This article discusses the possible outcomes of the removal of the Route 1 bridge. The central claim to this magnificent editorial is that if the town of Yarmouth votes to take down the Route 1 bridge, that the neighborhood sense of community would be destroyed. The writer believes this, because it will take away from the cultural  aspect of the community.

The author discusses how the bridge is used for community hangings of signs for events such as the clam festival. That if it were to be removed, it would take away from the healthy residential neighborhoods nestled around the town center.

I believe that the writer hit a lot of good points. That the the evidence he brought up helps to enhance the arguments, and therefore he convinced me of his point. I too believe that the town of Yarmouth should not take down the Route 1 bridge. I say this because it would destroy many of the community’s cultural aspects.

Editorial 

The New York Times: Ukraine's Slow Collapse

The New York Times: Ukraine's Slow Collapse

Campbell Dorsett, 5W

1. What is the editorial's central claim?  The editorial expressed the poor shape that Ukraine is in currently.  Although there was a cease-fire signed between Russia and Ukraine in September, Russian tanks are still entering into Eastern Ukraine.  There is much violence, and many Ukrainians living in the east are being cut off by the government. The editorial's main claim is that the International Money Fund has provided some aid to Ukraine; however, the United States and European Union do not want to commit anymore money until the country shows a clear reform plan.

2. What us a significant piece of evidence used to support the claim?  The editorial shares that the US and EU believe that officials in Ukraine, like President Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, need to take more responsibility for their country.  Ever since Ukraine became independent, it has been plagued by corrupt leaders; these leaders have the responsibility to stop this cycle.  The evidence that the author uses to show the bad state that Ukraine is in are from its economy and industry.  First, Ukraine's currency has lost half its value against the dollar.  Also, Ukraine's coal mines and industrial centers have been shut down by separatists.

3. What is your opinion of the claim?  I believe its a smart choice to hold out on overloading the country with aid until they have a proper plan for reform. However, leaving the country feeling possible neglected and abandoned feels unethical.

Liane 5W

Source

1. The article focuses on three men who were cited as a result of feeding homeless people. Their main point is that people who are starving cannot be ignored and left to starve.
2. The article quotes the man who was arrested, Arnold Abbot, "One of the police officers said, 'Drop that plate right now,' as if I were carrying a weapon." A 90-year-old man carrying a plate of food, trying to help people who are in desperate need, is possibly detained for "up to 60 days in jail."
3. People in need cannot be ignored and left to die. Passing laws and regulations will not keep people off the streets, instead it will drive people into desperation; leading to dumpster diving, stealing and the like. 

Morgan 5B

Climate as a Moral Issue

1) The main point of this article is that global warming and other environmental problems are a moral issue. Politicians, in particular, make it about money and politics and forget the issues at hand. The author says that whether or not scientists are correct in their beliefs about global warming, the world is a stake and people need to take action

2) One example the author uses to show that politicians make it about money and politics is Senator McConnell. McConnell said “Action to protect the environment will hurt ‘my state’ ”, as he is someone who is fighting any sort of action taken by the government to help stop global warming. The author is arguing that it should not be about politics, but the morality of saving the planet. 

3) I agree that the environment is a moral issue and there should be more actions taken to help. Many people think that small steps are not enough, and therefore don’t do anything, but I think that anything and everything helps. One person alone may not have any impact, but if every single person did one thing, it would make a huge impact on the environment.  

CJ Cawley - 4W

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-the-coming-of-age-ritual-of-spend-now-save-later/2014/11/13/5fd9314e-6b73-11e4-a31c-77759fc1eacc_story.html

What is the editorial's central claim?

The central claim of my editorial is that the young generation of today is saving more than their parents, yet are still given a bad name for ‘not saving enough’. Although they are only doing the same as what their parents before had done, todays generations between zero and 34 are actually saving more than currently believed.

2. What is a significant piece of evidence used to support the argument?

In the beginning of the editorial a graph is given showing Moody’s data showing varying savings over the years in different age groups. The data shows that no matter what decade you’re in, young people always have a negative savings, a ‘dissavings’. But, the early generations have a worse savings rate than those today. The generation of now is seen as foolhardy and irresponsible with money, yet we save more than those who call us these names when they were young. 

3. What is your opinion of the claim? Add your voice.

In my opinion I see frugal spending as something unimportant. In order for an economy to expand, people must be willing to spend money. I’v learned in history class and in economics class that a little bit of debt is a good thing. It empowers the individual to work harder so they can afford and pay off their debts. On the opposite side, too much debt will damage our economy. I see that the spending of our young generation stays too high with little savings, we may be hurt in the future. But, for now, I see it as something that will help us. 

