In America today, there are two large social movements attempting to impact the public spectrum. Both the Tea Party and the Occupy movements have high goals but are taking different routes to attempt to achieve them.
Discussion Starters:
In October 2010, firefighters in Tennessee were criticized all across the country after they refused to put out a fire because the homeowner hadn't paid a $75 "fire subscription fee" to the city. The homeowners lives outside city limits and as a result did not pay city fire taxes and had to pay the fee. Since they had not, the fire department refused to respond until the flames encroached onto a neighbor's property. Now, over a year later, the same has happened again.
Pundits have begun alleging that geographic shifts in the United States will likely spell doom for the future of the Tea Party in America. Consider the 2010 political map:
Considering where the Tea Party was successful in 2010, think about the following questions.
Pew has come out with a new study looking at generation effects and the 2012 presidential election.
Consider the following graph:
We know that many Americans do not always agree with Congress, but exactly how disliked is our nation's legislative body? According to public opinion, very. Consider the following chart:
Sen. Michael Bennet has a series of ideas as to why Congress simply doesn't work effectively in America today.
We often focus on discussing what we deem to be the more pressing issues before our national legislature. Yet, it is important to remember that Congress must make many decisions that appear to be little more than trivial. One such recent example is when Congress deemed pizza a vegetable.
Petitions are being circulated around Wisconsin today in an effort to recall Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch. Walker has been denounced by many in the state--particularly Democrats--for his anti-union stance. A bill signed shortly into his term led to the eventual recall of state representatives and senators.
As expected since its initial passage into law, the Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will hear arguments regarding Obamacare and will issue a ruling before July. At the heart of the legal battle is whether the U.S. Congress overstepped its powers by requiring all Americans to buy health insurance by 2014 or pay a penalty, a provision known as the individual mandate.
Much like Rick Perry last week, Herman Cain is now catching public flak for his performance in an interview. When asked a question about Libya, Cain struggles to determine how to answer and then gives an uncertain response to the interviewer.
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno was fired recently for failing to act on allegations that Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky was having inappropriate relations with adolescent males within Penn State facilities. Paterno took the allegations to his Athletic Director, which largely fulfills his legal obligations. He did not, however, follow up in the aftermath of the discussion. As Forbes explains, Paterno, as a result, has taught us all a series of lessons regarding ethics.
Rick Perry--once the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination--stumbled badly in a debate in Michigan this week. After volunteering that he would immediately shut down three government agencies when he became president, Perry was unable to identify the third agency. Perry has claimed that there will be no effect from his mistake, yet others claim he will likely fall quickly.
While much attention has been paid to the Occupy Movement, less has been devoted to examining the public health risks of living outdoors in such close quarters for long periods of time. As the director for environmental health for Los Angeles County explained: "Any time you have a large number of people in an event like this, there's potential for illness to spread rapidly." Consider that tuberculosis is already spreading throughout Occupy Atlanta.
Ohio voters rejected Issue 2, a ballot referendum on Senate Bill 5, a measure that restricts collective bargaining rights for more than 360,000 public employees, among other provisions. Opposition to the legislation inspired large protests from residents around the state this year. When put before voters, the measure failed 61-39.