I believe that people fear immigrants because they are afraid of change. People hate the idea of a changing America. Language and culture are two things that immigrants bring that a lot of. Most people enjoy their way of life and see no reason to change it. Ideally they want everything to be convenient for them and things to cater to their needs. That means when they go to a great American establishment like McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts they prefer everyone to speak English and to not do so in America is a crime in there eyes. But is it really that bad? god forbid we gain a little knowledge of another language or a have a taste here or there of another culture. Another reason people dislike immigrants and treat them badly is this perception that they're taking all of our jobs. Hey if you want to take the high labor low wage jobs that the immigrants are so called taking from us, be my guest. But I don't see anyone really stepping up so I don't see what the big deal is. If a recent immigrant walks into my dad's company and steals his job as logistics manager of a distribution company then i'll be pissed.

Nepotism is basically the practice of favoring of family members over others. I tend to favor it sometimes while other times dislike it because there are both good and bad consequences to nepotism. They say that family comes first, and your family will always be there for you. So when you think about it that way, really nepotism seems more like a responsibility. Despite a family members credentials or qualifications for a particular job, they're still family, and just for that they have earned the right to be considered first and foremost. However, if you think and act in a nepotist manner, others may suffer because of it.

Suppose someone is in their last year of college, desperately trying to obtain an internship to get their foot in the door and secure a job out of college. They are part of numerous clubs and organizations, have studied abroad, and have a stellar GPA. Now that application is in the hands of someone making the accept or reject decision and they're thinking about how qualified you are for the job. But instead you're rejected. Why? Because the employer's C average son needs something to do for the summer to stay out of trouble.

I think everyone would say that the previous hypothetical situation is quite unfair. That's the problem with nepotism. On one hand, you have a duty to put family first and foremost, and on the other hand you are supposed to choose the best person for the job. Its not an easy decision I would imagine. So i guess what I'm saying is that while I do not always agree with nepotism, I can understand and appreciate the dilemma.

By putting myself in the shoes that a middle easterner, I do feel my view has changed a bit about the war in Iraq. I wasn't in denial about the war in Iraq being about oil in the first place, but I do have a better sense of how someone who lives in the middle east might feel about American presence there. Since the events that took place on September 11th, I have felt that despite having some ulterior motives, we were still in Iraq for some good reasons like hunting down terrorists, and so our occupation there was justified. As much as I long for justice for those lives lost on September 11th, I find it troubling that our military feels that 29 civilian deaths are acceptable to obtain one bad guy's death. Civilian lives are not expendable and it should never been seen as justifiable to kill so many for just one life. It just goes to show though, that when people are sitting on something you want, you have to come up with justifiable reasons to take it.

I do not think I have ever felt guilt pertaining to my race. I am clearly white and I don’t feel bad about it. I cannot control what race I was born into nor can anyone else. I didn’t own any slaves nor did I advocate segregation. I have absolutely no reason to feel guilty about being white. Yes, I think it is unfair that a person’s skin color can affect their social status or success further in life. Everyone should have an equal opportunity in life and I think most people would agree to that. But life isn’t fair. I have a higher chance of graduating college, a lower chance of going to prison, a lower chance of living in poverty, and so on and so forth. I didn’t make the rules or agree with the way the world is so there is no reason for me to feel guilty about it.

There are multiple things to consider when thinking about people in poverty having children. Is it selfish? Maybe irresponsible is a better way to classify it. From a personal standpoint, I would never purposely have a child when I knew I could not financially support him or her. When someone is ready to have a child they should consider whether or not they have the money for the child’s proper education, health, clothes, etc. I guess you could say that to bring a child into this world without being able to give them any of that is somewhat selfish. But I suppose everyone has the right to have a child regardless. As long as you show them the unconditional love and do everything you can to support and raise them in the right way, there isn’t much to complain about. Having said that, a family who lives in a trailer home should not be having upwards of six, seven, or eight kids. The responsible thing to do would really be to limit it to one. Another reason not to have children while you are in poverty is that it will no doubt create a never ending cycle of poverty. For instance, if a woman gives birth to six children while living in a trailer park, most likely those kids will not be well educated, not have the financial means to go to college, and end up getting a low paying job right out of high school if they even finish high school. So in turn they will continue living a life of poverty and so will their children and so forth and so on. It becomes a never ending cycle that becomes very hard to break out of. I find it difficult to bash on poor people and tell them that they are selfish and irresponsible if they have kids. After all, it is not always your fault if you end up in poverty and having a child is the right of any man and woman that choose to so. It is really not something that you could regulate and it would be very immoral to do so. For someone in poverty though, they should really think about how much they would want their child to have the same underprivileged life they have. I would think that someone in poverty would themselves think how irresponsible it is, and choose to work their way out of poverty before deciding to have a child.

