6. The Internets Impact on Citizen Participation

An example of the Internets impact on citizen participation, is blogging. The average American can blog, state their opinions, and stay current with events and information. Blogs are very important, some are loaded with information. There are tons of blogs out there today, and thanks to the many sites and ways of information that are distributed, the Internet has definitely made a serious impact.

5. Political Advertising from Opposing Candidates

Whitman vs. Brown- argument about each side accusing each other of past and/or present mistakes. Both are attempting to win by making the opposing side seem unfit for governor.

4. Issue of E-commerce

The issue with the e-commerce taxation, is tracking who bought what and where. Some states have taxation and some don't, which makes it difficult to track a set of individuals who have bought items off of the Internet.

3. Government Censored Media

The government has censored a lot of information in the media. An example would be the censoring of pictures of dead soldiers in caskets, coming off of military planes. I think the government should not censor or ban pictures because the American people should know whats going on and that there is a war going on and American soldiers are dying. It's important for the American people to stay current with the wars and events.

2. Online Print Media

An example of an online print media would be the New York Times. This online print media website is great for giving updates, current events, news, and has relevant links. It levels the field by releasing important information to the public, and keeping the public updated. The articles are very informative and stay close to facts.

1. Political Commentary On Television

This video is from the show, the Colbert Report. This is definitely an example of commentary on television. It supports the public with information. Stephen Colbert does this by taking serious news, and making it interesting to watch and listen to. In this short clip, he states facts about NASA, while including his humor.  

Roe vs. Wade

Jane Roe, an unmarried pregnant woman brought a suit against District Attorney Wade of Dallas County, Texas. Jane Roe was interested in getting an abortion, however the state of Texas wouldn't allow her to get one. The doctor claimed that Roe's life wasn't endangered by her pregnancy. The argument was that a fetus isn't a person and doesn't go against the fourteenth amendment, and that she had a right to privacy. The vote was 7 to 2 in Roe's favor.

In my opinion i think a woman should be able to choose whether to get an abortion or not. Especially in the event where a woman gets raped or is a victim of incest. The woman may not want their child to have disease of illnesses, or she may not be able to support herself and the child. I also think that each woman who is interested in getting an abortion should have a complete right to privacy.

Everyone Deserves a Home

Part I:

As the population across the United States continues to increase and poverty continues to rise, the need for affordable housing units also increases making the shortage worse. Given the current state of our economy, housing is becoming less affordable for a lot of people including low-income wage earners. People who make only minimum wage “cannot afford one-bedroom homes anywhere in the country” (Carolyn Chapin). Chapin goes onto say that “the hourly dollar amount a worker must earn to afford a two-bedroom house rose from $15.78 to $16.31 this year.” Contrary to what most people may believe, people from a variety of income levels are affected by the affordable housing shortage. Anyone who is paying more than 30 percent of his or her income on housing needs affordable housing. There is also a lack of decent neighborhoods where crime and drug use is low. If you take all of this into account, there is just not enough housing to meet the demand and based on these findings, the community needs more housing units where the rent in affordable and affordable houses for low-income to moderate income people to purchase in better neighborhoods.

The current state of the housing crisis is bleak. According to Habitat for Humanity’s website:

About 1.6 billion people live in substandard housing and 100 million are homeless in the world. Today 32 percent of the global urban population lives in urban slums. If no action is taken, the number of slum dwellers worldwide will increase to nearly 2 billion. In the United States alone, 95 million people have housing problems. That’s on third of the nation. These problems include payments too large a percentage of their income, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. Throughout the world, people live in inadequate housing.

Ultimately the housing crisis will cost society a lot more money.

            I do not think the public has a thorough understanding of the affordable housing issue. I say this because a lot of communities do not want affordable housing developments to be placed in their neighborhoods as evidenced by an article entitled, Addressing Community Opposition to Affordable Housing Development: A Fair Housing Toolkit, where the authors Sara Pratt and Michael Allen give helpful tips to developers who are trying to overcome this problem. They confirm that, “Increasingly, housing developers face opposition from communities to affordable housing. Often based on myths, stereotypes, and outright discrimination, the practices are largely unlawful.”