The Problems with Sweden's Prostitution Law

1. Name: Libby King

Class: 2W

Citation: 

Bennachie, Calum. "The Problems with Sweden's Prostitution Law." National Post. Mar 29 2014.           ProQuest. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.

Link: 

http://search.proquest.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/newsstand/docview/1511370973/fulltext/26FFEDAC09A74CD2PQ/13?accountid=17222

2. What is the editorial's central claim?

This editorial’s central claim, as stated in the first sentence of The problems with Sweden's prostitution law, involves the following: “There are so many things wrong with the MP Joy Smith's arguments regarding prostitution ('Prostitution must not be legalized,' March 25)” (Bennachie). Thereby, although this aspect of the claim is not blatantly stated, Calum Bennachie makes it clear that he is in favor of legalized prostitution. Particularly, he repeatedly slams opposer of legalized prostitution, Joy Smith; he states that Smith has a tendency to “continually claim things about the Swedish law that are not true” (Bennachie).

3. What is a significant piece of evidence used to support the argument?

Bennachie references many sources, countries, and policies to support his pro-prostitution, anti-Smith argument. For example, one significant piece of evidence involves New Zealand’s Prostitution Reform Act and Bennachie’s analysis of Smith’s editorial: "Ms. Smith claims that, 'under New Zealand law, brothels can easily exploit women by threatening to fire them if they do not provide the services demanded.' Yet, the PRA say that it is illegal to coerce someone into having commercial sex. This is the legal protection that Ms. Smith says is not there. Furthermore, she is obviously unaware of the laws against rape that New Zealand has. Or does she always make up fiction like this?" (Bennachie). In this passage, Bennachie cleverly presents his evidence through combining hard facts and subjective evaluation. Consequently, the reader is enticed by this crafty tactic, largely enhancing his argument as a whole. 

4. What is your opinion of the claim? Add your voice.

Although I think Bennachie presents a strong argument, I disagree with his pro-legalization perspective for many reasons. For starters, prostitution is simply immoral and, thus, should be considered a crime. Due to the fact that most prostitutes are female, the practice is degrading to women and likely enhances probability of rape and violence. Lastly, legalizing prostitution would plausibly increase the spread of disease and STDs, adding on yet another negative potential offshoot.

Ranked-choice petition first step towards reform: Nate Gallagher (5B)

Ranked-choice petition first step towards reform

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/31/view-ranked-choice/

1. The editorial’s central claim is that Mainers should should sign a petition to replace the state’s current electoral process with a Ranked-choice system which would guarantee that a winning candidate would have the approval of a majority of voters. The Ranked-choice system sounds more complicated than it actually is. Here’s how it works: in a race with more than two candidates, voters are given the option to rank as few or as many of the candidates in order of who they want elected. In the event that no candidate wins a majority, the last-place runner is immediately eliminated and his or her second place votes are assigned to those still in the race until someone reaches fifty percent. 

2. The argument made in this editorial mainly relies on soft facts. For example, the author claims that with the implementation of the Ranked-choice system, Maine would see a drastic decrease in the amount of attack ads during election season. The author reasons that these negative ads would alienate groups of voters, and it would be less likely that these voters would put the politician running the ad as their second choice. The system would require politicians to appeal to ALL Mainers and would encourage cleaner elections. 

3. I believe that Mainers should sign this petition because I believe that a Ranked-choice system would be the best for the state. The biggest problem with the current electoral process is that voters aren’t choosing who they think is the best candidate, instead they're conceding by picking their second choice candidate just so the “other guy” doesn’t end up in office. We let polls and negative ads have more an impact on our selection than the actual qualities of the candidates.  These are decisions made out of fear and they only perpetuate this extreme political polarization currently taking place. Ranked-choice voting is an immediate fix to this problem. Voters would be able to vote for who they think is the best candidate without fear that their vote would be wasted. Something’s clearly wrong with the system if no governor since 1998 has won a majority of votes in their respective elections. We need ranked-choice voting to ensure that at least a majority of Mainers approve of the winning candidate, otherwise splits in the vote caused by similar candidates could land someone in office with little popular support. 

Moving Past a Destructive Campaign

Moving past a destructive campaign. (2014, Nov 16). Portland Press Herald Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1625166630?accountid=17222

1. The editorial’s central claim is that the direction and governing of our state is becoming secondary to the malicious campaign tactics and their residual effects on politicians. 

2. A significant piece of evidence used by the author are the attacks on the politicians, especially Paul LePage. Media has maliciously attacked LePage, calling him an “embarrassment”, a “joke”, a “buffoon”, a “sleaze ball”, and a “bully”. It is essential that our politicians are respected by the people, the media, and each other. In their campaigns, incumbent and aspiring politicians use this as ammunition against each other in order to vilify opposing candidates. We think that after these attacks, and officials are elected to office, that they can put aside what happened during the campaigns. These campaigns hinder the effectiveness with which politicians can work together. The people of Maine deserve a productive government, which means two parties that can work together without negative afterthoughts from campaigns.

