Monday Matters: NEW - Guns

The controversial topic I have chosen to follow is Gun Laws in the United States of America.

Push harder for gun-law changes

- Scot Lehigh

- Boston Globe

The shooting at the Washington military base was surprising, yet foreseeable. Mass shootings have became a staple in America, and the question now is simply where will the next one be, and how bad will it be?

More than 600,000 Americans have died since 1995 from gun violence. It should be noted however that half the annual gun deaths are suicidal, but still the numbers are quite remarkable.

The answer of course should start with the implementation of new laws. Background checks of the recipient for the sale of guns through all forms of distribution. Bills like the Manchin-Toomey bill detail this. "Expanded background checks" already have a majority support in the Senate, (as they should) the problem is  though "that such a bill doesn’t yet have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster".

One gun-law advocate states in reference to the needed laws: “We can’t confidently predict the date, but it will happen when the American public brings its voice to bear,”

The law does however need to be expanded, so it can reject men likely to commit atrocities like the Washington shooting, by denying them purchase on the means of some check on mental stability. This check could be done my requiring the customer to have ability insurance.

Gun Laws have to continued to be pushed, it is imperative.

Monday Matters: Synthesize

By following the columnist Ross Douthat from the N.Y. times and summarising his posts for some weeks, I think I am now in a position to be able to synthesize his posts into a statement on how he views society.

I would say Douthat has a right-wing perspective on society. Although, it is not particularly strong right. He appears to be Conservative, which is alluded to in his article "Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule" where in reference to the conservatives not wanting a total Obamacare meltdown, he states, "They’re hoping, as I’m hoping..." and then goes to state what they are hoping for. He essentially group himself with conservatives here, showing his alignment to the right. But yet, he is not deep right. In that same article he states that while "Republican politicians may be salivating over a potential Obamacare crisis", conservatives and himself are not. So he is right-wing, but a more sane, collected right-wing than most republicans.

I would say Douthat has a decently positive outlook on society. I say decently only because their is no evidence to warrant a either positive or negative outlook verdict. 


Image that contradicts his view: 

Monday Matters: Analysis

In all four of the columns from Ross Douthat that I have followed, he has addressed the Obamacare debate.

Douthat takes a opinion that is both subjective and objective,  sometimes he barely interjects his own opinion, other times it is very present. In one article, my second one following Douthat titled "Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule", he opts to simply report for the majority of the piece and rarely gives his own insight. His only real opinion first comes in doing some speculating about what could happen in the future, but by the end he does arrive at a thesis of sorts. In another of the articles that I followed from him, alternately, his opinion is front and center. In the article Douthat is more forthcoming with his opinion. The aritcle is titled "But What if Obamacare Works?", and through evidence in the titles of the pieces, it can be seen the variance in opinion injection in the pieces. In this second post Douthat has a strong opinion.

Links:

Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/opinion/sunday/douthat-obamacare-failing-ahead-of-schedule.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
But What if Obamacare Works?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/opinion/sunday/douthat-but-what-if-obamacare-works.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss