As of May 19th, the mayor of Medicine Hat, Alberta, has ended homelessness in his city (for now). Apparently, the key to ending homelessness is exactly that: a key - to their own place. This is a “housing first” approach to ending homelessness, in which officials give a homeless person housing within 10 days of discovering their homeless situation. Support services such as addressing mental or addiction problems then follow suit. Of course, ending homelessness is not so easy, with issues such as money insecurity to consider. But, do you think that the mayor is onto something with his “housing first” approach? Read more about this interesting policy here: http://tinyurl.com/kd74ppg
Is Josh Duggar being punished enough?
InTouch recently came out with a report that Josh Duggar, the eldest son of the family that stars on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” sexually molested underage girls when he was a teenager. Duggar and his family has recently released statements on Facebook, with Duggar saying "Twelve years ago, as a young teenager, I acted inexcusably for which I am extremely sorry and deeply regret...We spoke with the authorities where I confessed my wrongdoing, and my parents arranged for me and those affected by my actions to receive counseling.” In the wake of the public exposure of these news, Duggar has resigned from his position at the Christian lobbying group, the Family Research Council (FRC). TLC has pulled “19 Kids and Counting” from its schedule. Do you think that Duggar should be punished more for his actions?
Should the NSA have the right to collect our phone records?
In early June of 2013, Edward Snowden revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was collecting the phone records of millions of Americans. The House of Representatives has recently voted in favor of ending the bulk collection of phone records. Do you think that this is the right move?
Which is the bigger discriminatory fail?
The Austin City Council (which is now majority female) recently held a workshop in which Jonathan K. Allen attempted to train the staff on how to adapt to working with women. Outrage exploded on the internet over Allen's sexist depiction of women. He is quoted to say “You see women in leadership positions… you will have to interact with them in a different way” (Austin American Statesman). Watch his training session in the video below.
It has been reported that female aides are often banned from holding one-to-one meetings with their male bosses as well as other activities that might suggest the wrong relationship between the two. Female staffers have reported to National Journal that this makes it difficult to do their work and male staffers have said that having the freedom to meet with their bosses gives them an advantage over their female colleagues. For more information: http://tinyurl.com/ogburjf
Which do you think is the bigger discriminatory fail?
Should governments have the responsibility to take in refugees?
Approximately 6000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh are currently floating in the Andaman Sea with barely any food or water, having fled their countries to escape ethnic prosecution or poverty. They have been turned away from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia and have nowhere else to go. When contacted by The Associated Press, Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jafaar said, “We have to send the right message that they are not welcome here… No one wants them.” Do you think that governments should have the responsibility to take in refugees?
Is the Verizon-AOL deal a good idea?
Verizon has taken over AOL inc. for $4.4 billion this past week. What in the world, people are asking, does Verizon want from AOL, a company specialized in dial-up web and news and entertainment websites? The answer is advertising in smartphones. AOL has cultivated vast expertise in the online ad marketplace in the past decade by acquiring many marketing firms and video creation shops. With the increasing shift from laptops as people’s main source of media to phones, Verizon seeks to maximize their advertising in said phones with the help of AOL. This AOL acquisition is reminiscent of Verizon’s previous attempt to takeover Time Warner a decade and half ago - a $162 billion deal that ended up crashing and burning. Do you think Verizon has it right this time around?
Should Sherrod Brown apologize to Obama for his sexism charge?
In response to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s critique of President Obama’s push towards the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama told Yahoo News: “the truth of the matter is that Elizabeth is, you know, a politician like everybody else. And you know, she’s got a voice that she wants to get out there. And I understand that. And on most issues, she and I deeply agree. On this one though, her arguments don’t stand the test of fact and scrutiny.” Senator Sherrod Brown criticized Obama for getting personal as well as for using Warren’s first name in an act of sexism, which he believes the president might not have done with a male senator. The White House replied that Obama was not being sexist as the president has often publicly referred to lawmakers by their first names. The White House wants Brown to apologize to Obama for his statement - do you think that he should?
Should bans on deep fat friers and soda in public schools be repealed?
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has recently proposed a repeal of a state policy that bans deep fat fryers and soda machines in public schools. This proposal has raised many voices of concern, especially as Texas struggles with high childhood obesity rates. Miller counters that this repeal “does not require a school district to make changes; it simply reduces restrictions and increases options for local decision makers” (Eva Hershaw, Texas Tribune). Do you think that these bans should be repealed?
Should a woman be on the $20 bill?
Women on 20s is a grassroots campaign aimed at replacing Andrew Jackson with an inspiring woman on the $20 dollar bill. The organization polled the public for possible replacements. They announced the winner: Harriet Tubman who aided the escape of slaves through the navigation of the Underground Railroad during the 1850s. In light of this campaign, we want to know: do you think that a woman's face should be placed on the $20 bill? And should it be Harriet Tubman?
Who is most responsible for the exploitation of nail salon workers?
As the amount of nail salons in the United States has multiplied exponentially, the amount of nail salon workers exploited for their desperation to make ends meet has grown as well. A NY Times report notes that these workers are paid below the minimum wage, punished for the tiniest hiccups, and treated with little respect. Who do you think should be held responsible for their exploitation?
The NYTimes has more: http://tinyurl.com/l7o5bse