Am I a liberal or a conservative? I’m glad this question was asked because I have been dying to figure it out. Both my parents are conservative, registered republicans, as was I the day I turned 18 and registered to vote. I even voted conservative in the 2008 election, if for no other reason than just for simply what I was registered. Last year I changed party affiliations and registered myself a democrat. This was not because I had some major revelation and realized how really liberal I’ve been my whole life. No, it was because I decided ultimately that since I was pursuing a job for the federal government that I might be better suited to be registered with the majority party. Okay, enough with the republican/democrat stuff I need to just focus on what I BELIEVE. First of all I believe in God. I am a devout catholic and have been my whole life. The Catholic Church condemns abortion, so do I, and so does the conservative view. The liberal view says that a fetus is not human life and a woman has the right to abortion and so on and so forth. Clearly I’m not liberal then. Let’s move to the death penalty. The Catholic Church is against the death penalty and so am I….and so are liberals. Conservative views support the use of the death penalty. I guess I can’t be conservative either. I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you are. Isn’t it just a label? I don’t care who is president. I will never agree with all of their policies or everything they say. I’m not an expert on the economy, education, climate change, energy, health care, immigration, or anything else like that. I want what is best for our country. I want as little poverty as possible, the low unemployment rate, less death (via death penalty, abortion, war, etc.), less pollution, and to be not attacked by terrorists or overtaken by China’s massive military. I will side myself and vote for whomever or whichever party gets us closer to all of those goals. I doubt anyone can be just simply conservative or liberal. If you say you are then you’re just being stubborn. There is always going to be overlaps in your beliefs and we shouldn’t have to have a divided nation with different labels and opposite goals. It’s all about getting to a compromise and stop being childish and having it all your way. I’m a libservative and I have an open mind to everything.

If you wave a confederate flag more than you wave the American flag, you might be a redneck. To me, the confederate flag represents a dark part of our past. It represents separation and slavery. Our nation was divided at a time when half thought that it was simply okay to enslave and belittle others. I can understand that it may be part of a certain persons heritage and background, but I do not see how it is something that one can be proud of. I thought about all of this, and realized that in the south, the Confederate Flag is often seen as a symbol of slavery and viewed as a form of racist propaganda, not to mention the fact that the KKK and other White Supremacy groups use it as one of their logos. It is simply not questioned down there. People use it everywhere: on their cars, in front of their houses and on clothing. Most people probably don’t show offense to it because everyone is used to seeing it. I guess that makes since but I know that when I see it here, it tends to make me angry. Not only do I see it as a reflection of racism, but also as promoting separation. The Civil War was not only about slavery, surprising to some, I know. It was about the South wanting to separate itself from the rest of the nation, or the North. The Confederate flag represents a state or nation separate from the United States. Why, as an American, would you want to show something off that represents what once was an attempt to leave all that is American? Maybe people juste wear and show the flag because it represents where they are from, the same way that I would fly an Italian flag. People do have Southern pride, but that kind of pride is in how the South was segregated. I suppose some people still do it because they still believe it should be that way. This upsets me. Why would anyone want to have pride in one of our country’s most embarrassing eras in history. It would be like Germans running around with swastikas all over. I am very anti-racist and I take the Confederate flag to stand for racism and for separation from our country, which is based on unity. I think a lot of people from the North view it that way. It amazes me that so many people from the South are so tolerant of it, let alone supportive. I know I personally wouldn’t be if I lived there.

I am a South Park fan. I saw the new episode and frankly I thought it was hilarious. Matt and Trey, the writers, are always pushing the envelope of free speech. Muslims, Catholics, and politicians cannot escape the ridicule which South Park dishes out. It's not like Muslims are the only ones who have been offended by the show. It's just that the Islamic faith receives particular attention in these matters because often times there are extremists within that faith who respond to such matters with violence instead of verbal protest. Muhammad and the Islamic faith deserve to be free from ridicule. However, they don't deserve it more than Jesus and the Christian faith, or Obama and the Democratic party, or me and my group of friends. Free speech is free speech. People are always gonna say things that offend you and your beliefs. The point is to rise above it and worry about what you believe in not what others don't believe in. If a cartoon show that portrays Muhammad offends you, DON'T WATCH IT! It's as simple as that.

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