ARE WE STILL SEPERATED??

          In Sioux City, Iowa, the Vision Iowa program has granted 140,000 to help construct a Christian park. Cathy Reece spoke out against this clear violation of separation of church and state and said "It is difficult to understand how this grant could have been approved. The “join us” section of the brochure -- the plea for money -- actually quotes the King James bible, Psalm 23 … Crosses decorate the brochure and park. This is openly about space to promote Christianity, not a public space."
The park can be built in honor of Christianity but the government should not be spending it's money supporting it. The park, which is also being helped by private donations, will be built on an run down lot previously owned by a religious nonprofit Shepherd's Garden Foundation as “a visible reminder that God’s presence is not confined to sacred institutions and buildings, but is very much a part of the public sphere."

          How are we letting such a clear violation be passed? If Iowa is funding a Christian park, then why isn't California funding special Muslim areas? Or Texas helping out some poor Jewish community build a temple? Or Nevada donating money to build Hindu sanctuaries? It's wrong and our tax money should not be used to continue using Religion to blind and to bind people to a certain religion. Nowadays, it would be hard pressed to find a group of people who all share the same religion. Our country is a melting pot of diversity, yet we still continue to run it like only white, Christian men are the only people here! Our government has got to stop this misuse of government funding and the illegal promotion of religion directly related to the government. WAKE UP AMERICA

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/20/christian-park-iowa-grant_n_5359949.html?utm_hp_ref=money&ir=Money

Economic Struggle

  The fact is our economy is still struggling. Middle to lower class families live paycheck to paycheck trying to pay for food, shelter, and the clothes on their back. What are we doing to aid America economically? Well Janet Yellen has a voice that has been heard and had been looked at for suggestions on how to help our economy grow.

  “In some ways, the job market is tougher now than in any recession” says the Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. She is very right. Her signs of a weak economy include things such as long term unemployment and wages rising to slowly. In the US the minimum wage has steadied at 7.25 since 2009. If we were to increase minimum wage we would also be increasing the productivity of the worker. It’s that simple, pay the employee fairly and more will get done, sort of like giving them a push to go forward. If this happens I believe a momentum will take into place and people will follow the path of working more for their hard earned cash. Minimum wage is just as bad as our employers who hesitate to create new jobs. While although the layoffs in America are decreasing, new jobs are not on the rise. Without job opportunities, people can’t have jobs and that the opposite of what we need! The Department of Labor should be encouraging new job opportunities across the country.

  Consequently, if more jobs are available to the public, then workers who quit their jobs voluntarily can be assured that they will be able to get another job. Yellen states that “this is one sign of a healthy job market.” The government must create these new jobs to give people the hope they need that just in case something doesn’t go as planned, they can depend on another type of job to help them pay bills. Part time jobs might even have something to do with this very high unemployment rate. Survey shows that nearly the 7 million people that that work part time would prefer to work full time. Im sure the fresh out of high school employees and Jack in The Box aren’t too satisfied with their jobs. While they should be lucky to even have a job in this economical struggle, I’m sure they would prefer something with better pay.

  Yellen says that “the low rate of wage growth is, to {her}, another sign that fed’s job is not yet done” meaning that our Federal Bank has lots of work to do before we can even begin to peep through the light of this dark recession. Together as a nation and as people who all want the same goal we can fix this daily problem and flourish into the proud country that we say we are!

 http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/31/news/economy/janet-yellen-raise/index.html?iid=SF_BN_Lead

Connecticut To Raise Minimum Wage! by Rachel Almquist

No, Connecticut Businesses Aren't Freaking Out About The New $10.10 Minimum Wage:

By Hunter Stuart:
Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/01/connecticut-minimum-wage_n_5045130.html?utm_hp_ref=money&ir=Money

