Summary 7

Lindsey Knight

Mr.Comer

11/29/14

Honors Government

Summary 7: Military Action in Syria Requires a New A.U.M.F

 

In the article entitled, “Military Action in Syria Requires a New A.U.M.F,” the Editorial Board of the New York Times posits that Congress must take action against ISIS.  The Board claims that recently, with the threat of ISIS eminently penetrating foreign and internal relations, Congress hasn’t done enough to fight against the terrorist group in Syria.  However, there is hope for those who call for action; the new Republican control over the Senate will begin in January 2015.   The newly Republican legislators will be a helpful tool for entering Syria quicker.

 Even with this Republican control, Democrats still need to take a stand for entrance into a new war-zone.  The Board claims that “Some Democrats, including Senate leader Harry Reid, seem oddly passive, saying they are open to an authorization vote but doing little to advance it now” (Board).  Obama also “insisted that he had all the legal authority he needed to attack” (ibid.).  The Editorial Board recognizes the president’s two year plan for succumbing the Syrian terrorists, but believes that action needs to be taken quickly.  In order for any fighting to remain contained and lawful, Congress needs to put out a “resolution that focuses on the war on ISIS, not on any far-flung terrorist group, and limits the fighting to Iraq and Syria” (Board).  With this focus in mind, American forces are able to contain the brutality of ISIS.  Even though Obama has not granted ground-forces, there is a bill with several loopholes that “would allow trainers, advisers, intelligence officers and special operations forces to be” in Syria and Iraq, much to the liking of the New York Times's Editorial Board.  Now is the time for Congress to act, according to the Board, as the war on terror continues to grow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/opinion/military-action-in-syria-requires-a-new-aumf.html

Summary 6

Lindsey Knight

Honors Government

Mr. Comer

11/29/14

Summary 6: “College Costs: Make them Transparent”

With an ever-expanding economy and an expectation for teenagers to continue on into higher education, there is one thing that just doesn’t add up—the price.  Phillip B. Levine, an economics professor at Wellesley College argues that even when the cost of college is hard enough to scrape up, colleges don’t have clear price-tags.  In his article entitled “Why are College Costs so Hard to Figure Out,” the author claims that if colleges had better net-price calculators, the process toward becoming a debt-free graduate will be cut much shorter.  For example, he posits that colleges “don’t tell [students] how much financial aid [they’ll] get until after [they’ve been] accepted” (Levine).  With many colleges asking for up to $60,000, nobody knows how much financial aid, grants, or student loans they might get.  Finding out the cost just a few months before payment is too quick a decision for Levine.  Even though the price is the problem, easy solutions are not far away.  He claims that some colleges have attempted to solve this issue by providing “net-price calculators,” but he finds that they just “ask too many technical questions” that many don’t have the time or resources to answer (ibid.).  Fed up with these challenging calculators, Levine has come up with his own estimator for Wellesley college that takes “three minutes to complete” (Levine).  He claims that through easier procedures and a more clear system, planning and paying for college can be done more efficiently.  

http://www.cnn.com//2014/11/20/opinion/levine-college-calculator/index.html

Summary 5

Lindsey Knight

Honors Government

Mr. Comer

11/29/14

Summary 5: “Suffer Little Children”

Obama’s newly announced policy concerning immigration laws has sparked debate across the country.  Paul Krugman, a columnist for the New York Times’ Op-Ed section, believes that the president’s new recognition of humane practices towards illegal immigrants and their children is a step toward progression.  First, the author recalls his times in the Tenement Museum in New York where he visited the living places of early 20th century immigrants.  He denotes the inspiring effect of these apartments where his own parents grew up as children of immigrants.  After visiting these historical sites, Krugman declares that he “enthusiastically support[s] President Obama’s new immigration initiative” (Krugman).  However, he clarifies that he does not necessarily “support open borders” but believes that America should be taking care of those who are already in America by supporting their education and basic health needs.  Krugman remembers how FDR’s New Deal opened the gates for repaired foreign relations that “wouldn’t have been possible without the immigration reforms that went into effect after World War I” (ibid).  

Although Krugman acknowledges that there are many issues regarding illegal immigration, there is one basic reason why people should be less hostile towards immigrants—humanity.  He believes that America isn’t cruel enough to completely turn from the faces of those starving children who have no choice but to live in a society where they are seen as alien.  He states that “today’s immigrant children are tomorrow’s workers, taxpayers, and neighbors” (Krugman).  Viewing them as lesser or neglecting to take care of these children would fail them the opportunity of an education and improving their lifestyle to benefit future America.  Krugman ends by thanking the president for his efforts to improve the immigration policies and turn a kind eye towards those who are in need.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/21/opinion/paul-krugman-immigration-children.html?_r=0

Summary 4

Lindsey Knight

Mr. Comer

Honors Government

11/29/14

Summary #4: "Why I’m Standing with Walmart Workers This Black Friday"

For Americans in 2014, Black Friday was less about the fancy deals and materialistic battleground; this year, thousands rallied together for a new hot deal— economical change.  In the article entitled “Why I’m Standing with Walmart Workers This Black Friday,” Carol Joyner, the director of the Labor Project for Working Families, posits that the government needs to step in to raise the minimum wage, allow for better hours, and support women when huge corporations like Walmart tend to rack up profits and give little in wages to workers.  In fact, she begins by including the story of a college graduate, Cantare, who earns $322 a week at Wal-Mart.  Cantare is attempting to pay of college debt, rent an apartment, and buy a car, but her meager salary forcers her to cut her budget. Joyner continues on with Cantare’s story to explain the recent protesting of Wal-Mart stores.  She appeals to ethos as she states countless statistics claiming that the owners of this big business have been nothing but greedy in their collection of profits.  However, Joyner does point out that recent federal acts have been helping low-income workers and families.  For example, with the Fair Minimum Wage Act, the minimum wage is increasing, and the Schedules That Work Act helps workers schedule easier hours.  In addition, the Paycheck Fairness Act can help to “close the gaps that exist from the Equal Pay Act of 1963” (Joyner).  The author concludes by calling her readers to join her and 1,600 other protesters this on November 28th to "deliver a memo to the store manager, and contribute to building a fair economy” (ibid.).  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-joyner/why-im-standing-with-walm_b_6193006.html