Should Hoosiers Have Right-to-Work?

Union members went to federal court yesterday to try and block Indiana’s new Right-to-Work law from being enforced.  Since several of you have asked me about this new controversial law in class, I thought now would be a good time to blog about it.

Governor Mitch Daniels signed the Right-to-Work legislation last month, making Indiana the 23^rd state to ban unions from collecting mandatory fees for representation.  Democrats objected and actually boycotted the Indiana House of Representatives for several days in an attempt to keep the bill from being voted on.  Unions have also protested the bill they call the “Right-to-Work-for-Less”.

Governor Daniels says the new law will help “capture jobs” for which Indiana is not currently being considered.  Proponents agree with Governor Daniels and say the new legislation will prohibit unions from requiring new and existing employees to become union members and pay dues for services they may not want or need. Opponents of the law say it creates a “free rider” problem, in which non-union employees benefit from the union’s collective bargaining power without having to pay dues. They also cite discrimination because public employees can’t opt out of the union like a private-sector employee could.

So, my question to you this week is, “What do you think of Indiana’s controversial new law? Is it good for Hoosiers?”  Getting a good grasp on legislation such as this can be difficult, so you may have to do some research and consult several sources before you post your answer.  Answers are du no later than Wednesday, February 29^th, 2012. Happy Leap Year!

Your Next President Could Be A Mormon

In a few weeks, we will be discussing our First Amendment freedoms, including freedom of religion.  For the past six months, the Mormon Church has run an advertising campaign in nine U.S. markets, including Indianapolis. The advertisements, which include television, radio and billboards feature Mormons talking about their lives and faith. The ads are designed to show that Mormons are everyday people leading everyday lives. Although the Mormon Church officially supports no presidential candidate, many feel these ads have come at just the right time as there is a candidate of the Mormon faith running for President, Mitt Romney.

There has been a lot of controversy over a Mormon running for President. Last week, pastor Robert Jefferies called Romney’s faith a “cult”. Romney has also endured repeated questioning in interviews about his faith and his personal beliefs. Shows like Sister Wives, and reports of raids on polygamist compounds leave many Americans buying in to the stereotype and feeling that Mormons are just plain weird. It begs the question, “Is America ready for a Mormon President?”

Now I make no secret of my Christian faith. That being said, I strongly believe in the separation of church and state. I also have Mormon family members. They don’t have multiple wives, live in Utah or wear homemade clothes. My cousins all went to public school, listen to music, watch movies and wear the latest fashions. In fact, if not for the fact they abstain from caffeine, I would forget they were Mormon at all.

So my question to you this week is, “Do you think America is ready for a Mormon President? Do you think a candidate’s religion should be discussed when running for public office?” Answers are due no later than Monday, October 24th, 2011.

Imported From Detroit

It may sound weird to some, but I love visiting Detroit. Yes, I know, Detroit isn’t usually on people’s list of top vacation spots, but I love it all the same. I love driving across the bridges, eating in Greek town, visiting the Museum of Modern Art and hanging out at Belle Island.  Whether you call it the “Motor City,” “Motown,” or just the “D,” there’s no doubt that Detroit is a classic American city full of culture, diversity and fun.

Which makes it all the more sad to realize that no city in the country has been harder hit by the recession than Detroit. Home to the top three American automakers, Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, Detroit was once seen as a thriving metropolis where people could go to find good jobs.  Today, Detroit’s official unemployment rate is slightly below 30% and some figures quote it actually closer to 50%. To put that in perspective; the national unemployment rate is 8.3%. American car companies, that once dominated the auto industry, now are often seen as having inferior quality and reliability compared to their Japanese counterparts.

Some say American car companies are struggling because of their focus on SUV’s.  When gas prices started to rise, Americans began looking for smaller, compact cars, which are often foreign.  Others say American companies missed the boat when it came to developing green cars with better emissions. We can no longer sell most American cars abroad, because we don’t meet the rest of the world’s fuel efficiency standards. Finally, some say American car companies just mis-managed their funds, giving corporate executives large bonuses, while ignoring their plants, technology and workers.

