Vacationing Obama visits Hawaii Marine base on Christmas

On Christmas day, Obama and Michelle Obama Visited a Marine Base on Hawaii. A tradition for them has always been playing tribute to U.S troops and the struggles they go through by not having their families by their side in special occasions such as holidays. They talked about how grateful they are from them and how not having freedom is all part of a incredible dedication and professionalism work. President Obama even dressed informally. Not only did he talk to the Hawaii Marine but also he placed calls to 10 service stations in Afghanistan, Saudi, Arabia and Bahrain. After he was talking with the marine's he and his wife were taking pictures with them and celebrating with them a very Merry Christmas. In my opinion , I think it was very kind of Obama and his wife to go visit them and give them a little sense of hope. Being seperated from you most loved ones is very hard and for them to tell them all the positive things they are doing must have given them a little more of motivation to strike hard and fight for all their dreams and hopes. By this good action all they will receive is pure positive comments and a sense of gratitude.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/vacationing-obama-visits-hawaii-marine-base-on-christmas/

One more chance at getting Obamacare Jan. 1

One more chance at getting Obamacare Jan. 1 

The Deadline for Obamacare was supposed to be December 23 so the healthcare enrollment could start on Jan 1st. However that weekend when the deadline was close millions of Americans were trying to enroll but the website kept crashing. About 77,000 Americans signed up successfully over a three day period but their was still a big amount of people that had trouble signing up. In order to get more people to sign up they decided to extend the date to March 31 st. Extending the date would help millions of people that were having trouble filling up the conversation and people that just didn't have the chance to start the process. Not only that but also extending the time would help prevent people from getting fines for not having a health insurance plan. For example, in my case I started filling up the application for my mom on November but the website still was facing techniqual difficulties. I waited until December but the application was very long. My mom and I did not know the application deadline was December 23 and that exact day we heard it on the news so I got on my computer and tried to rush to finish it but since it was already going to be 12 i wasn't able to make it. Thanks to this deadline I will be able to fill out the application correctly and on time so my mom can have a healthcare plan.

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-obamacare-extended-deadline-20131224,0,7160647.story#axzz2oc0r5Eau

California population grows by 332,000 to 38.2 million

California population grows by 332,000 to 38.2 million

 

    California has always been a very large state. Many People tend to come to California for all the opportunity's it has to offer. According to the Department of Finance, California has increased nearly a decade. Not only has California increased because of births but immigration. Immigration in California is really high. The growth of California is a sign that the economy is recovering. More people have arrived to this state rather than left.  If things keep being like this, soon our economy will be much better especially for all those people living here in California. In my opinion immigration here is a great factor because thanks to that we are being able to recover from the recession and open up more opportunity's for all those people coming to this state for a better life. You would think for having a higher population their would be an increase in prices however California has managed to keep everything the same regardless of the amount of people they have. As the years pass, California's population will continue to growth and hopefully the growth becomes a very helpful and significant thing for all the people living in this state.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-california-growth-20131213,0,6897372.story#axzz2nTcgr5I9

GOP starts a tough struggle to win back Asian American voters

GOP starts a tough struggle to win back Asian American voters

Republicans have tried winning the Latino community however they have seen that plan will not work. Their white and old conservative voters are decreasing which leads them to search up a new group of voters. The new group they want to attract is the Asian American community. They first started with celebrating an Asian holiday to bring out their support towards them. The number of Asian Americans in the U.S is increasing rapidly which is why Republicans are so eager to gain their vote. With many Asians now having a high education, Republicans think their educated knowledge will push them towards to them rather than Democrats. Over the past decades Asians stepped away from the Republican party. In Obama's and Mitt Romney's presidential election the democrat won the Asian population by a 71 percent vote compared to Republicans. In my opinion, I think it's going to be pretty hard for Republicans to try and gain the Asian votes. By now they should know they are just using them for their vote. If the Republican party couldn't gain the Latino community, I honestly doubt it they will end up getting the Asian community. It's all a matter of how much they offer to them and how much they are willing to take. Although Republicans try to gain more voters, for now Democrats will keep having the reins of the population votes.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-asian-american-voters-20131208,0,6145540.story#axzz2n2cIGb8F

