Government Censorship

The government censors many things all the time. They mainly censor things that show weaknesses in our country. For instance, you never see American caskets being carried out of a plan or truck. This is because it's demoralizing to the American citizens. Although the public doesn't want to see this it's important that they do so they can realize that this war is affecting us as well. The government also censored many things in the vietnam war such as our soldiers dying, coffins with American flags on them, and the horrible after effects of chemical weapons called Agent Orange. The government pretty much censors all the losses and bad things that happen to America. It mostly takes place during wars or acts of war such as 9/11. The government censors many things on the news and reports to protect the confidence of the people.

One accusation after another.

Republican's are doing everything they can to increase the pressure and struggle that Obama faces on a day-to-day basis. Donald Trump and many other Americans accused President Obama of being a foreigner in a desperate attempt to turn the public against Obama. This caused skepticism throughout the hearts and minds of many Americans. Once the public and press demanded Obama's birth certificate, President Obama thought nothing of it since it was a very inaccurate accusation. He then realized that many Americans weren't as smart as he thought they were and they were beginning to actually believe that Obama was born in another country. He then proved everyone wrong by showing them his birth certificate but they obviously don't buy it and say that the hospital is a faulty hospital. It's honestly completely ridiculous how desperate people are to bring Obama down and it's scary how out of their way they're willing to go in order for this to happen. What's truly ridiculous though is how people can actually fall for these false accusations and how truly idiotic some Americans are. These multiple false accusations have turned many people against Obama and that's exactly what they were intended to do.

Obama the Foreigner?

Lately, President Obama has been accused of being a foreigner multiple times. Donald Trump has been all over this trying to convince the public that Obama was born in another country. Donald Trump's accusations have turned many Americans against Obama and have made many more Americans skeptical about President Obama's legitimacy. It’s amazing how such a ridiculously inaccurate accusation can make the president’s job even more stressful. Any educated individual wouldn’t even consider to begin believing this rumor until there was proof but it seems that most Americans believe he is a foreigner and will continue to have that mentality until proven otherwise which is why Donald Trump made the accusation out of no where. He knew it’d turn the public against Obama and put him in a tough position. Although President Obama has to deal with a very tough situation, he’s been playing it off very well. It’s amazing how the public can be convinced to believe almost anything that is said on the news.

United States vs. Nixon

During President Nixon's 1974 reelection campaign, Nixon hired people to break into the white house and rig the election so Nixon would win. Once he was caught, the case was brought to court. When the prosecutor, Leon Jaworski, demanded Nixon bring the tapes to court, he refused. Eventually, the court got hold of the tapes and revealed them but 14 minutes were missing from the tape. Nixon was eventually found guilty. I personally think that any president who does that should immediately be put in prison and should never be allowed to run for any political spot. Having a president who is willing to cheat just to get re-elected is embarrassing. The President of the United States should be a lot more honest and confident than that.

Roe vs. Wade

In Texas, abortion was completely illigal unless the mother's life is endangered and the abortion can help save her life. There are many problems with this law. Even if the mother is raped and impregnated, she cannot get an abortion. Even if the mother is poor and struggling to feed even herself, she cannot get an abortion. Although having the child at the time may not put the mother's life at risk but if the mother has no money, then that is putting the mother's life as well as the child's life at risk due to the lack of money, shelter, clothing, and food. I think women should have every right to get an abortion, it's their decision on whether they want to keep their child and nobody should be able to tell them what to do because they wont have to deal with nearly as much as the mother will whether it's child labor or taking care of the child. Every woman should have the right to get an abortion.

Community Service Paper

Justin Coletto

Period 6

April 12, 2011

My Community Service Experience

            Over 50 million Americans are forced to live with poverty or some sort of struggle to get food; this equals out to be roughly 1 out of 6 Americans are living in poverty or struggle to get food (3). Poverty is spreading throughout the United States as well as all around the world; studies show that half of all Americans will live in poverty at one point in their lives before they turn 65 years old (3). In 2004, 120 Americans died from starvation and the average infant death rate caused by starvation is about 200 every year (2). Poverty is becoming a huge problem for many families and individuals in the United States. There are many easy ways to help out our less fortunate fellow Americans with their struggles, such as donating food or volunteering at a food bank or a food drive like Erma Bombeck said, “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.” (8).

(Part 1)            There are nearly 3.5 million homeless people living in America (37,000 in New York Alone) each year but the numbers are constantly climbing due to the combination of our falling economy and loss of jobs (4). About 90 percent of homeless people in American are found in urban areas. Over 50 million Americans struggle to get food to feed themselves and their family on a day-to-day basis; this is where the food banks come into play. “A food bank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes mostly donated food to a wide variety of agencies that in turn feed the hungry.” (5) How do these food banks get all their food? All of it is donated either from growers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers who are over-stocked and can’t sell all their products or even from warm-hearted individuals but the process isn’t even close to being over (5). Once the food is donated, the food bank must sort out all of the good and bad stuff because believe it or not, some people donate contaminated goods such as rusted cans or moldy vegetables. This is where the volunteers come into the picture, the food bank takes volunteers to help sort out the food so they can distribute it to soup kitchens, schools, homeless shelters, orphanages, etc. I decided to help sort out food because I felt it could help out a lot of people in need which would feel very rewarding once I was finished. I decided to volunteer at the Oakland Food Bank but there many other food banks to choose from in the area such as the Contra Costa County Food Bank, San Francisco Food Bank, Alameda County Community Food Bank, and many others a little ways out there (6). I’ve volunteered at the Oakland Food Bank, the San Francisco Food Bank, as well as the Contra Costa Food Bank throughout my life. I did my hours at the Oakland Food Bank because the Contra Costa Food Bank was full. Believe it or not, the Food Banks are constantly filled with volunteers, filled to the point where they do not have enough food to be sorted by the mass amount of volunteers so I was forced to volunteer at the food bank in Oakland. If you decide you want to volunteer at a local food bank but it’s full, there’s always a handful of other food banks to choose from. With the amount of homeless people living in the area (mostly Berkeley, San Francisco, and Oakland), volunteering at a local food bank can and will help out your community in many different aspects.

