Chile Toll at 700; 2 Million Are Displaced After Quake

The death toll for the eathquake that struck chile stands at 708. This toll is seen to increase dramatically within the next couple of weeks.The earthquake has caused a mass panic in the country and the president has issued for soldiers to scrummage through debris in hope of finding people and also to supply aid to people in need. The ruling of the earthquake was determined to be one measuring at an astounding 8.8 which is by far the most catastrophic in Chilean history. This earthquake has also caused a great amount of illegal acts to take place. Police fired water cannons and tear gas into crowds because people were stealing groceries and other items. The president eventually made a deal with grocery stores and shopping chains to let the people take the food for free but not take non essential items like tv's. The people of chile are in need of help. There are power shortages all throughout the country, bridges collapsed, and other buildings that were toppled. The people are in need and time is running out for them. The world needs to unite to help out our fellow inhabitants of the world, we have to make this there home again.

Click here for link

Major runway closing at JFK airport

According to CNN, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport isn't exactly the poster child for on-time departures and things may get worse before they get better for travelers using the airport this spring. JFK's longest, and busiest, runway (13R-31L) will close for four months.

The closure is all part of a $376-million, three-year makeover. Last year the runway handled more than 143,000 takeoffs and landings, and individual airlines are currently analyzing the effect the closure will have on flight schedules (a JetBlue spokeswoman said "It certainly does have an impact on operations."). The director of aviation for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey explains, "The scope of the project is truly enormous. It provides for the replacement of almost three miles of asphalt pavement."

The asphalt on the runway has already worn out earlier than expected due to excessive use and is due for repair. The Port Authority voted to replace it with concrete, which will last longer, and to widen the runway to 200 feet from 150 feet, which will allow bigger aircraft to use the airport.The new concrete has an estimated service life of over 40 years, compared to an eight-year service life for asphalt.

The shutdown comes as the nation’s air travelers brace for new security precautions that could cause further delays at the gate. And any problems in New York have the potential to ripple around the country, just as problems in Atlanta or Chicago, for example, have been known to delay flights from coast to coast.But officials at Kennedy, and several of the airlines that serve it, insist that the situation is not likely to be a problem and that the long-term benefit will be fewer delays.

The time will clarify and reveal the true impact of this runway closing not just only on the air transportation issues of the nation, but also on the economy of the national transportation.


->For the CNN source link please click here.

N.Y. Terror Suspect Admits Guilt ad Cooperates

Najibullah Zazi, a member of Al Qaeda, pleaded guilty today to terrorist charges. He was convicted of attempting to detonate a bomb in a New York City subway, which posed a highly serious threat to the city of New York and the United States. Zazi was very close to committing this suicide bombing near the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, but since he realized he was under government surveillance, his "martyrdom operation" was cancelled. He was charged in court with attempting to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to committ murder in a foreign country, and supporting a terrorist organization. According to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., this situation poses one of the greatest terrorist threats to our nation since the September 11 attacks. In court, Zazi reacted to these charges in a highly unapologetic manner, arguing that his terrorist intentions were inspired by his concerns about the United States's relationship with Afghanistan. He was fighting against the United States's "invasion" of Afghanistan in honor/order of the Taliban. Many of his family members were even arrested in this case. The United States is proud to proclaim though that this case has represented effective defense of/a successful avoiding of an advanced terrorist plot. In fact, the weapons that were directed toward this subway bombing were the same types of weapons used in the 2005 London Subway/Bus Attacks. Mayor Bloomberg described this terrorist plot to be highly dangerous and a huge threat to the city and nation: "This is not an amateur operation. It was a very serious plot against New York City."
The prevention of this mass suicide bombing represents a strength in the United States. Lately, our nation has been overwhelmingly criticized of its economy, foreign policy, health care reform, other domestic issues, etc. However, our Homeland Security made a remarkable effort in the Zazi case and proved that in this difficult era for our nation, we can still prevail. Also, New York City's (and the overall nation's) reaction to this foiled plot has been extraordinary. When was the last time we saw our nation pull together so strongly and demonstrate as effective a defense as in the Zazi case? It truly is a catalyst for hope that can be induced on the American public. Upon recently viewing the February 14th, 2010 episode of "The McLoughlin Group," a significant debate was brought up about how the United States would respond to a mass terrorist attack or the threat of a terrorist attack if the city of Washington D.C. could barely shovel its way out of the snow. These political pundits made some frightening remarks that warned of a possible failure against the next terrorist attack on the United States. However, the Zazi case clearly proved those from "The McLoughlin Group" who denounced the United States's defense against terrorist attacks wrong. As an American, I can finally speak proudly again now that I realize I can truly have hope for our country and have faith that I will be safe as an American that lives in a country of constant fear of a massive terrorist attack.