Obamacare Website On Track To Work For 'Vast Majority' Of People, Administration Says 

After so much time the healthcare website has finally had some progress.  The website has now improved providing 50,000 users at a time. For all those people who were planning to switch to Obamacare can now apply until December 23. The website had gone through a long process because it had been crashed and many users didn't seem to be able to use it. However, Obama did everything possible in his hands so the website could be fix and million of Americans could now apply to his healthcare plan. The website had recently be tested with 6% of failure but now the problems of it were brought down to .75%. It has made a really good progress and significance. In my opinion it was about time the website was fixed because there has been a lot of people complaining about it. Including some Americans had lost there previous healthcare plan and many people were begging to doubt President Obama and his capacity over this healthcare act. Now with it fixed everything will go back to normal and billions of Americans will be able to obtain a health care plan that they can afford.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/01/obamacare-website_n_4367786.html

California lawmakers set for 5.3% pay hike 

California still hasn't recovered from the last recession and a couple of California lawmakers decided recently on a 5.3% raise However, controversy has happened because a dozen have said they won't accept it due to the fact that residents are still struggling to recover from the last recession. The base salary for legislators used to be high in 2007 but after the crisis in California it was cut down and since then it hasn't been brought up again. Travis Allen argued that ever since prop 30 was passed in California to raise taxes he didn't expect his salary would raise therefore he ended up denying the raise. With so many unemployed people in California it shouldn't be appropriate for a raise in certain employees such as legislators while they already gain so much money and there is other billions of Americans struggling. Just as their is legislators that put the raise down, their is others that agree with it. Steinberg in a statement he gave said he had always accepted the Independent Citizens Compensation Commission and therefore he would continue to accept the decisions they were making now. With this new raise even, governor Jerry Brown's salary would raise up. With so many teachers being cut off and schools losing money there is really no reason why should legislators salary's raise up. The government has so much debt with all the things occurring right now such as the water debt and a million of other things. In my opinion I don't have anything against the raise of salary's however i would agree for that to wait a little longer. I think before the government starts raising up salaries they should primarily be focused on money issues they have to take care of today. Instead of raising salary's the government should use that money to make more work fields for all those Americans struggling or being unemployed. First thing to do would be manage the government and get things fixed up and then later throughout time they can have there salary raised up with a satisfaction that they have helped fixed things up.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-state-pay-raises-20131129,0,7418152.story#axzz2m61swoNw

John Boehner: Immigration overhaul is not dead

With so many things happening in the U.S government, immigration seems to be the last priority. John Boehner seems to agree to the idea that immigration is being upheld and does not know when the House will address it once again. Although it is being upheld he says it is not dead. Ever since the last election in 2012, he made it clear it was time for Congress to deal with the immigration issue. The Senate's immigration bill on the side of the Republicans has died however the GOP has stayed divided  over providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Many advocates for immigrants have tried sending republican voters in Congress a turkey for thanksgiving in return for a vote. Dreamers have also attended college or joined the military.  President Obama, said he understood the Senate's approach however he would continue with the immigration reform step by step as well as Boehner. In my opinion, the senate should just agree on immigration because no matter how much they push it away, it will still come back every single time to haunt them. Although, there is a lot of controversial things happening in the government at this moment with the whole issue of healthcare, immigration should be taken care of before we start a new year. 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-boehner-immigration-20131121,0,4205845.story#axzz2ldeH1UNB

Obama facing Democratic dissent on healthcare law

As the end of the year seems to get closer the health care law seems to face more and more struggles. The healthcare website is still not fixed which makes more and more democrats feel disappointed in the president. All those democrats that once supported Obama on healthcare seem to back away since they see no progress in the act. Thirty nine democrats joined up republicans in a 261-157 vote to allow insurers to continue selling individual policies under the affordable care act. As the Obama care seems harsher to be passed Obama hopes his democrats stay strong and support him all the way to the end.The GOP bill was passed by 39 votes to undo Obama care and to keep your health plan. Republicans have described the GOP as the first step to kill Obama care.If things keep going like they are currently Obama care will end up failing and all the hard work of having health insurance for billions of Americans will be a total waste.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-obama-dems-20131116,0,963245.story#axzz2kruWDbh3

