Georgia Lottery

The Georgia Lottery was established by legislators in 1992. It was created with the agreement that 35% of the proceeds would go to educational programs. This includes the Georgia HOPE Scholarship, which many of us rely on, and free Pre-K programs. According to recent figures submitted by an oversight committee, only 26.8% of GA Lottery proceeds went to the education fund last year. State lawmakers are concerned that more money is being spent on prizes and "administrative costs" than is being given to the education fund. Margaret DeFransisco, the GA Lottery's President and CEO, defends the spending saying the percentage is not as important as the dollar amount contributed to the education fund each year. Lawmakers are deciding whether or not to create a mandate that would prevent the revenues allotted to education from falling below a certain percentage. I think it's so important to keep the HOPE Scholarship available to eligible college students in Georgia. Educational funding is basically why the GA Lottery was even allowed to be created. I think it's a shame that the President of the GA Lottery is ignoring the laws and saying the state should be happy with whatever the Lottery decides to give them for education when that was the original basis of the program. Any thoughts?

Oops, Obama!

Obama made a mistake. In September, he went to a barbeque and was on stage when the National Anthem was sung. He stood and faced the flag, but kept his hands clasped in front of him, instead of putting his right hand over his heart. Of course, his adversaries are screaming “unpatriotic” and using this against him.
Obama’s response was that he had been taught to put his hand over his heart during the pledge but not during the singing of the National Anthem. O.K., no big deal. So he was taught wrong. Most people probably don’t know that in June of 1942, Congress made the "Flag Code" official. This code specifically states that you are to put your right hand over your heart during the singing of the National Anthem. They won’t arrest you if you don’t do it, but it is written out as the proper way of behaving.
I think what will be interesting now is whether or not Obama will make the same mistake again. The first time, he can plead ignorance, but not a second.

Deserters

What do you think should be done with deserters? Canada recently decided that American military personnel who came to them seeking refugee status would be refused asylum. This opens the way for them to be deported to the United States, where they could face court martial for going AWOL. Under military law, desertion during wartime is punishable by death, but as far as I know, there aren’t any deserters on death row. Apparently, most deserters are just dishonorably discharged. It seems to me that if someone volunteered to join the military, and then changed their mind and wanted out, they should be allowed to get out. I think a dishonorable discharge is fair. It goes on their record and will follow them for the rest of their life. Chalk it up to poor decision-making and move on. I don’t think there should even be a threat that they might have to spend time in jail. We have enough people who are willing to serve in the military without making it uncomfortable for those who want out.

Gay Marriage

Ok Ok Ok.. We have all heard people debate about the topic of gay marriage but what do you think? In my opinion gays are just like everyone else. I dont ask anyone what they do in their bedroom so why should I judge someone who is "different" in how they conduct their sexual activities?? I know a few gay people who are just like anyone else. (Well, they do have a better fashion sense :D) But really, why should gay and lesbian couples be denied the rights that everyone else gets? If our country truly has a seperation of church and state then why would gay marriage (regardless of the bible) be illegal? Gay and lesbian couples work with us, dine in the same restaraunts we do, live in our neighborhoods, etc. I havent ever heard of a gay gang committing harmful acts or of a lesbian cult that abducts young girls. So in the end what I am asking is why are gays and lesbians denied the rights that all other Americans enjoy (marriage, tax breaks, adopting children, etc)?

Health Care

I, like most Americans accept the way our health care is handled here in the States. I never realized how greedy our government is an how brainwashed we have become. Last night I watched "Sicko", a Micheal Moore film on the United States heath care system, and was truly shocked. I was brought to tears by the stories that were told about non insured and insured people being denied medical help. It is crazy how many people who are insured get denied medical services. A woman lost her daughter that wasn't even 2 years old because her insurance wasn't accepted at that hospital(Kaiser). A woman lost her husband because her insurance, that was supplied by the hospital that she worked at, denied a bone-marrow transplant for her husbands cancer. They said it was experimental treatment. Seriously!
I was always told that places like Canada, France, England, and even Cuba who had universal health care received slow and poor medical attention. The film showed people in these countries that said just the opposite. They never have to pay for medical assistant, they were saying that the E.R never takes more than an hour. Their prescriptions are a fixed price, which was about $10, and that was for anything. And they don't not consider this charity. Their attitude about it is that you are espoused to help others, and people should help you. They said a poor street person in France will live longer than a wealthy person in the U.S. That's crazy!
I think we need to change this. By the way we are #37 in the world in health care, by we have billions our dollars for point-less war. Forget weapons of mass destruction, our own insurance companies and government are killing us by the masses.

Obesity in America

Obesity in the United States has significantly risen in the past 20 years. Over 60 million adults and 9 million children are obese! Obesity is caused by an energy imbalance which results from consuming too many calories and not getting enough exercise. Behavior and the environment are the biggest causes of people being overweight today. However, this can be prevented and changed.

Being overweight increases your risk for many health conditions and diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, stroke, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and even some cancers.

Obesity in the United States just seems to be getting worse and worse. In 1991, only four states had obesity rates of 15 to 19% and no states had obesity rates above 20%. In 2004, this had dramatically changed. Seven states had obesity rates of 15 to 19%, 33 states had obesity rates of 20 to 24% and 9 states had obesity rates that were more than 25%.

There are many reasons why obesity is so prevalent today which include behavioral reasons, environmental reasons and genetic reasons. In the past 20 years, the environment and people's behavior has drastically changed, causing this jump in obesity. Fast food restaurants, soft drinks and pre-packaged foods are much more readily available than they were 20 years ago. Grocery stores also have more foods than before.

People are eating much more than they used to. Everyone is taking larger portions and eating more snacks. There are so many unhealthy snacks being sold and everyone buys them. This is very unhealthy because people are consuming so many calories and not burning them off.

Most Americans no longer do physical activities, which is a big problem. Technology has eliminated the need to do physical activities. Cars are used instead of walking or riding a bike. Elevators, dishwashers, computers and televisions also are causes for our inactivity. People need to get up and move around. Anything that involves movement will use energy and burn calories.

This rise in obesity is a big concern for us. We need to make sure that we are doing all we can to maintain a healthy weight. Everyone needs to try to eat healthier and do physical activities. If you do not get to a normal weight, it is an enormous health risk for you.

Reality Television

Reality television has really blown up these past few years. With shows like American Idol, Dancing with the stars, and America's next top model, people are beginning to realize, that could be them one day. With shows like these on the air, it gives hope for the average joe to believe in his or herself, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

With that said, some of the reality shows airing today are disrespectful to most people. I Love New York, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, and Rock of Love are just a couple of the shows that some people may think are too sexual and violent for some viewers. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing people yell and scream at each other on national television, however; some viewers may believe that Reality television shows are going too far with sexuality and violence.

What are your views on Reality television these days? Are you a fan of the popular shows like American Idol, or are you a fan of shows like I Love New York?