Senate Passes Overhaul of Food Safety Regulations

The Senate just passed an overhaul of the nation's food safety system. The new legislation will give more power to the FDA and encourage government agencies to be on the lookout for unsafe foods before illness breaks out instead of just dealing with crises as they come along. The bill is unusual in that it has strong bipartisan support.

Direct government and social regulation approaches were the wisest tools of government to use in relation to food safety reform. Foodborne illnesses cause millions of deaths each year, which makes it an immediate problem; manufacturers should not be rewarded with grants for making changes, they should be punished for not meeting standards that shouldn't even be questioned. The passage of this new legislation shows that when used with the appropriate issues, direct government is an effective and valid tool for quick and successful results.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/health/policy/01food.html?_r=1&hp

- Stephanie Doctrow

U.S. Expands Role of Diplomats in Spying

The U.S has been using diplomats in order to gather information such as credit card and frequent-flier numbers, work schedules and other personal information about foreign officials. Records of this date back to 2008. State department spokesman Philip J. Crowley denied the new reports, claiming that "Our diplomats are just that, diplomats, They represent our country around the world and engage openly and transparently with representatives of foreign governments and civil society. Through this process, they collect information that shapes our policies and actions. This is what diplomats, from our country and other countries, have done for hundreds of years." While the U.S's use of diplomats may be controversial, it is a step towards better national security.

Tom Millman
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/29/world/29spy.html?_r=1&hp

First Black Thursday... now it's Cyber Sunday

In class on Tuesday we talked about what it took to become a citizen in the U.S. My group talked about how the knowledge of technology is vital to being a U.S. citizen, and being able to use it to have imperative knowledge about this country. In this article it proves that technology is leading to change throughout not only America but across the world. This post talks about how most people are now shopping not only on black Thursday but also cyber Sunday. This is when people shop online and try to get the say deals as people did on Thursday in the stores. Stores are now not only slashing prices for people in stores but for the people on their computers as well.
-Will Kalish
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40401822/ns/business-us_business/

'Sophisticated' border tunnel leads to seizure of tons of pot

While most of us were eating Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, authorities in Mexico and California were seizing between twenty to thirty tons of marijuana. The police found another highly “sophisticated” tunnel leading from Mexico into two warehouses in California. Obviously drug trafficking has changed with the times, but something needs to be done to prevent these tunnels from being built. Most of the force is used around the border, but obviously some people must be allocated to prevent these tunnels from being run underneath the border of Mexico and the U.S. This issue should be paired with the current emigration problem in the United States. Both need to be dealt with to keep our country safe from terrorists, or in this case drug dealers.
-Will Kalish
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/11/26/california.drug.tunnels/index.html

Shift to State System on Care Management Draws Fire

Within this article Ramshaw mentions that the private providers were stripped of their responsibility of taking care of those with disabilities and giving it to the local Texan government of the Mental Retardation Authorities. This is something that has to be taken on by the Legislature. Ms. Castle states that "The state has created a situation where future growth is primarily in the private sector, but they’re still allowing a public sector option for consumers who feel more comfortable there.”
This is connected to what we are learning in class about direct government. When responsibility is taken away from the public and given to the government.


Elizabeth Sziler



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/us/28ttmanagement.html?ref=todayspaper

U.S. lawmakers seek China's help with North Korea

North Korea attacked a South Korean island last week killing four people. U.S officials hope that China will put pressure on North Korea to end the attacks against South Korea. China has a great deal of influence over the North Korean economy, world powers hope that china will use economic policies to control North Korea. As of now it doesn’t seem like China plans to use their influence. South Korea and The United States are participating in military exercises near North Korea. These exercises are meant in part to show the North Korean government that their actions are being watched and that the U.S. is not backing down.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-lawmakers-korea-20101129,0,1146438.story

BLACK FRIDAY

Black Friday this year was a mass display of America's return to shameless capitalism. Thousands of consumers battled the long lines and inclement weather in hopes of scoring great deals. Retailers, especially prominent chains, offered blanket discounts on all items, most likely trimming the profit margin, but, nonetheless, stimulating the economy and incentivizing customers. It seems as though Americans are finally becoming comfortable enough with the market to spend excessively again. Regardless, there are still those trends indicating frugality. Price-value relationships for products were under heavy scrutiny by the more savvy shoppers. This year, more than previous years, consumers opted to purchase items for themselves rather than others, assuring that they would get exactly what they need at the lowest price possible.