Octuplet mother has never been financially stable and on top of her 6 children she decides to have 8 more. Implanting embryos is not an inexpensive procedure, so how did she pay for her? The twist...over $160,000 in disability checks in which is suppose to go for her two mentally challenged children. And she expects to take care of 8 more children, doesn't this prove her inability and irresponsibility? Selfish.

14 Children and Financial Woes

The rage goes on as octuplet's mother tries to defend her decision of implanting six embryos after already conceiving six children prior. Not only is the public, including taxpayers, but her biggest two supporters, her mother and father, have went against. In a recent article posted by AOL news, the mother and grandmother of the babies got in a heated argument in relation to the welfare of the children. The mother's defense? " You either use them or destroy them. You either use them or destroy them. You either use them or destroy them." WRONG! First, she was nor in the right place nor the right time to have these newborn children. She already has 6 children all born after the year 2001. She must think about the welfare of her first six children before she tries to raise 8 more! Not only that but there are thousands of couples in the world that are infertile and are desperate to have these embryos. She made a mistake and worst of all she has no defense to back it up. She is not even giving these children or the public hope in success for her family.
As bad as the situation seems, there is evidence that these hospital officials who created the fiasco have some sense after all. In a Feb. 23 ABC News Report, Phil McGraw reported that Kaiser Permenante officials are now saying that the mother might have to prove she can handle the load before they can release the babies. There is no question about it, she MUST prove she is financially stable before she tries to take care of 14 children, attend college, and have no source of income. The blame is on the mother, not the children and not the taxpayers and there is no logical reason why anyone else should feel the woes of her failure except for her.

11 the new 18?

Whatever happened to human interest stories concerning the good tasks people have accomplished? Stories that make you smile when you read them? Stories that make you proud to live in a world so complex? Skimming through many different headlines of newspapers such as the Time, Washington Post, and even our own Kearney Hub, I came across stories that talked specifically about kidnapping, sexual assault, rise in crime rates, 9-year old bride-to-be, and last of all murder by an 11-year old. A recent article that didn't make me smile or be proud was that by Fox News. The article talked about the recent tragedy of a 26-year old pregnant woman who was the girlfriend of the 11-year olds father. Jordan Brown shot the woman with a 20 gauge shotgun perhaps because of jealous. The issue here is whether or not to charge the boy as a juvenile or an adult. In the article, his attorney claims, "he's confused. He looks and acts like a typical 11-year-old." This is no typical 11-year old boy! The gun the boy used was a Christmas present from his father who was training him to be a hunter. After he shot the woman, he jumped on the school bus and headed off to school. I think there is more than one issue here, whether to charge him as a child or adult and why the gun was so easy for this child to occupy. The child should be charged as an adult with 1st degree murder because he knew what he wanted to do, planned on doing it, and finally did it, period. Secondly, why was it so easy? He is 11, not 16. Has the boy had proper training to use this gun? Did anyone ever tell him the possible dangers of occupying a gun? Did his father even realize that he was only 11 years old? It seems that anymore the ages below 13 are the 18, legal. No the father should not be to blame, but there is no reason for an 11 year old to possess a 20 gauge shotgun.

Campus/Local Ideas

There are many local and campus issues at UNK and around the community of Kearney. Some issues that I have found interesting were as follows:
Rise in Tuition: An Oct. 2008 issue of the L.A. Times warns that tuition may rise approximately 6% for the 2009-2010 year for colleges nationwide including UNK. The main reason for this is state budget cuts. The main question I have is, isn't education one of the most important aspects of a state?
College Textbook Prices: A New York Times article, along with many other, addresses the issue of the cost of textbooks on campus. The main issue here is whether or not bookstores and professors consider the price of the textbook when they ask students to buy it. Is there any alternative? Now with UNK only have one bookstore, there is no other choice or price decision to be made.
Purchase of First Tier Event Center: This is a local issue that the public will have one more chance to vote on. This issue is the debate on whether or not the city of Kearney should purchase the event center located south of city limits. Most city residents, tazpayers,are against the purchase due to the rising of taxes in order to pay for the $2-$3 million center. the question I wonder is why are taxpayers responsible for this? Why not let a private company buy the center instead of raising the prices for local citizens. because of the revenue it could possibly bring to Kearney?

