Streetkids...an appeal...how do we respond..

A student of mine who I respect shared this link with me. It deals with life on the 'street' and some of this issues street kids face. Read the posted letter and ask yourself what should be done, if anything. Given our discussion of classic liberalism, how can we/society respond to the needs of street kids? Should be it 'our' responsibility or 'theirs' to help address the problem of homelessness. You can see some video and letter here.

Have wages kept up to the cost of living.....

This short article and graph speaks volumes to how American's have not kept up with the cost of living in America. Thank you to a thoughtful student for this post. Consider in the light of classic liberalism we've studied, what this means for us. Does it make sense to you? Is our situation in Alberta or Canada any different you suspect (I don't)? What is the implication of this on our present and future? Love to hear your thoughts, the article can be found here. By the way, Dave Johnson who wrote the peace is an economist that is credible. In fact, if you google him, you'll find a lot of great articles for those of you that may have that interest.

Queue jumping in the Alberta Health Care system..

Queue jumping (not having to wait like others to get treated with the aid of cash) is being investigated in Alberta today. The article talks about some get ahead of others when it comes to treatment. If this is so, what does that suggest to you? Is it a practice we should endorse or not? What do these actions say about us, our government, philosophy and if anything, should be done about queue jumping. The article can be found here.

How do we get into wars???

I love the Rachel Maddow show as she investigates issues more deeply and thoughtfully then most news channels. Given the 10th anniversary of the Iraq war she looks at how America declared war after 9/11. I think you'll find some interesting ideas of how governments get their countries into war and hopefully it will give you plenty to think about. For our purposes when looking at issues what does this commentary tell you and us about propaganda? Is it fair to suggest that what you see in the video was all contrived or was it also legitimate to get involved. Let me know your thoughts, the video can be found here.

Reproductive Rights...who decides???

This short video speaks to an attack against women's rights. What irony is spoken about and why is does this seem to be an issue that is constantly being focused on in the United States? When we talk about liberalism, how does this issue connect? What is your take on this issue and how it should be dealth with?

Preventive Imprisonment....illiberal????

In this speech from Obama, he speaks about the need to have FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) a sub agency of the Department of Homeland Security regulating which people 'might' be deemed to have criminal intent and therefore incarcerated in the interest of protecting Americans. Rachel Maddow carefully deconstructs this speech and her analysis is pretty damning as to the abuse of civil liberties, which of course the States swears by. Is this an example of illiberalism at it's 'finest' or is the President justified in his actions? The video can be found here.

Mr Jones...the ultra don't &^*% with my gun libertarian...

Alex Jones really when off the deep end when he was interview about his views on gun control. I couldn't believe how he would resort to name calling, discrediting and out right threats to his host when debating gun control. There are two parts as you will see if you view this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uymMI_omik. Does his rant have meaning or is it just a rant? How do you see gun control in light of liberal ideology which you are well aware of? Love to read your comments!

What the 99% movement was and is about...

In this video,the Californian Teachers Federation try to suggest what ails the US is the tax base and how services are paid for. Further, it suggests that the people to blame for the US fiscal crisis are not workers but rather the rich who do not want to pay their fair share of taxes. Do you buy into this message? Why/why not? What evidence is seen that supports this position and finally how does it relate to our studies of economics and politics this semester? The link to the video can be found here.