Investors Have Stake in Tuesday's Elections

Summary: There has been a rally in the stock market for about two months now, and on Tuesday these investors will witness if the outcomes of the elections are in their favor. An overwhelming amount of them are hoping for more Republicans in Congress and lots of cheap money. The stock market has been showing that the Republicans are gaining ground in the polls and if they have a bigger population than the Democrats it is more likely that our government will become more business-friendly. They figure that this type of economy will lower the unemployment rate; so long as the market stays active. As of now there is a 45 percent chance that the Republicans will take over 60 seats in the house.

Opinion: I believe that investors will have an affect on the upcoming election. Their desire to outnumber the Democrats in Congress will make the elections very competitive and close in numbers. Although I'm not sure if their desires will quite be enough. Since there are a greater amount of Democrats in Congress today, it will take more than just investors alone to change the numbers that drastically. I have a feeling that if there is a Democrat representing a state now, then it is more likely for the state to elect another Democratic Representative. I think that the investors are on the right track though, and have good reasons for their battle. A business-friendly government could very well be a step in the right direction for our country, I'm just not sure it will happen that quickly.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39937144/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

56 Tornadoes in 2 Days! Storm Roars Across The U.S.

Summary: People living in the states stretching from across the Dakotas all the way to North Carolina were affected by a huge storm that accumulated great winds, rain, and flooding. The gusts of wind produced 56 tornadoes that swept across the country from the Midwest and headed southern and eastern. It is considered to be the second largest outbreak in October of tornadoes on record. Not only did the storm produce rain and winds, some of the more northern states even got snow-like conditions that created slush and ice. The weather has calmed down some since Wednesday and is said to be back to more fall-like weather soon, but the victims of the massive storm were interviewed and said that the weather hit so quickly that they didn't even have time to prepare. In places the winds came on faster than usual and in seconds had taken out the windows of a person's house. Weather channels reported that when all said and done, 22 tornadoes actually touched down and the winds reached a speed of 111 mph. This random October storm came on fast and was frightening for all involved.

Opinion: I agree that the storm became very forceful, very quickly. In Minnesota there was more wind, rain, and snow than anything else, even though we didn't get any tornadoes, it was still noted that the storm took flight quickly and was affecting many people. I spent about three hours sitting in the living room trying to finish my homework in the dark. Our power was out from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and not being able to turn on water, having no heat, no lights, and not even being able to flush the toilets got annoying fast. I feel selfish because I can't even begin to imagine losing more than just power in a storm like that. It makes me feel lucky to have what I do and empathize the people that may have lost their entire house to this weather. It also got me to thinking that organizations and groups should be set up to help victims during times like these; along with figuring out ways to help get them back on their feet. I know that every little bit makes a difference, so if we all pulled together to make try and make a change and help others, we could make a miraculous difference.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39885184

U.S. Terror War in Yemen Frustrated by Politics

Summary: For about a year the United States has debated a war with Yemen. The ongoing debate has been very secretive, but looks like it could be coming to a head because the government of this small Arab nation is becoming more aggressive and is beginning to start an even bigger fight. Yemeni tactics are usually to negotiate with other tribes but now their officials are saying that Washington is pressuring them to be more aggressive. The U.S. is trying to resist the taunting such as the attempt to blow up a plane over Christmas Day last year, but now we've sent many people into Yemen to train counter terrorism forces. Very little progress has been visible and America is still trying to be corrupt, but while trying to stay safe we are also trying to ignore the threats. The American Government has decided that a war would not be in our best interest right now, due to the war going on over in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Opinion: I think that not going to war at the present time is the right decision. As long as the threats stay low on the radar and not dangerous enough to do much harm then war shouldn't even be a question. It's never smart to just jump to conclusions and to have war be the first attempt to resolve it. In my opinion war is never the answer, and I don't see where the war in Iraq has even got us. We jumped to conclusions there, fought the wrong people, and gained nothing from it. So the fact that we are waiting to see what happens with Yemen and letting it play out a little bit is smart on America's part. We don't need any more enemies, especially over in that area of the world. Peace should be our aim right now, not war and fighting. Peace and love will get us further in life.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39708280/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

