Its funny how you hear about some law enforcement personnel or officers getting in trouble and they get off the hook like the very next day. if an officer gets his or her first DUI should the officer be suspended with pay or with out pay? I think the officer should be suspended without pay. police officers are public figures. true enough they are human and they make mistakes but when you are enforcing the law you cant be doing those things in public. by that being the first offense I feel that the 24hours the officer is not on the duty the officer has a lot of time to think the about the actions he or she has committed. maybe the first offense is too “lite” for the officer but the officer has time to think about the actions. Now for the second offense I do believe the penalty will be stiffer. if an officer is charged with an DUI, the officer will be suspended with out pay. in addition to the suspended from the job, prior to returning the officer will under go a class that lasts 8 days on the importance of not driving drunk or intoxicated. from the first offense of being suspended for 24 hours the second offense the officer will be suspended 4 days without pay and then wait 3 days after to start the class. if the second chance does not work for the police officer then maybe the officer should consider another career. with that being sad officers shouldn’t be let off the hook just like that. police officers should be aware of their actions as well as normal civilians.

In the city of Memphis there are several different tourists, college students, interns, and many more who partake in different events within and around the city. One of the major problems here in the city are  the lack of transportation systems.  The traffic is ongoing throughout the day, which makes it difficult for some drivers to maneuver throughout the city.  The government should provide more transportation systems that are suitable pertaining to the type of vehicle that is being operated such as motorcyclists, bikers, truckers, and regular motor vehicles. The attention should be more focused on the local roads and building new ones than opposed to constantly working on the Interstate. Implementing this idea will cause less traffic jams and vehicular accidents. There is not a sufficient amount of bus routes in the city. I am not from Memphis, but the time I have been here I have witnessed the jammed traffic day in and day out, and  the many vehicular accidents due to not having enough accessible transportation routes. Yes, true enough the city has been building new routes but they are only for the purpose of the Interstate. If the intercity roads were to be built and worked on as much as the Interstate this would lessen the load of traffic  by allotting the time that  vehicular operators emerge onto the Interstate the traffic would flow smoothly without the constant hassle. This implementation very well may not make a heap of difference, but I imagine it would be a bit of help.

In search of a current affairs topic to really dig my heels into, I turned to Google Trends to take a look at the hottest topics on the web over the last couple of weeks. What I found was actually quite disturbing and it really made me think, “What is wrong with people?!” As I started scrolling I found that for the most part, the most common interests of Google searchers are celebrities and media scandals. Aside from a couple of days where actual news was trending, Hollywood was the main focus of point of most searchers. When did our society become so obsessed with the lives of celebrities? Has it always been this way? How can we teach children that they should be more concerned with real world news? If we can’t reverse this, what does it mean for our society as a whole?

Under IDEA there are 13 disabilities a child can qualify under to receive special need services through the school systems (there are others but I’m focusing on schools). These include Autism, Deaf-blindness, Deafness, Emotional disturbance, Hearing impairment, Intellectual disability, Multiple disabilities, Orthopedic impairment, Other health impairment (including ADHD), Specific learning disability (including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia, among others), Speech or language impairment, Traumatic brain injury and Visual impairment, including blindness. Under each classification there may be a range or spectrum of disabilities that fall under it.

The IDEA states that “Kids with disabilities don’t automatically qualify for special education services, though. In order to be eligible, a student must: Have a disability and, as a result of that disability need special education in order to make progress in school. The problem comes from the administering and scoring of the tests needed to make these classifications. Each state has different requirements to meet this classification. Here is a chart of what each state considers to be Mentally Disabled and what criteria a person (child or adult) must meet in order to receive services. Of the 54 cites 18 said that their eligibility standards were not broader than mass standards. But just going through the list, even though 36 said their eligibility standard was broader than mass standards, the definition of what Mental Illness or Mental disability is as are the qualifications. It’s very interesting but also very frustrating as a parent. http://www.dlcma.org/resources/Intellectual_and_or_Developmental/chart_of_state_laws_defining_int.htm

When moving from one state to another the process of eligibility has to be started all over from the beginning with tests, exams, etc. Even though IDEA is a federal law, states are given the lead way to define these terms and qualifications. This is one of those things that should be the same from state to state, city to city, school to school. Children with disabilities deserve the same amount and type of education as other children (within their limits) but they also deserve to be challenged just like all other children.

I have often heard discussions from both sides concerning the death penalty. I always had a hard time making up my mind about which side I wanted to take until I ran into an article on the internet one day. It showed the history of the death penalty from around the world and how it has changed throughout the history of the world. It wasn’t until I saw how much higher the percentage of people dying from this in other parts of the world that I realized the situation could be much worse. I also thought about how many innocent people get sentenced to death. Is it really that effective? Are we seeing any “real” results in other countries where there is a higher percentage of this method used to try to deal with criminals? Is it worth the cost? I think that these things combined should maybe give the US a reason to rethink this method of dealing with criminals.

Colorado just denied the right to an assisted death. Many who are at the end of their fight with a terminal illness, would rather take matters into their own hands. The opposing side argues that these people are playing God, and not letting fate take control.

This topic came into the forefront several months ago, when an Oregon women, Brittany Maynard, decided she would end her life after suffering from brain cancer. This in currently lawful in five states: Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont. Colorado was attempting to become the sixth state, only until legislation decided not to pass it.

