I commented on

I found the post about photgraphing traffic offenders, it is interesting you should read it. Here is the link
I also commented on it

ImmiGREAT..ion

Immigration...great! I have no problem with it as long as the criteria for entering our country is met. Only then can people reep the benefits from our country, or at least that is how it should be right?

Some may argue that allowing aliens into our country is actually helping us it is cheaper to pay them than say an actual American citizen. This is adding to people under the poverty line both ways.

Right now, more than half the immigrants in the U.S. are here illegaly. This means that more than half of the problems concerning helath care are coming from the illegal immigrants. Is this ok, when millions of Americans are struggling to pay insurance or cannot pay for health care? Many illegal immigrants do not have that problem.

The aliens just ride in their amublances across the border to New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Texas(This is not true, I am not being rude) and get free health care. These costs are currently paid by a combination of socking taxpayers in these sates and inflating the costs for patients (who pay their own bills), health insurance, and medacaid.

Essentially, the illegal immigrants are costing Americans billions of dollars.
They are living on our tab, Education:$22.5 billion; bi-ligual education:$3.3 billion; AFDC:$2.4 billion; SSI:$2.9 billion; Social Security:$24.8 billion; housing assistance:$2.6 billion; JOBS LOST by Americans:$10.8 billion, the list goes on and on all together illegals are costing Americans an annual $131.7 billion a year.

Our country is founded on the idea of life, liberty, and freedom. Why should we let people enter our country and infringe on our right? IF we are so worried about the debt we should consider fixing the immigration issue. I guess there is only so much you can do right?

I have been reading

WOw imagine that more kids arguing about the drinking age, I commented I am sure I go against the grain a bit
GO Figure

and also I have read
Very interesting
this talks about RAs on campus something I am sure not a lot of people have thought up to write but it is worth looking at and commenting on!

Faking it?

5 percent of Americans (that is more than 13 million) doctors think it could rise to 7 or 8 percent, 4% to 6% of the U.S., and 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population. These numbers represnt,in order, the percentage of Americans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, ADD, or ADHD, and depression.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is mainly diagnosed in patients who have fought in a war or seen some horrific murder, however, there are now more and more people being diagnosed who have suffered from car accidents. This illness causes a patient to see the horrific event over and over again. They often do not seek treatment or are misdiagnosed.

Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes suicidal thoughts as well as a sunken feeling of abandonment. This is also sometimes misdiagnosed and some argue that it is often overlooked. Most depression victims either seek help or take medication to control their feelings. This illness is not self-invoked like many think, it is an actual medical disorder that has nothing to do with people wanting to feel these thoughts.

ADD and AD/HD are separate illness that often are grouped into the same category. Most often found in children, these illnesses are caused by a chemical imbalance. There are several tests that must be run that help professionals determine if the disease is present in a person, as well as how severe their case may be. ADD and AD/HD are both treated with medications that help the person concentrate. They are not curable, however, they do seem to deplete with age.

All of these conditions have something in common.
They are a major concern with Americans, specifically doctors. They are concerned that too many people are being diagnosed with these illnesses that are actually not suffering from them. IS that possible? The doctors are trained professionals, sure sometimes someone will slip through the cracks and try to be diagnosed with these illnesses for purposes such as medications. But, you rather have those few people getting treatment for an illness they don’t have, or leave those with these illnesses untreated?

If someone really was seeing flashbacks of the day their mother was killed, committing suicide, or having trouble learning who are we to deny them the proper treatment. These are real conditions, why shouldn't they be treated as such?

Affirmative (Re)-Action

The last time I checked segregation and the very idea of discrimination based on gender ended in 1954. Sure, there are some issues concerning segregation and favoritism to this day but not in the same way many would think. Affirmative action, some may consider it a positive step in reestablishing women and people of color into the business and college scene— It seems though that this is exchanging one problem for another. Now, the most qualified person for the job can be turned away because of race or gender.

As an entrepreneur, I would strive to hire the best of the best. I would want the most qualified person for the job. My grandpa told me about a job he was trying to get when he was younger. He went to a telemarketer and interviewed for a job. The man who interviewed him was black and informed my grandpa that he could simply not hire him. My grandpa did not understand why because he was more than qualified for the job. After a little prying, he was told that it was because they did not have enough colored people on the payroll.

This is where I have a problem with it all, I do not care if you are pink, purple, or polka dot, you are a person and as a person, you should not want to be chosen for a job that I was not the best for. I would feel terrible sitting in an office with a shiny nameplate when I was clearly not the best person for the job. The problem that is being caused now is discrimination against a different gender and race. We are not fixing any problems, just more hatred and discrimination.
Colleges can admit people based on affirmative action if need be.

There are beauty pageants that are exclusive like Miss Black America and Spirit of India. Heaven forbid there be a White Miss America. There are scholarships for people based on race and gender, except for Caucasian men. Why would that ever be ok? The people who seem to be racist are the very people who claim they are trying to get rid of racism. It seems that instead of righting the wrong that is racism, they are flipping the roles and holding themselves at a higher level than everyone else. I am genuinely sorry that my great great (maybe there are more greats) grandfather owned slaves. However, that has absolutely nothing to do with me or anything that I have done. Therefore, it may be a good idea that we stop using color and gender for gain, and stop thinking that I personally owe anything to you.

