President Obama is about to be the first ever sitting president to visit a federal prison. During his visit to the El Reno prison in Oklahoma next week, he will take part in Vice’s documentary on the American criminal justice system. Obama has said that his next move in his agenda is to tackle criminal justice reform. The New York Times has reported that the president plans to commute the sentence of dozens of federal prisoners in jail for non-violent drug offenses next week. Do you agree with Obama's decision to reduce these sentences as the first part of his criminal justice reform?
Do you support the Iran Nuclear Deal?
According to President Obama, the Iran nuclear deal is “not built on trust, it is built on verification.” “Because of this deal," he said in his announcement that an agreement had finally been reached, “the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not develop a nuclear weapon.” He made it clear that he would “veto any legislation that prevents the successful implementation of this deal.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu disagreed, calling the deal a “sure path to nuclear weapons” and a "bad mistake of historic proportions" Do you support the deal?
Should cities spend public money on privately-owned stadiums?
In an episode of Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver revealed some information about professional sports teams that he found hard to swallow. He first pointed out the extravagant stadiums that have been built for our sports teams, such as Jacksonville Jaguar’s in-stadium cabanas and swimming pools. Unfortunately, Oliver continued, “the vast majority of stadiums are made using public money. $12 billion spent on the 51 new facilities opened between 2000 and 2010.” Oliver then pointed out that "sports teams are wealthy business with wealthy owners and they still get our help.” For instance, Red Wings was approved by Detroit to have a new arena built two years ago, which totaled more than $280 million in taxpayer money. This was six days after the state filed for bankruptcy. Oliver added that the owner of the Red Wings himself was worth an estimated $5.1 billion. Furthermore, he mentioned that sports teams keep all the revenue generated by their privately-owned stadiums. Watch the video below to get the entire extent of Oliver’s argument. Let us know if you agree that sports teams are ripping us off and that cities should do something about it!
Proposed new St. Louis Rams stadium
Women have been photoshopping male nipples over their own nipples as a protest against double standards in internet censorship. Should society 'free the nipple'?
Women have been photoshopping male nipples over their own nipples as a protest against censorship on the internet. This protest is over the fact that it is socially unacceptable for women to reveal their nipples in photos, which regularly results in photos being deleted or blocked on the internet. Whereas, it is socially acceptable for men to be shirtless and showing their nipples in photos. The women are trying to show how female breasts are sexualized in society and contribute to the overall objectification of women. In protest of these different standards for men and women, these women have photoshopped male nipples over their own to make their photos technically ‘acceptable'. Do you think it is a double standard? Should we 'free the nipple' for all?
D.C. and several other states may legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill. Do you support this?
Washington D.C. may start allowing terminally ill patients to end their lives through assisted death. The bill, if passed, will allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to their patients once they have passed two qualifications: 1) they are terminally ill and 2) they do not have a psychiatric or psychological disorder that may affect the choice they make. Supporters of the bill like that it gives terminally ill patients the chance to die under their own terms. But, opponents of the bill argue against the pressure the bill could put on patients to end their lives to make the lives of their loved ones easier. They also mention how greed for inheritance money could have family members coercing patients into asking for assisted suicide. The bill also leaves out some specifics, such as the type of medication to be used in assisted suicide and how qualified a doctor must be to evaluate a patient’s physical and mental conditions. Knowing the pros and cons for legalized assisted suicide for the terminally ill, do you support the procedure?
What do you think about amendment that would allow Confederate flag imagery on federal land?
The presence of Confederate flag imagery continues to be the subject of hot debate. California Representative Ken Calvert announced a GOP amendment on Wednesday, that if voted to pass on Thursday, will allow Confederate flag imagery to remain displayed on graves located on federal land in certain circumstances. The Confederate flag, flown by the Confederates during the civil war, is associated with racism and slavery by those opposed to the usage of its imagery. Many that continue to support the usage of the flag believe that it is a tribute to their Confederate ancestors that bravely sacrificed their lives rather than a symbol of racism. What would be your preferred outcome to the vote on this amendment?
Paula Deen has posted a photo of her son in brownface. Is she racist or out of touch?
Paula Deen tweeted a photo with her son in brownface on Tuesday. Paula and her son Bobby are dressed as the actors from the sitcom “I Love Lucy,” Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. She has since deleted the tweet, which had the caption “Lucyyyyyyy! You got a lot of esplainin’ to do! #TransformationTuesday @BobbyDeen” while it was still up. Brownface has long carried racist implications, as white Americans used to paint their face with black paint to act out racist imitations of African American behavior and culture. Those against brownface used in costumes have said that it is insensitive and racist to don brownface in order to portray a character of darker skin. Defenders of brownface have argued that they do not mean to be offensive or racist. Do you think that it was an act of racism for Bobby Deen to wear brownface?
Is the idea of “basic income” the next big policy for people receiving welfare?
The Dutch city of Utrecht has decided to conduct an experiment to measure the effectiveness of lessening welfare regulations. People already receiving welfare will be given an unconditional and regular payment monthly, and using different groups of people following different rules, the government will figure out the effects of continued payments to those who manage to find a new source of income. Skeptics of the basic income policy have argued that those on welfare become lazy to find employment, but project manager for the Utrecht city government believes that this experiment may reveal that those given public money may be trusted to be productive with it. Do you think that providing a basic income should be the new welfare policy?
To learn more: http://qz.com/437088/utrecht-will-give-money-for-free-to-its-citizens-will-it-make-them-lazier/?utm_source=parFSN
Is closing down youth prisons the next big idea for justice reform?
President and CEO of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Patrick McCarthy has asked states to consider closing down their youth prisons. In his TEDx talk, he spoke of the detrimental effects these prisons have on young people. McCarthy said states can produce better outcomes for young people who get into trouble with the law, and they should commit to three things: First, decrease the number of youth going into juvenile systems by half; second, improve existing systems by expanding community-based and family-centered programs proven to help kids who have the most serious problems; and third, eliminate all publicly operated and contracted youth prisons and instead use small, treatment-intensive secure care programs. He believes that youth prisons are inherently flawed and speaks against a model heavy on isolation, restraints, and excessive force by staff. McCarthy implores states to close down these prisons and offers the support of his foundation in any such endeavors. Do you think McCarthy has the right idea?
For more info: http://www.aecf.org/blog/annie-e-casey-foundation-ceo-calls-for-states-to-close-youth-prisons/
Will Greece exit the Eurozone after voting 'no' on the referendum?
On Sunday, Greece voted ‘no’ on a referendum that asked if they would accept Europe’s bailout proposal that would come with more austerity measures. The Greek government believes that the rejection of the proposal gives them enough leverage to negotiate a better deal. Despite this positivity, Greek banks have been closed since last week and are set to run out of cash soon. Thus, with Greece on the brink of financial collapse, immediate financial help from Europe is needed or else Greece may be forced out of the Eurozone. What do you predict is going to happen?