In light of the recent devastating Amtrak train derailment, questions about the poor infrastructure in the United States have arisen. The American Society of Civil Engineers has given the nation’s infrastructure a grade in the range from D to D+ for the past five years. The nation spent 2% of our GDP on infrastructure in 2011, a number that has only been decreasing ever since (Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative). China and India, on the other hand, are countries with superior transportation systems having spent 11% of their GDP in 2011 on infrastructure. Congress is looking to cut Amtrak funding from $1.39 to $1.14 billion, with the Republicans arguing the impracticality of increasing infrastructure funding without decreasing funds elsewhere and the lack of information for the train crash. What do you think the government should do?
Is the Verizon-AOL deal a good idea?
Verizon has taken over AOL inc. for $4.4 billion this past week. What in the world, people are asking, does Verizon want from AOL, a company specialized in dial-up web and news and entertainment websites? The answer is advertising in smartphones. AOL has cultivated vast expertise in the online ad marketplace in the past decade by acquiring many marketing firms and video creation shops. With the increasing shift from laptops as people’s main source of media to phones, Verizon seeks to maximize their advertising in said phones with the help of AOL. This AOL acquisition is reminiscent of Verizon’s previous attempt to takeover Time Warner a decade and half ago - a $162 billion deal that ended up crashing and burning. Do you think Verizon has it right this time around?
Should Sherrod Brown apologize to Obama for his sexism charge?
In response to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s critique of President Obama’s push towards the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership, Obama told Yahoo News: “the truth of the matter is that Elizabeth is, you know, a politician like everybody else. And you know, she’s got a voice that she wants to get out there. And I understand that. And on most issues, she and I deeply agree. On this one though, her arguments don’t stand the test of fact and scrutiny.” Senator Sherrod Brown criticized Obama for getting personal as well as for using Warren’s first name in an act of sexism, which he believes the president might not have done with a male senator. The White House replied that Obama was not being sexist as the president has often publicly referred to lawmakers by their first names. The White House wants Brown to apologize to Obama for his statement - do you think that he should?
Should bans on deep fat friers and soda in public schools be repealed?
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has recently proposed a repeal of a state policy that bans deep fat fryers and soda machines in public schools. This proposal has raised many voices of concern, especially as Texas struggles with high childhood obesity rates. Miller counters that this repeal “does not require a school district to make changes; it simply reduces restrictions and increases options for local decision makers” (Eva Hershaw, Texas Tribune). Do you think that these bans should be repealed?
Should a woman be on the $20 bill?
Women on 20s is a grassroots campaign aimed at replacing Andrew Jackson with an inspiring woman on the $20 dollar bill. The organization polled the public for possible replacements. They announced the winner: Harriet Tubman who aided the escape of slaves through the navigation of the Underground Railroad during the 1850s. In light of this campaign, we want to know: do you think that a woman's face should be placed on the $20 bill? And should it be Harriet Tubman?
Who is most responsible for the exploitation of nail salon workers?
As the amount of nail salons in the United States has multiplied exponentially, the amount of nail salon workers exploited for their desperation to make ends meet has grown as well. A NY Times report notes that these workers are paid below the minimum wage, punished for the tiniest hiccups, and treated with little respect. Who do you think should be held responsible for their exploitation?
The NYTimes has more: http://tinyurl.com/l7o5bse
Should the Senate vote for Obama’s Trans-Pacific trade deal?
President Obama has been pushing a bill to give himself the authority to make quick decisions on trade deals. This would fast track the finalizing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership - a major free-trade agreement with Mexico, Japan, Singapore and seven other nations. The U.S. Senate failed to pass the bill with opposition coming from Democrats. Many cite the large amount of authority that would be given to Obama and the impact of the trade deal on middle-class jobs as reasons for not supporting the bill. Do you think that the Senate should support this trade deal?
Thoughts on the new 76ers logo ft. Ben Franklin?
The Philadelphia 76ers have revealed their new logos, one of which is a swagged out Benjamin Franklin. He is dribbling a basketball, something that people have pointed out was invented a century after his death. What do you think about this new logo? Love it or hate it, let us know!
Is there a line between exercising free speech and acting in poor taste?
Pam Geller is the founder of the organization “American Freedom Defense Initiative,” an organization that has been labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group. She recently organized a Muhammad cartoon contest that was recently attacked by two gunman. Accused by critics of provoking this response, Geller stands by her right of exercising free speech. The Canadian government is also wrestling with the free speech controversy after having created a hate speech law that makes it "illegal to advocate for genocide or to publicly communicate hatred against someone based on their "national or ethnic origin" (Justin Ling & Rachel Browne, Vice News). In light of this controversial issue, we want to know: what do you think?
Is punishing Tom Brady and the Patriots the right move?
The NFL has suspended quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, fined the team $1 million, and taken away two of their draft picks as a response to his involvement in the Deflategate scandal. Did the NFL make the right move?