Issue #1- War Dollars

Issue #1- War Dollars
Even though the Constitution says the president is the commander and chief of armed forces, Congress has power to change how much the federal government spends on defending our country. To approve the spending limits, the lawmakers must pass an appropriations bill. Also, "Power of the purse" is the power Congress has used in the past to regulate the spending in Nicaragua during the Vietnam War. Today, we are at war with Iraq and people are looking at the pro's and con's of restricting the military policy in Iraq, made by President Bush.

I think that taxpayers' dollars are being wasted on the war in Iraq. It seems we haven't made a whole lot of progress over there in the last few years. Since our economy is down and we are going further and further into national debt, i think we should spend our money more wisely. The situation in Iraq seems to only get worse. We need to get out while we can. So many American lives have been lost in the last few years and many more will be lost if we don't end this war. Someone who shares a similar opinion to mine is Lawrence J. Korb. He wrote an article expressing his opinion on this issue.

Issue #2- Spending What We Can Afford
http://wysoski.blogspot.com/2010/11/issue-2-ensuring-quality-care-for.html
Issue #3- Social Insecurity
http://boesen-boesen.blogspot.com/2011/02/issue-3-social-insecurity.html

Snowstorm Heading South

Much of the country has been at a standstill due to the snow and ice storms. Sub-zero temperatures in the Midwest, blizzard conditions in the plains and freezing rain and sleet in the south.  South Dakota had a stretch of interstate that closed due to the fact that over 150 cars were stranded in the snowbanks.  Homes and businesses roofs collapsed in New York, Boston, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Minnesota because of the weight of the snow and ice on the roofs.
The system was blamed for 16 deaths and there were over 13,000 airport cancellations for the week which has been the most this winter.  Many states have received record snow fall.
It's amazing how quickly snow, rain and sleet can shut down entire communities for days.  The casualties were very unfortunate.  People find it difficult to slow down and stay home when the weather is poor.  Many of the states affected aren't used to ice or sleet and weren't equipped to handle the situation.  Some communities have very few snow plows if any at all and have trouble treating the roads and taking care of the snow and ice.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41402775/ns/weather/