Impeach the President? Like we've got nothing better to do ...

Articles like this really get my ire up.  Today CNN posted the following article: GOP Rep.: House 'could probably get the votes' to impeach Obama.

First off, let me just say - I am SO over hearing about this.  In this day and age (and with all the technology we have available at our finger tips) - there is no way the birth of a presidential candidate wasn't 100% vetted and confirmed prior to him even running for President.

Secondly, regardless of whether or not you like him - the American people elected Obama as President for not 1, but 2 terms.  The GOP needs to get over it.  If they want to start focusing on candidates for the 2016 election, that's one thing, but quit wasting the American people's time and hard earned money talking about impeaching Obama because you don't believe he was born in the United States - obviously the people that voted for him don't really care.

Lastly, every time this comes up - it costs Americans money.  The more the GOP sit around and talk about Obama and his birth, the less time they're sitting around and talking about issues that matter.  Issues like reducing the deficit, bettering education and the working environment for Americans and their families, immigration, approaching sequestration - ALL of these issues are more important than whether or not Obama was born in the U.S.

I'd be curious to hear what others think about this - do you believe Obama's birth matters and why or do you believe it's all just a big waste of time and money?

Disclaimer: this post is purely my opinion and is not meant to offend any one in any way.  If you choose to comment on this post, please do so respectfully.

Maternity Leave in the US

This is a topic that really gets under my skin.  Women work just as hard as men, yet when it comes time to start a family, the United States is one country that does not offer any kind of paid leave.  It truly is amazing to me.

Check out this awesome infographic (from HuffPost):

In the US, we have the Family & Medical Leave Act which qualifies new mom's to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave off from work with no penalty of losing their position.  More and more, individual companies have stepped up to help offer working moms paid maternity leave (usually at least 6 weeks at 80% pay - a basic short term disability claim), but for the hundreds of thousands of women who work part-time or lower wage paying positions, they simply have unpaid leave in a situation where it's already difficult to get by.  For the life of me, I cannot understand why we are so behind in these basic benefits.  The US ranks 27th out of 37 developed countries according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development - 27th!!  Countries like India and Mexico top the US in paid maternity leave & benefits.

I won't prattle on, but I am curious to hear what your thoughts are on the matter.  I am linking several articles below and I look forward to hearing from you.

Why 26% of US women still choose not to work

Best Countries for Working Moms & Dads

Maternity Leaves Around the World

Maternity Leave Benefits Around the World

More than 120 Nations Provide Paid Maternity Leave

Motherhood Around the Globe

Disclaimer: this post is purely my opinion and is not meant to offend any one in any way.  If you choose to comment on this post, please do so respectfully.

Sequestration and the military

I do not come from a military family.  My brother (just now 19) joined the Marine Corp back in December 2012.  I have never seen such pride - my brother is truly proud of what he does and the fact that he is a Marine.  The military is a way out for a lot of young teens who, for one reason or another, cannot afford to attend college.  These brave men and women put their lives on the line to protect that liberties that a lot of Americans take for granted.  As I'm sure many of you are aware, sequestration is about to hit the DoD budget which will mean a lot of cuts for current servicemen as well as reduction in overall armed service forces (which could mean fewer opportunities for graduating seniors).

Here is a good article that summarizes some of the impact of sequestration (obviously the full impact will not be known (or felt) until it actually hits): You're About to be Squeezed

You can also contact your local representatives directly through this website and let them know that this is an important issue to you and you disagree with the pending budget cuts on our armed forces.

One last point: I do not disagree with decreasing our military budget over time.  I believe the US spends WAY too much on defense in comparison to other nations and that money could be better spent in other areas.  I do disagree with sequestration and the way Congress is choosing to go about lowering the DoD's budget.  I believe it's something that should be done gradually over time - I don't believe current servicemen's pay/benefits (or that of our veterans) should be impacted, but I believe we should slowly reduce numbers (i.e. recruit less and don't necessarily replace veterans who retire) and purchase less equipment or retire some of our existing equipment.

Disclaimer: this post is purely my opinion and is not meant to offend any one in any way.  If you choose to comment on this post, please do so respectfully.

Pro/con: legalizing marijuana

Before I even begin this diatribe, let me start by saying I am for the legalization of medicinal marijuana and I have never personally smoked marijuana - though I know people that have and continue to do so.  Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently aired a special this past Sunday on CNN titled "Weed", that I believe lays out the foundation for a good case of pursuing medicinal marijuana.  You can read his article here.  You can watch the full length documentary here.

My personal belief on the matter is that something organically grown in the ground that can heal ailments will always be a better alternative to something concocted and created within a laboratory.  I especially like Dr. Gupta's statistic of every 19 minutes someone dies from overdose of prescription medication while there is not a single documented case of someone overdosing on marijuana.

Aside from the medical benefits, let's face the honest truth - there is money to be made here.  Lots of money and in lots of different ways.  The government can make money by taxing and fining improper farming/usage.  The government can SAVE money by not incarcerating people for simple marijuana drug use.  Citizens can make money by going into the marijuana business - whether as growers or retailers.  Citizens can SAVE money by not being forced (or at least having alternatives) to very expensive prescription narcotics.

Now the supposed downsides - the main two that people often cite are (1) addiction and (2) that marijuana is a gateway drug.  To the first I'm simply going to reply that - yes, it is possible to get addicted to marijuana HOWEVER - the addiction rates are lower than that of alcohol and cigarettes (both legal substances).  To the second, I find this one to be complete balderdash - people aren't going to jump from marijuana to cocaine simply because they've tried marijuana and have gotten a taste of something "exotic and illegal".

If you haven't heard, several TV channels developed programs specifically surrounding the marijuana industry in states where it's legal - I highly suggest you give them a watch.  Especially for those people who are against legalization simply because they believe that teenagers want to use legalization as an excuse to "get high".

Discovery: Weed Country

NatGeo: Inside: Marijuana

NatGeo: American Weed

CNBC Marijuana USA

Disclaimer: this post is purely my opinion and is not meant to offend any one in any way.  If you choose to comment on this post, please do so respectfully.