D7

Three Facts About the Issues for Gubernatorial Election:
1.) Cuccinelli is opposed to gay marriage.
         I just don't understand why people can't be free to marry who they love. It's not bothering anybody, and everybody has the right to do what makes them happy. My dad is opposed to gay marriage ( he is a dedicated catholic) but he doesn't necessarily have a problem with gay people themselves, but it's just awful that people are discriminating against people because of who they love.

2.) McAullife supports the expansion of Medicaid.
          Increasing the range of people who can receive aid from Medicaid is not something that should even have to be thought about. People can't afford the high expenses that come from hospital and doctor visits and there are people who think that money is more important than saving lives? I know that the state needs money to function but the budget for other organizations should be cut in order to allow a Medicaid expansion that won't cost Virginia money in the long run.

3.) Both candidates agree that there should be no more SOL's
          I actually don't mind taking SOL's because they are really easy, but I do understand why it's better to promote more critical thinking than memorization. Schools need to focus more on problem solving because the future is technology and engineering, and Virginia isn't going to get far ahead in these areas when students only learn how to choose the correct multiple choice question.

D5

This week, as I was not needed for creating videos, I created an outlet for the videos the video team has created, a Facebook page. Since the media team had not created one I asked if they would like for me to create one and they said yes. I have been posting videos and pictures on the page regularly.
Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/FawkesNews33

D4

Open Secrets: Idaho
A.) More money is raised for the Republican Party than for the Democratic party.
B.) Of the $8,990,796 raised in contributions, $1,189,640 is for the Democratic party and $5,521,466 is for the Republican party.
C.) The top investor for the Republican party was Melaleuca Inc. The company donated $1,545,200. The CEO of the company, Frank L. VanderSloot, was the finance co-chair for Romney's campaign

Virginia Public Access: Virginia Governor
A.) I think that Terri McAuliffe will win the election.
B.) He has raised 10 million more dollars than Cuccinelli, over $26,345,763. His campaign also spends more money on tv ads, over $11,693,060, so more people will be viewing his ads than Cuccinelli's.

D2

Ad 1: How's That Again General? 1956 Election
-This ad was made by the Democratic party
- The ad was trying to evoke people to distrust of Eisenhower because he didn't accomplish what he had promised previously.

Ad 2: Man on Street. 1976 Election
- This ad was made by the Republican party
- The ad was trying to make the viewers think that Ford is the best because even people who usually vote democratic are voting for Ford.

Ad 3: Priority MD RNC. 2000 Election
- This ad was made by the Republican party
- The ad was made to depict Gore as a man who doesn't care about the elderly because he didn't want reform on prescription drug prices.

Overall:
- I noticed that in earlier ads the men running would actually talk  to the people instead of a voice-over talking about them like in later ads. Also, the ads were much longer in the past than in recent years.
-
The most effective ad for me was probably the third ad because it makes Bush appear to be a savior with the tone of music played when he is introduced and it makes Gore appear to be a man who doesn't care about senior citizens. Focusing on the prescription drugs, which the elderly mainly use, is smart because senior citizens have the highest voter turn outs. This ad would make the elderly think twice before voting for Gore because he wouldn't benefit them like Bush supposedly would. Also there is a subliminal message(which is not that subliminal since it's the thumbnail) that says RATS when bureaucrats shows up on the ad.

D1

This week I was unable to actively participate in filming but I was able to help Rico in choosing what to cut from the video so that it was shorter but still get the main points of the interview in.

C9

I am a part of the video team. We have been working on creating  a promotional video for 'Fawkes News' and I personally have helped in selecting the music and by outlining how the the video should flow.

C8

Policy:
             McAullife: Emphasized on strong gun control and on better education.
           
             Cuccinelli: Emphasized that he wants tax cuts and emphasized on justice and liberty in Virginia.
Quotes:
             McAullife: "How many people have to be killed till we wake up to have sensible gun ownership?"
                        This quote was notable to me because it was a bellicose statement, it really made me think
                        whether Virginia (and the U.S.) is doing a good job with guns.
           
             Cuccinelli:  "He is more conservative than I am" This was a bold thing to say, I didn't expect him to
                               say that about a democrat.
Style:
             McAullife: He moves his hands a lot more than Cuccinelli and he has more energy in his voice. Also,
                              he likes to attack Cuccinelli on things he has supposedly said.
                     
             Cuccinelli: Has a monotone voice which makes him sound less aggressive. He also likes to primarily
                     attack McAullife on the fact that he doesn't know anything about gov. in VA.
Wild Card: 
               I don't have any wildcards except that I think Cuccinelli has better hair than McAullife.

C7

Biased Question: Do you think the legendary liar, Santana Afton, is the best choice for Governor?

Neutral Question: Do you believe Santana Afton's policy coincides with the public's interests?

C4

     One difference between the Democratic and Republican parties is how they deal with jobs and job growth. With so many people without jobs, people want the government to do something about their situations. While both parties of the government have ideas for what to do, they differ in their ideology on what those ideas are. The Republican party prefers to cut back on government spending and focus more on making America more competitive with other countries instead of directly aiding those who are unemployed, like stated here: "The tax system must be simplified. Government spending and regulation must be reigned in. American companies must be more competitive in the world market..." The Democratic party, on the other hand, prefers to spend more money to aid people who are not employed by helping them find jobs or temporarily helping them financially as shown here: "We have already enacted key parts of the American Jobs Act-payroll tax relief, tax credits for business...a 'Bridge To Work' to help the long-term unemployed reconnect with the labor force." 

C3

 The United States has been involved in many wars during its lifetime that it has resolved. Yet I don't see anything effective being done about the current War on Drugs,which has been an ongoing battle in public health for over forty-two years since it was formally declared by President Nixon in 1971. Illegal drugs are a threat to the American people and people all over the world, but the U.S is not handling the situation in a reasonable manner. In fact, I think the American government is doing more harm than good to its own people by spending a ludicrous amount of money on trying to completely prohibit the use of illegal drugs and locking up anybody who is involved with them.

This War on Drugs is not only foolish and costly, but it violates our liberties as American citizens. Every day, thousands of people are searched without probable cause by police because their appearances lead officers and other government officials to believe they are affiliated with drugs. This conflicts with our fourth amendment rights which states that the people have a right to be secure against unreasonable searches and seizures. Over 500,000 people have been incarcerated for crimes involving drugs, some for reasons that are not fully validated. 

The amount of money spent on incarcerating these "druggies" to diminish the presence of drugs in our country is a waste of tax dollars. With over 51 billion dollars spent annually by the government for this cause and to no avail, there should be reconsideration over what the government's role is in this situation.

Instead of banning drugs, they should be made completely legal to avoid dilemmas over illegal smuggling. Of course there would need to be regulations such as age restrictions and who is qualified to sell the drugs. But this way, it is possible to obtain any drug but it would be more difficult to actually receive.

If it were no longer illegal to use narcotics, there would be a decrease in crimes related to drugs throughout the nation. It is in America's best interest to cease funding for the prohibition of illegal drugs in the U.S. The current method will never solve anything.

    Links:  http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/society-suspects-war-drugs-civil-liberties

               http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=4694

               http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/06/opinion/branson-end-war-on-drugs/index.html

               http://www.cjpf.org/drug/colorado