The Importance of a Healthy Diet

In one of my classmate’s articles, The Government Needs a Diet, Grace believes that the government should not be involved with Americans’ health issues. I, however, strongly disagree. The government is supposed to help protect the citizens of our nation, and because many deaths could be prevented from unhealthy diets, why not have the government pursue making America healthier?

One who consumes an unhealthy diet has a higher chance of obesity, a stroke, and high blood pressure. When having to pay for each immediate health problem, the cost begins to add up, which hurts people financially. It is stated in the HealthierAmericans for a Healthier Economy article, obesity can add up to “$4 billion for health care, $5 billion for lost productivity and absenteeism and $321 million for disability.” And if the health issues continue to rise, the nation’s workforce could also be affected because of the lack of wellness. More people will begin to fall terminally ill and may become severely affected to where they are unable to work.

Because many people die from a result of cancer, the government should not give up on supporting the cancer foundation by donating money. Even if “billions of dollars spent on research that did not succeed,” does not mean that a cure will never be found. What would our nation be like today if the government had always given up on their goals?

Eating unhealthy also affects people during their daily routine. One who does not consume healthy meals will usually have a decrease in productivity, making him or her lazier with a lack of motivation. Children that have an unhealthy diet are more likely do worse in school. In the Guidelines for School Health Programs, it is said that “Even moderate under nutrition can have lasting effects on children’s cognitive development and school performance.”

As time changes, meal plans will also continue to change in order to form a healthier, more nutritional diet. Each year, people will learn new information about which food is better to consume than other foods. So why shouldn’t the government guide the nation to a better meal plan that will help keep the citizens healthy? They are trying to help us and lead our country in the correct health direction. When it comes to saving lives and producing a stronger, healthier, more suitable nation, I believe that federal dollars are not being wasted. 

Virtual Classes

Virtual classes have been increasing throughout the country. Even though there are currently about 250,000 out of 50 million students who take online classes, the numbers continue to increase. While online classes can be beneficial to many people, I believe that young children should not learn in front of a computer screen. Online classes are especially useful for college students who cannot attend a 4-year or a 2-year school. These students may have a full time job or single parents who can only take classes on their own time at their own pace. The cost of college is at an all-time high, so while some cannot afford to go to class, they depend on the cheaper online schools.

A post local article states that virtual classes have been expanding dramatically by a Virginia company. Kids as young as five years old are getting an education via computers rather than learning in a classroom. Unless these children have specific reasons in which they cannot physically participate in a classroom or for parental decisions, online classes should not be available for young elementary school kids. Some kids, who have disabilities or struggle in public schools, may learn more efficiently through virtual classes.

The advantages that are associated with online schooling is that the kids can sleep in, and wake up to class on their own computers, which may only last about three hours a day. This is helpful for children who have a busy lifestyle.  The student and teacher could have a better one-on-one connection that can benefit the kids learning ability also. Some parents are paranoid of their child’s safety in public school, and decided that keeping them home to learn is a better idea. Online learning, in some people’s opinion, may be the best method of home schooling.

However, forcing young elementary school children to learn in front of a monitor, and shunning them from the public is just wrong. Sense most five year olds do not make their own decision of what school they will attend or how they will learn, young children who do take virtual classes could be unaware of what it is like to learn in a classroom. These kids may grow up with only a few friends, or have trouble socializing with other kids their own age. In some adults’ defense, children who have difficulty learning may be more successful learning online. Though how difficult can a kindergarten class be? I believe these children need to learn how to act around others, and how to socialize and make new friends. It is an important process of growing up. Elementary schools provide special, smaller classes for those who have trouble learning in a regular classroom. This way, they kids will be able to learn more efficiently at a slower pace, while being around other children.  

Beliefs About Abortions

In one of my classmate’s article, The Case for Life, she explains why she believes abortions should be illegal. I respect her opinion, but I believe that women should have their personal choice on whether they want to conceive a baby or not. Because it is their own body, there should not be a law forcing someone to have a baby once that individual becomes pregnant.

