November 20, 2010 – 8:01 am
Representative Charles Rangel is making news in Washington as the most embarrassed political figure of 2010. Rangel is a democrat from New York and he has recently been busted for impropriety and misconduct in his financial dealings through fundraising. The ethics committee has pushed for censure, which is the worst consequence Rangel could encounter except for total expulsion. In Washington, censure is synonymous with a public tongue lashing from those in the top of the nation’s chain of command.
When the ethics committee convened to determine the severity of Rangel’s misconduct, nine out of ten members voted for censure as the consequence. They also suggested that he pay the taxes he had avoided paying. The debate lasted three hours before the censure recommendation was presented.
Prior to these events, Rangel issued a public apology for his actions and insisted that he was not simply a dirty politician. He defended his character while admitting to his poor choices. Still, the committee was confident in their decision to hold him to the worst possible consequence beyond expulsion. Rather than a fine or a reprimand, censure will make an example out of his dishonest gain.
Upon hearing the news, Charles Rangel needed a few minutes to regain his composure before speaking out. Again, he asked for the mercy of the committee in recognizing his motives as pure. The decision was not wavered as seventeen years of avoided taxes points to a bit more than an oversight, but blatant dishonesty and unpatriotic avoidance of personal responsibility.
November 19, 2010 – 5:58 am
Americans are falling deeper and deeper into debt. The average family has an estimated $10,000 in credit card debt alone. This does not take into consideration the student loans, mortgages and vehicle loans that people are paying on. Is it any wonder that we all panic when the stock market starts to bottom out and our savings are significantly lowered? As unemployment trends upward, many are left worried about the debt that is left over.
Unfortunately, debt is not only an issue for Americans on the individual level. The nation as a whole has a monumental amount of debt that would make our founding fathers roll over in their graves. Under the Obama administration, billions of dollars were spent on a bail out that funded big banks and financial institutions to keep them from closing their doors. Surprisingly, there was no accountability once the checks were sent and so a large portion of the money ended up paying big bonuses to high level executives that didn’t need the money in the first place.
In the mean time, small town America is drowning in debt and now their taxes are rising to pay off the ridiculous deficit created by the leaders in Washington. Newscasters continually argue about who is to blame. Is President Obama the source of our problems? Is it the controversial Nancy Pelosi or the comedic Joe Biden? No matter how you feel about the current administration, we can all agree that the debt is out of hand. It is time to stop the spending and get a grip on our national deficits if we are going to continue as a free and thriving nation.
November 18, 2010 – 10:00 pm
The Four Loko brand of beverages has to recalculate its formulas and recipes. Four Loko manufactures a line of popular beverages that are unique because they combine alcohol and caffeine into one amazing drink that college students go crazy over. Unfortunately, the beverage has landed several people in the hospital.
It seems that the caffeine is a bad addition to the high alcohol content. Four Loko beverages contain twelve percent alcohol which makes one can equivalent to around five regular beers. Caffeine acts as a stimulant which can excite the drinker and encourage more drinking. The result is way too much alcohol in the bloodstream and the body starts to break down.
Four Loko is acting out in response to FDA rulings by pulling caffeine from their beverages. The FDA called the drinks “toxic” and has even pushed for President Obama to pass a ban on the sale of the beverages.
Four Loko has issued a statement that they will be removing the caffeine, but they maintain that the beverages are completely safe with caffeine content as long as they are not abused. Of course, Four Loko’s representatives have not acknowledged the college students that were hospitalized after drinking these beverages.
As a result, Oklahoma, Washington, Utah, and Michigan have already banned the sale of these drinks. It is expected that other states will soon follow suit. Ultimately, the decision to drink responsibly is in the hands of each individual. The government can only regulate the sale of dangerous products, but any alcoholic drink can be deadly if abused.