Fighting to take Marjah

Since Feburary 13th American and Afgan forces in Marjah have been trying to take down a Taliban instellation and opeum smuggling in the city. Also even with fighting still going on, the newly apointed civilain cheif of Marjah has planned to fly back into the city monday, with hopes of restoring government, overriding all taliban contorl of the city. However this easy victory has turned out to be quite a slog, do to the bombs and boobytraps set by taliban operatives. Even though the taliban members are enclosed in a small area now, they are unfortunately still giving American and Afgan forces a run for their money. Lt. Col. Brian Christmas even states "It looks like they want to stay and fight, but they can always drop their weapons and slip away. That's the nature of this war."

Sadly enough, this is a war that must be fought, but seemingly no end in sight, much like the many other battles like this in the Middle East in this day and age. People are forced from their homes, and many times civilians as well as soliders as killed. Yet these battles continue, and people conitnue to die, almost sickeningly ironic enough, each side are people dieing for their beliefs.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100221/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan;_ylt=Ar5IX9tTrbb.iOGpZc9NtgCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNlODZuNDhxBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMjIxL2FzX2FmZ2hhbmlzdGFuBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDMgRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDb3V0Z3VubmVkdGFs

Health Executive to Lead N.A.A.C.P.

One of today's most recognized interest groups in the country has just elected a new board leader to take the place of Julian Bond. The NAACP has picked Roslyn M. Brock, who is currently the vice chairwoman of the NAACP board, to be the board leader and who they believe will continue the fight for equality through public policy. Her experience in health care administration and policy for the past twenty years has given her colleagues the confidence that she will lead the younger generations.

During the 1950's, this interest group was involved in major court cases and influenced the end results of many historic events. These include the Brown v Board of Education case of 1954, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Lately the organization has declined in power due to decrease in membership, scandals within the society, and confusion as to how to implement their ideas to the country. Embezzlement of money during the mid-1990's by the president along with lay offs due to "budget shortfalls" in 2007 have tarnished the reputation and respect once given to this organization.

Honestly, I'm surprised this interest group hasn't disappeared by now. They have not dramatically influenced policy since the 1950's and are almost perceived as just a name by today's citizens. Those who have studied American history and government will recognize the values they stood for when the South was still segregated and continue to protect. But what have they done in the past 5, 10, 15 years? Is there really a need for this organization to exist? We elected a black man for the presidency a little over a year ago. What more could you possibly ask for? I wouldn't be surprised if in the next twenty years this establishment isn't considered an interest group anymore because of it's lack of power in Congress.

-Jackie Paluszek, period 7

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/us/21NAACP.html?hp

Truth and Fiction on the Stimulus Bill

A year ago president Obama signed the $787 billion stimulus bill into law. Throughout this year the stimulus bill has prevented the recession from becoming worse. So far the bill has created and preserved 1.6 million to 1.8 million jobs. The bill still has 700,000 more jobs to potentially create. The total sum of the jobs created from the $787 billion stimulus bill is 2.5 million. Despite the slight decrease in the unemployment rate Republicans are claiming that the bill was a total failure. Ironically, Republicans are lobbying for money from the stimulus bill for their voting districts.

Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan has helped the American economy out, but that stimulus plan has not completely recovered the American economy. Since unemployment rates are still high there has to be another stimulus bill so that the economy does not go back to how it was last year. Unfortunately many Americans are skeptical about another stimulus bill because they do not believe the money is going to benefit the people. It is disheartening to hear that our government is spending so much money on stimulus bills and packages to help our economy when Jamie Dimon, the chief executive at JP Morgan Chase are getting $17 million bonuses.

The most recent stimulus bill now calls for $266 billion. This bill is for " jobs and stimulus, including all-important extensions of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless and fiscal aid to states that will otherwise face a punishing round of layoffs, canceled projects, spending cuts and tax increases this year and next." Hopefully the new bill will decrease the high unemployment rate even more than the last bill. America needs to get "back on their feet" by creating jobs and decreasing the unemployment rate it can potentially cause America to get out of the recession.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/opinion/20sat1.html?scp=1&sq=february+20+2010&st=nyt

Tea-publican?

