Health Bill passes in House

The House of Representatives passed a version of the health care bill on saturday night. As Cnn.com wrote, "The House Democrats needed 218 votes to ensure passage of the bill. On Saturday, it appeared the vote would come down to the wire, as the intentions of some conservative Democrats remained unknown." The bill was in fact down to the last few votes, passing 220-215, very close indeed. The first amendment to the bill bans using government provided health insurance from being used to pay for abortions, except in case of rape, danger to the mother's health etc.
I more or less agree with the first amendment, not because I am anti-abortion, but because I believe that in anything but the extreme cases (in which federal funds will be allowed to be used to pay for the operations), abortions are elective surgeries, so if women elect to have one it makes sense that they would have to provide funds for themselves.

Right To Live, Right to Die.

The "Right to Die"question has been revived in the United Kingdom, by two cases. An infant whose mother wants to remove him from life support, and by an elderly couple who committed suicide together because they could no longer take care of themselves. The elderly couple sent a note to the BBC explaining their decision to end their lives. In it they said "To force the issue beyond this point would mean for us a living death; we have therefore chosen to peacefully end our lives." This is a truly powerful statement, and one that I know many people would second once they reach a certain point in their lives.
In my opinion people should be allowed to end their lives, or the lives of their loved ones who are not conscious to make the decisions for themselves, if they are in a terminal situation which can only possibly become more devastating. I do not believe that anyone should be trapped in a body which is slowly, and tortuously dying around them if they want to be done. I know that if I was being supported by a ventilator and would never, ever wake up or recover I would want my family and friends to make the choice to end my suffering, and theirs, and to let me go.
The only states in America which allow the so called "death with dignity acts" are Washington and Oregon. It is my belief that death, like life is a private choice, and I feel that Sarah Palin's condemnation of things like "death panels" are ignorant, and an attempt to inspire fear and overly dramtize a, for some people, logical response to life's tragedies. Assisted suicide is a hotly debated issue, I personally believe that if a person comes up against an irreversible tragedy which will inevitably cause their death, they should be allowed to choose to end their own suffering.

New Contender for Senator

Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard recently announced her campaign for California senator. she will be running as a buisness-oriented moderate Republican in the 2010 senator election. Fiorina was diagnosed with breast cancer nine months ago, but she has been quoted as saying "After surgery and chemotherapy, breast cancer is officially behind me. I feel absolutely great and I am raring to go." Also she has the most fabulous name ever :)

Another boost for our economy

Today Senate voted unanimously to pass a $24 billion bill which will extend the amount of time that jobless people can recieve unemployment benefits, by about twenty percent. The unemployed in states with the highest unemployment rates can recieve benefits for up to 99 weeks!

Killer toyotas?

In my government class today someone presented a news story about toyotas which had uncontrollably accelerated, I found an article on this scary phenomenon. Fortunately the problem is just caused by floor mats jamming up on the gas pedal. I'm glad there is such a simple answer for why the accidents occurred, I was getting concerned that we were having scary killer robot situations where machines try and kill humans, I-toyota maybe?

Pop or Poison?

Soda pop, soft drinks, cola's.. many different names for something that is basically just ridiculous amounts of sugar in some syrup artificially colored with caramel coloring, with caffeine as the cherry on top. Currently there is an ongoing debate about whether a tax should be placed on soft drinks, with the argument being that soda has much more in common with products like cigarettes and alcohol than with beverages like juice and milk.
A single soft drink can contain a lot more sugar than the alloted amount for an entire day. Consumption of soft drinks lead to issues like tooth decay, obesity type-2 diabetes and heart disease. The ramifications of excessive soft drink consumption put me on the side of those who argue that soft drinks should be taxed like other products.
I for one will still occasionally be paying that tax for my sugary fix.. Sprecher's root beer is unfortunately one of my vices.