Fracking

There is currently lots of controversy concerning fracking lately. Fracking is a process of extracting oil by shooting pressurized water into a drilling site. This process created lots of jobs and it brings in lots of revenue but lots of people think it causes earthquakes. Many believe this process is hurting the environment. Lately courts have been letting cities decide if they want to ban fracking some cities have even had referendums about the matter. Although the environment is very important I believe that jobs are more important at least for right now. The reality is that more jobs are needed everywhere and this meets that demand and brings in lots of revenue for funding different outlets. If there is enough evidence supporting fracking causes earthquakes then it should be strictly regulated so not to put peoples lives in danger.

PHA Housing

PHA Housing in Philadelphia is in a miserable state right now. These homes claim to provide a safe and affordable housing environment for low income families but in reality they do more harm than good. Putting lots of low income families in one area makes a high poverty area. Even though these homes are supposed to be for the better of the community they keep it in a cycle of poverty. Some of the buildings are very old and if a new building is made there is no guarantee that a family will get its house back because the process is done by application and circumstances. Some families might be left without a place to go. PHA Housing areas are also notoriously known as high crime areas also. These are not the ideal areas to raise children in which many families who reside in these homes have. This is not just in Philadelphia either this is in all urban areas across the country. Having lived in one of these homes for 4 years in the middle of North Philadelphia I know first hand of the experiences involved in living in such areas. I think that there is a lot of reform these homes need. I believe these areas are getting worse. Also there should be a limit on how long people will live in these areas. There are generations of families living in these areas that have no interest in leaving. The goal should be to provide a safe environment to live in. PHA housing is in need of great reform. These public housing units with high concentrations of minorities have caused more harm than good. This problem, however, is not limited to just Philadelphia there is public housing in the same miserable state in cities around the country. I believe these types of public housing neighborhoods are negatively effecting inner city youth.

Fresh Start?

After the election on November 4th Democratic nominee Tom Wolf beat Republican incumbent Tom Corbett to gain the position of governor of Pennsylvania. A big issue the newly elected governor has to deal with when sworn in to office is educational reform. The public schools in Pennsylvania more notably Philadelphia are experiencing a huge budget crisis. This budget crisis was apparently started by mismanagement of funds by the school district after running out of federal stimulus money.Tom Wolf proposes a severance tax on oil drilling could be a possible solution to help fund public schools. Another reason is the big enrollment of Philadelphia students to charter schools which takes away from public school funding. As a Philadelphia public school student I can say that this budget crisis and the cutbacks in schools are very visible. Many schools have been closed and not all of their students enrolled in public schools after the closure. Charter schools have been getting part of the funding public schools need. Many of these charter schools however are not effective. Tom Wolf proposes that there should be a change in the way these charter schools receive funding. These schools receive funding by how many students have enrolled from a school district and a districts average cost per student. Wolf supports having separate requirements for charter and cyber charter schools. I for one agree with this proposal because every student has a right to public education. Charter schools however are privately ran and in my opinion not as an effective option than public schooling. For example Walter D. Palmer Charter High School was closed down because of mismanagement of funds and lack of academic achievement. My older brother belonged to this schools first graduating class only four years ago. Charter schools can be very unstable. Although some public schools are not effective receiving less funding will not make them better. The big problem with students leaving for charter is that public schools demand for funds stays the same even though they are receiving less. Closure of some of the less effective charter schools should be implemented to combat this issue. Overall there is lots of reform necessary for public education if Tom Wolf can solve all of them is what we will see starting in January.
http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_25441275/look-at-five-things-tom-wolf-wants-do
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2014/10/27/palmer-charter-high-school-shuts-down-suddenly-leaving-students-and-parents-hamstrung/

Inevitable Confrontation

President Obama is approaching the last two years of his presidency. Although his initial years weren't easy it seems that these last two years will be a great obstacle. The Republicans have gained full control of Congress by taking over the Senate and are on a mission to pass the agendas they believe will be most effective. Obama has already met opposition with his policies on immigration, climate change, and internet regulation. It is not realistic to deport all of the illegal immigrants living in the United states. Instead Obama proposes a way in which some of these immigrants can stay in the country legally. The immigrants would have to pay penalties for already being here illegally, pay taxes, learn English, be subject to a thorough background check, and wait until after every person who tried to come to the country legally is done the citizenship process. Obama has passed a proposal with China to cut down on pollution from carbon and other harmful gases. Soon to be Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky has already been outwardly opposed to this proposal because his state relies heavily on coal for energy.Obama also wants to put more regulations on internet providers claiming that they shouldn't be able to charge higher rates for faster connection. Republicans which have a conservative view want less government involvement.These conflicts will most certainly show how the powers of the executive branch compare with the powers of the legislative branch. Congress will fight President Obama's initiatives to protect immigrants, reduce carbon emissions, and regulate internet cost requirements. Congress has also approved the building of a pipeline that will carry oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Obama opposes this initiative and sources say he is ready to veto it. While it seems that Obama wants to get as much done as he can in his last two years in office the reality is that it might not happen with Republicans controlling Congress. There may have to be lots of compromising in order for any party to get anything done. If there is no compromise there will surely be inevitable confrontation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/will-obama-fade-or-fight-as-republicans-gain-control-of-congress/2014/11/12/8dcb94d2-6a8f-11e4-b053-65cea7903f2e_story.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/climate-obama-announces-us-china-agreementhttp://m.whitehouse.gov/issues/immigration/earned-citizenship