Donald Trump

Recently, Donald Trump was selected to drive the Pace Car for the Indy 500 coming up on Sunday, May 29.  However, after word got out that he was to be the driver, many people became outraged.  They protested and created Facebook groups about why he should not be the driver of the Pace Car.  Some people claimed the only reason they did not want him to do it was because he is not affiliated with racing.  Now, Trump has stepped down and AJ Foyt will be driving it.  People seem much more pleased with him.  Should Trump have driven the car?  Were people only protesting because he's not affiliated with racing?

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-05-05/sports/29530152_1_pace-car-donald-trump-racial-bias

I do not think Trump should drive the car.  I think it should always be someone who has some connection to racing.  Also, I think many people are protesting because of the recent criticisms he's had about Obama.  He is slamming him and I don't think people want him to drive the Pace Car because of that.

Bin Laden

As everyone knows, Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday, May 2, 2011 by a team of Navy SEALs in Pakistan.  With all the news surrounding his death, there has been some controversy about how the situation was handled.  Some people are wondering if we should have even shot him in the first place, or if we should have just captured him.  Others are upset because we are cheering because he's dead.  Should we have shot him? Is it right to cheer because he was killed?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/8492984/It-was-necessary-and-right-to-kill-bin-Laden.html

I think it was right to shoot him.  We had virtually no way of knowing if he was armed, so if our team tried to capture him, he could have injured some of our people.  Also, I think it was okay to celebrate that he died.  He was responsible for the deaths of many people in our country and I think their family members and the rest of the country should be happy that he died.

Tornadoes in the South

The tornadoes that have blown through the southern part of the United States in the last week have been devastating.  They have impacted not only the people in the area, but also the rest of the US.  With about 200 people dead, the entire country must do something to help the survivors.  What can be done to help? Who should help? Was there anything that could have been done to prevent the amount of people who died?

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n248262

I think that charities should be set up, much like the ones that were organized when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans a few years ago.  I think everyone can and should help.  Natural disasters could happen anywhere in the country, and everyone would want help if they were the victims.  I don't think everyone could have been saved, but better warning systems probably could have prevented the amount of losses.

Air Traffic Controllers

Recently in the news, there has been a lot of talk about air traffic controllers not doing their jobs properly.  There have been reports of them falling asleep on the job, as well as watching movies while they are supposed to be working.  First Lady Michelle Obama was on one of these flights, and her plane had to abort its landing and circle around to make a landing.  A different air traffic controller was fired for bringing a cot and pillow to work.  Are the air traffic controllers to blame, or is it their schedulers?  Are they working too many hours?  How should we fix this problem?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN6G3VSNGwaHMCVV0binfO-M-hew?docId=CNG.9ea60fb38cd63202043ecd72699f62f9.271

I think the air traffic controllers should take most of the blame; however, there obviously is a problem if so many of them have been exhausted and falling asleep on the job.  They must be working too many hours; much more than they can handle.  I think the problem can be fixed by scheduling either shorter shifts or less shifts in a row.

Royal Wedding

In the midst of Prince William's engagement to Kate Middleton, a lot of press has been involved in the details of the wedding.  While the couple will obviously be important to the world soon, as the prince will become king of England someday, some say too much press and coverage is being put on the couple.  Along with that, the couple and their families do not get privacy.  The Royal Family is used to this, but Kate's family is not happy with the idea of paparazzi following them around.  Is coverage of William and Kate a bit excessive and redundant?  Should the paparazzi lay off Kate's family?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/08/earlyshow/leisure/celebspot/main20052072.shtml

I think all the coverage of Kate and William is way too excessive.  Who cares how many inches away from the edge of the table the centerpieces are? It is ridiculous how much press is going into this wedding.  Also, I do not think it is fair to drag Kate's family into this.  Photographers followed her mom and sister around while they were on a shopping trip.  It is ridiculous.

Southwest Plane Crack Turns Into Hole

Friday, April 1, 2011, marked a scary day for the 118 passengers on Southwest airlines flight 812 leaving Phoenix.  Not even 20 minutes into the flight, a massive five foot hole opened in the cabin.  The pilot made an emergency landing and everyone walked away unharmed.  However, with the incident came more inspections for Southwest, which turned up many of the same kind of crack that caused the hole in the first place.  With these defects being found, the question is: Should Southwest airlines postpone all flights until they can get this straightened out? And also, should this extend to all airlines?

http://abcnews.go.com/US/government-order-emergency-inspections-737-jets-southwest-airlines/story?id=13300089

I think Southwest needs to cancel all flights until every plane is checked.  This could have happened way higher in the air, and that would have caused a lot more problems.  I obviously do not think every airline should be shut down, but I do think that every airline needs to check every plane because I think a lot of airlines probably have the same kind of crack.

Tsunami Sparks American Debate

The tsunami in Japan did not only cause strife to the Japanese; people all over the world have felt the emotional shock of the natural disaster.  After the tsunami waves went down, a new crisis unfolded.  The nuclear plants in Japan have caused radiation from damaged atomic reactors to spread.  This has sparked a new debate over the safety of nuclear power plants in the United States.  President Obama spoke about our need for 'energy independence.'  The question is: should we shut down our nuclear power plants in case a disaster like this happens?

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Japans-Nuclear-Crisis-Renews-Safety-Debate-117966709.html

I think we should shut down our plants.  Some people say that our plants will not have the effect that Japan's plants had, and that ours can withstand earthquakes and tsunamis, but I bet Japan thought the same thing.  There is no way to be sure that a natural disaster in our country won't cause radiation to spread from nuclear power plants.  The only option is to shut down our plants, and that's what we should do.