Minimum Wage Fight Takes Shape Across the Map

http://www.npr.org/2014/01/10/261421652/minimum-wage-campaign-picks-up-steam?sc=17&f=1003

Many states have taken action to raise the rate of minimum wage. Democrats in congress are pushing to raise minimum wage to $10.10, but it is showing that the desire to raise the wage is an issue supported by not just Democrats but Republicans too. People for the increase in minimum wage, claim that the raise in money will decrease the issues in cost of living. A woman in Boston accounted for her inability to even make ends meet with her part time, minimum wage job and her employer refuses to allow her full time hours, and the ability to find a full time job has proved to be an impossible feat. This is just one account of many across the United States of people who are supportive of the raise in minimum wage, and because these stories are increasing it is anticipated that the bill to raise minimum wage will appear in legislation in the very near future.

As a person making minimum wage, I would love to see an increase! Everybody likes a raise, right? I feel, however, that the raise in minimum wage will not fix the problems of high costs of living. As wages go up, so will the cost of food and homes and clothes and so it won't be making a real difference anyway. I feel like the issue lies in the hours that people are receiving coupled with the wages that people are making. Just as that lady in Boston said, her employer wouldn't allow for her to move to full time hours therefore cutting out money she could be making, but then her ability to obtain a full time job to supplement the money she is lacking is impossible because their is nothing available. I think that legislatures should be looking at the jobs they are creating more than increasing minimum wage, and then as more jobs are created maybe allow the minimum wage to go up a little but not by much. This is a tricky issue, though, and the solution, I believe, is more complicated than just raising the minimum wage to give out more money.

Target Says 70 Million Individuals' Data May Have Been Stolen

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/10/261365107/target-says-70-million-individuals-data-may-have-been-stolen?sc=17&f=1001

This article reports on the identity theft that Target Co. is dealing with after hackers hacked into their system during the holiday season and stole millions of people email addresses, mailing addresses, names, phone numbers, and debit and credit card numbers. Target is warning the people to keep tabs on their card purchases and are giving them free liability to any cost of fraudulent charges. The company is also offering a years worth of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection programs as compensation.

I think that this is a really scary thing seeing as I myself shopped at Target during the holidays and could potentially be a victim of the identity theft. This article reminded me of another article I read about identity theft problems throughout the app Snapchat which said that hundreds of people's accounts were hacked due to lack of regulation of the phone numbers that people put on their accounts as a way to find more friends. Those phone numbers were stolen by the hackers. These companies are not taking identity theft and protection into as important consideration as they need to. The person who wrote the article about Snapchat said that the company seemed to put their identity protection as an afterthought thus resulting it not being as strong as it should be. Identity is such an important thing, and I would hope with these few new stories coming out as well as the many others that come out that we don't hear about, companies and people take more precaution to protect their identities. 

More of the Jobless Are Giving Up On Finding Work

http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/10/news/economy/jobless-job-market-dropouts/

Studies show that the unemployment rate went down to just 6% in December, however, it is not because more people are obtaining jobs. No, it's because people have been out of the work field and unable to find jobs that they just give up. The amount of rejection they received was too much and they gave up.

This article sheds light on the issue that we have here in America with unemployment. Even with jobs being created, we still have a problem with unemployment because it is just too hard to find jobs or to become hired. I think that this is a reflection on the issues going on in congress regarding the raise in minimum wage and Obama's healthcare bill. Employers don't want to have to hire and pay more people than they absolutely have to-- it's expensive, and the result of this is a decline in jobs and the ability to obtain a job nearly impossible.

Scandal Burnishes Christie as Bully

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/10/politics/christie-style/index.html

Chris Christie, the current governor of New Jersey, has been caught in a scandal regarding the George Washington Bridge which is the main connecting road in and out of New York and New Jersey. Two lanes of the three lane road were ordered to be shut down and it is alleged that Christie is behind the inconvenience in order to "get back" at politicians who were opposed of his reelection in November. Days after the lanes were closed, civilians were complaining of the high traffic issues. People missed appointments and were late to work, and it is even said that the safety of people were put in jeopardy as emergency vehicles were unable to respond as quickly due to the traffic jams and police officers were forced to control traffic.