The new "Tea party" has found another way of spreading their word and power across the country: they are now seeking out jobs as Republican precinct representatives. Instead of trying to fight the party, as they had originally done, they are now trying to slowly infiltrate it and change it from the bottom up. These new "tea-publicans" are having an easy time finding positions as Republican precinct representatives because most of these positions are open due to the lack of interest; in Maricopa county, Arizona only 30% of the Republican committee positions were filled before the Tea party started moving in on these ground level positions. Now the percentage is up to 50% because of the organization led by the Tea party.
It's a big step for the party to be taking a stand in local party politics. Republicans are relieved to have them joining their party, as they had been worried about them becoming a major third party that could cause a split ticket. This happened in NY's 23rd Congressional District election, where a Democrat had won a longtime Republican seat.
What's yet to be seen though is if this ground up 'movement' by the Tea Party will cause permanent change for the Republican party, or if the 'Tea-publicans' will die out and fall right back in line with traditional Republican ideals.

Party Gridlock in Washington Feeds Fear of a Debt Crisis

Things are so heated within Congress, nothing can be passed through. There is so much controversy and talk about the Obama administration and its goals that the country's overall well being is being ignored.

What should be scrutinized are the motives behind why nothing is getting done. It was said, " Elected Republicans, however, are under intense pressure from their party’s conservative base to oppose any tax increases — a line in the sand that dims any prospects for bipartisan cooperation." President Obama is unable to increase taxes because of these blocks and everything remains at a stand still.

A poll was taken by the CBS News that asked whether President Obama is trying to work with Republicans, and who the deficit was caused by. There is a two to one ratio that says President Obama is trying to work with Republicans, while they say that more than two to one believe Republicans aren't reciprocating. As for the deficit, it is said that 41 percent believe the Bush administration is to blame, 24 percent believe it to be Congress' fault, and 7 percent believe it to be blamed on Obama.

At this point, we have fiscal policy advisers asking if this country is even governable anymore. Our country needs to start believing in our ability to make things right instead of what we consider to be wrong. "And to use the politics of fear and division and hate on each other — we are at a point right now where it doesn’t make a damn whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican if you’ve forgotten you’re an American." Our country needs to pull together once again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/business/economy/17gridlock.html?pagewanted=1&ref=todayspaper

Two Parties Join Together, Then Resume Divided Ways

On Wednesday, Obama and Republican Leaders agreed that they have found a handful of areas where the two sides may be able to work together. However, Obama's choice of Craig Becker for the National Labor Relations Board has caused Republicans to try and block it. After a meeting in the White House with the president and leaders from both parties, it was made clear that both parties do not seem ready to end political discord yet. John Boehner was reported to have asked the president, "If you're serious about cutting spending, why don't we do it now?"
I believe that the attempt for bipartisanship has been long needed. If our government can just put all the differences aside for a while to try and make compromises and fix our country, we will be off to a great start. This will allow for more actions to take place such as the long needed health care bill and the resurrection of our economy. Also I think that John Boehner was right in his statement. It is easy to say we should cut spending, but why can't we put our money where our mouth is and do it?!

Suicide Attack Kills 17, Mostly Police, in Pakistan

In the northwestern region of Khyber near Islamabad a suicide bomber attacked a convey of policemen, killing 17. The police convey was passing through a market when the suicide bomber, who was on foot when he detonated the explosive. . A rescue team was sent in Peshawar and passed through Tirah when they were ambushed. The Army captain was killed in the ambush. The suicide attack came hours after a Pakistani Army Cobra gunship helicopter crashed in the Tirah Valley in Khyber. The pilot and gunner were killed, the army said. Tirah is a known hide-out and escape route for the Taliban.

This suicide bomb attack is one of many attacks that have been occurring and will most likely continue to happen. The Taliban will continue to attack any ties to American forces inside of Pakistan. Peshawar is known as one of the key points to getting around Pakistan for the Americans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/world/asia/11pstan.html?hpw

Obama Plans Bipartisan Summit on Health Care

President Obama plans to have a half-day health care session at the White House, which will be televised. The event would show whether or not Republicans and Democrats are willing to work together to pass a Health Care bill. With the loss of some seats in congress for Democrats, they were contemplating their next step in getting this bill passed, and if continuing was the best choice for them. It will be seen if the session will lead to an agreement or just simply a debate that leads to nothing.

President Obama said he will not start the bill over from scratch, nor will the debate be restarted. Some see this debate as being something that will merely lengthen the process of getting the bill passed. Others believe that along the way this bill will cause Obama to break his promise to not tax the middle class workers. Democrats in the House and Senate were willing to try and come up with a unified health care plan in time for the meeting, something that will be important when the time comes, with the split between the House and Senate bills.

This meeting may work wonders, but it also might fall short of doing anything. Hopefully the meeting will yield positive results, and the citizens will be happy with the consensus reached. It may be the end to the long health care bill.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/us/politics/08webobama.html?ref=politics

Care to Join Us for Tea?