If you've heard the news lately, a law was passed last Thursday raising the state's minimum wage from $8.70 to $10.10 an hour, making it the highest of any state in the nation. The news is significant because $10.10 is also the same rate that President Barack Obama wants for the federal minimum wage, which means many on Capitol Hill will be watching to see how Connecticut's economy performs under the new law, as Obama seeks to convince a polarized Congress to approve the wage hike during a midterm election year. I'm kind of interested to see what happens with the new minimum wage being raised. If it performs poorly, how will that affect the rest of the nation? What will the minimum wage be lowered to afterwards? And, I think most of all, how will it affect Obam's decision to apply the same minimum wage hike to the rest of the nation? "Odds are, the president will have a tough time doing so. Many Republicans have been outspoken in their opposition to such an increase, saying it would make it harder for businesses to afford the cost of employment. Lawrence Cafero, Jr., Connecticut's House minority leader, recently called the wage hike a "punch in the gut" to small businesses, according to the Associated Press." But most small businesses in Connecticut that were interviewed by the Huffington Post on this event said that they weren't particularly worried or concerned with the issue. "We only have about a half dozen employees, and I don't think any of them make under $10.10," the owner, Ron Serafino, told HuffPost on the phone. "So I don't think it will impact me that much." Research suggests that raising the minimum wage would, in fact, increase aggregate household spending. What's more, a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office found that raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would boost the earnings of over 16 million people and lift about 900,000 people out of poverty. While the report also found that the wage hike would lead to a loss of about half a million jobs, other studies have challenged the idea that raising the minimum wage would have such an effect.

The Cure - Lit

Where is the peace
Armistice no where to be found
Radicals raging, government filled streets

Inconceivable atrocities
Stay calm and don't disobey

Pay attention to what they say
Ears that don't fail, minds that wont believe
Allow love to heal
Cultivate kindness
End the hypocrisy, find the peace

Bernie Sanders Stays Slaying

In a recent interview with MSNBC, Senator Bernie Sanders slammed his Republican colleagues. He spoke out against those who "stay up nights figuring out how they can give more tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and large corporations and then come back and try to cut food stamps for families who are hungry, for kids who are hungry, try to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid." The farm bill put in effect in February with cut about $8.6 million dollars from food stamp aid over the next 10 years. Millions of Americans have also lost their Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits, as it expired at the end of 2013. Ron Paul is also planning to cut $4.6 trillion over the next 10 years. These budget cuts are going to raise the unemployment rate, shrink the economy and eliminate 2 million jobs in 2014 alone, according to the Economic Policy Institute. I believe Sanders is correct with his statements regarding the Republican party and it's inhabitants. 

Coming from a lower/middle class family, with uneducated parents who work double shifts every chance they get, I've developed a bit of a resintment towards those who have a higher political and financial status than my own. Especially the Republicans, (most Democrats honestly) who have been notorious for being closed minded, money hungry, misogynistic, powerhouses. The Republican Party has been eating its own in an effort to achieve some Platonic ideal of ideological purity for years, and has caused more harm than good. Bernie Sanders seems to understand and share my disgust for these types of people. He is known as one of the most liberal members of congress, and never censors what he has to say. KUDDOS TO YOU BRO

Isn't he precious?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/26/bernie-sanders--income-inequality_n_5036234.html?utm_hp_ref=money&ir=Money

Cucookies for Cannabis

In San Francisco, a Girl Scout set a booth up outside of a marijuana dispensary. 13 year old Danielle Lei and her mother Carol set up a booth outside of a medicinal clinic, The Green Cross, giving the freshly baked their baked goods. Those who didn't already have a healthy dose of the munchies were soon consumed with lust over boxes of Samoas, Tagalongs, and Thin Mints. Carol Lei has reportedly sent her two middle school aged daughters out in the big bad world of happy stoners before, however on this occasion Danielle sold 117 boxes within two hours. TWO HOURS! Girl Scouts of Northern California don't seem to have a problem with minors selling cookies in front of pot palaces, but the Girls Scouts of Colorado have a different opinion. Like most things in this century, Twitter was the battle ground between the two. The Lei's were not affected by this, however. The Green Cross invited them back last weekend for another round of Platinum Girl Scout Cookies and actual girl scout cookies. 
"If you are wondering, we don't allow our Girl Scouts to sell cookies in front of marijuana shops or liquor stores/bars. "— Girl Scouts of Colo. (@GSColo) February 12, 2014

I believe that what this girl and her mother are doing is perfectly fine. They are thinking wisely, using their geographical location to their advantage, plus they are making bank. When buying from dispensaries, none take credit- only cash! Having a booth set up in a location that is flowing with paper currency is a sure fire way to make a few bucks. Being able to sell over 110 in two hours in absolutely astonishing, as well. Danielle has figured a truly smart way to supply a community of hungry, stoned, and happy people with her product while still being able to have free time. 

http://mashable.com/2014/02/20/girl-scout-cookies-marijuana/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/20/girl-scout-cookies-marijuana_n_4825080.html