Ecological Catastrophe

Summary: On Tuesday October 5th the Hungarian Government announced that a toxic spill in Budapest ended up taking three lives. People were found in a state of panic and shock as the red liquid textured toxin swept through the town and counties. Six people were confirmed to be missing after the disaster and 120 had been injured. On Monday the goop poured out from a nearby contaminated pond filled with traces of multiple metals because it was the product from aluminum production. The sludge was able to eat through people's clothing, causing rash deep tissue burns and harmful health defects if swallowed. The 35.3 million cubic feet of this toxin was being attempted to harden and to stop the flow by pouring vast amounts of plaster into the river. If the goop would have reached other nearby rivers many more people could have been put into danger. This spill damaged many many homes, environments, and came to be called a major ecological catastrophe.

Opinion: The sad thing about this story, even though it was an accident, is that it could have been prevented. Why was anyone just letting a toxic waste pond sit without being watched or concerned of it spilling? The Aluminum Production Plant clearly knew that the waste was going somewhere and that if the build-up were to come into contact with humans there could be major problems. So my point is why wasn't the waste disposed of or taken care of before a catastrophe like this occurred. I feel as though they are responsible for the injuries and deaths caused by the toxic sludge and something needs to change with the way they dispose of their metal products. The money used to help clean up the sludge should come out of the corporations revenue to make them realize their carelessness and to create some fairness out of the mess. I truly feel bad for everyone involved in the disaster and hope that they can pull together as a community to get back on their feet and return to their past lives without too much pain and suffering. Their sticking together will make all the difference.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39513858/ns/world_news-europe/

Issue #2: Spending What We Can Afford

Summary: The Government's budget glass is overflowing. Economists are worrying about the Government's borrowing of money and the affects that it's going to start to have on business loans. America's debt has been accumulating and budget deficits are now adding up to total a debt of over trillions of dollars. The deficit reached a high during the 1980's of $290 billion dollars, then later on the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 came into play and created tax cuts in order to help reduce spending. Although this seemed to be helpful for awhile, the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 caused a setback in the debt's decreasing progression. Because of the expenses for rebuilding, security, and military demands the budget deficit rose yet again to a high of $412 billion dollars. Once things began to get worse, in 2007 Congress passed a rule called, pay-as-you-go, which means that they are trying to contain the deficit matter and reel it in to a bearable amount. It is persuaded to be the right approach by the Government and it speaks to the American public because it suggests that they will only need to pay as much as they can at a time. Congress was hoping that by doing this they could catch up on some of the accumulating deficits without going into further debt. On the other hand, some people shot down the intuitive idea and said that it would only lead to a spike in taxes, lower the response to national emergencies, and that it would upset electoral voters. Even though this was an empowered attempt to decrease debt, America is still trillions upon trillions of dollars in the hole today. Economists are still worried that we could be headed into an economic depression until something drastic can be done.

Opinion: If I would have had a say in the matter I would have voted for the pay-as-you-go measure. I feel that this attempt to stop the constant rise in deficit was a good idea and had potential to make a dent in America's overwhelming amount of debt. My motto is that every little bit counts. So even if not all of the deficits could be fully paid off, at least people would give what they had and decrease the major debt amount little by little. As long as people kept working towards paying it off fully the numbers would decline and eventually put a minor halt in the deficit progression. Nothing else was causing a change in our countries economic finance crisis so there was really no reason to not try something new. If it lead to a spike in tax payment then people could speak up and try to change the rules and once there was a visual change in the deficit amounts Americans would see that the paygo rule was passed to favor the people as well as their country. Today many corporations, such as the Economic Policy Institute, economists(Jeff Faux), and politicians are trying to help create a better economy in the United States and by doing so they are decreasing the amount of debt we owe. In turn this helps us as Americans by lowering poverty rates, increasing job opportunities, and creating a share in prosperity. I feel that the paygo act could have made great changes in our economy and I applaud those who are still fighting for those same purposes today.

Issue #1: War Dollars

http://daniellescurrenteventblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/issue-1-war-dollars.html

Issue #3: Social Insecurity

http://rachelrachrachel.blogspot.com/2010/10/topic-3-social-insecurity.html