This blog is about my views on a classmate's blog post called Vaping Devices.

I completely agree that vaping has only worsened the problem of nicotine addiction rather than help improve the stats. I also do think that the new trend of vaping has given the idea of smoking a "cooler" image. I think that smoking vapes has especially immensely increased in the younger generations. Vaping companies make it seem like caping is a better and "safer" alternative to smoking regular cigarettes. That is a big fat negative. Smoking vapes does a lot more harm than an actual cigarette. I really hope more young people come to realize that this form of smoking is not in any way safer than the original form of smoking cigarettes.

On Saturday, April 25, 2019, America Blog published a blog titled 'Joe Biden for President' by John Aravosis. 

The article reveals that Joe Biden has entered the race for Presidency. A lot of pros are given about Biden as to why he would make a great candidate. The article talks about how Biden could be quite some competition in the primary election to Bernie Sanders and other Democrats. People like how he was an early adopter of certain issues. Before others came out and spoke about their support on certain issue, Biden was already a strong supporter. 

Biden has many likable attributes that he has adopted way before most democrats which makes him seem as a true, trustworthy individual. He is pro-choice, understands the concerns of climate change, is anti-gun, supports a $15 minimum wage, supports same sex marriage, and is pro union. All these ideas make him a wonderful candidate based on his views for the betterment of today's society. 

I believe this article highlights Biden from the shadows and acknowledges all the good he has to offer us. I agree with the author that Joe Biden entering the race gives us another great option to choose from for our potential Democratic candidate for presidency. 

Free College Education Comment

This blog is about my views on a classmate's blog post called Free College Education?...more affordable education?. 

I completely agree that we should try to make a greater effort to make college education tuition free. I am a UT student and I too take courses at ACC from time to time. I am currently pre-med which is quite intensive in its workload; therefore, having a job to help pay for my education is an extra load that can sometimes hinder my academic abilities. Being a college student is stressful already, along with its transition from high school to college, which is why I think college should be free. It would lift a huge weight off of a college student's shoulders. 

Some students also dream of pursuing further education but can't because of financial instability. This seems pretty unfair because everyone deserves an opportunity to education no matter their financial status. I think making college free would make huge differences in today's society which could in turn move our world into a more intellectual and advanced state.

Should contraception be provided free of charge as part of preventative medicine?

This question is something we all need to consider and think about when it comes to today's society. Not only does it pertain to our women in our society, but it also deals with our government spending. I am personally interesting int this topic because as a women, I do believe contraception should be free of charge as part of preventive medicine.

I will begin to explain two reasons as to why I agree that contraception should be free of charge as part of preventive medicine.

Firstly, I believe it is a lot more economical for our government if we provide free contraception to women rather than having to pay the price of having to help raise children. There are a lot of cases where women who become pregnant are not financial stable to raise or provide for a child, and this could be prevented by providing them free contraception. If a woman is not yet financially stable to provide for a child, then odds are that they are not financially stable to constantly pay hundreds of dollars on contraception. In cases like these, what tends to happen is that the care of those children rely on government benefits such as medicaid, CHIP, food stamps, etc. Care that has to be given to them for a length of 18 years, which can become quite an expense for the government. Wouldn't it be smarter for contraception to be free, than to have to pay for the caregiving of a child for a total of 18 years? This obviously doesn't mean to stop giving benefits to families who need the help, but merely to give women the option and resources to free contraception to allow them time to financially prepare themselves. It is easier for our women to take care of themselves than to go about an unplanned pregnancy and having to rely on government benefits.

Also, a lot of times women who cannot afford contraception tend to avoid attaining it. Sometimes, this avoidance can be quite detrimental. For instance, a lot of women in our society experience sexual abuse and with such horrible experiences, unplanned biological results come with it such as ... pregnancy. If these women were provided with free of charge contraception then they would have one less thing to worry about after having experienced a terrible occurrence. They already have a huge psychological problem to deal with, so why let them deal with another?

Let's take care of our women by providing them with free resources that could in turn also benefit the economy within our government.

On Thursday, March 14, 2019, Crooks and Liars published a blog titled 'College Cheating Scandal Shows Why Elite Colleges Should Use A Lottery To Admit Students' by The Conversation.