Many people find this topic to be very black and white. The role of God is something many people do not want anyone to play. Stem cell research and abortion are among several other controversial topics. The question for Colorado was not if it was right or wrong, but fear of how this could be taken advantage of.

Legislation’s biggest question was focused on the patient and what all they could do to prevent family members from abusing this power. They also did not want a patient to use this simply because of depression. In many cases depression is just a season and not a lifetime. The consideration taken by the state is important because you are dealing with human lives and would not want anyone to commit suicide simply because the option is available. Instead, the state would want this decision to be done in the best interest of the individual and their well-being.

I cannot imagine being in a position where this option seemed to be the best. For me to openly say that I have a right to choose how others live is not right. I do not know enough about this topic and what view I do support. Based on individual cases, I could understand the desire. I do not feel it is right, but who am I to tell someone that by law they must continue suffering? Especially when I have never been in the same amount of pain. There seems to be loopholes with this current potential bill which is why it was not passed.

This topic is always on my mind when it comes to the government and public issues. I know there are many government assisted aids being handed out, but one that strikes a nerve sometimes is Food Stamps. Do I think people go through rough times and need food stamps? Absolutely! Do I think many people take advantage of it? Even More!! My intentions are very innocent in stating my opinion. So, I think the government should crack down on regulating peoples food stamps. I used to work for Kroger in high school and I can’t tell you the number of people who come through my line paying with food stamps. The number of people on food stamps is so high that it hurts our economy more than we know. I think there are people who need help with buying groceries, but it is when I saw people come in with over $900 balances every month. I always thought, this number is outrageous. What is the government doing to help these people to stop being dependent on so much? Maybe the government should decrease their amount every year. I think some people need some kind of initiative to help them move towards not being on Food Stamps. I know from experience that people become dependent on government and have no motivation to try and work because they know our government will back them up. I know people who get EBT cash that is suppose to be for bills and necessary things, but get cash back and go right to buying cigarettes. I know people who sell their food stamps and don’t think twice about it. It saddens me because I genuinely want the best for people, but sometimes it can irk me when I see people do things like I have mentioned. Now, I know all people do not abuse their stamps, but all I want is for it to be regulated. I believe that regularly drug tests should be forced on the recipients who sign up for the food stamps. I would rather know my tax money is going to people who really need it than people who will abuse it. Again, I know there are people, especially with kids, who need this benefit, but I just want it to be regulated a little more and for people to not become dependent on it for their entire lives.

Mississippi is one of the 19 states that have decriminalized personal use of marijuana. They will get a fine of $250 if they are caught with more than an ounce instead of jail time which is a little crazy to me. This is about the legalization of Marijuana in Mississippi for the year of 2016. The mississippi Alliance for Cannabis are trying to collect over 100,000 signatures for the 2016 election on whether or not to allow marijuana for any adult. In my opinion I believe allowing marijuana to be available to everyone is a bit outrageous. Also, it will just cause more problems everywhere. Sure I believe it is okay and should be allowed for the purpose of medicine to help ease the pain of cancer and other sick patients, but it is not right for the purpose of just getting high to feel some type of pleasure for an hour or so. Marijuana is made for the purpose to relax and help pain. Let’s say a person has legally smoked it and then got behind the wheel and got into an accident; would they be held accountable even if it were technically legal in that state. I personally believe Mississippi is WAY too close to memphis which means anyone could go there and buy the product and it be okay. I do not think smoking anything is good for you, so it should not be passed unless it is only allowed to sick patients. Marijuana can make people hallucinate and be paranoid so I would not want to be around that. On a personal note I visit Mississippi just about every summer for concerts and visiting friends and I choose to not be around all the smoke because if it is legalized I know everyone will be doing it.    

Will the argument of welfare applicants needing to be or not to be drug tested ever end? There is an assumption that the people who will receive public assistance are more likely to use illegal drugs. Unfortunately, there are people who will abuse the system. We have lazy people all over that want to have the government helping them so that they can do what they want. On the other hand, you have people who really need the help and they aren’t abusing the system and really do work hard.

Tennessee and 11 other states require applicants to perform drug screening and testing. There are 10 other states that are presenting the same bill hoping to be passed. So which one is right? Do you or do you not drug test these people needing or say they need government assistance?

The state of Tennessee spent $5,295 to start the program, including $4,215 to purchase the drug tests. There are a lot of people who want to put a halt to drug addiction. Some people believe that the state should use their resources to fund drug treatment programs rather then blocking access to public benefit applicants.

In my opinion, this is sad. You have your families and people who really need the assistance. They are being hassled because of the other people who are ruining it for everyone. It will always be a question somewhere. Do you or do you not require drug tests for welfare applicants? What do you think?

As you all know the Bass Pro shop located inside the Pyramid will soon be opening this spring. I think this may be a great opportunity for the city of Memphis. Bass Pro plans on hiring for over 600 positions and I believe that is going to effect the economy of Memphis in a very positive way. The shop is going to be huge with a dining area, attractions, and of course plenty of retail merchandise. With such an attraction located in the most tourist attracted area of Memphis, it could only mean that we will soon be bringing in revenue from people all over the country coming to check out this store. If the revenue is steady and/or continues to increase over time Bass Pro could put money back into the city to fix some of the things we complain about on the daily, like potholes, or even law enforcement. I think that overall this company is going to bring a much needed boost to Memphis.

Check out this link to see just how awesome Bass Pro will be:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPageC?storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&appID=94&storeID=61