Ryan Allen's Gain of Fame

A recent article that was very appalling to me was an article from MSNBC and on many other websites entitled, "Drag Queen Becomes Homecoming Queen." This was a very interesting article to me for a couple reasons. First, it shows how far we have came as a country and how accepting and supportive Americans really tend to be on subjects such a gay rights. However, an article like this makes me wonder how serious people really take issues such as these. Are people really sincere about issues such as gay rights or is just a humorous approach for public interest and fame? This article is about a drag queen, Ryan Allen, who entered the homecoming queen contest and actually won. He first did it as a joke, but after he won he said it was one of the happiest moments of his life. So which is it? A joke or a real victory and step forward for American diversity?
I remember being in high school and seeing bullies vote in, as they would refer, "not so popular" students into events like homecoming candidate or prom candidate. I remember their snickering and gossiping with their friends about how funny it would be if one of the "not so popular" students won. Listening to them made me raged with anger and in a funny way really saddened. They were not doing this out of sincerity, but pure evil and in the end the "not so popular" student was talked about as the school joke.
After I read this article, I felt the same way, except I did not feel sorry for the Ryan Allen. I felt remorse for him. I felt as if he takes his lifestyle, as does everyone else, as a big joke. He ran for queen as a joke and just happened to win. He did not win because George Mason University is so diverse, but yet because it was new gossip and a way to get a good story that Allen himself participated in. I am "pro-diversity" and a firm believer that every one person must be treated equally no matter how they choose their life and how you portray yourself and show yourself to other must be with confidence. I do not think this is Allen's happiest time of his life, because really, what did he accomplish? He certainly got his fame.

As Joe Jackson, anti-smoking ban activist would say, "Smoking has always been something many people love and other people just do not get."

Smoking Ban

The recent uproar over the smoking ban leaves some businesses to smolder into ashes. This is not a civil debate; this is simply a one-sided argument that does not take into consideration the harm it could do to small businesses and their employees. The idea of legislatures trying to force individuals to take an action that they have established a right to is illogical.
The solution here is clear, cigar bars and pool halls bring in over 50% or more of their revenue from tobacco products. These venues are popular because they allow individuals to sit down, sit back, and enjoy a cigar or cigarette without getting dirty looks from the family of five at the next table. Basically, this is why establishes such as this are opened. It is obvious that slapping on a ban that would outlaw what this company was created to do would force them out of business.
Governor Dave Heineman signed into law a smoking ban that would outlaw smoking of tobacco in all public places. According to Heineman the reason was the concern of public health in the interests of business owners. He states that, “the public has a right to clean indoor air and this is a public health concern that is critical.” However, it is uncertain that Heineman took into consideration small business owner’s right to operate their businesses and also the public’s right to privacy. Heineman explains that he weighed the interests between the businesses and public health deeming that public health is more important. Individuals who have taken on this habit are knowledgeable about it. They are aware of its effects and know its harmful, but that is meaningless in this case. The fact is that people have a right as a citizen to smoke and they should choose how they want to proceed with their lives.
The last thing our state needs is another reason to support the downfall of the economy. According to John Larkin, co-owner of cigar bars in Lincoln and Omaha, since the Omaha ban has gone into effect he has gone from 12 employees to 3. His income has decreased $168,000 over 6 months. When Omaha’s first smoking ban went into effect, the Legislature made an exception for retail tobacco stores, but as of June 1, currently there are no plans for exemptions. With vast number of businesses that will no longer allow smoking, profits will decrease; therefore employees will be laid off only to again increase the national unemployment rate. Smoking in bars has been a trend that has stuck around for hundreds of years, why the sudden change now? Today’s economy already makes times challenging for all Americans. There is no sense in putting more jobs and businesses at risk.
Banning smoking in local family restaurants seem very reasonable but, banning smoking in a bar where most individuals expect it seems absurd, especially for businesses whose niche is smoking, such as most cigar bars. Banning smoking in cigar bars could be compared to banning the consumption of alcohol in bars. If individuals do not want to be around smoke they should simply not put themselves into positions in which they are. If people are entitled to “clean indoor air” they should stay put in their own homes instead of adding more exhaustion to small businesses that are already in tough positions.
In conclusion, Governor Dave Heineman must rethink the decision or be prepared for far worse results. We live in a free society and that is how it should stay. Most individuals know the harmful effects of smoking, but whether 18 or 25 years old, it is their prerogative. This sort of legislation is just another way for the government to take away our rights. This ban has two sides and legislatures must do what is best for the state as a whole. One guarantee is that individuals are not going to quit their habits, only become more and more frustrated with the people who they have voted to reflect their opinions and represent their state as a whole. This is not the right decision nor the right time to put businesses in jeopardy.

