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Author Archives: JS
BREAKING NEWS: Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Vermont became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage by legislation when the state legislature overrode Governor Jim Douglas’ veto today of a bill that allows gay and lesbian couples to wed in the state. Same-sex marriage was legalized by the courts in the three other states (Connecticut, Iowa, and Massachusetts) where it is permitted.
See the full Washington Post article on the story.
Posted in Blog, LGBT
Tagged Gay Marriage, GLBT, Human Rights, LGBT, Same-Sex Marriage, Vermont
3 Comments
Daily Daily
Disclaimer: If you intend to be offended in any way by the following post, please skip over it and move on to the next one. This is an individual viewpoint. It is only the opinion of its author (Joe S). It is neither endorsed by nor represents the views of the College Democrats at the University of Michigan, the Michigan Federation of College Democrats, the Michigan Democratic Party, or the Democratic National Committee.
1. There’s an above-the-fold picture of some guy buying potatoes. While the photo itself is just mediocre, the root of the problem it that this guy’s purchase does not concern me in any way. What does buying potatoes have to do with anything? It might have been interesting if the guy was Ralph Williams, Juan Cole, or Sam Marvin, but it wasn’t.
2. Rich people might donate less to charity if Obama reduces their tax deductions on charitable donations. It’s a reasonably well-written article that has currency here at the University. Let’s be sure to convince Stephen M. Ross to make a donation to LSA before the change takes effect. (I’m sure we could promise not to build an orange building!)
3. Nick Sheridan allegedly broke his leg. Rich Rodriguez can pass him over if necessary, because we have some new QB recruit.
4. Crime Notes: Someone damaged a piano in MoJo.
5. The editorial laments the loss of the Ann Arbor News and challenges the quality of online journalism. Typical. Nose-in-the-sky print reporters think they’re better than bloggers. And excuse me, but Kicking Ass Ann Arbor is as fine a news source as any.
6. There is an op-ed by Ibrahim Kakwan that defended child labor. It started off by arguing that it is better to have children work in factories than work as prostitutes. Okay, I agree with that. But then it went on to maintain that child labor is good, because “it makes things cheaper for Americans.” Sorry, Mr. Kakwan–that’s one of the most depraved arguments I’ve ever seen in an op-ed. Shame on you.
7. There’s an article about hockey. I know this is probably blasphemous here in Michigan, but I don’t follow hockey and don’t know anything about the sport. As my goal is not to embarrass myself, I’ll merely acknowledge that there was an article about it on page 5A and not make any effort to score points by attempting discuss it.
8. I forced myself to read the “the fashion b-side.” This is the first time I’ve ever read the Daily’s arts section; now I know I wasn’t missing much. It was just several pages of pictures of random people. Not that I don’t see hundreds of random people on the Diag every day, or anything. I probably won’t ever bother to read it again.
9. There was only one sudoku. There are usually more. How puzzling.
Posted in Blog, Daily Daily
Tagged Child Labor, Daily Daily, DPS, fashion, football, obama, Potatoes, Puns, Sam Marvin, Social Justice, Sudoku, taxes
3 Comments
Obama Administration Ends Use of "Enemy Combatant" Designation
The Department of Justice announced several weeks ago that the government would end the Bush-era practice of designating people “enemy combatants.” The Bush administration had asserted that the president has a wartime power to declare a person an “enemy combatant” arbitrarily and detain him or her indefinitely. The administration used “enemy combatant” status to ensure that suspected terrorists were held out of reach of both international law (namely the Geneva Conventions) and fundamental Constitutional rights, particularly the right to due process.
It is widely agreed that the president has increased powers during wartime. President Abraham Lincoln first asserted such wartime powers during the Civil War. Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman also took up expanded powers during war. Following September 11th, President Bush argued that he too had extraordinary wartime powers–this time from the War on Terrorism.
While the principle of expanded wartime powers is reasonable, it becomes concerning in the context of the War on Terrorism. Terrorists, by definition, do not represent a country; rather they are individuals or members of organized groups that commit acts of violence in an effort to attain change (usually political change). Terrorists can spring up anywhere in the world at any time. While this makes them particularly dangerous, it also changes the concept of “war.” In traditional wars, such as World War II, there are clear sides and the war ends when one side is defeated. A war against a noun , however, will always be perpetual. While the War on Terrorism certainly needs to be fought, using an indefinite war as grounds for extraordinary governmental powers is straight out of “1984″ and is certainly not something that the Framers had in mind.
Fortunately, President Barack Obama has signaled a change in course by dropping the “enemy combatant” designation and removing such prisoners from legal limbo. President Obama, a Constitutional law scholar himself, understands that America derives its greatness from its values and its freedoms, and that the terrorists have won we surrender our liberties.
On the web.
Vitter in Trouble Again?
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) made headlines in 2007 when he admitted to hiring prostitutes from the infamous “D.C. Madam.” Vitter is now back in the news–this time for a incident involving a missed flight at Washington’s Dulles International Airport. According to Roll Call newspaper, Vitter was running late to catch a United Airlines flight back to Louisiana. When he arrived at the gate, the agent had already finished boarding the flight and had closed the jetway door. Roll Call’s anonymous source tells the newspaper that Vitter attempted to board the flight anyway. He allegedly opened the jetway door (which set off an alarm) and yelled at the gate agent. When the agent left to call security, Vitter disappeared. The TSA is investigating the incident.