So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of American cars?  Are they inferior to foreign ones?  What do you think can be done to strengthen the American auto industry?”  You must answer all questions to earn full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 15^th, 2012.

Baby, It's Warm Outside!

On the way to work this morning, I had a flashback to this past summer when we had what I considered a massive heat wave. Other than being pretty cranky due to not having air conditioning in my car, it didn’t affect me too much.  You can read my thoughts, as well as what your fellow students had to say here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2011/07/devil-calledhe-wants-his-weather-back.html

So this winter, I was all prepared for a pretty severe winter to match the severe summer weather we had already had. Back in November, I ran the Drumstick Dash, and I remember thinking “How nice that it’s not too cold.”  On Christmas day, I took my parents’ dog for a walk and actually extended the walk because the weather was so nice. By the time January rolled around, I was bracing myself for the massive snowfall I was sure was going to hit.  I mean, its Indiana…in January….that means snow…right? Now here we are kicking off February with temperatures in the mid-fifties and sixties. Granted, Puxatawny Phil the groundhog did forecast six more weeks of winter this morning, but if its anything like the winter we’ve been having it will feel more like Spring.

In a few weeks, we will spend sometime in class discussing global warming, or climate change as some refer to it, and in light of our weather this week, I thought we could kick off the conversation right here on the blog.  I’m not one to complain about temperatures in the sixties, but even I’m starting to feel that something isn’t quite right.  So my question to you this week is, “Do you think our unusually high temperatures are due to global warming, or is it just a freak of nature? If you do think it’s occurring, what if anything could we do to stop the effects of global warming?” Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 8^th, 2012.  Have a happy and safe Super Bowl weekend – and stay tuned for a post about how Indianapolis prepared to host the Super Bowl and how much it cost in the upcoming weeks.  Go Giants!

America:Built to Last

President Obama gave his last State of the Union address for his first term on Tuesday night. Each year, the President gives a big speech to a joint session of Congress and the American people to update them on, well…the state of the union. I hope some of you caught all or part of it, but just in case you missed it, you can access the video link here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2011

In his speech, President Obama discussed creating an American economy that is “built to last, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded”. So for this week's blog post, I would like to know, what was one thing you liked about President Obama's ideas for the future? What was one thing you didn't like, or thought he didn't speak enough about?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 1st, 2012.

Can You Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge?

Last week, many of you stated on the blog that you wished to learn more about HB 3261, known better as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). You may have noticed yesterday that many of your favorite websites were blacked out in protest to this controversial bill.  So what is exactly is it all about?

The bill is an effort to stop copyright infringement, specifically infringement committed by foreign websites.  In addition to levying heavy penalties and fines on those who post copyrighted information without permission, the bill would ban online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing any business with the allegedly infringing website, bar search engines from linking to such sites and require internet service providers (ISP) to block access to such sites.

Supporters of the bill say it protects intellectual property and bolsters enforcement of our copyright laws.  Opponents say the legislation violates our First Amendment right of free speech and could fatally damage the free flow of information on the internet. To find out what your legislators think about SOPA and to contact them and tell them what you think, go here: http://sopatrack.com/

I’m sure many of you have accessed copyrighted information without permission.  At the same time, you are all artists and designers who presumably will create your own work and want to get paid for it. So my question to you this week is, “What do you think about the Stop Online Piracy Act?  Do you think internet content should be more regulated like some of our other media sources, or is it fine the way it is?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, January 25^th, 2012.

Choose Your Own Adventure

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

Normally, our first blog post has something to do with the freedoms you value most and whether or not you are proud to call yourself an American. This quarter, I would like to start with something different.  A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives.  For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying.  To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered.  Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, January 18th, 2012. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season!  Happy New Year!