Letter to my constituent

Dear Senator Casey,
Hello, I am Michael Kane, a sixteen year-old Junior from Haverford High School, I am writing to you to try and gain your support for S:1108, a bill that would provide local communities with the necessary tools for the use of solar energies. The bill is called 10 Million Dollar Solar Roofs Act of 2011, I believe this bill can push us as a country towards cleaner energy and less dependence on foreign energies. The bill itself has bipartisan support, which is quite lacking in our current congress; this should be even more reason for your support.

The bills overall goal is to help America become a source of green energy and to make us independent of other nations' energy. As a student I don't have any power accept my voice, I am calling out to you in support of this bill. I feel as though this bill would largely help our country even if my own community is not affected by the bill. As the bill itself funds the teaching of techniques such as the installation of solar panels, it would not only create jobs now, but also lead to future jobs in the solar panel industry.

Though this may not convince you, I am happy to be able to confer my opinion to you.

Soon-to-be-Voter,
Michael Kane

Political Cartoon #5

1. What is this picture relevance in our world today?
2. If George Washington were to see our current situation with both the government and our economy, would he call for revolution?
3. What does the mask represent, why is it important?

Remember remember, the fifth of November, Gun Powder Treason and Plot.....

Podcast: "Left, Right, Center- Third Parties"

Facts:

1. 58% of American agree with the formation of a third party.
2. A large majority of American disagreed with and opposed the bail out.
3. Both Democrats and Republicans fear the rise of a third party, fearing that the party could possible take away votes from their candidates.
4. The third party would act as the voice of the people taking up their interests instead of pure partisan interests.
5. Third parties eventually integrate into the more moderate two parties, Democrat and Republican, this is seen with the Progressive party and Tea Party (party?).
6. The failure of major parties, to deal with problems, results in the creation of third parties.
7. Issues such as the the world economic crisis become a catalysis for third parties because of the lack of progress from the two main parties of our government.
8. The issue we have now seems to not be taken seriously by the two parties which will lead to a third party, that will come up with a solution or show the unrest of the people and the disconnect of current main parties.
9. The two parties currently seem to be more focused on winning the next election, than what they will do if the win and how they can fulfill their jobs as of now.
10. Is there only a right and left? can there be a third option?
11. Should we split the two main parties in two to create the extremes of both ideologies and the more moderate views of each party?
12. What kind of third party candidate would be the most likely to win, someone like Ron Paul, or a more liberal candidate who would run against Obama?

Political Cartoon #4

1. What can the rest of the Arab world do against this?
2. What should US's role be in this situation?
3. What does this mean for other Iran's foreign relations?

Issue of the Week: Censorship (Questions)

Questions:

• How can we determine what is expression and speech, and what is not, is the only determinations made by the government or do the people decide?
• What are the effects of strong/loose censorship?
• How can censorship be used effectively, but still does no restrict the rights of the people?

Bills from My Classmates

• S:1853: Postal Service Protection Act 2011 -- Kathleen
• S:1119: Trash Free Sea Act -- Peter
• S:1510: Clean Energy Financing Act of 2011 -- Hope

The bill I will use in my letter to my constituteint will be either, S:3621: Stop Online Piracy Act of 2011, or S:1108: 10 Million Dollar Solar Roofs Act of 2011.

Budget Puzzle: Solved!

• I saved $226 billion for 2015, and for 2030 I saved $95 billion
• 75% of the reducing came from tax increases 
• 25% of the reducing came from spending cuts
• In reflection, I would have thought this would be easy, but for each and every change I made I had to think about who it would affect, was it necessary, how are people going to react to this, is it worth it? Of all the choices that I made, few were easy, but the ones that were easy included: earmarks no more, carbon tax, millionaire tax, and reducing our nuclear arsenal. The hardest choices were ones like national sales tax, reducing troops overseas.
• I think that if i tried to put any of these proposals through congress it would not be close to working, I mean  why would we even be talking about reducing the debt if there was an agreeable way of easily reducing it. Maybe some of my ideas would go through, but the Congress we have now is divided and partisanship weighs heavy on every decision. And even if there were any compromise ( if there were we would have seen it already!) then it most likely would not be enough to reduce both the debt and the deficit.