Babies, Babies, and More Babies....and There Mother

At 5 p.m. on MS NBC Dateline, an interview with the mother of octuplets was conducted. After watching it, more disgust overwhelmed me. One aspect of the interview that made me a little angered was when the mother had said she currently has NO income coming in. She is a single mother who is going back to school. She said she still plans to continue school, but in return, that allows her to be unable to hold a job. She also said that money is coming into the family through student loans and disability checks because she currently has three children who are disabled, however, her student loans are already used. Basically, she is a single mother of 14 children with NO source of money to raise them. She also claims to not be on welfare, but she is on food stamps in which she "hopes to be off when she graduates from college." The whole interview was disgusting. My question is, why did she feel the need to bring eight more children into her life at that particular time? Why did she not wait until she was finished with school and she had some source of income? Personally, I the recent pregnancy was a great way out of her existing lifestyle. She was a struggling mother of six children, had no job and no source of income, and decided to take the easy way out...having more children to claim fame. Her situation is a historical one and she knew that being a young, single mother she would get the public attention. She has more than likely accumulated thousands of dollars from interviews and speaking to the public, which in her situation helps her dearly. It's pathetic.
This woman is a selfish woman who has decided to put her children in a dire situation in order to help her financial status. What happens to the other children with eight more babies? How does one woman take care of 14 children and give enough attention to each one including one with autism? I recently worked at a daycare and state laws require there be one adult over the age of 18 for every four children. In her situation, she would need at least three people 24/7 to care for her children aside from the other every day duties a person holds.
I thought after seeing her interview and giving her a chance to speak out I would be able to understand her and her situation better, but the interview only made me more disgusted and truly proved how selfish this mother is.

He Plead the Fifth

President of Peanut Corp. has plead the fifth! On Feb. 11, Stuart Parnell went in front of the court to be question about whether or not he told his crew to send out products that he and others knowingly knew were contaminated. At court, he plead the fifth and refused to answer any questions about the situation. There is one of two reasons Parnell did this. One, he in fact did knowingly send out contaminated products and now has the guilt of seven deaths and over 400 people sick on his mind or two he again is in fact guilty and when he sent the products he was willing to take a chance and that chance sunk. Either way...the man is guilty. In a recent MS NBC article is stated that in court on the Feb. 11 an e-mail was released from Parnell to his plant manager that said, "Turn them loose." He was referring to the products that may possibly have been contaminated. It is hard to understand what was going through Parnell's at the time of this e-mail. It also goes to show really how much manufacturers really care about their consumers. Yes, the products could have went out without no one falling ill and Parnell would have been cleared...but they did not. One has to wonder if this is how every manufacturer handles problems at plants...decide on a whim and hope that everything goes well? Interesting.
After causing seven deaths and almost 400 falling ill you would think that the last thing that Parnell could do is explain or try to explain himself in front of his consumers, but as of Feb. 11 he could not.

Nebraska State Issues

As I was reading through the newspapers, I found three key issues that were repeated a lot through Nebraska news papers.

Smoking Ban
Immigration
Gambling

A lot of the articles in the paper focus around the coming of the smoking ban that will go into affect June 1. It is interesting to read these articles and see how the ban has already affected some businesses. Another issue is that of immigration. The article above is a debatable article in which states that Nebraska needs to quickly address the issue. Lastly, I was surfing the web and came across the ever ending issue of gambling in Nebraska. The article above talks about gambling in the sense of what it could do to horse racing...which is something I never really thought about. It talks about how if Nebraska does not address the issue, horse racing will come to an end...pretty interesting! Some other state issues that I came across was that of education for the younger generation, state tuition increases, and of course job losses associated with the downfall of the economy. All very important and interesting issues.

Reality T.V.

