5 Most Important Stories of 2008
There are several top stories that ruled every newspaper heading and every single news station for the year of 2008. But there are five great stories that really struck my attention; they are ranked from most important to least in my judgment.
1. Immigrant Round-ups to Gain Cheap Labor for U.S. Corporate Giants
The North American Free Trade Agreement flooded Mexico with cheap US agricultural products that displaced millions of Mexican farmers. Between 2000 and 2005, Mexico lost 900,000 rural jobs and 700,000 industrial jobs, resulting in deep unemployment throughout the country. Desperate poverty has forced millions of Mexican workers north in order to feed their families. The National Campesino Front estimates that two million farmers have been displaced by NAFTA, in many cases related to the increase in US imports. In my opinion, it’s unfair to treat immigrants the way some people treat them, there all the same kind of people and we should treat everyone equal this is my number one.
2. The Scam of “Reconstruction” in Afghanistan
There was a report issued in June 2005 by the nonprofit organization Action Aid, that much of the U.S. tax money to rebuilt Afghanistan. Additionally, 70 percent of the aid that does make it to a recipient country is carefully “tied” to the donor nation, requiring that the recipient use the donated money to buy products and services from the donor country, often at severely inflated prices. The US far outstrips other nations in these schemes, as Action Aid calculates that 86 cents of every dollar of American aid is phantom. In my opinion, it’s not fair that much of the U.S. tax money to rebuilt Afghanistan, that’s a very poorly decision to make just because what were going through with that country its ranked 2nd.
3. More Than 1 Million Iraqi Deaths Caused by U.S. Occupation
More than 1 million Iraqis have met violent deaths as a result of the 2003 invasion, according to a study conducted by the prestigious British polling group, Opinion Research Business. These numbers suggest that the invasion of Iraq rival the mass killings of the last century—the human toll exceeds the 800,000 to 900,000 believed killed in the Rwandan genocide in 1994, and the number (1.7 million) who died in Cambodia’s infamous “Killing Fields” during the Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration, in 2007 almost 5 million Iraqis had been displaced by violence in their country, the huge majority of which had fled since the war started in 2003. In my opinion, there have been so many deaths I cannot believe it I think that the war in Iraq needs to stop to save a lot of incident people’s lives that’s just way too much dying and I rank this 3rd.
4. Marijuana Arrests Set New Record
For the fourth year in a row, U.S. marijuana arrests set an all-time record, according to 2006 FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Marijuana arrests in 2006 totaled 829,627, an increase from 786,545 in 2005. At current rates, a marijuana smoker is arrested every 38 seconds, with marijuana arrests comprising nearly 44% of all drug arrests in the United States. Possession arrests exceeded arrests for all violent crimes combined, as they have for years. I believe that there have been so many arrests in the past year that is so crazy I rank it 4th.
5. Cruelty and Death in Juvenile Detention Centers
In states across the country, child advocates have harshly meant the conditions under which young offenders are housed—conditions that involve sexual abuse, physical abuse and even death. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed lawsuits against facilities in 11 states for supervision that is either abusive or harmfully negligent. It’s very difficult to know exactly how many teen have been abused or neglected. The worst confrontations have ended up in death, at least five juveniles died after been forced to be placed in restraint in facilities. I believe that kids that are hard to control need to be ruffed up, but not to the point where death is in the situation this is ranked 5.
The Car of the Future–but at What Cost
According to the Washington post many members of Congress believe they know what the car company of the future should look like. Car manufactures still haven’t figured out how to produce hybrid and plug-in vechicle cheaply enough to make money on them. After a decade of relative success with its hybrid Prius, Toyota has sold about a million of the cars and is still widely believed by analysts to be losing money on each one sold. Auto industry experts say that the basic problem is that the U.S. industry geared up to make 18 million cars and light trucksa year and that it will be lucky to sell 11 million this year.
In my opinion, this car is going to be really good on gas, but than again the way our economy is it’s just way to expensive to buy this kind of car there going to loose business on this car maybe. The auto industry experts made a mistake making 18 million car and wanting to sell at least 11 that’s not going to happen I don’t think. They should really think about what there doing and look how expensive everything is. It’s a very cool idea and a cool car but the cost it very high.
Hillary Clinton
According to the news today Hillary Clinton said shes ready to leave New York and the senate, and return to the world stage. She acknowledge her eight years as senator thanks to New Yorkers. Accepting her nomination at the Chicago news conference where Obama made it offical Clinton replied. I will give this assignment, your adminstration and our country my all. Also the best way to continue serving our country would be to go work for Obama in “it will be a difficult and exciting adventure for this new country.
Hillary Clinton showed to everyone how smart but then again selfish she is. It was a very hard decision for her to accept the offer or not because Obama was just her rival. She is very selfish and put the interest in our country first and set aside the differences, that’s not a vey smart thing to do. She pretty much said that going to work for Obama to help our country out, that’s not very fair to put it that way in my opinion.
