National Day of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer was made official in 1952, and before that there were other days of prayer. The day dates back to 1775. Is the National Day of prayer Unconstitutional? That is the current question on hand and President Obama is speaking up and saying no. The case is Freedom from religion vs. President Barack Obama, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, and will be heard by the Supreme Court. In 2008, the Freedom from Religion Foundation sued President George W. Bush and other members of his administration stating that the day violated separation of Church and State. The Obama administration asked U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to dismiss the case in March 2009, but instead the case was amended to include President Obama.

Judge Crabb ruled on April 15, 2010 that the statue enacting the national Day of Prayer is unconstitutional and in her reasoning she states “...Recognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it, any more than the government may encourage citizens to fast during the month of Ramadan, attend a synagogue, purify themselves in a sweat lodge or practice rune magic.” The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice to appeal the ruling on April 22, 2010.

The fact that people are arguing this seems ridiculous to me. We have already taken so much religious freedoms away from people because others are so worried that Christianity will take over the U.S. There is now no more prayer in schools, at sporting events, and children have gotten sent to the principal’s office for praying in class. The National Day of Prayer needs to stay. As judge Crabb admits herself, prayer gives people hope and in times of crisis and grief it can actually help people survive. This day celebrates faith, hope, and love, and taking it away would be a disgrace. If people don’t want to participate then they do not have to, they can just ignore it all together just as some people ignore holidays such as Valentine’s Day. It’s not like the government is forcing anyone to pray to God. It’s just a day set aside so that people that choose to can celebrate their individual faith and spirituality. This is a good thing and it should stick around.

Should Abortion be illegal?

My fellow classmate, Megan posted a blog about abortion that I would like to respond to. Megan believes the government is taking away our rights little by little, and she believes that considering making abortion illegal is taking away a very important right. Megan states that the government might make it legal if the person was raped or it is medically necessary. She also makes the point that "the last thing our country needs is more unwanted babies that are brought into a non loving family...” To this I have to say: don’t have sex if you don't want a baby! Pregnancy is 100% preventable. 100%! It is your choice to have sex, and as responsible adults, we know that this can lead to pregnancy and a life.
A baby has a beating heart at about 5 weeks after fertilization. Many times, women are just realizing they are pregnant, and their baby's heart is beating. This means that when women get an abortion, they are killing a baby, stopping its beating heart. Why should women be able to choose to stop a beating heart? Because it's "their body their right?" Well then, they should choose to not have sex with their body, and then there would be no baby to have to worry about. The baby should have rights, it did not ask to be brought into the world, and should have a chance at life. As for the people that have an unwanted child, there are always other options. Millions of people are unable to have children and would love to adopt a baby. Women should and do have the right to choose. The choice is in whether or not to have sex. Not whether or not to take another human life away.

Healthcare

So, as you can probably tell if you've read any of my other posts, I'm not exactly an Obama fan. I'm also definitely not a fan of the new healthcare bill. As a nursing student, this bill, now a law, has been of interest to me.
In my opinion, this is just a horrible idea, and something that is not good for our country. I know a lot of people think this is going to bring great change and good things for the people in this country who cannot afford to pay for healthcare and for those who have pre-existing medical conditions. As a child, I watched my parents struggle as well as my grandparents. My grandfather had lung cancer and the medical bills that ensued were outrageous. I DO think something needs to be done to “fix” our healthcare system. However, I DO NOT think this is the answer.
One of the main reasons this is a bad idea is because there are so many little things packed into this law that the bad definitely out-weighs the good.
For example, with this bill, it will now be harder for people to deduct healthcare expenses from their taxes. Last year, medical expenses had to be at least 7.5% of a person's income in order for them to qualify for deduction. Now, medical expenses will need to be 10% of a person's income to qualify. This is going to shut out millions of working Americans that can use this deduction.
This is just one small example of the many things wrong with this bill and one example of the "sneaky" things crammed into the bill. This is not the answer to our healthcare problems, and as Americans start to realize all of the "hidden gems" in the bill, I think they wil start agreeing with me.