After about 8 months of service, I am officially leaving Blogger, but don't worry, I will continue to post regular blogs. I am in the process of starting a new project called VolBlogs, which will have several UT student contributors. I will update you all on its progress via Facebook and Twitter as I get the site finished up.
Meanwhile, if you'd like to become a contributor to VolBlogs, I am still looking for a couple more writers, so please let me know. See this site to find out how you can join us!
Thanks for reading with me, see you in a couple weeks on VolBlogs.
November 15, 2010
November 12, 2010
Another Reason to Thank Your Veterans
The military spending in our country gets a lot of attention from both ends of the political spectrum. This year, the total Defense budget in the U.S. was up 3% to $685,000,000,000.00
Yeah, that's a lot of zeros.
But, regardless of how you feel about the money we allocate to national defense, you can't deny the amazing technology that the military has given us. I just read an article about the Army's development of tooth-cleaning gum, expected to reach the private sector soon, and that may be one of the least significant advancements that the military has brought us. For example, most of the research done to make nuclear power possible was done during the Manhattan Project in World War II. The project basically created the city of Oak Ridge just outside of Knoxville, TN - the town grew to 25 times its pre-war size between 1942 and 1943 - and has allowed for continued research in many fields of science and engineering to flourish in East Tennessee. The military had a hand in the evolution and growth of the internet, GPS, jet engines, digital photography, and radar to name a few.
Due in part to the fact that the military in our country has such a large budget, they have been able to invent many significant technologies that are now in use every day in the private sector, and thanks to all the dedicated soldiers, scientists, engineers, and other creative minds in our country, I think the military will continue to churn out the newest and greatest technologies. I'm a day late for Veteran's Day, but I'd like to thank all our current and past members of the US Military for their hard work, devotion, and service to our country and advancing it on every front.
Yeah, that's a lot of zeros.
But, regardless of how you feel about the money we allocate to national defense, you can't deny the amazing technology that the military has given us. I just read an article about the Army's development of tooth-cleaning gum, expected to reach the private sector soon, and that may be one of the least significant advancements that the military has brought us. For example, most of the research done to make nuclear power possible was done during the Manhattan Project in World War II. The project basically created the city of Oak Ridge just outside of Knoxville, TN - the town grew to 25 times its pre-war size between 1942 and 1943 - and has allowed for continued research in many fields of science and engineering to flourish in East Tennessee. The military had a hand in the evolution and growth of the internet, GPS, jet engines, digital photography, and radar to name a few.
Due in part to the fact that the military in our country has such a large budget, they have been able to invent many significant technologies that are now in use every day in the private sector, and thanks to all the dedicated soldiers, scientists, engineers, and other creative minds in our country, I think the military will continue to churn out the newest and greatest technologies. I'm a day late for Veteran's Day, but I'd like to thank all our current and past members of the US Military for their hard work, devotion, and service to our country and advancing it on every front.
November 2, 2010
Election Day - Part 2
I'd like to address another issue concerning elections today as well. Young people may be generally apathetic towards voting, but there are also greater hurdles for college students to get over before they can legally vote as compared to their older counterparts.
First off, many college students register at home and must submit an absentee ballot. That would be fine except that you can't cast an absentee vote the first time you do so. You have to physically attend the polls for your first election, so a lot of students get discouraged because they would have to drive all the way back home (in the middle of the week) just to vote.
Next, voting takes much more effort and much longer than it really should. The act of casting your ballot may take 2 to 5 minutes, but there are lines, questions about which polling station you should attend, and time conflicts with class and working hours.
I think voting should be moved online personally. I voted in person today with nothing but a voter registration card. No one checked a picture ID, they simply asked me if I still lived at the same address. This seems wildly easy to lie about and I was amazed that they did not even care to look at my driver's license. Well, I did not live at the same address, so as I expected, I had to fill out some paperwork and then drive to another polling station about 8 blocks away. For people who commute 45 minutes to work every day, driving to the polls near their home must be a real chore. Of course, there's early voting, but personally I like to see the campaign all the way through before I decide on my candidate. Anyway, the rules for this process are horribly archaic and over-complicated. The process does not eliminate the possibility of fraud, it just makes it more work to get to the polls.
But, I won't complain without making at least some suggestions:
1. Why can't voting day be a national mandatory holiday? If the government expects people to show up, shouldn't they at least be allowed off work for half of the day? For students or young people working a menial job or attending class, driving to their respective polling place may be difficult if not impossible to do.
