The Internet's Impact on Citizens participation...

 Internet has become more and more necessary for our lives as time goes by, we can do pretty much anything on the internet. From online shopping to blogging to bank transactions.  The internet has revolutionized our lives. One of the most useful things is that nowadays information spreads across the world in just seconds. Internet brings mostly good things for our society. However, when it comes to media we have to be aware that not all we read or hear is going to be true.

 Out of all the things that have come out of the internet I would say that blogging is one of the most powerful. People all over the world can share their opinions on different topics. It is nice to see how the U.S. allows people to express freely through their blogs, unlike some other governments such as China, Russia and Middle Eastern countries, if you say something that goes against the government most likely you will be prosecuted, even killed.

 So, I think we should be grateful for the freedom that we have and put it in exercise by speaking our minds. Some people wish they could, but they cannot.

Election Campaigns...Brown v Whitman

The previous video was part of Jerry Brown's ad campaign for governor. Even though he does not really state what his plans are, I think it was a clever way to attack Whitman in a diplomatic way. Besides, you cannot judge a political campaign just for an ad, because each ad has a different purpose.

This is one of Whitman's ads. I like it in the sense that she does not mess around; she goes to the point on what her plans were to help California. However, I think this ad in particular lacks the wit that younger generations appreciate so much, you could almost say the ad is for old, conservative people.

In conclusion I think both ads are acceptable, none of them are stupid. But I think in the end Brown's ads were more effective because he seems to be more honest and well....he won.

eCommerce Taxation

As our society relies more and more on the internet, it seems only natural to see online businesses and shoppers increasing.So regular shopping decreases and the taxes one would normally pay just get lost.The problem with this is that when it comes to what is taxable or not, or how much you have to pay for it varies from state to state. This is why right now there is a huge controversy on what should the government do about this.

A solution must be found soon, because as time goes by without a solid regulations, the government loses potential revenue to take care of the necessities of the country. And considering the current state of  the economy the government cannot afford to keep losing more money.

Some people claim they should not tax eCommerce, however I think it would be selfish because our country is not in the best shape right now, and it would be counterproductive to not pay taxes on this. In the end taxes are used for our benefit, so I think a fair agreement should be done to keep everyone happy.

Online Print Media

Media's effect in society depends on the source and whether the purpose is to sell an idea with accurate facts or just making up sensationalist stories to get more attention and therefore more money.

This article by Brian Stelter from the New York Times, is a good example of how media can be a useful tool to inform yourself by getting both sides of the story without an attempt to convince you on what the truth really is.

The article is about how the media's attempt to debunk the idea that president Obama is not a U.S. citizen, actually triggered more speculation about the issue.

"... reporters tried to debunk those theories. But opinion polls found that doubts among Americans about his citizenship grew over time, as if the very fact of the debate caused the issue to fester in more minds. "

I think this article is effective because it describes the situation just as it is, without deviating from its purpose.

Jon Stewart's opinion on Glenn Beck...

    Media is a powerful tool used to express ideas related to issues in our society and helps the people decide where they stand. However, it can also bring negative effects by distorting facts to influence and sway the opinion of the public. Media should just give raw facts to the people and let them figure things out for themselves instead of acting as propaganda for a political party.

  This video shows Jon Stewart describing Glenn Beck's ways of twisting facts and the lack of logic behind some of his claims. Even though both of them have to exaggerate things a little bit to get the attention of the audience, Stewart did the right thing by criticizing Beck's manipulations. Not only because their do not make sense, but also because rather than educating people it distances them from reality. I strongly belief the media has the right to express their points of view and share these with their followers. But I think it does not make sense when the purpose of the media changes from informing the population to taking advantage of its power to change the people's perception on a particular issue or political figure by attacking them with misleading information. 

  That said, I also think it is important for us to analyze the things that we read and hear, and try to come up with our own point of view. It does not matter what is one's political affiliation; nowadays this is essential because we should not stay in ignorance due to the false belief that anything we hear/read in the news, articles, etc. is necessarily true.

Roe v. Wade

Roe v. Wade was a case about a pregnant woman who was not allowed to get an abortion in Texas because they only allowed it for cases when it was necessary to save the mother's life. Therefore she brought suit against the District Attorney of Texas, and she argued that the protection of life granted by the 14th amendment could not be applied to a fetus because it was not a person in the eyes of the law. In the end the court decided on Roe's favor, but also set some rules for when women can get an abortion (they must be in the first trimester).

I think it is good that she was allowed to get an abortion, because if she did not wanted it, most likely there was a reason behind it. Some people are just not prepared for the responsibility that being a parent includes. Forcing a person to have a kid they are not ready to raise does not make sense. However, I also think it is smart that there are some regulations for who can get an abortion and who cannot because it helps raise awareness on the responsibilities one has.