            People have different opinions as of when a human life really beings. While some people believe that life begins the moment of conception, others believe that human life does not begin until birth, sense we celebrate birthdays. One of the main reasons abortions should not become illegal is because of one fundamental principle “of America democracy is that no one can impose their religious beliefs on others.” Sense anti abortionist are usually based on religious beliefs, there shouldn’t be a law where religion would affect others who think differently. If abortions where to become illegal, some women would still try to get an abortion, which can be dangerous and unsanitary because the procedure most likely will not be done properly. It is also important to understand the situation one may be in when a woman wants to abort her fetus. Some women who have been raped and become pregnant should not be forced to have the baby if she does not want to. They may be mentally scarred from being sexually abused, and having a child with a man who has harmed her can cause the woman many problems. Because of these reasons, I personally believe abortions should not become illegal, and remain a choice for all women.

The Drinking Age

The legal drinking age was risen in the mid 1980s from 18 to 21. The main purpose of the new law was to help keep the highways safe and reduce alcohol related deaths. Underage kids, however, are still finding ways to drink unsupervised, which is more dangerous than if they were supervised. This issue has turned into a national debate.

Once a person turns 18, he or she has the responsibilities of adulthood; to vote, join the military, and to be prosecuted as an adult. It makes sense that when a person has received these rights, they should also be allowed to consume alcohol. Just because it is illegal for teenagers to drink alcohol in public does not mean that they will not drink alcohol at all, it only pushes them to drink in unsupervised areas such as fraternities, basements, and behind locked dorm rooms. Most of these kids try to drink a lot in a short amount of time to become more drunk at a faster rate, this causes many problems.  When one underage kid has had too much to drink and is in need of immediate medical help, others who are there may hesitate to contact for help because they are afraid of being caught and getting in trouble with the law for having alcohol; however, if it was legal for 18 year olds to drink in public, they would not have to question whether or not they should get help. Instead of being in secretive places, they would be out drinking in public where police officers, managers, and health workers are there to supervise.

When kids are told they cannot have or do something, they will want to rebel against it because they are curious and want to know what it is that they are missing out on, which can become a thrill to them. Whenever teenagers are given a chance to consume alcohol, they will take it. They tend to drink more because they are not sure as to when the next time they will have the opportunity to drink again will be.

The main reason the drinking age was risen in the first place was to reduce highway deaths. Even though this has helped decrease deadly road accidents, alcohol related deaths that are not associated with the highways have increased. Their needs to be improvements with the law about drinking and driving because whatever the legal age of drinking is, there will always be car accidents due to drunk driving. Though deaths related to alcohol consumption without being related to highways can be reduced by lowering the drinking age. Kids would have a better understanding of how to drink in moderation and would not have to be in a dangerous, unsupervised place to drink.

The Increase of Meat Production

                Each Year meat production increases and the amount of meat people consume will continue to grow. This causes many detrimental health issues and it also has a negative effect on the environment. People, like me, often question whether organic meat actually has more beneficial health qualities compared to meat produced on a factory farm. While there may not yet be exact answers about the nutritional differences, it is important to recognize the methods of production between organic and non organic meat, which is shown in this article.

            The more animals’ one industrial farm contains the more money the owners will receive; however, this leads to an excessive amount of manure which will only help contaminate the environment. The mass amounts of animal waste can pollute certain areas with E. coli and other serious chemicals and gases, “producing 40 percent of the world’s largest methane and 65 percent of the world’s nitrous oxide.” The large herd of animals and the unhealthy, crowded conditions to where they are staying, will lead to certain diseases transferring amongst the livestock. Some diseases such as the sine influenza, avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, and mad cow disease, can infect humans as well. Organic farms are not as concerned about the amount of animals they have compared to factory farms. Organic farms contain just enough livestock to where the amount of manure there is, will fertilize the soil. They are also given much time outside, instead of being kept in a dirty, packed barn.

            While the farmers are trying to prevent the animals from getting any diseases, they inject the livestock with antibiotics. To make them bigger, they inject growth hormones. The antibiotics and hormones can cause health risks to the consumers and “seventy- five percent of the antibiotics used on livestock are not absorbed by the animals and are excreted in waste,” which can harm the environment.