This article was surprising to me just because of the pettiness of it. Chris Christie is a blunt, "straight-forward" man who doesn't shy away from an opportunity to put somebody in their place. So, it wouldn't surprise me if he was behind the whole scandal. Now, I know that that is speculation and 100% my own opinion, however, I feel like this is an example of the corruption going on in the politics of the United States. Politicians make things personal, and, more times than not, play the game dirty. Just as the traffic built up and effected hundreds of people's lives on the George Washington Bridge, other things that politicians do to get back at each other effects all of us. Not just them. 

Alaska Group Takes Next Step to Legalize Marijuana

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=130&sid=28291642&title=alaska-group-takes-next-step-to-legalize-marijuana

In 1975, Alaska passed a law which stated that the banning of recreational use of marijuana was a violation of privacy rights. Alaska legislation in 1982, however, began to put regulations on the amount of marijuana that one could actually possess: first it was 4 ounces and then it was reduces to 1 ounce. Then, in 2006, Alaska passed another law which re-criminalized the use of recreational marijuana. Now, activists who want marijuana to be legalized have taken action to have petitions signed and currently they have brought forth 46,000 signatures to the petition office.

I feel like this issue is a two edged sword. On one side you have the moral issue of legalized drugs. Do we as a society really want to allow the use of drugs recreationally with no penalty? On the other side you have the logistical issue. If we legalize it will taking away the rebelliousness of doing it by default reduce the problem? Will people then take more into account the health risks that the drugs have on them? I really am in a toss up in this situation because I can see both sides of the argument. I support the fact that people who are using and are addicted to the drugs can't make the rational decisions for themselves to stop. I don't want to sit back and allow groups of people just throw their health and lives away because of a drug-- I feel like we as human beings have an obligation to look out for each other and stop harmful things like that from happening. I also support the fact that doing drugs, and primarily in this case marijuana, is the choice of the person. I myself would never do it so what right do I have to dictate to someone else that they can't. I also can see that some people do it just because of the rebellious factor to it-- the illegal act, if you will, and with legalizing marijuana is could have the potential of reducing the problem just because it's not an act of rebellion anymore. I thought this article was interesting, though, just because the issue is interesting.

Utah Will Not Recognize Same-Sex Marriage Performed Before High Court Stay

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/08/utah-will-not-recognize-same-sex-marriages-performed-before-high-court-stay/?hpt=po_c2

This article is a reflection on the recent ruling on the legalization of gay marriage made by Court District Judge Robert Shelby and the stay that has been put on the decision to determine if Shelby's ruling was right and legal and if the hundreds of marriages that were performed are still legal. This article describes the legal confusion that Shelby's ruling gives as well as describes the import impact that it could have because it is now working its way through the courts and could get a ruling in the supreme court.

First, I think that this case is such an important and needed case! The issue of gay marriage is something that truly needs to be taken to the federal level because it's so prevalent in the culture of the United States and the different laws in different states just causes confusion and inconsistency on the state levels. I think also that besides the issue of gay marriage, this case is an important case to help redefine the power that the court judges have and help define more clearly the checks and balances between the court rulings and the popular votes in the public. The fact that one judge was able to make a ruling that goes against the popular vote decision that was made in 2004 makes people think that their rights have been violated, but on the other hand the judge believes that the popular vote decision was unconstitutional. So it raises the question about who is right and who is wrong.

On the issue of gay-marriage, I personally believe that Shelby was correct in his decision that the 2004 vote was unconstitutional and gay marriage should be legalized, however, I believe that he was wrong in going against the popular vote because it caused so much confusion. If this case gets to the Supreme Court, I would hope that they would vote in favor of legalizing gay marriage. Just as Mrs. McMurray said in class: what's the harm in giving people the same rights that I also have? I am not losing anything in the process. Despite religious view points, I believe that this is a highly secular issue and people should vote as such. Homosexual couples who are citizens of the United States are entitled to the same rights as any straight couple, I believe it is as clear cut as that.