Gastonia, NC Correspondent-We in this country spend entirely too much time looking for prejudice under every rock. Are there people in the world who are prejudiced? Yep! They’re called humans. Every single blessed one of us has prejudices. We are hardwired to have them. Humans are a tribal society, and as much as the granola-ridden do-gooders would love to have us believe it, we are NOT all one tribe. Continue reading
Politics
Should the US apologize to Hiroshima survivors when President Obama visits next week?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent– “War is hell.” Famous words from General William T. Sherman during the Civil War. People die and are injured by acts of war. Innocent people in many cases. All because their leaders’ egos get in the way of peaceful coexistence.
In the case of the Hiroshima survivors, why must they be singled out for apologies other than the fact that the president of the country responsible for their fates happens to drop by for a visit? Do world leaders apologize to every group of people their country has wronged wherever the leaders’ travels take them? Continue reading
How far is too far with respect to court cases and cell phone data (ex. Records, texts, pictures, content)? Should cell phone data be limited to certain types of cases?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent- Cell phone data and court cases appear to be linked in the world of instantaneous reporting of almost every event taking place across the country. Strong visuals and video activity as well as texts, phone conversations, records and other content can reveal considerable evidence, but whether a court case should be solely based on cell phone data is another question. Continue reading
What are the ramifications if the Sandy Hook families succeed in the wrongful death case against Remington, the maker of the gun used in the Sandy Hook attack?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-The Sandy Hook massacre was one of those events that proves to me that even after 16 years as a news editor, starting just a year before the 9/11 attacks, there are still things that can shock and horrify me. I have sons who were the age of the children mowed down in the school on the day of the attack, and I was filled with a combination of rage, sick dread and resignation as the first reports came in and then as the picture became clearer. Continue reading
Is tort reform a key element of driving down the cost of malpractice insurance for doctors and keeping healthcare costs in check?
Gastonia, NC Correspondent-Now here’s an issue I haven’t heard about in a while! The brouhaha over Obamacare and its attendant bureaucratic explosion has driven tort reform and malpractice reform from the front of the health care discussion, but the problem is still very much in existence. Continue reading
Should the United States re-write laws to allow Puerto Rico to go through the bankruptcy process and should the taxpayers fund a bailout of Puerto Rico? Does this create a precedent for other cities, states, and municipalities that want taxpayer funded bailouts?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-As Puerto Rico is an island territory of the United States as opposed to a city or town, neither should laws be re-written to allow Puerto Rico to go through the bankruptcy process nor should taxpayers fund a bailout of Puerto Rico. Continue reading
Is the lack of civility in American politics a reflection of a general lack of civility in America? How do we address this problem (if you see it as a problem)?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-The lack of civility in American politics is a reflection of a general lack of civility in America and it does need to be addressed at the highest levels in both the Republican and Democrat parties.
Way too many political figures have failed to uphold the rule of law and have betrayed the citizenry they represent, and their actions and inactions have been allowed to spill over into society, which is reflected in a large percentage of their constituents and the public in general. People are mad, disillusioned and desperate for solutions to unsolvable problems, and incivility is a result of their anger and frustration with a political system gone awry. Continue reading
With state legislatures and the federal government passing new laws almost every day, are we starting to over-criminalize America?
Correspondents were given the following link for this opinion article: Manhattan Institute: Overcriminalization
Owatonna, MN Correspondent-I have long believed American society has become far too burdened with laws. If one operates on the premise that for every law there is at least one corresponding lawbreaker, then each law passed gives us at least one if not hundreds or thousands of potential criminals. The vast majority of citizens become, unwittingly and/or inadvertently, guilty of committing a crime. At that point, we can fairly be described as a society of criminals. Continue reading
Should Apple help the FBI unlock iPhones that may have information relating to terrorist activities or other criminal activities?
Myrtle Beach, SC Correspondent-Absolutely they should! For several reasons they should.
Let’s look at this from a legal standpoint. Your phone, text messages, emails, everything is discoverable evidence in a criminal case. So, let’s play this out. Apple decides NOT to unlock this phone. They basically are opening the flood gates to criminals, terrorists, etc. and saying your phone can’t be used against you as evidence. This is VERY detrimental to the criminal justice system. If it was my family involved in these attacks I’d want to know what was on that phone, who they were talking to, what they were talking about. I think the FBI has every right to the information on that phone. Continue reading
Symposium 2015: Should members of the Congress be allowed to gain financially from their positions? What should we do about this, if anything?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-No member of Congress should be allowed to gain financially from their positions. The problem with federal legislators is that many come to their elected positions already wealthy from previous jobs either as attorneys, doctors, dentists, former state legislators, political appointees, business owners, or other high ranking positions and professions, which have afforded them, not only substantial salaries, but opportunities for outside investment and other political advantages before they even enter office at the federal level. Many are able to finance their own campaigns to run for the federal House and Senate, and gain more in campaign funds within their campaigns, as contributors are oftentimes friends and political allies who are willing to give more to an already financed campaign. Many in Congress are millionaires when they take office and remain so in and after their term(s) in office. Continue reading
Thinking Outside The Boxe 