If people are not properly educated then negative stereotypes will persist. Most people believe that if affordable housing is put in their neighborhoods it will increase crime and the people who already live in that community will no longer be safe. People do not want their peaceful way of life to be disrupted by people hanging out, loud music, and disorderly conduct by those they consider less desirable because they feel that is the type of element attracted by affordable housing.  Living in Lafayette, I have come to understand that apart of the pride of homeownership is the high property values and god forbid if people feel that those values will be jeopardized by a single affordable housing development, especially if it looks like the projects which is what some people think that affordable housing looks like. One of the other main fears of the public concern is about the type of people they believe live that type of housing. What they fail to understand is that some upstanding, professional people in the very same communities where they live are in need of affordable housing, including senior citizens. Furthermore, what people should also be made aware of is the fact that not just anyone can apply to and get into affordable housing. Authorities in charge make sure to perform a credit check, (even though I strongly believe that good credit does not say anything about a person’s moral character or whether or not he or she is a criminal), a prior rental history, and a criminal report.

I think that the general public is not aware of the issue with affordable housing. A lot of people, like me before I started working on this project, do not know that there is a serious housing issue in America let alone the world. In fact, when asked “explicitly about affordable housing, a little over three in ten acknowledge that affordability is a serious or big problem generally where they live, for their state or the nation. In short, about a quarter to a third of the public sees affordable housing on the national or local level as a very serious concern – but only when the issue is framed for them” (What we Know about Public Attitudes on Affordable Housing).

Until I volunteered to work with Habitat for Humanity and started researching information about housing, I had no idea that there was a housing crisis in America or in the world. I find it sad that people who pay too much for housing often do not have enough money leftover to buy things for their basic needs or food, which is why they cannot live a good quality life and some end up living on the streets or in homeless shelters. I think it is very important that more affordable housing is made available because everyone deserves to live a good quality life and children need a home to learn and grow up in. This is a huge problem that needs to be resolved because ultimately everyone is affected by the lack of affordable housing for all Americans.

If you consider the fact that if people who are working have to spend most of their money on housing then that leaves less money for them to spend in the economy, which has an effect on the countries economic growth. Because of this, it is in the government’s best interest to do something to resolve the affordable housing crisis. The government has responded to the housing issue by putting together committees such as the Office of Community Planning and Development, the Office of Housing, and the Office of Public and Indian Housing to put programs together to increase the number of affordable housing units available. The government also provides subsidies and rent vouchers. Moreover, the government funds outside organizations that are committed to helping and providing housing to low-income families. Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, founded by Millard and Linda Fuller, has changed the lives of many homeless families and individuals is the outstanding development of Habitat for Humanity. Humanity builds very decent, eco-friendly, safe, and comfortable low-income houses for low income and homeless families. The organization uses cheap, yet durable, eco-friendly, and long lasting materials. This amazing and inspirational organization has been making a huge difference not only in the United States of America, but also around the world. It is the leader when it comes to addressing issues of poverty housing.

Some local governments limit the amount of rent landlords can charge tenants by imposing rent control on certain cities.  In addition, each city is required by law to put aside at least twenty percent of its gross annual taxes in an effort to preserve affordable housing for low and moderate-income earners.  Also, if certain non-residential construction projects cost a certain level have to pay fees that go toward developing affordable housing. 

Part II:

 The government is helping to eventually put an end to poverty, however it is a slow process. The government does provide to some poor individuals, financial assistance. The federal government does provide some housing assistance, through what are called rent subsides, tax credits for affordable housing. There are many different funding programs, wanting to make sure that everyone has a home. Most funding programs focus on housing needs and revitalizing neighborhoods. As well as block grants for affordable housing initiatives. However, according to Research Area: Housing, “only one fourth of eligible households get such aid.” Some families receive aid, but not all are fortunate. This is an issue; why don’t all families get such aid? Other federal programs such as HOPE VI and Moving to Opportunity, offer acuity to greatly inform and insure future choices.

            After volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and learning all the issues and how it affects people who are less fortunate, I feel good that I actually made a contribution to helping low income families by building a warm, safe, and decent home that will have a huge impact on the quality of life for a family I have never met. I now understand the importance of giving back and plan to do so throughout my life.

Part III:

            Life may get quite difficult to the point when an individual, unfortunately may lose their job, or not produce enough income to support themselves or their families. What does it all mean? It means that more people need to become aware of the social ills that continue to plague our society and more alternatives need to be created to rectify the affordable housing crisis. Because most low-income wage earners have a tendency to live in low rent areas where crime and drug use is prevalent, one of the solutions is to provide mixed-income housing, which is something that Hope VI through HUD is responsible for implementing. This is important because a good mix people with a various levels of income living in a community will cut down on the bad element, which will not only keep crime low but improve the quality of life for poor people. To make this successful, the housing united has to be aesthetically appealing and located in desirable neighborhoods in order to attract those with higher incomes.

