Teenage Pages should stay out of Washington

In the Washington Post this week there was an article about two Pages who had oral sex in a public area of the Capital Hill Dormitories. The pages used in political offices are usually juniors in high school. The ones caught in the act were dismissed. However there is criticism that there has been some lax oversight in supervising these pages. Also in 2006, Florida GOP Mark Foley was forced to resign after it was shown that he sent sexually explicit emails to his male pages. In both of these cases there were people who claim to have been unaware but were obviously enablers in both situations.
I believe that in order to solve this problem, high school students should not be allowed to work in government offices. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to be able to do summer internships and learn more about a career as a government official. However, I feel that if sex scandals become an issue among minors, who are involved in the government, something is terribly wrong. People who are not old enough to vote are assisting government officials and acting immaturely in way that reflects on the reputation of the government as a viable source of power. There will always be sex wrapped up in politics, but I think adding teenagers into the mix is just asking for trouble. Although I’m sure the pages who were dismissed are the exception and not the rule when it comes to teen assistants, I feel it is better to let them go completely.

The Clinton Women Take On Iowa

This week I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about Hilary Clinton’s new campaigning strategy in Iowa. While Barrack Obama was there with Oprah, Clinton tried to show a new side of herself by bringing her mother, Dorothy Rodham and her daughter Chelsea Clinton. She also tried not to bash her fellow candidates as she has done in the past. When given the chance to condemn Obama, she has said that “all the Democratic candidates were capable”. With the media attention devoted to Oprah, Clinton used the day to make a more personal, direct appeal to voters. The crowds listening to her speeches, held in an elementary school gym, numbered only about 100-150 people. She also set aside large blocks to time to take questions, shake hands, pose for pictures, and sign autographs. Her mother and daughter came along with her to show the kinder more approachable side of Clinton. In some polls, about half of the respondents have said that they dislike her. While making a speech about helping families to overcome the cost of long term elder care, she mentioned that her mother is living with her, showing how she could relate to the topic.
I think it was smart for Clinton to bring along her family with her to Iowa. I also believe it was smart to choose her daughter and mother rather than her husband. This is because it shows her more caring side and makes her more relatable. The only unfortunate thing is that a lot of the media was not around to see this change in personality because Oprah also happened to be there. As for the people who did get to see Clinton in action, perhaps it will boost her chances of wining the Iowa caucuses.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-clinton9dec09,1,4318860.story

35 Miles Per Gallon Standard

This week I read an article from the Los Angeles Times about a bill that has the potential to greatly effect our environment in a positive way. Congress is proposing a measure providing for a 40% increase in fuel efficiency for new cars and light trucks by 2020 for a fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon. This bill is expected to include a requirement that greater amounts of homegrown fuel such as ethanol be added t the nation’s gasoline supply. It also is likely to include a measure requiring utilities to generate more electricity from cleaner sources such as the sun and wind. Most Republicans seem to have complaints about this bill because they feel that it would lead to lighter, less safe vehicles, threaten auto industry jobs and limit customer choice. However, higher gas prices have many people thinking that this bill will probably be passed. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers expressed support for the measure on Saturday.
I think that this measure is an important one and will have a strong impact on our environment. The United States needs to become a more fuel efficient country. I believe this bill forces auto makers to become creative and find ways to make fuel efficient cars more accessible and better. I think the other aspects of the bill are good too, using sun and wind energy. Cutting down on the amount of oil we use could help the prices to go down and will also be better for the environment so I really hope President Bush doesn’t veto it.