Cycle 10- blog 5

Professional Football Players Paying Taxes


http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/05/what-do-nfl-players-pay-in-taxes/21259662/?intcmp=hplnws

Professional Football Players make an average of 10x the US median income, some exceeding that as well. With incomes ranging from 435,000 to 20 million per year. NFL players top tax rates from the local and federal levels, some having to pay 50%. Also having to pay those extreme taxes, "jock" taxes come into play as well, an addition they pay taxes to the IRS in there home state but also in every single state in which they play a game. This seems a bit extreme to have to pay in every single state depending of the game.

Classwork- January 14th

Earmarks

Logrolling

“Pork” / Pork barrel (Spending)

With your group, research these terms.  All group members should share expertise on all topics.  Together (in google docs) coauthor responses the questions below.  Post those answers to your blog.  (All group members should have the same statement on each member’s individual blog).

1.              Define each term (with context so that you understand it) and provide a word origin.

Earmarks: congressional directive that shows how funds should be spent on one project/ to designate for a purpose. Origin = cutting notches in animals ears, became a figurative sense in 29th century

Log rolling= exchanging favors, voting for each other in a legislation;  Origin = Davy Crockett talking to House of Rep. 

 Pork Barrel: using government money to please voters and too win votes. Origin: barrel used by farmers to reserve meat supply.

2.              Give examples of each and show awareness of how legal, accepted, and/or commonly practiced each is.  For example, which of these, if any, are terms a member of Congress would use to describe his own activities? 

Pork Barrel: Used to attack opponents, commonly see to get elected or reelected. 

Earmark give money to projects that could pertain to helping an a local interest or state. they dont help tje nation as a whole. Ex. legislator says a specific amount of money to a particular organization in their home state. 

Logrolling, supporting a bill for exchange in them supporting your own bill. 

3.              Explain how these terms are related to one another.  How they connect, overlap, and differ.

Pork Barrel is different than Earmarks because Pork Barrel are added to budget by Congress.Both involve spending money, earmarking even though normally is used to help in a state or local interest is normally more beneficial to a larger population than pork barrel projects because they just benefit a more benefit individuals. Logrolling and pork barrel both relate to trying to persuade people to vote in your favor or for something your trying to pass. 

Cycle 10- Blog 4

Impeachment Fails In Maine Legislature


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-lepage-impeachment_5697ec68e4b0778f46f88e51?utm_hp_ref=politics

The House voted 96-52 to postpone the effort to impeach Maine Gov. Paul LePage failed on Thursday. A group of law makers established an investigation to look at the eight charged against LePage to decide whether to impeach the Governor. The governor made inappropriate and racist comments. While on National Television he said,  "drug dealers like D Money, come to Maine and impregnate young white girls before they leave".  After the vote people starting chanting things, and were escorted out. I think that he should of been impeached, he did not just say something racist, ignorant or inappropriate one time it was a series of rude things he said that doesn't represent the state of Maine well. 

cycle 10 blog 3

Fewer Than 100 Detainees Remain At Guantanamo

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/guantanamo-detainees_5697c57fe4b0778f46f85526




Since 2002, it is the lowest population of 93 prisoners left at Guantanamo  Rather than in 2003, there were 680 prisoners. Ten prisoners from Yemen were held at Guantanamo Bay and were sent to Oman for resettlement.  Government officials are working to transfer prisoners to other secure locations because of Barack Obamas goal of closing the prion. Barack Obama has tried to close the prison because he wants to close that chapter in our history. The remaining 93 prisoners are awaiting to hear what other secured prisons can take them, anticipating that 40 more prisoners will be transferred by the summer.

Cycle 10- Blog 2

Tennessee School Officials Apologize For Rape Allegations

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/01/10/tennessee-school-official-apologizes-for-response-to-rape-allegations.html


After three high school basketball players were charged with raping a student in a hazing incident the school board makes a formal apology. Ooletwah High School officials released an apology and a report that the rest of the basketball season has been canceled. The school is cooperating with the district policies and opening this story up to the news. The school board said, ""I cannot take back any of the mistakes made in trying to protect the integrity of the independent investigations and the rights and privacy of those involved — but we can work to do better in sharing what we are doing — and to listen even more carefully to parents, educators and taxpayers in our community as we move forward," Welch said in the statement. "And that's we intend to do.". This is crazy to me not only that this happened but that this story is just coming out. 

Exploring Congress: How It Works

To Amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993
November 18,2016





This Bill is trying to guarantee that the Federal Bureau of Investigations keeps all finger prints and criminal history records. The National Child Protection Act of 1993, was to require back ground checks for those working with children, the elder and people with disabilities. But there are so many people and cases who have fallen through the cracks. The problem with getting this passed is because it will cost tax payers more, and the state controls criminal records unless taken to the next levels. This is to make sure that our Government does not have too much control, and by the Federal Government keeping more criminal records it would violate this. This bill now has 9 Democrats and 4 Republicans supporting this.


How is this not already required?

Government Control vs. Public Safety

Adam Schiff, Representative from California's 28th District. Schiff has sponsored bills for the following issues:
Crime and Law Enforcement (31%) International Affairs (19%)Government Operations and Politics (16%)Armed Forces and National Security (13%)Transportation and Public Works (9%) Immigration (6%)Emergency Management (6%)


Before serving in Congress , he was a federal prosecutor, mainly known for improving public safety. He has been in Congress since 2001. He is the ranking top Democrat, is the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Commit on Intelligence. He has also been a leader on National Security and Foreign Policy in efforts in Congress, and has tried to push for diplomacy, intelligence reform and try to help out countries that are at risk of becoming failed states and for terrorist.