Budget Cuts

The recent budget proposal by the Trump administration contains an emphasis on defunding many organizations and agencies that have ties to liberal activism. The money from agencies which are receiving budget cuts - the Environmental Protection Agency (31% decrease in funding), NASA (.8% decrease in funding), the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (elimination in funding), the National Endowment for the Arts (elimination in funding), among others - are then being allocated to agencies that promote and boost defense spending in order to rebuild the military to fulfill campaign promises such as eliminating ISIS by increasing the amount of ships in the US Navy and expanding the Air Force by building more F-35 fighter jets and tactical missiles. The administration’s reasoning for this 54 billion dollar increase is that they believe it is reasonable to ask citizens to pay for things that the administration believes will be beneficial to them as Budget Director Mick Mulvaney claims. Yet, I believe these cuts will hurt the American people more than the Trump administration expects them to do so.

The proposed cuts are expected to hurt America’s more vulnerable folks. The targeted agencies specifically help low-income Americans but sucking the air out of what makes them benefit these people will result in the people’s contempt and hatred for their government. These cuts also guarantees an increased gap between the rich and the poor. Considering many of these agencies are what enable poor people to survive, it is not beneficial for Mulvaney and the Trump administration to request the needy be the ones to suffer by paying for agencies that do not help them. For example, claiming after-school programs don’t help kids in school when there is research suggesting otherwise does not bode well to those who depend on these programs. Also, curtailing the Department of Housing and Urban Development will result in an increase to the housing shortage which is already at a low for the poor. Additionally, eliminating a majority of the budget for programs intended to benefit the progression of Earth and science is not about to help Americans now or in the future. If the Trump administration wishes to excel, they must be willing to look at what all of the people want and what will benefit them all in the future.

With the upcoming deadline for a spending bill, Congress must be able to find a way to prevent a possible shutdown by incorporating some Democratic ideals in the proposal or by mildly redefining their budget in order to please at least eight democrats. I believe the Trump administration should retract their dramatic proposal of defunding many of these agencies which will be satisfying to Democratic senators as well as to the American people. Yet, this would be a difficult task to undertake in one day. Nonetheless, perhaps a government shutdown is what the Trump administration needs in order to understand the people and what they require.

Commentary on "Mary Jane and Me"

From the Love Administration’s blog, an article,“US Gov: Mary Jane and Me,” argues for the approval of recreational marijuana in America. The author includes numerous factors for the legalization of marijuana such as cognitive benefits to students, medication, and economic benefits.

He begins by explaining higher achieving students are more likely to improve their cognitive abilities using marijuana. This seems kind of counterintuitive considering marijuana is meant to slow down your neuropathways. I suppose by slowing down their neuropathways, they could roam through their thoughts calmly and have an “openness to experience” as the author considered. This was an interesting point of view, considering the stereotype of marijuana users are those who have a carefree view on schoolwork. Perhaps with more conclusive scientific evidence, this theory could become a beneficial factor when arguing for the legalization for marijuana. For now, I do not believe there is sufficient proof to this claim.

Next, he acknowledges the medicinal value of marijuana in reference to those who may lose their appetite or have insomnia. I agree with this claim since marijuana leads to drowsiness and the “munchies.” Also, many veterans who have PTSD use marijuana to alleviate stress and calm themselves from the terrors they experienced. Marijuana's ability to help natural chemicals work better also allows it to aid with pain from various diseases such as cancer and seizures. Though marijuana may cause negative side effects as well, its aid in PTSD and pain in general lead me to the conclusion that the good outweighs the bad.

Finally, he recognizes that legalizing marijuana would bring economic benefits by allowing this to become a billion dollar industry. I believe this could become a possibility. Currently, marijuana is considered illegal on the federal level, yet legal marijuana businesses must pay taxes for it since that is their source of income, which creates unhappiness and low morale in this industry. If America were to legalize marijuana, it would create fair tax breaks which would allow more marijuana business to fund areas of our government like education or the infrastructure. In conclusion, I agree with the author that legalizing marijuana would bring medical and economic relief to America.