Will Cigarettes Ever Be Banned?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/24/opinion/greene-cigarettes/index.html?hpt=op_bn8

            Cigarettes and tobacco have been legal to use in America since it’s founding in 1776.  The first pushes to ban cigarettes came in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Since banning cigarettes has proven to be very unlikely, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) attempted to make it mandatory to have graphic pictures of black lungs or tracheotomies on the cover of cigarette containers.  These proposals were denied by congress due to the fact that it violated free speech rights. The FDA is trying to speak out for the roughly 443,000 who die each year because of use of this product. So now the question is raised. Will cigarettes ever be illegal? 

            My answer: not in our lifetime. The reasons are numerous and are very hard to argue against. Around a fifth of adults in America smoke; any politician would be mad to try and take away what so many people love and “need”.  The government of America may also be against the ban of this product even if it does harm this many people. Billions of tax dollars are brought in each year and taxes increase on this product annually.  Another thought that would scare legislature from banning cigarettes: Prohibition. We all know that the banning of alcohol was very ugly. It hurt America and only led to it being sold illegally without tax. All these reasons for not being able to ban this harmful item leave very little hope for trying to save many lives. Currently, the only option is to try and raise awareness of the dangerous causes of cigarette smoking.

Dropping Wrestling from the Olympics

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/opinion/downey-olympic-wrestling/index.html?hpt=op_bn9

"Dropping Wrestling from the Olympics"

           Wrestling is a sport that has been around longer than any other. It is a one on one, battle of the fittest. This past February, plans to drop wrestling from the Olympics were revealed. Wrestling has been in the Olympics from its start in 708 B.C. and also in 1896 A.D. when the “modern Olympics” were said to have began. Reasons for dropping the sport are mainly because of the recent decline in popularity and participation. Worldwide, wrestlers have shown opposition to the proposition of dropping wrestling from the Olympics.

            These new plans to drop the oldest sport in the Olympics are questionable to say the least.  The history of this sport should be enough to keep it around. Nations across the world compete and it's not as if one nation dominates the sport every year.  Bulgaria has sixty-eight medals, Finland and Sweden have one hundred and sixty-seven medals, and countries all over the world have wrestlers placing each year.  Especially since sports like badminton and synchronized diving are still prevalent in the Olympics, it makes eliminating wrestling that much worse. The competition in wrestling is fierce and to take away this from the Olympics would be verging on sinful.

Ethics of Cloning a Neanderthal

Ethics of Cloning a Neanderthal

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/24/opinion/caplan-neanderthal-baby/index.html?hpt=op_bn8

In the last decade, the growing study of biogenetics has taken off in the science community. This field has been growing faster than any other and is one that has made noteworthy progress. This progress has led to the new ideas and research in using genes of Neanderthals, woolly mammoths, and other extinct organisms to bring them back to life. Ethical debates and issues have been raised with these up and coming developments. The cloning of the Neanderthal sparks the most controversy due to its genetic and physical similarities to humans.

The main question: Is cloning a Neanderthal ethical? My answer: No. These hominids were the first to have proof of burying their dead and to show signs of believing in an afterlife. This means that bringing a Neanderthal back to life not only would be hard on that individual, but it would be against the beliefs of most religions. This would create worldwide tension and that might be even harder to deal with than trying to raise this Neanderthal.

The countless problems created for this Neanderthal would be substantial. He (or she) would be the only member of the Neanderthal species in the world. This would create issues in how he would go through life and whether or not he would just be used for testing. Being a testing dummy and an outsider to society would create a life of possible depression and confusion on how he would be treated. Would he be under the same laws as humans? Where would he live? What role in society would he have? There are many questions and not enough answers. The cloning of a Neanderthal is an entanglement of ethical and social questions. In my opinion, it should not be done.

New Jersey "One-Gun-a-Month" Law

New Jersey “One-Gun-a-Month” Law

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/opinion/new-jerseys-useful-one-gun-a-month-law.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

New Jersey, along with three other states, has a “One-Gun-a-Month law”. This law was put into affect to decrease the number of guns and gun stockpiles in America. Recently, the NRA objected to the law and said it went against the Second Amendment and denied gun owners “due process”. The United States Court of Appeals upheld the state’s law and made no changes on it.

