Political Blog - Post 2

Over the time that elapsed from my last post, there were two new debates presented by the Independent party blog; accept nuclear proliferation and overturn Roe v Wade.

The argument over whether to accept nuclear proliferation is basically about how much nuclear proliferation we should allow. In plain language, this debate is over whether or not we should allow non-nuclear countries to acquire nukes. Some questions being debated are: Will nuclear energy prove indispensable for meeting our future energy needs without causing massive climate change? And will the proliferation of peaceful civilian nuclear energy make nuclear weapons proliferation impossible to stop?

The other issue being presented/debated was that of whether or not to overturn the famous supreme court case, Roe v. Wade. The case Roe v. Wade centrally held that a mother may abort her pregnancy for any reason, up until the point at which the fetus becomes "viable". The article presents 20 provactive questions that spark some good thoughts. Some of these questions include Does the Constitution grow and change over time? Can it protect rights that nobody intended it to when it was ratified?, What would be the political effects of overturning Roe?, etc.

Personally I think that Roe v. Wade should stay intact because I believe that a woman has the right to do what she wishes with her body. In the case of nuclear proliferation, I don't think that the United States has the right to interfere in other countries affairs but I understand the threat that the other countries pose when they possess these weapons.

Links to other articles about topics:

Summary of nuclear proliferation problem
Arguments made by Roe supporters

Vice Presidential Debate

The Vice Presidential Debate was extremely interesting, and there were a variety of important topics discussed. One such topic was that of the Economy. With the bailout bill and the rocky economy, it was an important subject, and both Palin and Biden stated their cases. Biden states that the economic policies of the last 8 years (Bus's Term) have been the worst ever as seen on wallstreet. He stated that Obama will change the focus of the economic policy to focus on the middle class. Palin stated that people have come to fear the economy. She stated that reform is needed, and John McCain will bring that reform, demonstrated by the fact that he has brough people together in the past.

Another important issue discussed was the issue of same sex rights. Biden started off by saying that he and Obama support same sex rights, and that based on the constitution there is no difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals. He then said that he and Obama do not support gay marriage because they don't believe in redefining marriage. Palin said that she does not support gay marriage but she is tolerant of homosexuals.

The issue of the environment and the climate change was also debated. Biden stated that the climate change was man made, and that Obama will invest in clean energy which will create more jobs and more exports. Palin stated that the climate change is not man made, and that it was all natural. She stated that the planet has to be cleaned up, and she brought the issue back to her experience cleaning up the environment of Alaska. She also said that America has to become energy independent.

Personally, I believe that Joe Biden won the debate. He played up Bush's mistakes during the last 8 years, and related that to the fact that McCain agrees with Bush 90% of the time. He pointed out that Palin did not exactly answer all of the questions. He also brought in what Palin says and stated that he believes she will do it but not John McCain. He seemed to be very well researched, and used all of the information he could to answer the questions asked.

Political Blog

Independent Party Blog

The Blog I am following is the Independent Party Blog. The blog is a very informative one that poses big questions and ideas that are worth pondering. The blog is run by a non-partisan debating organization of Yale Undergraduates who post the issues and ideas after debating them. The blog presents brief descriptions to both sides of the issues being debated and allows the reader to decide their viewpoint for themself.

This "professional" blog differs from some of the other blogs that I have looked at because it gives more resources for the reader to look at. Instead of just saying what needs to be said, it follows through with articles about the topic, and the websites of people who have different opinions of the issue being presented. Also, it is more content driven than visually driven. It does have a picture at the very beginning of the issue, but the rest is content pertaining to the issue.

One issue presented in the blog is that of Polygamy, a form of marriage in which a person has more than one spouse. The blog presents a brief overview of both sides of the argument on whether polygamy should be legal or not. Those who are against the legalization of polygamy say that the practice degrades would and creates unstable families. Those who are for the legalization of polygamy basically state that there are no major consequences to the practice. Personally, I believe polygamy should be legal. I believe that the government has no right to say who can and cannot get married under any circumstances. I don't see why anyone would ever want to enter into a poligamous relationship, but if they choose to do so, why not? As to the point that it creates unstable families: divorce is legal, and doesn't that create unstable families? I think this is a very interesting topic that would make for a great debate!