(Part 2)            Poverty and hunger are becoming huge problems in America’s Society today. In fact, it’s becoming such a huge problem that the government has decided to act and try to prevent people from starving. One of the methods the United States Government uses is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); also known as food stamps. This program is run by the Federal Government, the government distributes color coded cards to low-income/no-income families who need to eat. There are three different types of cards; Brown, Blue, and Green. The brown one’s are worth one dollar, the blue ones are worth five dollars, and the green ones are worth ten dollars. You can buy any pre-packaged food product from almost any store in America. This program helps over 20,000 Americans with one in eight adults using this program and one in four children benefiting from this. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program distributes an average of $133.12 per person on a monthly average (7). While the Federal government takes care of the national food stamp policy, the state governments help out with the local food banks in their state meaning the entire government is trying to help out those who struggle to survive.

(Part 3)            While there are many things that are being done to help feed the country, there are still many things that need to be done. The country as a whole is putting in a great amount of effort to fix this huge problem but with the economy falling into pieces and with the jobless rates soaring, we’re going to need to do a lot more than what we’re already doing. Although there are multiple food banks in most areas, we need to either create more or donate more food. This is because the food banks always have a ton of people willing to help out yet they don’t accept them due to the small amount of space they have and lack of donations to sort. The government has been helping but they need to set their foot down and actually make a huge impact whether it be growing government food or donating food to the needy. People need to donate more often, most donations are donated around Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holidays but people need to remember that these families aren’t just hungry on these holidays; they’re in need of food everyday of their lives. From my experience of volunteering at my local food bank, I learned many things. One thing I learned was how fortunate I am to have food everyday because I discovered how many families are in need and how desperate they are to just eat some food. I also learned how easy and rewarding it was to truly help out people in need. I found it interesting how at the end of each day, the supervisor would weight out all the food and then calculate that into how many meals we sorted and how long it could support a family for. This was amazing because it really gives me an idea of how big of an impact I’ve made, the feeling really makes me want to come back and help out again. As said by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (8). While you don’t get paid in money to volunteer at the food bank, the feeling you get once you’ve realized you helped these desperate families live another day is more rewarding than any payment they could give you and like Mohammed Ali said, “ Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.” (8).

            Many people help get food to feed the hungry and homeless in many ways whether it’s by volunteering at a local food bank or just donating canned food or other pre-packaged products. The government helps a lot as well; however, with the United States’ economy dwindling down and people constantly losing their jobs, the poverty rate in America will only grow and get worse. It’s only a matter of time before the entire population is jobless and starving which is why we must do something to put an end to poverty in America. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve…you only need a heart full of grace (and) a soul generated by love.” (8). This quote inspired me to volunteer and help out people who are less fortunate than me. I felt that volunteering at the Oakland food bank was the best use of my time to benefit my community as well as my country. It felt good to help out many families in need and it was also rewarding to know that I was a big part in helping feed the hungry. I met a lot of great people at the food bank and had a great time working there. This experience has made me realize how fortunate I am to have all these opportunities and privileges in my life. Now I am able to look at things from different perspectives and appreciate what I have much more. Volunteering at the food bank was a wonderful experience and I’d love to volunteer there more consistently to help get rid of poverty in the United States.

Works Cited

(1) "How Many Are Homeless in America? «." Hope for the Homeless. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://cflhomeless.wordpress.com/2009/10/07/how-many-are-homeless-in-america/>.

(2) "Answers.com - How Many People Die from Starvation Each Year in America." WikiAnswers - The Q&A Wiki. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_die_from_starvation_each_year_in_America>.

(3)http "Page Not Found." Feeding America: Hunger-Relief Charity | FeedingAmerica.org. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://feedingamerica.org/additional-pages/404.aspx?item=/hunger-in-america/hunger-in-your-community/real-stories>.

(4)http://www.washprofile.org/en/node/2295

(5) "Food Bank." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_bank>.

(6)"Find Your Food Bank - Bay Area Food Banks." Bay Area Food Banks, San Francisco Bay Area - Feed Hungry People in Your Community! Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.bayareahunger.org/your_foodbank.html>.

(7) 1964, January. "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program>.

(8) "Volunteering Quotes." Alpena Community College, Alpena, Michigan, USA - Future Students. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <https://www.alpenacc.edu/services/volunteer/quotes.htm>.