            People, who frequently eat processed meat, place themselves at a greater risk of becoming obese and diabetic. However, it is ok to eat meat moderately, “meat is a good source of protein and important vitamins and nutrients such as iron, zinc, and vitamins B3, B6, and B12.” Though eating too much can cause greater health issues.

            From the facts given in this article, it is important that people are aware of the amount of meat they consume, and how that meat is produced. The author isn’t necessarily telling us we need to be eating organic meat, but instead, he has given us valuable reasons as of why organic meat is a better choice than non organic meat. “Grass-fed beef contains less fat and more nutrients than its factory-farmed counterpart and reduces the risk of disease and exposure to toxic chemicals.” Throughout this article the author has made clear and credible reasons to why industrial farms may potentially be harmful to the human body and the planet.

Doubts about the death penalty

The death penalty may seem cruel and gruesome to some people, but it can also bring closure to a victims family. This execution process contains many pros and cons, and people will have different opinions about it. Though almost everyone has had a feeling of doubt towards the death penalty, especially in Texas. Rick Perry became the governor of Texas in 2000, and ever since then, his state has executed 234 people. Because this is more than all other governors, it's not uncommon for people to believe that something is wrong with this process.

I, however, do not hold many doubts about the execution system, unlike the author of this article. It is stated that " Some proponents of the death penalty point to that last fact as further proof that the system works, and that innocent people are not executed. We, of course, have no way of knowing that." I do agree with that statement. Citizens will never be completely sure about if the inmate is guilty or not, unless they admit to the crime them self.  But a person would not be sent to trial if he or she was not committed of crime, and if there was no sufficient evidence. Then, after that person has been convicted of a capital crime, their case will be sent to the penalty phase, where the jury decides if the person will receive the death penalty or not. After being sent to a specific prison, the inmate will only be allowed one appeal because every citizen has Constitutional Rights. The appeal process contains four steps. " i. Automatic Appeal, ii. State Habeas Corpus Petition, iii. Federal Habeas Corpus Petition, and iv. Clemency." This, depending on whether or not the prisoner's case has been denied, will determine when the date for the execution will be held.

This shows that a person who is on death row or who has already been executed, is not just a random person who has been convicted for no apparent reason. The author gives one example of how a man who was executed in 2004, may have been wrongly convicted of starting a fire and killing his three daughters based on "fire science theories." In the only example given, we still do not know whether the man was guilty or innocent to this day. Though from the trial and penalty process, i am sure there was essential evidence provided, rather than only theories.

After reading this article, in my opinion, i do not believe Rick Perry should be viewed as an inappropriate governor for holding a state with the most executions in his time. Though maybe for other reasons he could be considered unfit for the job. The law is the law, and if a person has committed a capital crime, their punishment can result in a death penalty sentence.

The effects of high gas prices

Just about everyone in our society has been affected by the increase of gas prices; therefore, forcing some people to drive less, though most citizens do not have a choice. It is stated that seven in ten Americans are having financial issues due to this epidemic.  There has been an enormous change in consumers spending; however, little impact has been made with the amount of gasoline that is being purchased. Naturally, it is the lower income class that is having most difficulties rather than those with higher incomes.  Those who are being hit the hardest financially, resulting from the rise in gas prices, need someone to blame.

Not only has this affected most Americans, but it has also made a huge impact on Barack Obama  and his re- election term. Pulling up to the gas station to fill up your tank can be frustrating and discouraging, and who is there to criticize for economical problems? The president. When the performance of the economy is changing for the worst, the president is heavily relied on. The sharp increase of gas prices has damaged Obama's popularity and approval rating. Concluded in the article, " 53 percent of those who are feeling serious hardship as a result of gas prices say they definitely will not vote for Obama in 2012."

I found this article intriguing because not only are high gas prices affecting most individuals, but it is also damaging the presidents re-election campaign. From these results, we can only hope that change will be made in the near future, and this will hopefully further push Barack Obama's contributions to control the gas prices fierce increase.