There's a new faction in town : the Tea Party. The grassroots anger that appeared a year ago, in response to the federal government's stimulus package, has now taken a new form of political power. Organizers of the inaugural national convention which took place in Nashville, Tennessee, said that they were forming a political action committee to raise money and provide campaign management, as well as political consulting, for party approved candidates. The PAC seeks to raise $10 million to spend on the 2012 Congressional elections.

Advocates were urged to elect like-minded conservatives in the primaries that take place over the next few months, so Tea Partiers would not have to choose between a Democrat and a Republican "in name only." Organizers outlined plans to gain control over the Republican Party by replacing Republicans with Tea Party conservatives. Mark Skoda, a spokesman for the convention and leader of the Memphis Tea Party, as well as the declared president of the PAC, stated that the Ensuring Liberty PAC would choose candidates based on their loyalty to the "'first principles': less government, fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, states rights and national security."

The success of the Tea Party is still in question, with the convention reflecting the fractiousness of the Tea Party movement; many sponsors and participants had pulled out, citing concerns. The formation of a new third party, especially one that appeals to conservatives, will cause a split of the Republican votes, guaranteeing either a Democratic victory or more competition in the 2010 Congressional elections.

Article Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/us/politics/06teaparty.html?ref=politics

Late Arrival

Recently top military officials such as Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, have looked to end the seventeen year law of "Don't ask don't tell" from 1993. Finally after so many years gays and lesbians will be able to be open about their sexual orientation while fighting for our country. A number of officials are coming out and supporting the end of this law. Adm Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has supported Robert Gates decision saying that, “No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.” The truth of the matter is what does one have to do with another. In combat when we need people the most what impact does it have who at the end of the day they decide to go to bed with. The American government was essentially condoning lying.

The government has the audacity to tell people what they can and can not reveal when the gays and lesbians are serving for them! It is simply illogical to me. There have been thousands of soldiers that have been discharged as a result of reveling their sexuality in previous years. The Armed Forces have lost vital soldiers such as Arabic translators as a direct result of this irrational law. Just because some one chooses to be homosexual does not mean that they are inadequate to fight in war.

Due to the fact that there has not been a draft since Vietnam , the Armed Forces could use however many soldiers they can get. However the homosexuals across the country are being hindered by the law that requires them to conceal themselves. It is long over due and finally officials are repealing this ludicrous law. Although, congress is moving very slowly to finalize the repeal, homosexuals will gain another freedom, after waiting seventeen years.




http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/us/politics/03military.html?ref=us

Change 'out of date' vision of military challenges

The U.S. military needs to start planning for multiple operations such as major disasters at home and scuffles around the planet. Preparing the U.S. military to fight two major conventional wars is "out of date" and does not reflect the numerous challenges U.S. military forces could face in the future, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday.

The quadrennial review is a congressionally mandated document in which the Pentagon looks at future threats and the requirements to mitigate them. That the 2010 review was announced the same day as the 2011 Department of Defense budget was not an accident. The review is a major driving force behind how the Pentagon plans its budget.The 2011 budget request "builds on the reforms begun in last year's budget, changes that were broadened and deepened by the analysis and conclusions contained in the QDR," Gates said.

A common theme between the fiscal year 2011 budget and the 2010 review is reform, something Gates has been pushing since his arrival in late 2006.He announced the cancellation of a number of projects, saving billions of dollars, as well as the restructuring of the long-delayed next generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

Now the question might be that if s this really a good time to put our military into disarray with policy and charter changes? I agree the military needs to adapt to external threats. But putting the military into internal flux is bad timing and unwise while we are fighting two wars and need to deal with Iran's bold threat. This administration of change is disorienting too many. But is that its objective? Distract the people with the right hand so that the left can do its slight of hand? I am sorry to say that the United States federation of states is now in more peril from within than any external threat. The watchmen have been warning us. Is it now time for the minutemen of liberty to seek office and confront those that put our nation and constitution at risk? And is it time for the Tea Party, Libertarians, and other freedom loving organizations to start marching on the enemies from within at the polls and offices of representation. If that fails then the governors of freedom loving states need to get assurances from their national guard units that their loyalty is to the people. We don't need another Kent State.

*Link: FOX News

Obama unveils $3.8tn budget plans

President Obama announces a budget plan which, despite cuts in some programmes, will see the US deficit rising to record levels.

The budget includes about $100bn of tax incentives designed to lower double-digit unemployment, including inducements for companies to hire workers.This will be partially offset by higher taxes on wealthy Americans earning more than $250,000 a year.The budget also includes more money for education, scientific research and defence programmes.

