No More Summers (post #30)

A recent op-ed article by LZ Granderson of ESPN makes a great argument in favor of ending summer vacation as we know it and go to year round school. He points out how much knowledge is lost over the summer months and how much more competitive America could be in almost every way internationally with a year round education program. The American school year is approximately 180 days long while other countries have a 220 day year. What do students do with their summer any way? Play video games? Watch TV? Get in trouble? Granderson may be oversimplifying things but it is difficult to argue against greater student success from more days of classroom instruction. The irony here is that it looks like budget issues may make California shorten the school year further at a time when the world economy requires we must be as competitive as possible. Seniors, you are almost done and don't need to worry about losing your last summer, what do you think? Would school be more effective in preparing you for your future if there was more of it? Are there other issues you would attempt to change first? How would you make your high school educational experience more valuable?

Mexico Drug Wars, Is It A Shared Responsibility (post #29)

A recent op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times, Mexico's Drug War: Crossing the Border, raises the the subject of the cross border nature of the drug wars taking place in Mexico today. Over 15,000 people died in violence related to the drug wars in Mexico in 2010. The violence has caused the deaths of Americans on both sides of the border as well. Do you think America is responsible for the violence crossing the border? The violence in Mexico? The weapons used are blamed on American private gun dealers and government programs to help Mexico fight the drug cartels. Rueben Martinez the author of the piece also points out that the illegal drug market in the United States is a driving force in the slaughter happening in Mexico. Most of the illegal drugs used in America come from or through Mexico. The huge demand in America drives the the whole illegal drug trade. What do you think should be done? Is this just Mexico's problem? Should the U.S. expand it's involvement in ending the cartel's power over Mexico? What do you think? Please respect the thoughts of others when blogging.

Is she serious.....enough? (Post #8)

With the next presidential elections coming in 2012 the republicans are looking for a candidate to run against Barak Obama. The list of possible nominees is long with names like Mit Romney, Donald Trump, and Sarah Palin among others. Sarah Palin the former vice-presidential candidate, Governor of Alaska, and reality television star, is in the news again. After the State of the Union address she commented the president's speech using a fairly common acronym "WTF." The president was referring to "winning the future" Ms. Palin was not. She has been described as "folksy," unorthodox, funny, and cute. Are any of these terms appropriate to describe a future president? Does she possess the necessary gravitas? Would Ms. Palin have the ability to deal with the extremely serious position of President of the United States? What is your opinion in this matter? Would you be happy with President Palin or not? Please be respectful of other opinions when you blog.

Egypt, Who Do We Support? (Post #7)

Egyptians have taken to the streets in protest of a despotic, corrupt, and U.S. supported government. After days of protest and a couple of "flinches" by President Mubarak regarding a new cabinet and the constitution Egyptians continue to protest with a million man march planned for Tuesday. America is in a precarious position here, do we support Mubarak and his repressive regime or do we support a move towards free elections and democracy? Even if it means a rise to power for the Muslim Brotherhood the main opposition to the current government? Is this a repeat performance of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that saw America's good friend the Shah Reza Pahlavi lose power to the Ayatollah Khomeini and fundamentalist Islam? What about America's best ally in the area Israel and how they feel about the possibility of a pro-Palestinian Egypt next door and another Six Day War with the chance of a different outcome? If you were the president how would you handle this difficult foreign policy issue?Would you support Mubarak or a new democratic government and the uncertainty of free elections? Please respect the opinions of other bloggers.