A New Justice?

Justice John Paul Stevens is likely to announce his retirement at the end of this month. He is 90 years old and says he is not totally sure if he is ready to retire but wants to make a decision soon as to what he will do so he will have peace of mind. This announcement would help Obama shape the nation's highest court. This would be lasting for the Democrats because of the fact that Supreme Court Justices are justices for life. The top three contendors for the new seat were all nominee finalists when Sotomayor gained the seat recently.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/05/stevens.supreme.court/index.html

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7018311367

Millions to Tennessee and Delaware

Delaware will recieve $100 million dollars and Tennessee will recieve $500 million for their education. They will recieve the funds through the "race to the top" program. This provides money to states that agree to and make plans to reform thier education system to the national government's standards. The states must make plans to turn around low-standard schools, adopt college and career ready standards, and using data systems to support achievement. It is great that our education system is being reformed in this way but I think that the national government might be getting a little bit too involved.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/03/29/schools.funding/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/education-funding-delaware-tennessee-win-stimulus-money-schools/story?id=10232553

A New START

Russia and the United States reached a new arms treaty today. This will last ten years and replaces the other START treaties that have been created since the Cold War. Nuclear weapons will be cut by one-third by both countries. I don't see this as doing much considering the fact that each country could destroy the world multiple times over. So reducing the number of weapons by one-third is just saying that we can destroy the world just a few less times. However, the symbolic effects of this treaty may be more far reaching.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/26/start.treaty/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-cirincione/the-start-of-a-new-obama_b_515305.html

Almost There?

The same form of the health care bill has passed both the House and the Senate...finally. But this doesn't mean the bill becomes law yet. The House proposed a reconciliation bill with a few changes. So once President Obama signs the bill the Senate just has to agree as well. This is not as easy as it sounds though. Republicans in the Senate have said they will do anything to make sure the bill doesn't pass. This really angers me...can't we work together anymore instead of being so separate and stuck in our own ways?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/22/senate.health.care.ahead/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/22/health.care.main/index.html

Turning the Tide

Democratic Senator Dennis Kucinich changed his "no" vote on the healthcare bill to "yes". He is the first Democratic congressman to change his vote after originally voting against its passage. This mat indicate that the changes in the bill might finally be changing opinions. This is a very important vote because every one will count when the new form of the bill gets voted on.

www.abcnews.go.com/WN/HealthCare/health-caredennis

www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/17

No More Misleading Census Mailings

The House recently passed legislation that banned misleading census mailings. This became an issue because of complaints that Republicans were sending fundraising letters using the census name. Republicans deny this accusation and say they will continue to comply with new laws. This legislation is very necessary because misleading mailings could cause people to not fill out the actual census form. If this occured, it would cost the federal government more money because census workers would have to be sent to more houses.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/ns/politics

http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/decennial/index.html

Education Reform In America

The Secretary of Education says that the United States is falling behind the world in education. I strongly agree with this and am pleased that the Obama administration is planning on doing something abou this shortcoming. There are a wide variety of changes that will hopefully take place. One is holding school districts and the states accountable for low-performing schools instead of only the school itself. Also, states will be given more flexibilty on how to spend federal dollars as long as the money is being spent to "improve the outcome of students." I hope these reforms take place quicly because education is such an important aspect in our world.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/17/duncan.no.child/index.html

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1972820,00.html