'Quagmire' of debt

But Obama also plans an overall three-year freeze on the portion of government spending that excludes commitments on welfare benefits, healthcare for the elderly, defence and homeland security.And he cancelled the Constellation programme launched by his predecessor that envisaged putting astronauts on the Moon's surface by 2020.In his federal budget request, Obama described the project as "over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation", adding that it was draining resources from other Nasa activities.

Republicans also attacked Obama's proposed tax increases and said the large projected deficits showed he had failed to get government spending under control.Senator Judd Gregg, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said the US was sinking into a "quagmire" of debt and that Mr Obama's stimulus plan had failed to create jobs.

*Link:http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/01/obama.budget.explainer/index.html

A Grim Future For America

America is in its worst economic state since the Great Depression of the 1930s. The economy is in shambles. The federal deficit in 2009 was $1.5 trillion, over five percent of GDP, and the deficit is expected to increase during this fiscal year and the next. Something needs to be done now.

Earlier today President Obama outlined his plans for America's budget over the next ten years. Faced with a deficit of $1.5 trillion that is still growing, he has planned some drastic changes for the budget. Firstly, he has proposed a freeze on all domestic spending. Although, this excludes national security spending and troubled health care costs. The spending freeze is a good first step to reducing the deficit, but it is not nearly enough, especially when national security will continue to rise, as we are still involved in two costly wars. The President has plans to decrease spending in the areas of health care, through health care reform (if it ever passes), military projects, such as the superfluous F-35 fighter jet, and energy costs, through implementation of more green technology. He also has plans to increase funding in some areas, particularly in the area of science and research. This is a wise investment, though, because advances in science and technology will help the country as a whole. One of the biggest changes Obama plans to bring is to take away the horrendous Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. by eliminating the Bush tax cuts, the government will be able to bring in much more money, helping to reduce the deficit. On the other hand, Obama has proposed a middle class - those making under 250,000 annually - tax cut. While this may prove somewhat detrimental for the government, it should certainly help the economy, by allowing for more spending by the middle class, which means more money circulating in the economy. All of Mr. Obama's plans seem reasonable at the moment and one can only hope that they do as planned and help to reduce the deficit, but America's future is still looking very grim.

The Obama administration's projections show that even in 2020, the deficit will still be around four percent of GDP, an unacceptable number. Ten years from now, America will still have a trillion dollar deficit. President Obama has plans to create a bi-partisan debt-reduction committee, but considering the current state of politics, this is also very unlikely. Polarization in government has reached a new high. It seems unlikely that Mr. Obama's budget be approved. The Republicans in the Senate are foolishly trying to filibuster legislation before it even reaches the floor of the Senate. If this continues, the Senate would be at almost a complete standstill. America's economic problems are bad enough, but if the state of politics remains as it is today, there isn't much hope for America in the future. Both politically and economically, America's future is looking grim.

There is no end in sight for the economic troubles of this country. The political scene continues to become more and more polarized each day. Though some individuals in government may try to help resuscitate the country and bring it back to better days, the outlook is looking grim. One can only hope for a better future for America, and this is certainly what everybody wants, but this may not be what we get.

Sources:

The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times

Good and Boring

"Learning from worthwhile Canadians." -Paul Krugman

As our economy looks like it's in shambles, we look to our neighbors, the Canadians and wonder to ourselves, 'where did we go wrong?' Krugman begins his ever so blunt Op-Ed column stating the obvious: Canada is a very important role model, considering its economy is doing better than ours. How is this possible? Well, both the United States and Canada have faced similar situations, the article goes on about Asia's flood of cheap goods and cheap money. Then, everyone fell into this "recession era." The question then goes from 'how is this possible?' to 'why did it happen to us?'

Reading into Krugman's article, he goes on to explain how the US handled this economic surge and how it differed from Canada's. (Side note to self and reader: Today, being the start of second semester, I started college economics. As I was sitting in class, Mr. Sullivan started to explain what economics really was and why economists were so difficult. Economists have two hands: one to say why things are happening, but on the other hand, [haha] give another reason why they could be happening. Just thought that was amusing considering Krugman uses those exact words to describe the banking situation in the US and Canada.) More or less, Canada, due to its experience had the upper hand. They put restrictions on lending and limited the extent of risk a bank can take.

The US, passing the financial reform bill has taken a turn for the better, following Canada's footsteps in bettering the economic situation. Now, society will have to play the waiting game and see what happens. There's no way for us to mess up, knowing that "we've got a clear example of how to keep banking safe sitting right next door."

Article was from the printed version of The NYTime's February 1, 2010 edition - "Good and Boring" by Paul Krugman