            The recent challenge of this law, by the NRA, is wrong and has no logical reason behind it. States with these laws even allow some leeway to collectors! Studies showing improvement in the decrease of guns were done in Virginia to show this law's effectiveness. Over a two-year span, the number of guns found in criminal investigations dropped from thirty-five to sixteen percent. These facts do not lie.

            If these laws are actually taking guns out of the hands of roughly half of the criminals in an area, then they should be in effect across America. The NRA can try and substitute safety with guns and collections, but this does not help the well being of our country. It would be my hope that they will soon understand how these laws help the U.S, not hurt it.

NRA's Controversial Ad on Guards in Schools

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NRA’s Controversial Ad on Guards in Schools

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/4-pinocchios-for-a-slashing-nra-ad-on-security-at-sidwell-friends-school/2013/01/16/95b2127a-6032-11e2-9940-6fc488f3fecd_blog.html

A recent commercial issued by the NRA created quite the buzz from people around the country. The roughly four minute ad asked why Obama’s daughters, Malia and Sasha, get the protection of guards while many schools in America have nothing of the sort. The ad even goes as far as asking why his kids are more important than the children of those watching the ad. Federal law states that the family of the president should be protected by secret service to help protect against attacks.

These laws seem fair right? The NRA seems to disagree. They call President Obama an “elitist hypocrite” for allowing his children to have protection. I cannot see how they can make this claim when he is just following federal regulation. What do they want from him! He never stated he was against the protection of children, having guards in schools, or anything that prevents trying to help children. The NRA seems to be reaching for something that might not be there.

            The NRA stated that Obama was “skeptical” of having guns in schools. These words are taken out of context from an interview Obama did in December. In the full quote, Obama says, “I am skeptical that the only answer is putting guns in schools.” Shouldn’t we all be? I feel like having multiple, fully armed guards at Prep would be a breach of my peace of mind as an American. This would only divert those trying to harm people to other areas such as movie theaters, office buildings and other social gathering places. I do not want to live in a police state, Obama agrees. Putting more counselors and responsible leaders in schools is what America needs to prevent violence, not guns.

New York Bans Big Gulp

"New York Bans Big Gulp" http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/13/health/new-york-soda-ban/index.html

Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions and governments have started getting involved. Currently over one-third of U.S adults are obese and over one half of New Yorkers are considered overweight.  This past September, New York became the first state to put a ban on large, sugary drinks.  This interdict prevented those in the state from buying pop or other unhealthy drinks of sixteen ounces or larger in restaurants, gas stations, and servers across the state. Mayor Bloomberg stated that New York needed this not only to combat obesity, but also to try to lower the four billion dollars spent on Medicare for obese people in the state.  Seven out of eight on the board of health in New York voted for the bill’s passing for the same reasons that Bloomberg suggested. This has caused anger from many all over the state and across America.

It is well known that America is the fattest country in the world, but is it appropriate for a state governments to take away people’s right to drink massive amounts of sugar?  Personally, I enjoy a large forty-two ounce coke or slushy every once in a while.  I also understand that people drinking these liquids daily are doing nothing but hurting themselves. For this reason, although it is hard to accept, this may be a necessary step in limiting obesity in America.  Should this ban be placed on America? I might miss my Big Gulp too much.

My Life

My Life

            My name is Micah Rensch. Sports, school, and family life have always been at the forefront of my life. My grandpa swears he never saw me without some sort of ball in my hand as a kid.  From day one of my life sports have been part of who I am. I played football, basketball, and baseball basically out of womb and continue to play those three sports in high-school. By playing sports I can get my mind off any worries from my day and help my daily life.  Through these sports I have discovered how to work hard and try to apply this to my school life and life as a person.  I always work my hardest in school and try to be a kind and caring person even though I get intense during sports.