All 50 States." Where Gay                                 Marriage Stands in All 50 States. MSN.com, 26 June 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

-     -  "Social Justice." Social Justice. Socialworkers.org, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

S.T.E.M. Poverty, Not Education: Teachers and the World Economy

           If knowledge is power, then the education system should the most important institution in our modern world. Indeed, education is often cited as the explanation and the cure of wide disparities in wealth at the local, national and global scale. Gregory Mankiw, chairman of President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers, maintained that “Education is the key to understanding broad inequality trends” (Qtd. Winner-take-all Politics, p. 34). Yet, our political leaders have been underfunding our educational systems at the same time that they impose increasingly byzantine assessments and standards. Our society entrusts its children to public school teachers while it pays those same professionals less than the people who collect our garbage (although this, too, is an important task). Teachers with at least a bachelor’s degree earn $33,169 a year, while city refuse collectors with no training or experience are paid $39,204 (“Teachers’ Salary Schedule,” Hawaii Department of Education. “Class Specifications,” City and County of Honolulu Department of Human Resources).

            Our country’s educational policies at state and federal levels have focused on science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.), to the detriment of the humanities like history, art and music. The burden to get students interested in S.T.E.M. careers has fallen to teachers, who are often poorly trained and in poorly-equipped classrooms. People like Makiw, Bush and now President Barack Obama have continually pushed the idea that skill-biased technological change is the cause of America’s economic woes and wealth disparity. SBTC is an economics term used to justify increased focus on S.T.E.M. subjects because it describes a global economic shift to rely on science and technologies that need highly skilled laborers.

This focus has manifested in programs like No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top that peg federal financial assistance to a state’s overall performance on standardized assessments. Teachers—not underfunded, mismanaged school districts or students distracted by their own personal poverty—are blamed for the education system’s failure to meet America’s need for skilled workers. SBTC is a global trend, not a national one, that is influenced by corporate offshoring practices and international economic policy, not by chemistry teachers in Waianae.

             Unlike the disingenuous “War on Drugs” and the “War on Terror,” which are not actually about waging war on drugs or terror (but rather, on drug-users and religious extremists, respectively, with massive amounts of collateral damage in both cases), the “War on Teachers” is real and harmful to America’s present and future generations. This protester, Geneva, represents the average modern American teacher: young, underpaid, female, undervalued and often ignored. Like many of her peers, Geneva took on student loans to finance her education. Now that she has entered the work force and started her career as a teacher, she has had enough—it is time to stop the “War on Teachers.”

Works Cited

Department of Human Resources. "Refuse Collector." Class Specifications. City and County of Honolulu, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www4.honolulu.gov/hrjobclass/index3.htm>.

Hacker, Jacob S., and Paul Pierson. Winner-take-all Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer-and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010. Print.

“Teachers’ Salary Schedule” Hawaii Department of Education, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2013. <http://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/Employment/WorkingInHawaii/Pages/home.aspx>.

Legonians for Humane War

It’s no secret that the U.S. has had a rocky track record when it comes to meddling in the affairs of foreign nations.  Over the past decade the US has spent nearly 1.5 trillion dollars (National Priorities) on conducting wars abroad (much too strong public disapproval).  While I highly doubt anyone in their right mind actually approves of the way in which President Bashar al-Assad has responded to the uprising in Syria, I personally cannot condone any form of U.S. military intervention.  What I wanted to do with my Lego protestors was to provide a satirical look at the latest justification for the U.S. getting involved in Syria. 

After the revelation of Assad’s use of chemical on his own citizens, it seemed as if this was to be the preverbal straw the broke the camels back in propelling the U.S. into an armed conflict with the Syria government.  On August 21^st of 2013 (Global Post), the Syrian Army began their offensive in to the suburbs of Damascus of which resulted in the claims of the use of chemical weapons.  Though the Syrian government denied these claims, there had been reports of roughly 1,300 individuals who had been killed from the alleged chemical weapons strike (Global Post). 

To back these claims of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Army, there had been extremely disturbing videos posted on the internet showing medics attending to victims who looked to be suffocating and thriving in pain on hospital floors.  As tensions continued to mount over whether or not the U.S. should intervene in Syria, a U.S. Intelligence report was released in late August in which they stated that it was in “high confidence” that Syrian government was behind the attack that occurred on 21^st  of August.  The report also listed that 1,429 people were killed of which included 426 children (Global Post).  While this instance is truly despicable, it is estimated that over 100,000 people have already been killed in the Syrian conflict stemming back to 2011 (Time). 

This factor was amongst my main reasoning for draping my Lego protestors with the sign that states “Legonians for Humane War”.  It is meant to call into question why after two years watching the conflict do we finally feel compelled to physically intervene?  The three Lego characters I chose for my project are meant to represent the United States, the Syrian people, and the United Nations.  In a sense, these characters are also meant to signify the rallying support of the Syrian people in opposition to Assad’s tyrannical regime. 

Thankfully a resolution was able to be passed which called for a much more reasonable reaction to the situation.  On the 28^th of September, the United Nations Security council unanimously passed a resolution which called for the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapon supply (USA Today).  After much pressure from both the United States and the cooperation of Russia, Assad agreed to it terms and the goal is to have the all the weapons eliminated by 2014.  Though this ultimately will not solve the crisis in Syria, it is seemingly a better reaction than the alternative.   

Works Cited

"Chemical Weapons Deal Changes Syrian Equation: Our View." USA Today. Gannett, 15 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.

"COST OF NATIONAL SECURITY." National Priorities. National Priorities Project, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2013.

Stampler, Laura. "World Group Says Syria Death Toll." Time. Time, 01 Oct. 2013. Web. 03 Oct. 2013.

"Timeline of Events Leading up to Syria Chemical Disarmament." GlobalPost. N.p., 06 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 Oct. 2013.