Community Service Project: We Can Make A Difference

As high school seniors, we are supposed to be prepared to go out into the

world, and put into practice what we have learned from our families, teachers and

experiences. One of these values is the duty to develop a social conscience and

improve the prevailing imperfections in our society such as poverty. Poverty

narrows people’s possibilities to be part of the middle class, have a pleasant life

and makes it harder for them to do well in life. But poverty becomes a more serious

affair when it makes life a daily struggle to survive, by limiting the food on people’s

tables, due to the lack of means. In this paper I am going to talk about poverty in

America and how it leads to hunger and other issues. I will also explain what has

been done by the government to ameliorate the problem and last but not least, my

opinion on what we should do to make a difference on the lives of many people, and

make a better society.

The Problem

We live in one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, yet poverty haunts our

society. It seems only natural to think that in our times, lack of food should not be an

issue. However, we live in a world in which no matter how much food there is in the

world, it is just a matter of whether you have the money to buy it or not. And as a

result of the recent economic collapse, many Americans have been fired from their

jobs, lost their homes, businesses and countless misfortunes that pretty much left

them penniless.  In the following passage Pam Fessler, a correspondent on NPR’s

Washington desk, describes the situation: “More than 50 million Americans lived in

households that had difficulties getting enough to eat at least at some point during

2009. That includes 17 million children, and at least a half-million of those children

faced the direst conditions. They had inadequate diets, or even missed

meals, because their families didn't have enough money for food “ (Fessler).

If we consider the fact that our population is approximately 300 million, 50

million is an alarming number. An ominous report was also published by the Census

Bureau, Erik Eckholm, a reporter for the New York Times explains “The percentage

of Americans struggling below the poverty line in 2009 was the highest it has been

 in 15 years...aid groups said the increase appeared to be continuing this year”

(Eckholm).  It is clear that poverty has always been there no matter what, but

clearly downturns in the economy exacerbate the state of penury.

There are several causes for poverty but one of the factors that probably

contribute the most is the widening gap between rich and poor. Some

argue income inequality is necessary so that people strive for excellence in an

attempt to make it to the top, but the gap should not be as wide as it currently is.

According to an article by Marcia Clemmitt, for the CQ Press “The top 1 percent of

income households earned about 20 percent of the national total income in 2005,

the average income of such earners increased by $102,000 after adjusting for

inflation. By contrast the average income of the bottom 90 percent rose by $25

(Clemmitt). This means the rich are thriving while the middle and lower classes are

not going anywhere. Some insist there is nothing wrong with this but I think it does

not make sense because it is not a sustainable and eventually everything will

collapse. Another interesting fact that Clemmitt reveals is that “ The top 1 percent of

income earners in the United States control nearly 18 percent of Americans’ total

income, the world’s highest such concentration. In 1949, however, the top American

earners lagged behind those of several other countries, including Indonesia,

Germany and the United Kingdom” (Clemmitt). Again we have one more example

 that says a lot. The rich are growing richer, the rest are either stuck or growing

poorer. And it does not really seems like things are going to change because even

though the people at the top make more money, the middle class is paying

proportionally more than they are. 

For my community service project I wanted to help the poor or an

organization dedicated to help the poor. I decided to help Contra Costa and

Solano County Food Bank, an organization that helps fight hunger locally by

distributing food for the poor. I chose this type of organization because considering

the amount of resources our country has, I think it would be easier to mitigate

poverty and hunger in the United States if the people and the government made an

effort to refocus on what is really important, and showed more support for this

organizations. What if we proposed ourselves to be the first country to eradicate

hunger, or at least take it to extremely low levels?

The Government

It is the government’s responsibility to take care of the welfare of the nation,

therefore they have created major domestic food aid programs such as the Food

Stamp Program, the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program,

Summer Food Service Program for Children, Special Supplemental Nutrition

Program for Women, Infants and Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and

Emergency Food Assistance Program. These programs are usually temporary

which can affect people who are unable to find new jobs with the time available.

I think the government has done a decent job trying to relieve hunger, but I

think the problem is that before eliminating hunger we must take care of poverty

first, otherwise it just will not work. It is not a matter of lack of resources but a

fundamental change. Ross Copeland, a Professor at the University of Kassel,

Germany explains:

 Access to food and other resources is not a matter of

availability, but rather of ability to pay. Put bluntly, those with the

most money command the most resources, whilst those with little or

no money go hungry. This inevitably leads to a situation whereby

some sections of humanity arguably have too much and other sections

little or nothing. Indeed, globally the richest 20 per cent of humanity

controls around 85 per cent of all wealth, whilst the poorest 20

percent control only 1.5 per cent. (Copeland)

It is very simple; world hunger exists because our economic system is

imperfect. And hunger will remain until we open our eyes and reorganize efficiently.

My Opinion

My way of helping the community was by showing support for the Contra

Costa Food Bank. And it made me realize it is actually kind of hard to believe that we

are in 2011, and even though we have had an astounding progress in science and

technology we are still letting people die year after year (maybe not in America but

in poor countries) knowing that we could have made a difference and save lives. 

            I think we need to question our reality as human beings and as part of this

society, we cannot just conform to what we already have, we must innovate and

endeavor to make a better tomorrow.

            Some of the aspects I would say we need to work on include promoting jobs

with proper salaries to avoid poverty, and encourage people to help the poor in

exchange for tax relief, etc.

            Hopefully things will change with time, but in the meanwhile, we should at

least  support welfare organizations and be thankful for what we got.