Senate passes workplace protections for gay, transgender Americans 

After so much discrimination throughout time on workplaces for gay's and transgenders, the senate finally approved a new bill that would protect them. The majority of Republicans have been against this for a long time however in a vote with Democrats, a 64 to 32 vote proposed the Employment Non-discrimination Act. This act will help them not be discriminated in any type of way and will be hired based on their skills and qualifications for the job. Ever since 2010, Congress had stopped passing new acts for gays besides the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevented gays to participate in the military. However now with this new bill it would prohibit public and private employers and agencies from using sexual identification for decisions on employment. This new bill has brought a lot of positive attention to gay's being protected on the workplace but there is a majority of people that disagree on transgenders. Some people feel there is nothing wrong with gays gaining equality rights in the workplace but feel transgenders violate the dress code. It's a matter of counter and pro arguments. In my opinion i think it was about time there rights on workplace were officially protected, and by this now there shouldn't be no type of discrimination no matter their sex, race, or gender.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-enda-passes-senate-20131107,0,7926414.story#axzz2kBfBstod

United States Department of Agriculture

2013 U.S Capital Christmas tree tour begins

The department of Agriculture is responsible for the natural resources and conservation of the environment.  With Christmas being around the corner , the USDA has to be able to sustain the health and diversity of the nation's forests and grasslands. Washington being a very important place, has already obtained there Christmas tree where it will be decorated and displaced. Just like a tree sent to Washington the department of Agriculture has to protect our forests and trees for future generations. The USDA is responsible for managing 193 million acres of public land of forestry. With billions of people buying Christmas tree the USDA has to find ways and solutions to take care of our nation's forests so they don't die out and will be healthy for future generations. Although many people might not go green and not care about the environment, it is really important for people to visualize and see all this nature wont last long if we don't protect it. If people want to be happy and have bright smiles on a Christmas day , they have to be able to do it knowing the Christmas tree they bought is healthy and secure. The USDA has an important role in our lives and thanks to this agency our environment can be secure from any type of harm.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2013/10/0205.xml&contentidonly=true

U.S hires contractor to fix healthcare website

U.S hires contractor to fix healthcare website 

Republicans seem to keep blocking Obama's healthcare act. A big amount of people have started to purchase Obama's new healthcare however there has been problems in the current website. To fix this problems the Obama administration hired a general contractor to fix the health insurance website. The healthcare.gov website has a lot of problems that have to be addressed. Recently the website has shut out millions of users causing there application process to break down. The point of everything is so in the beginning of next year everyone can start applying for healthcare coverage. After the government shutdown and all the problems the Republicans were passing it is very pathetic how now even the healthcare website is passing through all this negative problems. When the website is finally fixed by the contractors millions of Americans will be able to finally apply for Obama health insurance. 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-healthcare-website-20131026,0,4760026.story#axzz2is1bdm5U

U.S Supreme Court refuses to hear Brown's prisons appeal

U.S Supreme Court refuses to hear Brown's prisons appeal 

Jerry Brown has brought ideas to the U.S Supreme Court about his prison appeals however they refuse to hear the ideas he has. It is already the second appeal of Jerry Brown and they still refuse to hear what he hast to say about court ordered prison crowding caps in California. The prisons in California are way to over crowded and in need of medical and mental healthcare. Brown proposed prison psychiatric care however federal courts won't accept it. The prison medical care is run by a court appointed agency which Brown is under orders to reduce prison crowding by January 27 or judges will order inmates released. In my opinion if prisoners are in need of mental treatment they should be taken to some mental clinic and like that it will reduce the amount of overcrowding in prisons. It's a great idea and plus more prisons will have available space and the mental people and regular jail prisoners won't be connected. If the Supreme Court decides to listen to Jerry Brown and his appeals then maybe finally he can come up with a plan to reduce the amount of over crowded prisons in California.

http://www.latimes.com/local/political/la-me-ff-us-supreme-court-refuses-to-hear-browns-prisons-appeal-20131015,0,1913229.story

