Constituent Letter

To Greg Vitali:  
  My name is Abby M. and I am a student at Haverford High School. My peers and I will be the next generation to begin voting and leading this country, which is why I strongly believe it is important for us to start voicing our opinions now. I would love for you to really consider what I am going to say in this letter and hopefully, you will see the benefit of the  H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011.
     The cosmetic industry in our country is hardly struggling; in fact, it is worth nearly $50 billion. As such a large industry, it seems to me that there should be more federal regulations on what companies produce, how they produce it, and what exactly goes into developing the product. As it is, the cosmetic industry is essentially self-regulated.
     Although there are certain guidelines companies must follow, there are definitely loop holes that, while may lead to more revenue for the company, endanger millions of consumers. For example, companies are still able to use chemicals in their products that have been directly linked to cancer. These same chemicals are actually used in a number of baby shampoos! In addition, we are also subjected to hormone disrupters in our fragrances and lead poison in our lipsticks.
    Under our current law, the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act of 1938, the FDA can not even require companies to conduct safety tests or require product recalls if something is found to be dangerous later on. As we enter 2012, it seems that a law made 74 years ago is likely to be outdated when pertaining to such a fast-paced and growing industry.
     In a society where we are so concerned with using cosmetics, it is difficult to simply spread awareness about the contents of many of these products; people will tend to use these items regardless simply because they do not understand the risk. Because of this and the impending health threat, I believe there are simple changes Congress can make in terms of what cosmetic companies can produce.
    That being said, I am asking you as a constituent to please vote in favor of the H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011. This law would close up numerous holes by reducing the number of toxins in everyday products such as shampoos, soaps, and moisturizers. Ingredients that have been linked to birth-defects and cancer will officially be banned from products and labeling loopholes will be eliminated so that consumers will understand exactly what they are purchasing. By not only allowing but actually enforcing data sharing among companies, animal testing will be significantly reduced because tests will not have to be repeated.
     The dangers of the cosmetic industry affect all of us- men, women, and children of all ages. Please consider co-sponsering the H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 and help keep Americans safe. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter.

Pending Bills Continued and Constituent Letter Choice

S. 174: Healthy Lifestyles and Prevention America Act
- A bill to improve the health of Americans and reduce health care costs by reorienting the Nation's health care system toward prevention, wellness, and health promotion.
status: Referred to Committee.
*Selected by Emily F.


S:1108: 10 Million Dollar Solar Roofs Act of 2011
facts/details:
-The bill directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a program that provides competitive grants to local communities.
*Selected by Michael K.


 S. 977: A bill to fight criminal gangs
*Selected by Sondra G.


Bills I looked at:
S. 1458: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
H.R. 3359: Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act
 H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011
*I have chosen  H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011 as the basis of my constituent letter.

Political Cartoon Week of 12/12

Do you think the author feels optimistic about the presidential candidates?

Who are the people represented in the cartoon?

What is the main message of the cartoon?

Terry Gross Interview

Interpreting The Constitution In The Digital Era

Facts/Details

1.  None of the existing amendments give clear answers to the most basic questions we're having today.
2. Ginsburg said we do have an expectation of privacy in the whole of our movements, and therefore when the police are going to engage in long-term surveillance, they should have a warrant.
3. Because a lesser invasion was unreasonable at the time of the framing, Brandeis said the court should translate the Constitution and recognize that you don't need a physical trespass to create an unreasonable search.
4. We can't rely simply on judges enforcing the existing Constitution to protect the values that the Framers took for granted.
5.  There's a bill pending in Congress right now that is a bipartisan geolocational privacy bill.
6. In the US, there is no expectation of privacy on the street.
7. We can be permanently tarred for one mistake we made on the Internet. 
8. The French data privacy commissioner has said that there should be a legal right to escape your past on the Internet. He calls it the droit a l'oubli, the right to oblivion.
9. We regulate private-sector data gathering much less vigorously than Europe does because we don't have a tradition in America of protecting a right to dignity.
10. Google has been under a lot of pressure - in particular from Senator Joseph Lieberman - to remove terrorist videos on the Internet.

Questions

1. How do you draw the line between surveillance and real-time view of public space?
2. Does America's view of privacy differ from those of European countries?
3. What is protected when you put something on the internet?
4. In the US, do we have an equivalent to the European privacy commission?
5. Should government do more to regulate what goes on the Internet, or does this violate our right to free speech? 

Should The Electoral College Be Abolished?

Facts/Details

1. The electoral college is not a college and never meets as a single entity, but it greatly influences the character of the parties, the nominating process, and the outcome of an election.
2. The existence of the electoral college usually undermines third parties, which are unlikely to win electoral votes.
3. Not only does the Electoral College triple the political clout of voters in the seven least populous states that elect just one member of the House, it doubles the clout of those in six other states that elect two members of the House.
4. George W. Bush was the first Southern conservative since before the Civil War.
5. Gore proposed that regardless of the outcome in the Electoral College, he and Bush should abide by the popular vote. 
6. The electoral college meets every four years.
7. Change that takes place in accordance with Article V is licensed change whereas real change means a departure from any such arrangement. 
8. The law cannot prevent a candidate from voluntarily withdrawing from the race.
9. Gore believed that the Electoral College favored small of large states, whites over blacks and Hispanics, and farmers and ranchers over subway riders and commuters in crowded urban and suburban districts. 
10. Ten states as of the year 2000 account for 54% of the US population. 

Questions

1. Why did we decide to use the Electoral College in the first place rather than using only the popular vote?
2. How are electors chosen?
3. When was the Electoral College established?
4. Would it be legal for both candidates to ignore the Electoral College and decide to follow the popular vote?
5. Must electors vote for the candidate who won their state's popular vote?

National Debt Answers

National Debt Q & A

1. Which other countries are experiencing national debt the way the US is?
     One other country that is experiencing difficult economic times is Greece. Due to uncontrolled government spending, Greece has suffered its most severe debt crisis since becoming a democracy. The government was able to spend beyond its means, leadings to anger among Greek citizens.
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/266284/20111213/deal-greek-debt-swap-talks-source.htm


2. What's the difference between debt and deficit?
     The national debt is the net accumulated borrowing by the federal government. Essentially, it is the difference between all of the money we as a nation have ever spent and the total revenue we have made.

     The annual federal budget deficit is the amount that our federal government borrows each year. So, it is the difference between what the government spends and what it makes in revenue in one year. Each year the deficit is added to the existing debt.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq_publicdebt.htm


3. What are some ways to reduce national debt?

•  Curb government expenditures. 
• Increase taxes.
• Increase the labor force.
• Cut the current deficit.
• Decrease logrolling.
• Raise taxes on the wealthy and on big businesses.

New York Times Budget Puzzle

How much did you save?
In 2015, I saved 400 billion.
In 2030, I saved 714 billion.

What % came from tax increases?
45% of the savings came from tax increases.


What % came from spending cuts?
55% of the savings came from spending cuts.

I had a hard time deciding where to cut spending in areas such as medicare and social security. I decided against raising the retirement and social security age. The easiest decisions for me by far were the military cuts. I cut funding for weapons, cut troop sizes, and chose to pull most troops out of the Middle East by 2015.
Although the decisions made in terms of social security, health care, and medicare will undoubtedly earn me votes from the Democrats, these choices combined with the military decisions will probably lose me Republican votes.