The last couple of days, I have been watching a lot of television. I have been sick since last Saturday which has forced me to stay inside and do a great deal of channel surfing. As I go through the channel, I started to do some calculations...almost every other channel I switched to was some reality show. Not the good reality shows where they would have people actually work for $100,000 but the ones where they kept the losers on the show until the end solely to make the show watchable. The first two programs I caught myself watching was, "Bad Girls Club," and "Rock of Love Bus." I swear my face remained with a disgusted look on it for 2 hours straight. Yes, I have heard bad words and I have been around drinking and etc. But every episode I watched was two girls drinking as much as they possibly could, making complete fools of themselves, then fist fighting with another girl. In the end what happened? They were asked to "Please continue to rock...blah blah blah." With the Bad Girls Club, there was no incentive whatsoever. Seven girls are thrown into a house together to get drunk, yell, then pull each other's hair out. Is this really what entertainment has come to? What happened to good old episodes and series such as Friends and Seinfeld or reality shows such as Survivor or The Bachelor where people are actually judged on the skills they have? The entertainment industry is trying way to hard to make good television when in reality all they need to do is have good programs with actually story lines.
In conclusion, reality shows have gone way to far to please their audience. Honestly, I really do not know what kind of audience these producers have conquered with the shows they are making.

Guns in Nebraska....Why?

I am currently doing an article about gun control in Nebraska and I am appalled with many mixed feelings. If I am not wrong, Nebraska recently passed a bill that allows individuals to carry a concealled weapon with a permit. Supporters for this say people have a constitutional right, and those who oppose it believe it will cause crime rates to increase. However, reading a couple different articles, it has been said that there was no link to legalizing concealed weapons and crime. My only question here is why? Why do honest people need weapons? I have talked to a few people concerning this and there response is always, "for protection". WHAT?! You're telling me that people need to carry guns around in order to scare off predators? How many times a day, especially in a city that HAD a city ban on guns, do you hear about a person getting mugged or shot? If you say once a week, that's pretty fortunate compared to some places. So 30 some thousand people should be allowed to carry guns around just feel better protected? We may as well engage in another city lay off too...the police department.
Personally, I see no relevant point in passing this law. I think if anything, everyone is now going to be a hero. Every defense case that is brought to courts will be "self-defense."
I wonder, is this law going to go in the same direction as that of the safe haven law?

Michael Phelps

I have heard a lot about Olympic superstar Michael Phelps and the recent accusation of him caught smoking marijuana. About a week ago I saw the headline on MSN that he "regrettably" admitted to smoking marijuana. I write about this to express two things: 1. this is not his first time and will not be his last, and 2. he does not regret it or is sorry for it, he is only sorry that he got caught.
Point one, Michael Phelps seems like a genuine guy with good morals. I suppose the press and himself will say he just got caught up in the fame and made a mistake. WRONG. Before winning the Olympics, Phelps was just a normal guy, who had a normal job, and partied like some normal kids (not implying that smoking marijuana is normal, but it is more common that some would think). For most people this discovery is a major shock, but really? He is a Olympic swimmer, not a activist for making marijuana illegal across America. In other words, this is not his first time and the only mistake he made was that he got caught. Not that I support him and his ways, because I do not at all. Phelps knows he is an idol and he is now "famous" and he just stuck himself right out there to get eat up by the press.
Second, Phelps is not sorry for what he has done, he just upset because he was not more careful to not get caught.
In conclusion, he is not perfect and the only mistake he made was that he became absent minded, maybe he forgot that he was an American Star now.

Babies, Babies, Babies

What kind of doctor would give a women with 6 kids already fertility drugs? Let alone place 8 more embryos inside her? Especially when the mother is quite young and still lives with her parents according to an article on MS NBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28927339?GT1=43001. This issue brings up many questions for me. The first thing that comes to my mind when I heard this is that the mother is either doing it for attention or government money. To be honest, I am not even sure that the federal or state government gives families money for having babies, but I would assume that this women would have to be on welfare or some other state or federal aid program in order to raise, now, 14 children! In this article, it states that doctors have no control on family sizes but they do try to prevent families from doing things like this. Basically, it seems to me, that the doctors feel helpless. Perhaps the doctors should not be to blame, but I do believe that a person will react to the actions of others. I think if the doctor would have tried harder, told her the risks, the expenses, how wrong this actually was, maybe this lady would have changed her mind. Fertility drugs are to be used for those people who are not able to conceive children. It sickens me to see someone who already has 6 children using these drugs, its selfish. There are so many people in the world who cannot have children and it is sad to see a woman like this basically take advantage of what she can do. Not only do I think it is wrong that she used the drugs, but in the long run it is only going to affect the children. Though she has 14 children, there is only one mother and one father. These parents will not be able to give their children the attention they need, which in the long run could cause bigger problems.
All in all, this was mistake now and will be a bigger mistake in the future. Whether this children did this for attention, money, or fame, I do not know, perhaps she did it because she just really loves going through the pain of having a child!