Although this recent event is based on gay marriage rights, I believe there is still a major element of this situation that is closely related to the current unit. The photographers that refused to work at a same-sex ceremony were fined by the New Mexico Supreme Court and the fact that the Supreme Court will not hear/consider this case is controversial. This is a great example of what we learned that the Supreme Court is limited in the amount of cases they can hear over a certain period of time, and this also represents the power that the judicial system has in simply declining something of this importance. According to the New Mexico Supreme Court, "Elane Photography" violated the Human Rights Act by simply declining to take work for this ceremony. I personally think this is not right and that they should have the freedom under the First Amendment to choose what they take pictures of; however, this is not the connection this article has to this unit. The fact that the court declined this case shows their limitations and also to power they have in these certain situation.
Supreme Court declines to hear appeal from photographers who wouldn't work same-sex ceremony4/11/2014
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Obama recently spoke at the University of Michigan about his plan to increase the minimum wage nearly $3.00 to $10.10, which would have many side affects. Although this does seem to have the quick effect of bringing millions of Americans out of poverty, stressed by the Democrats, you also have to realize this change from the businesses point of view (stressed by the Republicans). This change would cause business to not be able to afford paying their workers and would result in the loss of many American jobs and more flow to China and other places where the workers work for very cheap. This opposition of views will likely be the cause of its delay or stop in Congress. This relates to this unit because it is an example of how Obama is acting as the cheif legislator by bringing this issue to national attention and stressing Congress' approval of this decision. Executive orders/actions have a major influence to every American and others who are involved in the situation, and this is just a simple current event that represents this and connects with the material in this current unit.
In Arizona, there is currently a bill on the table that states that business owners can use their personal beliefs to deny gays from their service. Apple, currently one of the biggest companies in the U.S., has stepped in by stating that they think Governor Jan Brewer should veto this bill. This is very important because with such a big company acting somewhat like an interest group in this situation, it will have a HUGE impact on public opinion on the topic and will have a major impact on the outcome of this bill. I know this article is somewhat short, but I really wanted to talk about this one over other ones because I felt like it connected more to what we are currently learning (impact of interest groups on public opinion...etc.). Overall, I feel that situation gives a real life example of how important companies and political organizations and interest groups can be in the political process and on public opinion, which is extremely related to the topics of this unit currently.
This situation is a very complex one to say the least. CVS pharmacies have recently banned tobacco products from their sales, which, according to President Obama, "will have a profoundly positive impact on the health of our country." Although this seems to be the case, one thing that is forgotten is the infringement of the freedom of the American people. Smoking is not "illegal"; therefore, according to smokers, CVS should not have banned them from their stores. Controversy has already begun on this issue; however, I agree with President Obama's stance because I personally dislike cigarettes due to their lack of a positive reason to exist other then an economy boost. This is the main part of this article that connects with our unit right now. I am glad this brave and powerful decision was made by such a prominent business because it shows that the health of the American people is more important than money or power, which has been hard to find lately. I completely agree with everything that has happened so far and I hope that the American people will agree with me that our health and well being is being protected and preserved through this act of courage.
The result of both of my quizzes was in favor of the republican party. before beginning this quiz, i made an educational guess that i would agree with most republicans. i did not realize i was similar to virgil goode because of his lack of popularity. This POLITICAL IDEOLOGy somewhat reflects that of my parents.Due to the recent outbreak in drug-related fatalities and incidents, many politicians and "drug cop" are pushing for open access to medical records in order to prevent these situations from occurring as often as they have been. In Portland a few weeks ago, the American Civil Liberties Union and the State of Oregon challenged the actions of the DEA in court. Many people approve of this challenge because their intent is to protect the privacy of their citizens. This may propose a major problem for doctors that are accused of "drug dealing" and can become controversial. This topic is beginning to grow and starting to become more active in the everyday lives of citizens.
This situation can be connected to the Constitution and the rights it supplies to citizens in many ways. First off, many people feel that this idea is infringing on the 4th amendment, which I completely agree with because it allows the government to search your records at any moment, which is, in my opinion, unreasonable. This idea, if considered, will invade the privacy of all citizens as well, including doctors. This should be a major concern connected with this plan, and hopefully the rights of the citizens will dominate and influence the outcome of this idea. Although the Constitution has been challenged and tested a lot in the past few decades, it ALWAYS prevails and hopefully it will in this dilemma as well. |