Is that wrong to ask? I do not think that I owe anyone anything other than what they deserve. Why would someone want a job that they got based on their color or gender anyway? Why are we so focused in on affirmative action at all? Does the government feel like they have to right a wrong that happened earlier in history?

To forgive or FORGET

OK, so here is some background information. Yesterday was Valentine’s day. I have been dating my boyfriend for about five months.

I decided that I should get him dinner, since he comes home late from Army ROTC on Thursday nights. So, my best friend and I spent most of yesterday afternoon getting things ready. I went and got two movies from Blockbuster, I even asked a guy what movies would make the both of us happy since we have a different taste in movies. I came back with Mr. and Mrs. Smith as well as Across the Universe . I put a blanket on the floor, picnic style. So when he came back I had everything waiting on him. Oh yes and I also gave him a card.

So, after dinner I expected to get my present. After the movie had been playing a while, I had no present, not even a card. I texted my best friend and told her, she seemed upset to which in turn made me want to cry. I moved away from my boyfriend, distancing myself a little at a time until I was finally half way across the floor. He asked me what was wrong and all I could do was start crying and I told him I was not special.

He tried to reassure me that I was special. Well, if I were special then I would not be forgotten on Valentine’s day. He knew that it was coming, I had stated to him before that he should not eat before he came to my room because that was my gift to him. The excuse he gave to me for forgetting me was that he has been so busy this week. OK?

Do I have every right to be angry with him? Should the fact that he felt terrible have any bearing on anything? Is Vaneltine's Day even important enough for me to be upset over? Why as a culture have we let commercialism get the better of us? Or is this beyond commercialism?

June Jones, Fairy Godmother?

Jude Jones... could he be the fairy godmother that turns SMU into a rags to riches football team like back in the glory days of Doak Walker, or will he just be another coach despite amazing efforts could not turn our team around?

He seemed to be just what Hawaii needed to soar back into the college football radar. He had a very succesful year at Hawaii and if he does well at SMU come fall he may very well be known as NCAA's very own turn around coach.

At this point the question I have is, has the death penalty dragged SMU so far down that there will be no hope of ressurection? Should something that happend several decades ago be affecting SMU's football team so much that there will surely be no huge sucess in the near future?

I think out boys deserve a chance to show what they can do and not have mistakes of the past impeading on their efforts. After all, it is not their fault that players were paid in the past. When will the lingering effects of long ago be forgotten?

Lifestyles of the rich and famous

Mourning over the rich and famous, understandable to a certain degree, but when does it go too far? I was sad over the loss of such a fine specimen of human that was Heath Ledger on Tuesday, however, my younger sister pointed something out to me that made me realize something. I tried to make a comment to her telling her that I thought his death was sad because he was portrayed in a different light than many actors. He seemed to stay out of the party scene and also appeared to be a great father to his two year old daughter.

My sister responded saying "I understand that. It's just that people die every single day. Good people who do have kids and who are a good example to society even if they are of the smallest status they still make a difference. I'm not saying that Heath Ledger wasn't a good person, I'm saying that he wasn't the only good person." Wow for a fifteen year old she is pretty good. The point is that we constantly look to celebrities to lay down mores in our society. When one of those celebrities goes against the grain and does good things with their lives we becoming intrigued. Heath, I am sure was a great person, but so are so many other people and we are not mourning their death on a national level.

My question is, do we have a different level of standards when it comes to celebrities? Should we be over-involved in the death of an actor if we are not equally as in involved in that of a common well-moralled man? Or maybe the question is was he just a man who happend to be famous and his death is more of a representation of all of those like him who just did not live in the limelight?

Here is my attempt at starting a "discussion"

How funny, my first post in a blog is about blogging itelf. Anne Bartlett-Bragg from the University of Technology in Sydney seems to grasp the real essense of what this is all about. My assignment today is to respond on an article discussing why blogging in the classroom is such a positive thing. Bartlett-Bragg says that blogging for learning's sake is helpful because of the "interactive nature" of the blog.

Though this is my first real experience in the blogging world, I can already tell that my teacher is on to something. She wants us to blog in order to fully understand our thoughts behind what we are saying. Writing is a powerful tool when used in a more candid sense. I could easily write a paper to my teacher telling her everything she wants to hear, instead I can come here and write about not only my assignments but comment on what others have to say. I am able to express mysel in a different way. Bartlett-Bragg says that students who blog "have a voice and the other students read it and respect it." Online more students who have a fear of speaking out in the classroom have their opinions weighed on by others when there is no fear of what will come out of it.

In the blogging world, as I understand it, arguments are not started, instead discussions are created, right? Did Bartlett-Bragg get it right, are students more inclined to be themselves when they have no fear of who is looming in cyber-space to respond to them? I know this is a mojor step for me, I have to move from the safety and comfort of my teacher reading what I have to say and responding with a nice red pen to the whole world, or those who participate in blogging I guess, to decide if what I am saying is right or wrong.