The article talks about the college admission scandal that surfaced on March 12 that involved celebrities and the wealthy who bought their children's way into an elite university, university sports team, or improvement of SAT and ACT scores. The author of the blog claimed that the best way to avoid this type of corruption is by developing an admissions lottery that is solely based on chance and not on merit, wealth, or access to advantageous resources. It was also explained that it would save universities time and money by not having admissions officers vote for hours and get paid for endless hours of work. I believe his intended audience was universities because he provides reasons as to why an admissions lottery can benefit the admissions process in many universities, and he provides steps and possible outcomes that come with acquiring an admissions lottery.  I think the author is credible because they provide claims on how this approach is similar to other approaches that are made in other areas. For example, the author states, "Some colleges might be reluctant to be the first to adopt an admissions lottery. Those colleges should consider how colleges like Bates and Bowdoin became the first to go test-optional when it comes to the SAT, long before hundreds of other colleges did. Even so, these schools achieved greater diversity and kept their graduation rates about the same", indicating that if they are knowledgeable of the positive that can come out of other similar tactics that have indeed occurred, then they probably are trustworthy in the way that this is a good approach to test out. 

I do agree with the author that an admission lottery could be a good approach to prevent corruption like we saw on March 12 where the wealthy and well known have a better advantage of getting accepted; however, I do believe that merit should be a factor that should greatly be considered. I believe this because I know there are hardworking low-income students who have worked hard to achieve the intellectual standards that certain universities require. Such hard work should not go unnoticed and should not be critiqued based on where someone came from. Just because someone has a lot of riches, does not mean they are entitled or deserving of an elite spot in an elite university. A student who is of low-income and extraordinary intellectual abilities is just as entitled and even more deserving of a spot in an elite university. 

On Friday, March 1, 2019, Crooks and Liars published a blog called Lets Say It: Trump Excuses Murder of Americans Overseas By Dictators. 

I read a blog post by Frances Langum where he comments and expresses his opinions on the fact that Donald Trump excused the murder of Americans overseas by dictators.  He explains that the story of the killing of kids, along with Otto Warmbier, by the North Korean’s was the most horrifying stories he has ever had to write about in a blog post. He argues that Trump is siding with evil and finds it outrageous that as the President of the United States of America he would do such a thing. He includes evidence of this issue by including a clip of a news broadcast on fox news where Trump’s political consultant and counselor, KellyanneConway, explains that Trump agrees with North Korea’s political leader that he was unaware that the killing of these Americans was happening. Logically, everyone knows this is the truest form of betrayal to our country when our very own President can take the side of an evil dictator who is killing our Americans in his country. I very much agree with all that Langum said. Kellyanne Conway and Donald Trump are insensitive and just completely bad people for actually believing and siding with the “idea” that North Korea’s leader was not indeed aware of the killing of American babies’ situation. This is completely inhumane and not right. How can we trust our President when he won’t even take a stand for us and defend us?

On Friday, February 15, 2019,  Crooks and Liars posted a blog titled Trump Admits Declaring A National Emergency On Border Was A Hoax: 'I Didn't Need To Do This'.

According to the liberal blog by ‘Crooks and Liars’, it was said that President Donald Trump’s national emergency was nothing but a hoax. The blog explains how the declaration for a national emergency for the building of a wall along the southern border of Mexico was not necessary. Trump confesses that the real reason he called for a national emergency regarding the wall was not to acquire funding to build it, but to fulfill the promises he made during the presidential election of 2020. The whole purpose for him declaring a national emergency, which cause the government to shut down for some time, was to speed up the process for building the wall. Money and funding were never needed nor the issue. He made this decision JUST to prove and finish a task before the end of his presidential term. To me, this is absolutely unacceptable. The president is taking advantage of our nation and conducting himself in a childish manner. No president should lie to his country and declare a serious claim such as a national emergency for something so unnecessary, such as the building of a wall. 

I believe this blog is very important to read because it informs us of what the intentions and actions are of the president. It is important for us to be aware of what the president does because we cannot allow for him to gain so much power to do basically whatever he wants. We need to be aware for the actions that are being made so that we know not to elect a person with those views again. Who leads our nation has a bigger influence than you might think.