Seeing that the government is constantly cutting the funds of programs designed to benefit the poor, it is going to take a combination of both government and private funding that will offer the best solution for ensuring that enough affordable housing is created to meet the high demand, especially the demand in the years to come. Government needs to also take action to revamp housing programs or housing systems that are not currently producing a high level of outcomes as well as preserve the ones that are working.

On the day I went to volunteer, I went to work on a new community that is located in Bay Point. I did not know what to expect after we were assigned our specific tasks that needed to be completed by the end of the day. I should not forget to mention that we were given the background of Habitat and why it is important that an organization like it exists. I have to say that volunteering was difficult for me because I was not used to that type of physical labor, but I learned to step out of my comfort zone in order to help someone who is in much more of need than I am. I realized then that it is going to take a lot of people to step out of their comfort zones to decrease such a high demand for affordable housing. People are going to have be educated about the issues and open minded about people from various backgrounds and income levels.

Throughout my research and amazing volunteer experience with Habitat for Humanity, I learned that providing a clean; stable home has a huge positive impact on the lives of children and society as a whole. I also learned that stable housing gives people a sense of pride, which may improve their overall self-esteem and cause them to re-evaluate their roles in society. Additionally, I learned that clean housing cuts down on the spread of disease.

“A report issued by the Planning and Development Collaborative International stated, “Clean, warm housing is an essential input for prevention and care of diseases of poverty like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and malaria” (Habitat for Humanity).

Building affordable housing not only creates jobs, but also creates wealth through homeownership. If more affordable houses are developed then it will encourage shopping centers and other commercial developments to be built, which will create jobs.  

Habitat for Humanity's Disaster response

 Disasters have cause many losses and require help from outside communities.

The mission of Habitat’s Disaster Response
To develop innovative housing and shelter assistance models that generate sustainable interventions for people vulnerable to or affected by disasters or conflicts. In addition, Disaster Response builds the capacity of the global Habitat community in the areas of disaster mitigation, preparedness and recovery through education, training and partnerships.

More than 50,000 families worldwide have been assisted my Habitat for Humanity.
 

Sen. Bill Nelson Calls Biden For Fundraising Support

Sen. Bill Nelson has begun fundraising with Vice president, Joe Biden.

The first fundraiser is scheduled midday at the lakeside Winter Park home of developer Alan Ginsburg, a philanthropist and frequent contributor to political campaigns (both Democrat and Republican). He gave $4,600 to then-candidate Barack Obama in 2007 and $2,300 to Obama's Republican rival, U.S.Sen. John McCain, in 2008. He also supported former U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, D-New Smyrna Beach, in 2010 and is a past contributor to U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park.

Tokyo Tap Water No Longer Safe

Five surrounding cities are no longer allowed to drink tap water due to the rising levels of radiation. There has been radioactive iodine found in the water treatment plant. Not only is the water contaminated, but also the local crops, and expanded shipment has been banned.

The national government said damage from the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident could reach 25 trillion yen or nearly $310 billion, significantly more than the World Bank's recent estimate of $235 billion. The disaster could shrink Japan's gross domestic product by 0.5% in fiscal year 2011, which begins April 1, the government said.

Longstanding Affordability Crisis Hurts Families

A bill called The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 will finally help fix the longstanding affordable housing crisis.

These living situations are in many instances not a matter of choice, but a matter of no other choice. They reflect an affordable housing crisis that has many Americans paying far too much to keep a roof over their heads—51 percent of low-income renters and 43 percent of low-income homeowners in 2007 spent more than half their income on housing. The economic downturn certainly doesn’t help matters. Elevated rates of unemployment, long-term unemployment, and underemployment are greatly harming these families as many find themselves unable to keep up with mortgage and rent payments.

Those at risk of losing their housing and doubling-up include:

• Those affected by faulty loan products, who have been removed from their homes via foreclosures while also losing what savings were invested in the home.
• Families who have a history of housing stability but who are one financial disaster—losing a steady job or facing drastic reductions in work hours—away from going over the edge.
• Those who regularly lack housing stability in good economic times and bad. For these families—which are disproportionately headed by single mothers—frequent evictions, doubling up, and/or living in homeless shelters are a way of life.