3. I agree with this editorial. During the campaign season I have seen at least 50 malicious attack ads against politicians. They do work, as I am left with a negative view of the attacked politician. What I realize though is that most of these advertisements emphasize negative, yet somewhat trivial aspects of politicians, and often from a very radical perspective. In the end, each of these delegates are hardworking, good people, and deserve to be treated and recognized as so. For the politicians personally, and for the state and its government as a whole.

A Showdown on the Pay Gap

Sydney Mogul-Campbell-2W

"A Showdown on the Pay Gap"-The New York Times
http://search.proquest.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/newsstand/docview/1561599798/A71F1E75628B4A2FPQ/2?accountid=17222

Central Claim:
Congress has repeatedly declined the Paycheck Fairness Act to be passed despite the support from President Obama and the need for payment equality in the workforce.

Significant Piece of Evidence:
In more than 60% of American families, the woman is the source of income to the family. This crucial statistic shows that women should be making just as much per hour that a man does, especially since in most cases she is the only source of an income. For each dollar a full-time, hard working man makes, the woman in the same position makes only 77 cents, no matter how hard or long she works. This is the case in over 99% of the professions in the workforce.

Opinion:
I think it is ridiculous that as one the most developed and powerful countries in the world, we are still strongly faced with the domestic issue of gender inequality. Not only in payments, but in general are women labeled as inferior to men. Not receiving equal pay, equal health benefits, or equal titles is demoralizing to women. As nearly half of our population and 60% of household income, women should at the least be receiving equal pay as men. For every dollar a hard working man makes, a women makes 3/4. People are always advocating for gender equality, so why should, in a huge aspect of a woman's life, should we be worth 3/4 of what a man is?

Let's fight terrorism with giving up freedom

Cody Cook

5W

Citation: 

Fagin, Barry. "Let's fight terrorism with giving up freedom." Editorial. Gazette 04 July 2013: n. pag. ProQuest Newsstand. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.

2. Fagin’s central claim in this article is that the possibility of terrorism on U.S. soil is better than the certainty of domestic surveillance.  Fagin believes that we should never give up personal liberties for supposed safety, which he argues is not real security because there is not even completely safety from freak attacks in a police state.

3. A significant piece of evidence that Fagin uses to support his claim is that massive electronic domestic mining has also been “shrouded in secrecy.”  Therefore, we should not blindly except that this will keep us safer from terrorism.  To the contrary, Fagin believes that reducing our military footprint overseas will save the United States money, which should then be given as a tax break to Americans.  Because prosperity and wealth, Fagin argues, are America’s most effective weapons, the United States should fight terrorism economically (especially because there are those who hate everything that America stands for, so there will be anti-American sentiment no matter what we do).  

4. I agree with Fagin’s perspective.  I would rather have the possibility of terrorism on U.S. soil than the near certainty of domestic surveillance.  One of the founding principles of our country is the right to privacy, which is clearly attacked when the government tracks our phone calls and reads our emails.  As John Adams once said, “A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” 

Powerless Fast-Food Workers Need Organizers

Grace Fortin

Lewis

2 White

http://libraries.maine.edu/mainedatabases/authmaine.asp?url=http://search.proquest.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/docview/1499422631?accountid=17222

Central Claim: Workers at many major fast-food chains, in addition to being payed very little and having little to no health benefits, are being punished for joining strikes by having their hours cut severely. Fewer than two percent of food service workers are part of a union, and one way to improve their conditions and protect their rights is to increase this percentage.

Significant Evidence: One piece of evidence that shows the effectiveness of advocating for workers and their rights is a description of how the Restaurant Opportunities Center United, based in New York, helped many workers in one restaurant chain. The advocacy group helped win a $5.25 million settlement against celebrity chef Mario Batali, whose employees at several restaurants claimed their employer had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. In addition, ROC-United offers many other benefits to workers, such as affordable healthcare plans and free job training.

My Opinion: There is no doubt in my mind that there are many things wrong with the fast-food industry. Even ignoring for the moment the long list of grievances regarding the food itself, it is clear that it is time to focus on the people who are working for these large and very powerful companies as well. Although unions are increasingly becoming a rarity today, they can still be effective in getting the company’s attention and upholding the rights of the workers. Even less orthodox organizations than traditional unions and strikes would be beneficial to the rise against the monstrous oppression that these workers face every day.