Republicans announce $10 million initiative to lure Latino voters

Republicans announce $10 million initiative to lure Latino voters

Throughout the years, Republicans have noticed the Latino population has increased tremendously. Most Latinos vote in favor of Democrats since they support immigration reform. This however affects Republicans because today , the percentage of Latino voters is a lot which means they need their vote in order to win elections. What Republicans are trying to do now is seek improvement on there party's appeal to Latinos. In order to mend their relationship with Latinos , Republicans announced a $10 million initiative to make electoral inroads among the Latino group across the nation. The only thing Republicans started doing right this time was they want to make the change happen way before any election so the Latino population can see they want to change for the good and help the Latino community out. In my opinion the only way Republicans will ever gain the trust of Latinos will be until they accept immigration reform. All there lives Latinos in the U.S have been fighting for an immigration reform and now if Republicans can ally with Democrats and support immigration that will open the eyes of many Latinos and well maybe who know , Latinos will start identifying themselves as the Republican party.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-1011-gop-latinos-20131010,0,6982278.story

House votes to pay workers furloughed during government shutdown

House votes to pay workers furloughed during government shutdown 

Government shutdown has been affecting millions of people. Thanks to the government shutdown hundreds of thousands of people have not gotten paid. The house wants to fix this and pay the people for the government shutdown however yet there is no date of when will the government open again. Lawmakers have been pressured to pay all the federal workers when the government shut down. This bill has gone to the senate however Democrats don't seem to want to approve it. Democrats have rejected the idea of reopening some parts of the government , insisting they will only accept full funding of the government operations. Republicans have been insisting in stopping the affordable care act in order for the rest of the government to open. President Obama has shown no type of willingness to negotiate with republicans until they decide to reopen the government and raise the debt limit. In my opinion the democrats are totally right of not wanting to negotiate with the republicans. It is really absurd how badly they want to take Obama health care act out just so the government can open again. It's a sign of immaturity and they have to be able to step it up and realize this is not a game and government shutdown is affecting billions of people all over the U.S.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-na-pn-house-vote-pay-furloughed-workers-20131005,0,6659930.story

Republicans led House voters to delay Obamacare for a year

Republicans led House voters to delay Obamacare for a year

 Obamacare has been causing many problems in the white house. The bill was supposed to be passed this year so by January , Obamacare could go into process. There has been a lot of talks over shutting down the government and in order for that to not happen , the Republican house voters planned to delay Obamacare. The only reason why Republicans are fighting hard to not let the health care pass is because they know in order to help pay the program the wealthiest families that make more than 250,000 a year will have to pay a little bit more. Although the Republicans try their best to back away this law , they will end up failing because millions of people approve the Obamacare and they believe everyone should have a health care plan. Obama has even said he is willing to improve the healthcare law and fix some changes with Republicans however he will not do it under threats of government shutdown. The Republicans aren't reasoning and if they don't stop this whole immature acts of government shutdown , a lot of people will get on there bad side knowing that they are doing everything possible to not help millions of Americans that can't or don't have any health insurance.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-gop-government-shutdown-obamacare-20130928,0,4688234.story

House Republicans reduction on food stamps

Reductions on food stamps 

House Republicans seem to want to cut off food stamps for billions of Americans. Republicans argue that the reduction on food stamps will help more government programs to open up. The number of Americans receiving food stamps is really high. In 2007 , 26 million Americans were receiving food stamps and in 2012 the number arouse to 47 million. However this food reduction not only would it affect the average person getting food stamps but also seniors and military families.  Democrats argue against this proposition because they think food stamps are essential to many people that don't gain enough money to buy food. Although this will affect people's money pocket it will also damage schools which means free school lunches would end for more than 200,000 children. In my opinion i think the food reduction is a good thing. I know a lot of people that get crazy amounts of food stamps like $800 to $900 a month. But instead of using that money to feed their household they sell the food stamps and use the money for other things. The government shouldn't fully take of the food stamps however they should have more regulation on who they give it too.  There is a variety of Americans that actually need the help of the government to eat that's why more regulation should be for those who take advantage of government money.  The average monthly food stamp benefit should be $133 per person or $275 per household. This amount is small but so many people end up lying to the government and get more. If there is going to be a reduction on food stamps i believe the schools should stay out of this and the food should be free for kids. As for the house Republicans if they don't want so much money wasted on food stamps they should regulate how much money they give to each family instead of taking food stamps from people who actually need it. 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-na-pn-food-stamps-congress-20130919,0,7967668.story

