Obama's New Orleans visit

President Barack Obama will visit New Orleans on Thursday for the first time in office. President Obama will hold town meetings to hear residents concerns and will also visit a charter school. Although its Obama’s first time visiting New Orleans after hurricane Katrina while being in office he has been there about five times after Katrina struck. Obama is taking time and focus off major national political issues to visit New Orleans and some local Republicans believe that Obama’s visit is too short and that in order for him to fully understand the struggles and what is needed in New Orleans his stay must be longer. Apparently those Republicans believe their leader four years ago, George W. Bush, had a greater concern about New Orleans than President Obama.

$250 bonus

Barack Obama has asked congress for approval to give more than 50 million senior citizens a 250 dollar payment to make up for not increasing their social security check next year. Next year will be the first year that social security does not increase its payments to those receiving social security checks since 1975. I believe that it is not much of a inconvenient that the payments for those who receive social security will not increase because cost of living will not increase. Since the reason why payments are increased are because cost of living goes up and cost of living will not go up then there’s no reason to increase the social security payments. The 250 dollars are just a bonus which will help the economy because money is given to the people to spent which will furthermore distribute money.

Redefining Hate Crimes?

Congress is trying to expand the categorize that define a hate crime by adding attacks based on sexual orientation. Congress will add to the changes that were made after Martin Luther King J.R.’s assassination in 1968 which included crimes carried out because of race, color, religion, or national origin. The expansion will include crimes carried out because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The bill was thought to be proposed during Bush administration but faced a veto threat by the president but now has support during Obama’s administration. Many that oppose the bill argue that pastors that give sermons against gays could be persecuted as violence against gays but supporters of the bill explain that charges could only be made if “bodily injury” is involved. I believe that this bill can be easily interpreted to the benefit of people and will create problems between church and state. Since church and state should be separate I believe that the bill is playing with the line between church and state. The bill that is being proposed by congress is getting involved with church because the church has defined believes about sexual orientation and if the bill is interpreted to the benefit of some people, churches might be prohibited by law to express their believe concerning sexual orientation.