Judge says Mich. gay marriage ban will go to trial.

The article can be found here.

   This article is about how the fate of Michigan's ban on gay marriage will be decided in a trial Feb. 25. This was brought to the attention of the Court when a lesbian couple filed a lawsuit challenging the state's ban on adoption by unmarried couples.

   I personally feel that gay marriage and adoption should not be illegal anywhere. We have no right to tell two people who love each other that they can't get married and that they can't start a family. When it comes to gay adoption, we all need to realize that these children want a home where they will be loved unconditionally. These children don't discriminate, love is love. And being "gay" is not contagious. I think that the decision of who is or isn't allowed to be married should not fall into the hands of either the state or the federal government. Our Declaration of Independence states that "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". To me, being able to love whoever you want is included in everyone's pursuit of happiness. If you don't agree with gay marriage, don't have one. We are all human beings, why do we need to hate each other for being exactly who we are? And even if we flat out disagree with a particular group of people, majority still must rule with respect to the minority. I like to believe that one day our nation will see that these people deserve the same rights as everyone else. Let's legalize love.

Obama to GOP: Win an election.

The article can be found here.

   This article is about a statement that President Obama said to the Republicans who want to defund his health care law. He said, "You don't like a particular policy -- or a particular president -- then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election.''

   This statement made by the president definitely cuts to the chase. If you don't agree, don't throw a fit about it. "Tolerate" it as long as you have to, and when the next election comes around, get the people on your side and change it when you win the election. "Push to change it. But don't break it." We can't always agree on everything issue that comes up, but that in no way gives us any reason to completely shut down and refuse compromise. Rarely can anyone, whether it's a party or just an individual, get their way all the time. We need to be mature enough to know that compromise isn't the end of the world. And by our next election, if the people unite and decide that they are completely against how the health care reform has been running, then by all means we can elect a president willing to change it. But for now, we all just need to be patient and come at this with an open mind. It might not be as awful as a lot of our nation likes to believe, just give it a chance.

Redford: Racism drives some Obama critics.

The articles can be found here and here.

   This article is about Actor Robert Redford in a CNN interview talking about his new film and how it could serve as an analogy to the shutdown crisis. He brings up the point that he feels that racism does drive some Obama critics. He also talks about how he feels what our government needs are more women and young people.

   So I do think that Redford makes some good points here. I'm not saying that everyone against Obama is a racist, but I do believe that for some people, that is a driving force to their hate. Redford states in the interview that Obama's opponents reject whatever he might propose because their determination was to destroy this man. And I feel that there is a lot of truth in that. A lot of us are so quick to talk about all the things our President has done that are "ruining" our country, but is that really the case? Honestly, I believe that he is trying his best to do what he feels our country needs. Rather than represent the interests of the public, our Congress seems to be so set on going against anything that the President proposes that they will do anything they can to come out "on top". But have they really won? I think that causing an unnecessary government shutdown is far from winning. Let's take a step back and remember that all of us, even the President, are human beings. Let's stop attacking each other and do everything in our power to shape up and make our nation stronger and more unified than ever before.

Senators say they are nearing a deal on shutdown, debt.

The article can be found here.

   This article is about the President meeting with congressional leaders today at 3 p.m. E.T. to hopefully come to an agreement. They will be discussing a deal to raise the debt ceiling, ending the government shutdown. Senators Reid and McConnell seem to be quite optimistic that an agreement will be reached but the President said: "We'll see this afternoon whether this progress is real."

   I think that President Obama is completely right when he said: "There are going to be differences between the parties,there are going to be differences in terms of budget priorities. But we don't need to inflict pain on the American people, or risk the possibility of America's full faith and credit being damaged just because one side is not getting its way." (article) This whole shutdown is a bit silly. Differences don't need to start an all out war. I like to think that they will be able to come to an agreement, but we'll just have to see. Congress needs to work together, not tear our nation apart.

School kitchens take fresh approach for healthier foods.

The article can be found here.

   This article is about the conflicts that arise with farm-to-school movements. A lot of work goes into preparing fresh produce, many of the lunch workers are not chefs, they are there because they like the kids. They often lack proper culinary training because most of the food they receive is already processed cutting and preparing is a whole different process. Because schools feed so many students, small local farmers may not be able to supply the bushels and pounds needed for each meal. Larger school districts face challenges in finding enough fresh foods and the costs of hand-preparing foods on a large scale. Smaller districts may not have proper equipment or storage space, and workers may need culinary training (article).

   The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, signed by Barack Obama on December 13, 2010, funds standard child nutrition and school lunch programs. One of the new nutrition standards is to provide resources for schools and communities to utilize local farms and gardens to provide fresh produce. I think that it is important that we are making healthy food a standard in our schools and that we are doing our best to integrate the local farms. Though it has faced some challenges, the health of our nation is important enough that we should continue to pursue change at root of it all: the children. If we enforce healthy eating from the start, it becomes easier for kids to make healthier decisions on their own. I think it was necessary that our federal government stepped in and gave an overall standard for our nation to strive toward. Though serving healthier food in schools will inevitably cost more, taxpayers could decide it's worth it. A recent Wisconsin poll found 77 percent of 300 people surveyed said they were willing to pay more for locally grown foods in schools (article). All in all, I think it's important that we support our local farms, incorporate more fresh produce in our schools, and provide proper culinary training to our lunch workers.