California passes drivers licenses for illegal immigrants

State passes bill to license more drivers who are here illegally 

Many Americans take their license for granted however millions of immigrants would love to obtain one in their hands. Recently , California voted those who are illegally in the country can obtain a driver's license. This bill will help a lot of undocumented people to get anywhere safe and legally. Not only is this a good thing for immigrants but it will also help reinforce the idea in Washington that immigration reform is long past due and there is no way now they can reject it. The bill will require a special mark ( drivers privilege) instead of (drivers license) the reason for that is because the document does not establish eligibility for employment or public benefit. Although it's a minor thing , this bill will help all those hardworking immigrants who need their drivers license to do basic things that many Americans take for granted. Many people have argued (Americans) that this is all wrong and next thing you know California will be packed with immigrants etc. However they don't realize , their is no difference because everyone will pay the same things for insurance and stuff. Only because they get their drivers license doesn't mean their off the hook. We're almost entering 2014 and people should realize times have changed and you can't preserve the past forever. America will always be America however you have to be able to open up to different cultures and accept the changes that the government is making.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-legislature-20130913,0,4343595.story

Teacher misconduct bill

Teacher misconduct bill signed by Jerry Brown

In the Los Angeles school district there has been many sex abuse scandals. In order for this issue to stop, Jerry Brown proposed this bill to take serious measures. This bill basically is for superintendents to report actions against instructors to the state commission on teacher credentialing. The superintendents who fail to do this will be penalized. This bill will help students be safe and stay away from any possible harm. Many people think this is a basic subject and principles and other teachers would know however the rate of sex abuse incidents by teachers in the last three years has been very high. This is a great step for the safety of the students. In my opinion I think this is a great bill because there is a variety of teachers throughout many schools that are bad teachers and seem sexual and well the other teachers seem to ignore them and think it's part of their personality. Another very good thing about this bill is that the teachers records will be marked so if the teacher gets another job in a other district in California there bad conduct will remain there. Even though some people might say the bill is not strong enough it does make a more strict change upon teachers. No teacher should ever harm a student or sexually abuse them. Many parents take there kids to school thinking they are in the most safest place possible however in some cases kids are sexually abused by there own teachers. That's a very horrible situation because school is suppose to be a place where you feel safe and secure. The teacher misconduct bill will past on January 2014 and hopefully with this new bill no more sexual abuse cases from teachers will be heard.

Gay marriages to be treated equally

Gay Marriage 

 Gay marriage has always been a very debatable topic. Not so long ago gay marriage was legally passed. In order for gay marriage to be treated , Washington decided same sex couples who are legally married will be treated as married for federal tax purposes. This statement was barely announced by the treasury department and the internal revenue service on August 29. This was all brought up because in June the Supreme Court's decision was to overturn the defense of marriage act which prevented the federal government from recognizing same sex marriages for purposes such as insurance benefits and tax filings. However this new change helps same sex couples to move freely throughout the country knowing that their federal filing status will not change. It also help gay marriage couples to access to benefits and protections under federal tax law that all Americans deserve. This whole new arrangement will help many same sex couples be free and make them share the same benefits that the other American marriages have. Right now , 13 states including California and the district of Columbia have recognized same sex marriage. This is a great progress and relief for married same sex couples all over America.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-irs-gay-marriage-taxes-20130829,0,5108310.story

Blog #3 Affordable College Plan

"President Obama offers plan to make colleges more affordable and accountable"

