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?
Be honest, after the #USWNT win, how likely are you to attend a women’s professional sporting event?
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?
Has the World Cup victory changed your opinion on women’s professional sports?
The USA women’s soccer team has won their first World Cup in 16 years after a 5-2 win in their final match against Japan. The team performed impressively, with superstar Carli Lloyd scoring a hat trick within the first 16 minutes of the match. This was also the the highest-scoring final in the history of the World Cup, tying the same highest-scoring men’s final when Brazil triumphed over Sweden in 1958. According to FOX, the game got the highest ratings in the US for a soccer game ever (men or women)! Nearly as many people watched the game as tuned in for Game 7 of the 2014 World Series. Did this World Cup change your opinion on women's pro sports? Are you more likely to watch or attend a game?
California moves to require all schoolchildren to be vaccinated. Should your state do the same?
A bill moving through the state legislature in California would require all schoolchildren to be vaccinated. Parents who oppose vaccines would no longer to ask that their kids be exempt for personal or religious reasons. Only exemptions for medical reasons would be allowed. According to the NY Times, West Virginia and Mississippi have had similar laws for a long time but California would be the largest state with such a strict requirement on vaccines. Would you want your state to follow suit?
Supreme Court rules gay marriage is legal in all 50 states. Right decision?
In a narrow 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that same sex couples can get married regardless of what state they live in. After decades of litigation that led up to this landmark ruling that covered cases filed by gay and lesbian couples in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, the justices ruled that states cannot ban same-sex marriage meaning these bans are unconstitutional.
Supporters of the bans argued that same sex-unions did not constitute traditional marriage. Additionally, they argued the issue should be resolved at the state level either by the voters or their elected representatives rather than by judges. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy said: "The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of a person...under the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment, couples of the same sex may not be deprived of that right and that liberty."
Prior to the ruling, 13 states prohibited same-sex marriage while 36 states permitted it either by legislation or court ruling (NY Times). Do you think the Supreme Court made the right decision?
A rainbow colored flag flies in front of the Supreme Court in Washington in April before arguments on the case in April, 2015.
Read the full opinion here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf
Do think Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's apology was sincere?
Shortly being sentenced to death, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev acknowledged his involvement in the attacks and apologized for his actions.
Tsarnaev said: "If there is any lingering doubt, let there be no more. I did it, along with my brother...Now, I am sorry for the lives that I've taken, for the suffering that I've caused you, for the damage that I've done. Irreparable damage...Allah said in the Quran that no soul is burdened with more than it can bear, and you told us just how unbearable it was, how horrendous it was, this thing I put you through...I also wish that far more people had a chance to get up there (and speak), but I took them from you...I ask Allah to have mercy on me, my brother and my family." Addressing the survivors who packed the courtroom (many who spoke earlier), Tsarnaev said he prayed for Allah "to bestow his mercy upon the deceased, those affected in the bombing and their families. I pray for your relief, for your healing, for your well-being, for your strength."
CNN reports that Tsarnaev spoke in "a low, slightly accented voice, he expressed remorse but never turned to face his victims." Survivor response to the apology has been mixed. Do you think Tsarnaev's apology was sincere?
Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston/Handout via Reuters
Do you agree w/ Supreme Court Obamacare ruling?
The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision to uphold a critical provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ruling says that eligible individuals are able to receive subsidies/tax credits from the federal government for purchasing health coverage regardless of whether they live in a state that set up a health insurance marketplace or a state that relies on the exchange created by the federal government (healthcare.gov). Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said: “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them.”
This is the second Supreme Court ruling in favor of the ACA meaning that President Obama's biggest achievement on the domestic policy front is likely to stay in place unless a future administration and Congress and administration decide to overturn it. Do you think the Supreme Court made the right call?
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act in front of the Supreme Court. Source: Doug Mills/NY Times
Background: The case centered around a challenge from opponents of the law who argued that certain wording in the law only specified that individuals in states with state-run exchanges are eligible for subsidies. A ruling in favor of the challengers would have turned the healthcare law on its head as individuals who signed up for coverage through the federal exchange would have lost their subsidies. The map below shows the types of exchange in each state.