2. Voting online. I think this one will happen eventually. There is no reason to have to attend a physical polling location if they don't even check your picture ID, and this could be checked on many people's personal computers (think webcams, etc). Of course, sending sensitive voting data through the interweb scares people, so it really depends on improvements in security in the coming years.
Anyway, enough for election day, and if you made it through all that, thanks for reading!
First off, many college students register at home and must submit an absentee ballot. That would be fine except that you can't cast an absentee vote the first time you do so. You have to physically attend the polls for your first election, so a lot of students get discouraged because they would have to drive all the way back home (in the middle of the week) just to vote.
Next, voting takes much more effort and much longer than it really should. The act of casting your ballot may take 2 to 5 minutes, but there are lines, questions about which polling station you should attend, and time conflicts with class and working hours.
I think voting should be moved online personally. I voted in person today with nothing but a voter registration card. No one checked a picture ID, they simply asked me if I still lived at the same address. This seems wildly easy to lie about and I was amazed that they did not even care to look at my driver's license. Well, I did not live at the same address, so as I expected, I had to fill out some paperwork and then drive to another polling station about 8 blocks away. For people who commute 45 minutes to work every day, driving to the polls near their home must be a real chore. Of course, there's early voting, but personally I like to see the campaign all the way through before I decide on my candidate. Anyway, the rules for this process are horribly archaic and over-complicated. The process does not eliminate the possibility of fraud, it just makes it more work to get to the polls.
But, I won't complain without making at least some suggestions:
1. Why can't voting day be a national mandatory holiday? If the government expects people to show up, shouldn't they at least be allowed off work for half of the day? For students or young people working a menial job or attending class, driving to their respective polling place may be difficult if not impossible to do.
2. Voting online. I think this one will happen eventually. There is no reason to have to attend a physical polling location if they don't even check your picture ID, and this could be checked on many people's personal computers (think webcams, etc). Of course, sending sensitive voting data through the interweb scares people, so it really depends on improvements in security in the coming years.
Anyway, enough for election day, and if you made it through all that, thanks for reading!
Election Day - Part 1
Another election day has come and gone (on the East Coast at least). College kids are notoriously bad about turning out to vote, and although the 2008 Presidential Election was a record-breaking year for young voter turnout, mid-term elections are rarely attended well by people under 30 years old.
I heard plenty of excuses from my peers about why they would not be voting in today's election from "I don't know anything about the candidates" to "I just don't care because the whole system is bull s***", but neither one of those excuses are really viable.
Sure, thirty years ago you may have had to pay close attention to the news or paper to glean enough information to make an informed decision about your local representatives, but today it only takes a couple of quick Google searches to know where the candidates stand on the major issues, read about any controversies surrounding them, and find out who endorses them. I realize that college students are busy, and that political issues don't usually make it into casual conversation at the bar, but taking an hour to read about your state's potential leaders is not hard to do, and it could make a huge difference on your life. Most in-state students at UT receive a substantial scholarship from the state lottery every year, so don't assume that state politics doesn't do anything for you.
Now, to those who think that the whole system is unfair or that their vote couldn't possibly matter...I guess I'll just use a quick Kantian-style argument: What if everyone thought that way? I guess we wouldn't even have elections and we'd be thrown into anarchy. I'll admit that the system favors candidates who are more well-connected and have a stronger economic and educational background, but if more young people took the time and effort to vote, their vote would matter, so don't be part of the problem; be the solution.
I heard plenty of excuses from my peers about why they would not be voting in today's election from "I don't know anything about the candidates" to "I just don't care because the whole system is bull s***", but neither one of those excuses are really viable.
Sure, thirty years ago you may have had to pay close attention to the news or paper to glean enough information to make an informed decision about your local representatives, but today it only takes a couple of quick Google searches to know where the candidates stand on the major issues, read about any controversies surrounding them, and find out who endorses them. I realize that college students are busy, and that political issues don't usually make it into casual conversation at the bar, but taking an hour to read about your state's potential leaders is not hard to do, and it could make a huge difference on your life. Most in-state students at UT receive a substantial scholarship from the state lottery every year, so don't assume that state politics doesn't do anything for you.
Now, to those who think that the whole system is unfair or that their vote couldn't possibly matter...I guess I'll just use a quick Kantian-style argument: What if everyone thought that way? I guess we wouldn't even have elections and we'd be thrown into anarchy. I'll admit that the system favors candidates who are more well-connected and have a stronger economic and educational background, but if more young people took the time and effort to vote, their vote would matter, so don't be part of the problem; be the solution.
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