Blog #3 

A recent issue has been brought about college and why many middle class people can't afford it. At the University of Buffalo in upstate New York , Obama gave a speech about college and it's investment. At the speech he said ;" At a time when a higher education has never been more important or more expensive, too many students are facing a choice that they should never have to make. Either they say no to college and pay the price for not getting a degree -- and that's a price that lasts a lifetime -- or you do what it takes to go to college, but then you run the risk that you won't be able to pay it off because you got so much debt." . Right now this issue has been very problematic. I know many students who would love to attend college but they just cant pay so much money so instead they give up and go straight to get a miserable job where they will get paid eight dollars an hour. Students now are given the option of loans however that scares many of them because they fear they won't be able to pay it off. According to recent investigations the tuition for colleges has risen 250 percent over the last three decades. What that means is today a big percent of students end up graduating college with a big junk of money that they owe. The problem in America is higher education is the only way you can survive to be economically good that's why its so important for the new generations to go to college. In Obama's plan he wants to create a new rating system for colleges and universities both public and private that would link federal dollars to school's affordability and performance. If the plan passes and congress accepts it more students will be able to graduate college with not so much loan money on their pockets. In today's world higher education will be the single best investment you can make for your future.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec13/education_08-22.html

Blog #2

Seniors and Social Security 

blog post #2

A big issue that has been discussed lately is seniors and there retirement security. Although most young Americans may put this topic aside it is very important because it will affect our future. Vice President Biden spoke to seniors about retirement security and medicare. In a speech given he mentioned , "  The question is what are are we going to do to strengthen and sustain these programs now and for the future". The problem however is , Congressional Republicans are trying to weaken all the senior programs. Being a 65 or older senior you obviously need medicare in your life in order to be healthy however seniors that age are not able to pay much for medicare since they get few money from there social security. Last year , congressman Paul Ryan proposed a plan where seniors would have to for there medicare however over time it would double. President Obama and Biden want to strengthen medicare and secure the future for the seniors. A future where they would be able to have more benefits and not having to worry about money issues. Lately with the economy seniors have been struggling and seeing there savings fall. President Obama proposed the Recovery Act in which it would give $250 to retirees.To other Americans $250 may not be a lot but to seniors who have to depend on there social security income it's a great glory for them to receive a few bucks more.Obama has been committed to protect and strengthen social security , securing all the hard work of a senior. In my opinion this recovery act would be very helpful because it is not fair how seniors get such few social security money after a whole life working so darn hard. In addition to protecting social security Obama also offered programs where all Americans can prepare for there future , with retirement plans. In my life , having a dad that already retired i know this whole social security problems and they really do not give so much money that's why i believe it would be very helpful that Obama offers more programs. Imagine working all your life so hard and getting payed real good then bam next thing you know you are 65 and you are getting a social security of not even half of what you earned while working. It's honestly a really harsh change and i think we all would want to receive a good amount of money when were old after all the years of hard work.

Carolina"s Blog post #1

Blog post #1

A very controversial issue lately has been the Obama health care plan. The whole plan of Obama's health care is to restore the American  health care system. In order for his aim to work he passed the Affordable Care Act. In the bill all Americans must have health insurance by 2014. In my opinion this plan is a a very good opportunity for many people that do not have health insurance. The Obama health care will reform the way we buy health insurance. For example , all Americans must purchase a private health care plan or those Americans who can't afford it will either qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. Regardless of what you pay , Obama Care will improve the health of millions of Americans who currently do not have health insurance. I honestly think this plan will be very beneficial to the lives of many Americans. There has been many cases where people die because they weren't treated with the right medication just because they can't afford it. For example in my family my little brother and I are in my dad's plan of insurance however my mom doesn't seem to qualify in that plan therefore she has no health insurance. She has gone to many clinics and including going to the Medicare programs but just nothing happens. Few months ago she was very sick so she had to go to the doctor and stuff and well when the bill came it was from $800 to $1000 just so much money for one consultation. So instead of paying so much money in the U.S for health care she decided to go to Mexico City where she went with a specialist doctor to see what was going on with her body. It was much cheaper going to another country then paying hundreds of dollars in health care that is not fully helping you. Many Americans like my mom have to go through this situation because just having no health care is such a big problem. Hopefully with the Obama health care plan it will provide more benefits to Medicare and Medicaid so many more American can qualify for there health insurance and improving health care for patients .http://obamacarefacts.com/obamahealthcare-summary.php