What I thought about Bush
George Bush is the forty third and current president. He served as the forty sixth govener of Texas from 1995 to 2008, eigth months into his first term as president, the September 11 terrorist attacks occured, and Bush announced the Golbal war on terrorism. The national security issues he attempted to promote policies on the economy, health care, education, and social security reforms. We had large tax cuts, the no child left behing act, medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors, and a national debate on immigration.
In my opinion, I don’t think that Bush was a really good president, first of all is because he had the war going for so many years and it wasn’t even worth it. People were risking there incient lives, leaving there families left behind. He made a lot of wrong decisions when it came to our countrys economy. But eventhough he wasn’t all that good I’d rather have him be our president any day before Obama.
Bailout
This weeks congress will consider whether or not to cough up billions of dollars to bail out troubled companies according to CNN news. They say that millions of jobs could be lost and more that $100 billion in wages tooken out of the U.S. economy. Some people think that the bailout will only postpone the inevitable, and that the failure of one or more of the companies is necessary if the economy is to work properly. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., have said they want the government to help the companies and that the funding should come out of the $700 billion bailout plan passed by Congress last month.
In my opinion, I don’t agree with this. That’s just way to much money taken out of the U.S. economy. We don’t need any of that, that’s there fault that there going bankrupt. That’s not fair for any of us, it’s the car peoples fault. Just because they made there mistakes. I just hope for the best and hope that everything goes good.
Homeland Security Dectects Terrorist Threats
Homeland Security Dectects terrorist by reading your mind according to fox news. Homeland security is now testing the next generation of security screnning, body scanner that can read your mind. Most preventive screening looks for explosives or metals that wiil cause a threat. All the sensors and equipment are packaged inside a mobile screening laboratory about the size of a trailer truck or large bed. Just last week Homeland security put it to a field test in Maryland. Also because its a fast mobile screening laboratory, it could be set up at entances to stadiums, malls and in airports, making it ever more difficult for terrorits to live and walk amoung us. It will be an alert to everyone and let everyone know whats going to happen if someone trys to plan to do something.
In my opinion, I think that its a great idea to put homeland security. It’s about time they do something like that. It will protect us alot, from getting bomb threats, or even something like 9/11. If someone even has a plan to do something, the security will read your mind right away. Also they should put it in malls, stores, etc. Now days killings like stabbings, shootings, are getting worse
Obama won for President
Last night was the most important night in our history, we had to decide whether or not who was going to win president and lead our country. Obama is the president he won over McCain, the results were Obama’s votes were 349 and McCain votes were 163. The pesent was 52 to 46. Obama had won by alot. McCain had a total of 270 electoral votes out of 538 was needed to win the election.
In my opinion, Obama had alot of people voting for him. I honestly wanted McCain. I just hope Obama does what he says and is not going to screw our country over. All we can do for whoever did’nt want Obama is just pray for our country and hope for the best. McCain seems like a very honest guy and knows what he was going to do to make our country back to the way it was. But we all have to deal with Obama as our president of the United States for 2008-2012.
Opinion Why you Should vote for Obama
There are some reasons I think that you should vote for Obama. He is a very strong working man. He plan to to do if you pollute you have to pay. He wants to keep us heatlthy with clean air and clean water for our society. Obama is going to do higher standards like more jobs for people, creates 25% of our electricty from clean energy by 2025. He wants to help us with the gas prices, and keep thaem low as possible to help out everyone and save more money. In my opinion these are a few reasons why you should vote for OBAMA YA!
Obama seems like a very honet guy. Also he has a heart that cares for everyone and is going to try to help out all the American citizens. That would be really great if what he says is gong to come true, but i honestly think that he is saying the truth about what he is going to do. Lets all vote for Obama.
Obama’s Alternative Energy
Obama’s critcized Bush for denying golbal warming saying a president who put more faith in science fiction. A major feature of Obama’s vision is a cap and trade plan that would reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050 every ten years. Under Obama’s plan a cap could set that all limits the total amount of carbon emmissions allowed. The total would be divided into pollution allowances. Some of the revenue from the auctions would be used to develop clean energy and promoting energy efficiency. He said that he would invest 150 billion over 10 years to develop clean energy including corn enthanol and other advanced biofuels.
In my opinion, I think that Obama has a great plan on energy. He wants our country to be nice and clean enviroment instead of all polluted. He’s willing to save billions of money fro energy. He wants to develop other biofuels as well. Also he don’t want to waste any energy at all he would save it and put it into pollution allowances. Unlike Bush who wasted all the energy that he could and did’nt even think about trying to save it in any way. I hope Obama sticks to his word on what he is saying and not trick us.
Obama’s Health Care
The Obama plan is provides affordable health care for all American citizens, also using existing providers. Patients will be able to make health care decisions with there doctors, instead of being blocked by insurance company bureacurats. He would lke everyone to have health care he can save the average consumer 2,500 to bring heath care to all. Obama also called for a series of steps to overhaul the current health care system. He would spend more money boosting technology in the health industry such as electronic record-keeping.
In my opinion, I think that Obama has a great idea about his plan for health care. Because some people are struggling because they cant even get health care for there kids because there making to much money. I don’t think that is fair to any one it shouldn’t matter whether or not your making to much money, everyone should be ale to get any kind of health insurance.
