After reading Misti's editorial at http://2305pov.blogspot.com/ it inspired me to research how our nation is dealing with tax cuts. Her very informative words clearly state that republicans are pushing for tax cuts for the wealthier (250,000$ per year in net profits) citizens of our country. I really liked how to she describes the demographics of each party.

After reviewing some news sources online, I found that her opinion is very one sided. At one news site I discovered that Obama plans to continue the current tax cuts that President Bush set into motion, but he won't include the wealthier citizens. Basically Obama says his revision of the tax breaks will help everyone that makes less than 250,000$ a year. Republicans are simply pushing to keep things the way they are.

The current income tax rates for someone making about 250,000$ dollars a year are 33%. For someone making 80,000$ a year they are only 25%. You can plainly see they are already paying a great deal more in taxes, and Obama wants them to fork over even more of their hard earned money.

Overall I thought this was a solid editorial, and it had me believing that the upper class should pay more taxes. After finding out how much they already pay in taxes, i believe they shouldn't be subject to "If you can pay more, you should."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334926/Republicans-push-Obama-extend-Bush-tax-breaks-blocking-lame-duck-laws.html

http://www.moneychimp.com/features/tax_brackets.htm

Don't Ask, Don't Care

A big issue in the Senate right now is the debate of whether or not to revoke the bill, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Some say that the bill is homophobic and that it discriminates harshly toward gay soldiers. Others agree that homosexuals in the military can be a distraction for heterosexual troops.

The fact that once a gay soldier is found in the armed forces they are discharged from the military is completely absurd. Someone's sexual preference should not be the deciding factor to determine if they are capable of protecting, and dieing for our freedoms. Many great people of many different ethnicities and sexes have battled for equality for their kind. History has time and time again shown that humans will fight for what they truly believe is right.

Compared to the issues of women suffrage or desegregation of schools, this seems very minimal. Congress should never have let "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" be passed. I have never heard of an account where a gay soldier has committed a crime that a straight soldier wouldn't also commit. The Military should allow homosexuals to participate in warfare just as they let their straight squad mates do.

Some people (Soldiers and civilians) worry that gay troops will cause discomfort in situations of total exposure, such as showering in an open stalled shower. But I ask those people to please show me proof that a homosexual has taken a forceful advantage over a straight person in the shower of a military bunker. It's not like these gay people are there just to get to see other people naked.

A man is a man. A woman is a woman. A soldier is a soldier. Whether or not they are gay or straight, they still have the guts to do what most of us wouldn't even consider.