Posted in America, Blog, Scandals
Tagged David Vitter, DC Madam, Dulles, louisiana, republican, Republicans, Senate, TSA, United Airlines
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Obama Backs Merit-Based Pay for Teachers
President Obama called for merit-based pay for teachers in a significant speech on education policy yesterday. Teachers unions, which reliably back Democratic candidates, have long opposed such a system. Politics aside, merit-based pay could help bring much-needed improvements to our nation’s education system by rewarding excellent performance with higher pay.
Unions have argued that merit-based pay might not be “fair,” because teachers would allegedly be subject to arbitrary pay raises and cuts resulting from favoritism within the system. It is certainly possible, however, to develop reasonable and objective methods of assessing performance for the purpose of compensation adjustments, as is done in much of the private sector. Furthermore, it does not seem “fair” that excellent teachers who go above and beyond to ensure that their students are learning receive the same compensation as lousy teachers who are ineffective in the classroom and allow their students to fail.
Merit-based pay for teachers could potentially be a significant step towards improving our schools by encouraging excellence with an economic incentive. Hopefully, President Obama’s support will help bring about implementation of merit-based pay and other much-needed education reforms in our country.
Posted in America, Barack Obama, Blog, Domestic Affairs, Rants
Tagged Barack Obama, education, obama, School Reform, schools, Teachers, unions
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One Step Closer to Democracy
The Senate approved the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) last Thursday, by a 61-37 vote. If the bill becomes law, it will grant the District of Columbia one voting representative in the House of Representatives and one additional representative to Utah. The bill is a political compromise that balances the heavily-Democratic District’s seat and with one for Republican-leaning Utah. Currently, the District of Columbia – the so-called “capital of the free world” – is denied representation in Congress.
Unfortunately, an amendment proposed by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) to weaken the District’s gun control laws was added to the legislation on the Senate floor. The amendment would legalize semi-automatic weapons and high-powered assault rifles in the city. It would overturn the District’s current gun control laws, which were enacted by the city’s democratically-elected legislature and enjoy widespread support in the city. Supporters of the amendment argue that citizens need guns to defend themselves in their homes. Semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, however, are certainly not necessary for self-protection and legalizing them will only undercut law enforcement efforts in the District and potentially endanger the city’s residents, as well as its brave and dedicated police officers.
Thursday’s Senate vote was a significant step towards granting American citizens living in the District of Columbia the same democratic rights as citizens living elsewhere in the country. The House will likely take up consideration of its version of the bill sometime this week. It will probably pass the bill without the gun amendment, leaving open the possibility that the gun amendment could be dropped in conference committee. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation.
Posted in Blog, Congress, Democratic Party, Domestic Affairs, International, Rants, Uncategorized
Tagged Congress, dc, democracy, democrats, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Gun Control, House, Inside the Beltway, lieberman, Nevada, orrin hatch, Reckless Republicans, Republicans, Senate, Senator Ensign, Taxation Without Representation, utah, washington dc
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Static on the Airwaves
Yesterday was supposed to be the day. For years, public service announcements have reminded us that on February 17, 2009, television broadcasts would switch to digital. But they didn’t. Rather, some did and some didn’t. According to the AP, about 25% of stations have begun broadcasting only in digital. The rest have until June 12 to make the switch. How confusing.
What happened? Congress extended the deadline for TV stations to make the switch, because the Department of Commerce ran out of $40 vouchers to subsidize the cost of converter boxes (converter boxes allow analog TVs to receive digital signals and are not needed if the TV is connected to cable or satellite). It is believed that many of these vouchers had expired unused. Congress did not want to force consumers to buy converter boxes, which usually cost $40-60, without the voucher during the current economic downturn.
What a mess. Extending the deadline may not help cash-strapped consumers anyway. TV stations are permitted to make the switch anytime before the June 12 deadline and many stations have chosen to do so, because broadcasting in both analog and digital is very expensive and wastes a great deal of energy.
The decision to switch the deadline to June 12 has created confusion, is wasting resources, and may not be particularly helpful to consumers. It might have been better just to stick with well-publicized February 17 deadline for the switch.
Posted in America, Blog, Congress, Domestic Affairs, Economy, Rants, The Media
Tagged Business, Congress, Department of Commerce, Digital TV, FCC, Rants, Technology, Television, Tv
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Inside the Beltway
The District of Columbia’s nearly-600,000 residents pay federal taxes like all other Americans (except perhaps the few politicians who forget) and serve on federal juries and in the nation’s armed forces. Despite fulfilling these responsibilities of citizenship, however, citizens living in the so-called “capital of the free world” are denied voting representation in Congress.
Congress is currently considering the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act (in the House as H.R. 157 and the Senate as S. 160), which would help remedy the situation by granting the District of Columbia voting representation in the House of Representatives. The bill is a political compromise that aims to attract Republican support to granting the heavily-Democratic District of Columbia a seat in the House. The bill would expand the House to 437 members, with one of the new seats going to the District of Columbia and the other going to heavily-Republican Utah, which is currently next in line to receive an additional House seat.
An effort to pass a similar bill failed in the 110th Congress. The bill passed the House, but fell three votes short of overcoming a Republican-led filibuster in the Senate. With expanded Democratic majorities in both houses in the 111th Congress, however, the bill is very likely to pass. It is likely to come to a floor vote in the House sometime this month. It passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today by an 11-1 vote (Senator John McCain cast the single vote against the bill) and will likely come to a vote in the full Senate later this year.
Watch Colbert’s take on DC voting rights.
UPDATE: According to the AP, a preliminary Senate vote has been scheduled for February 24.