Developing Communities with Affordable Housing

Knowing that a large number of people can barely afford to buy the necessities they need to live a quality lifestyle because are paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing, inspired me to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. One of the things I like about Habitat for Humanity is the fact that they make candidates for low income housing contribute "in the sweat category by agreeing to work 300 hours on building their home."

Obama Takes Caution with Concerns For Libya

The Obama Administration is making very cautious and careful moves in trying to help settle the issue in Libya. In Libya, there is a dispute between the Libyan government and the the rebel forces.

This reticence has placed the U.S. in the position of doing little more than old-fashioned saber-rattling, intended to show the Kadafi government that Washington still could take military action, and perhaps to convince the world that the White House is not ignoring the violence in Libya. The Pentagon has moved two ships near Libya, and on Monday NATO increased the number of flights by its AWACS surveillance planes that track flights of military aircraft.

Burglar Regrets Breaking into House?

Day 2

Day 2!! Was so much better than day 1. We came properly dressed with plenty of layers, and got to do more than just nailing in wood. We helped Steve put wood used for the roof on the forklift, measured wood for the roof, and knocking out unnecessary blocks of wood. I had fun during the lunch break, listening to stories. Walking on wood blocks above solid ground was thrilling and although i was forced to obtain a few scrapes, it was all worth it! I definitely plan to go back and volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, but when the weather is warmer.

Day 1

 Day 1! With my fellow classmate Lindsay, went to Habitat for Humanity! It was cold, and windy, and we did not come prepared for the wretched weather. We were greeted by Steve, the man in charge of the whole site. He was a very cheerful and charismatic soul that quickly got us started on helping with the houses. The house we worked on was roofless, and we had to work on ladders in puddles of water. All day we nailed in small metal braces into the the wood around the base of where the roof would be. A long day of hard work and frigid air, but it was worth it!

Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?

Democrats, who are liberal support Gay marriage. Barack Obama has been apart of the Defense of Marriage Act, to make Gay marriage legal. I think gay marriage should be legal, because an individual should be able to marry the person they love.

Repulicans

A Republican is an individual that has conservative, economic, and social values. A lot of the members that are apart of the Republican party are Christian. The Republican Party is seen as the pro-business political party. A strength could be the rights of the American individual. A weakness could be that they focus on individual rights and justice.

My Political Quiz Results

Centerville-You would feel most at home in Centerville, which means that you are more or less pleased the status quo-you think the US government has just about the right amount of control over your economic and personal decisions. Your neighbors include democratic and republican party leaders and others who call themselves "moderates" and "centrists."

Habitat Houses: Construction

Habitat houses are well constructed. Durable, clean, and sustainable at low costs. The construction focuses on: sustainable building, energy efficiency, and safe as well as healthy housing.

Habitat Houses

Simple. Decent. Affordable.
Habitat houses in North America

Habitat houses in the United States and Canada are typically built using wood frame construction, Gypsum board interior walls, vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofs. Some affiliates also use proven alternative building materials such as adobe or straw bale construction.

U.S. and Canadian Habitat houses are modestly-sized by North American standards. Habitat’s guidelines dictate that a 3-bedroom Habitat house may have no more than 1,050 square feet of living space. 

Habitat houses around the globe 

From the tropical islands of the Philippines to the mountains of Chile, Habitat builds houses designed for the local setting. International affiliates build with locally-available materials, reducing costs and making it easier for homeowners to maintain the houses.

Habitat for Humanity: Aid to homelessness

For community service, I will be volunteering for Habitat for Humanity at Bay Point. I thought it would be a great experience and a lot of fun! Habitat for Humanity builds houses for homeless individuals or less fortunate families. Habitat houses are simple, decent, and affordable. They stress the importance of a clean, decent, and stable housing. Building homes has helped with families: being able to provide stability for their children, a family's sense of dignity and pride grow, a family's health and security, and educational and job prospects increase. Habitat for Humanity builds houses for less fortunate individuals all around the globe. I'm really excited to give back and gain new experiences!      

 

Death of U.S. Agent in Mexico

A U.S. immigration agent was killed in an area in central Mexico, which was currently under the influence of drug traffickers. The first agent's name was Jaime J. Zapata. The second, who's name is unknown, was wounded. Both agents were ambushed by gunmen at a false roadblock.

U.S. Immigration and Customs officials said Wednesday that Zapata was a native of Brownsville, Texas, and four-year veteran of the department on loan from the Laredo, Texas, ICE office. He and the second agent, whose name was not released, were attached temporarily to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.