Federal Government Shutdown

The United States of America has not had a Federal Government shutdown in 17 years but it seems as if we are closer to that reality since then. It seems as if the two major political parties, Democrats and Republicans, are at a major stalemate of government funding regarding a particular piece of legislation. The Republicans claim they are trying to save the American people from the dangers of a legislation, Obamacare, that will end up hurting them as opposed to helping them. They voted last night to delay the bill for one more year so they can work through it. The Democrats insist that this debate has already happened over the past four years. Congress passed the bill, it was upheld by the Supreme Court and the President was reelected. They claim the American people do not want a shutdown over the bill. What do you think is motivating both parties here?

Is the media being a responsible watchdog and calling out politicians that are playing politics with the Federal Government's funding? Should they be more involved in the debate? Furthermore, the American people are clearly not in favor of defunding or shutting down.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/09/23/poll-americans-oppose-shutdown-threat-59-19-percent/

Immigration Reform Dead?

The United States Senate passed a vastly bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill over the summer to deal with the issue. One of the major lessons from the last Presidential election was the massive outreach the Republican Party must undertake in order to put itself in a favorable light with Hispanic voters. Many pundits believed that in order to begin this outreach and be able to win a larger share of the Hispanic vote the Republicans needed to put Immigration reform behind them. Unfortunately, the House has not done much in regards to this topic. In a blow to reform two of the 7 members of a bipartisan group working on the issue in the House have left the group. Do y'all think the reform is dead? And if so, what implications will this have for Republicans nationally?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/09/20/in-blow-to-immigration-reform-house-gang-of-seven-bill-looks-dead/

The Washington Post and its new owner.

Seeing as how this blog is all about seeking the truth I wonder what Post's new owner, Jeffrey P. Bezos, will bring to the organization. The Washington Post has been and will continue to be one of the most influential publications in the country and the world. I wonder how you all think this new owner will change the Post. Will he move towards a more objective or more slanted point of view? How will Mr. Bezos bring his Amazon experience to the media world. Many of the folks working at the Post are incredibly sad but ready to take on a new challenge with a new owner.

There have also been a number of publications that have been sold recently. Since these organizations are become less and less profitable do you all think that, for the industry as a whole to survive, they will have to become more opinionated? These are challenging times for the Newspaper industries; what are your opinions on how the industries should evolve to retain members?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/06/business/media/amazoncom-founder-to-buy-the-washington-post.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0