Confronting Child Abuse

Lydia Sullivan Lewis 2W

http://search.proquest.com.ursus-proxy-10.ursus.maine.edu/newsstand/docview/405535767/D9E8F5BC8EC4635PQ/7?accountid=17222

CONFRONTING CHILD ABUSE. (2003, Jul 01). Boston Globe Retrieved from http:// search.proquest.com/docview/405535767?accountid=17222

Editorial’s central claim:

The awareness of child abuse has improved in Massachusetts, but prevention measures need to keep up.

Significant piece of evidence used to support the argument:

“The state Department of Social Services conducts roughly 37,000 child abuse investigations annually. Of those, 21,000 are recommended for follow-up action by prosecutors or caseworkers. But no one should assume that all is well in the rest of the homes.”

My opinion of the claim:

I agree strongly with this editorial’s claim. I agree that although there is awareness circulating about child abuse, prevention tactics need to improve to keep up with the large numbers of child abuse cases. After reading about the possible prevention measures, I agree with the decision to introduce caseworkers into new sections of Boston to give strategies for preventing child abuse. The end of the editorial explains how beneficial centers for child abuse prevention could be. However, there are none of these centers in Massachusetts. I also agree that these centers would be beneficial. Over all, I strongly agree with the central claim of this Boston Globe editorial.

The Worst Voter Turnout in 72 Years

Noah Colby-George, 3, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/opinion/the-worst-voter-turnout-in-72-years.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

The editorial’s central claim is that not enough people showed up for the midterm elections that took place earlier this month

In 43 states, less than half the population eligible to vote did any such thing. In California, Texas, and New York, the three largest states, less than a third of the eligible voting population voted. The national voting turnout was 36.3%. Only the 1942 federal midterm election had a lower turnout at 33.9%.

I think this is much too low of a voter turnout. Yes, there are some people who are too lazy to vote no matter what the situation is, but I think this is largely the fault of the campaigning process and the recent success or lack thereof shown by Congress. The people have to be inspired to vote, and voting for people who attack the opposition relentlessly or who are tied to corporations/people who paid for his or her campaign is not exactly galvanizing. Legislative members are more concerned with making sure nothing good happens to members of their opposing party than working together to solve our nations issues. Who wants to vote for that? This is not to say that abstaining from voting is a solution to these problems, but steps could be taken by those running for government positions to make showing up to the polls more appealing to people who are on the fence about whether to vote or not.

Ian Murrin, Editorial Presentation

Ian Murrin
Lewis, 5W
Editorials keeping kids from killing. (1997, Jan 31). The Atlanta Constitution Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/413625973?accountid=17222

Editorial's Claim:
      The editorial claims that the most important problem to focus on regarding the case of homicidal adolescents is to focus on and help the adolescents and do what we can to make sure they have the help and necessities/economic owning to keep them from going down or continuing down a path of hurt and possible imprisonment. 


Significant Piece of Evidence:
      The most outstanding and significant piece of evidence that the Editorial's author used in the writing of the argument was that regarding the availability for the adolescents to get firearms. 

                    "By one estimate there are at least 200 million guns in circulation in America, almost enough to arm every man, woman and child. Without strict laws insisting that gun owners keep their firearms locked away, it's no wonder that children continue to get guns." (Keeping Kids from Killing)

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       It shows the abundance of firearms in the US, and addresses why it may be easy to get one in the house, as there were no strict laws as how to lock them up.

      My Opinion of the Claim:

             My opinion is that I agree that the problem to be addressed is the kids who are in danger of killing or have killed. Be it due to psychological reasons, or material reasons, possibly even laws against weapons or dangerous material, I think that help should be made available for the kids so that all options are open to avoid criminal actions, and that all measures are taken to make it dangerous situations less frequent.

d

 E  

Birth control access, use key in abortion decline

Sabrina Caramando, 2W
Birth control access, use key in abortion decline. (2014, Feb 05). Kennebec Journal Retrieved from 

Editorial's central claim:  Abortion is not declining because of restrictions, but by birth control.  We should focus on what unites us by bettering the lives of women with easy access to birth control.

Evidence:  Maine is a center of pro-reproductive rights, and has seen a 12% drop in the abortion rate from 2008 to 2011.  In relation, use of effective birth control (IUDs and hormone implants) has also increased in the same timespan.  Also, the fairly new The Affordable Care Act has mandated that contraceptives be covered by all healthcare plans.  Finally, 89% of all U.S. adults believe contraception in morally acceptable to prevent unintended pregnancies.

My opinion:  I believe that the reason why abortion rate have gone down is because of more accessible contraceptives.  Before the Affordable Care Act, abortion rates were much higher than they are now, and was also a time when birth control was not readily available to everyone.  Abortion restriction attempts are not the reason why this safe and legal procedure is not as common today.  Men and women are being educated about and given recourses to birth control that has decreased the rate of unwanted pregnancies, and therefore, the rate of abortion.

First post

Hi all!