8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 6 How Louisiana Turned Disaster Into Dollars

On Politico, a story describes the effects of Hurricane Matthew on Louisiana. The horrible wreckage and death counts in Louisiana still leave people heartbroken and empty handed today, however the state officials had already planned for the impact after previous natural disasters swept the state. The officials had a recovery plan in place with specified factions of money and sanctions of supplies to separate areas. With the plan in place, they were able to receive even more money from the government for means of recovery in disastrous situations. The government should obviously implement plans like this in every state and take notice of the state officials in Louisiana who took such an innovative approach to planning for recovery.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 6 US Inmates Launched a Nationwide Strike

On CNN, an article detailed the life of prisoners and their struggles in gaining independence. Recently there have been uprisings across the country for freedom. Prisoners are claiming that the prison system is allowing the inmates to be treated as slaves in a legalized manner. The Supreme Court ruled that the prison must be clean and a healthy environment for prisoners to live in, "[y]et the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution, while banning slavery, allows prisoners to work for little to no pay, in what inmate advocates say crosses the limits of human decency, amounting to modern-day servitude." The quote from the article describes a dangerous battle between inmates and the government; while the inmates struggle to find independence, they begin to band together and form riots. The government has made significant efforts to improve prison facilities, but it is obviously not making the prisoners feel as if they have equal rights. The prisoners deserve minimum wage and while the debate rages on, prisoners become more likely to revolt.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 6 Polls Show Battleground

On Politico, an article described a recent poll taken on Friday, claiming that the race was tightening. This was before the Comey letter was released and Trump has since tweeted marking that he is in the lead. Though the announcement of the criminal investigation was late, some may still consider it an October surprise. It will be interesting to see if the announcement of the investigation will lead to any backlash on Clinton and whether it will severely affect her campaign.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 6 2015 Airport Machete Rampage

On CNN, a video shows a man in the TSA lines at an airport pull a machete from his waistband and proceed to swing it at nearby civilians. The man was shot three times and died the next day in the hospital, but the horrors of the situation still haunt people a year later. The situation raises questions about gun control, weaponry, and mental illness. The man was said to have a mental illness, which makes officials question why this man wasn't cared for and if we should vamp up our mental health facilities. The government has yet to take a stand on this issue, but it's clear that airports need more security tactics and we should improve our mental health facilities.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 6 Shopping Technology

Recently on CNN, I watched a video detailing consumerism in malls today. Retailers are starting to track what you look at, what you touch and try on, and classify what kind of shopper you are. They evaluate you before you even walk into their store with your likes or dislikes on profiles like Facebook or Amazon. Technology is starting to allow us to have less anonymity and become categorized as a society. Though some may see this as crossing new territory for commercialism and consumerism, others are arguing that it's a debate about privacy. The same software that retailers use to track what displays you are looking at with heat cameras, the government could use to track what locations you go to on a daily basis. The debate still continues whether this is moral or not and whether the government should put a stop to all of the patrolling on the internet and in stores in malls today.

New Senate Race Research

        On November 8th, voters in Missouri will be voting either Senator Roy Blunt (the Republican incumbent) or Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander. Jonathan Dine, Fred Ryman, Jonathan McFarland, Gina Bufe, and Patrick Lee are also running in the general election. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is going to spend $3.5 million to support Jason Kander. Jason Kander is endorsed by Planned Parenthood, Joe Biden, Al Franken, the League of Conservative Voters, Sierra Club, Jay Nixon, etc.. Jason Kander supports the middle class, advocates for veterans and military families, as he was previously a soldier, and he believes in women's rights. His main contributors are the University of Missouri and Simmons Hanly Conroy. Jason Kander has raised  $9,516,888.00 and spent $6,019,823.00. Kander is pro-Hillary. He graduated from Georgetown Law School and majored in Political Science at American University. He very obviously believes in the right to bear arms as his previous ads have shown. The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee has spent over 1.5 million to support Kander's memorable campaign ads titled "Background Checks," and "All of Us."

Missouri has a population of 5,595,211 people. The median household income of Missouri ranges from $53,000 to $71,000. Missouri has major industries in transportation, especially cars, alcoholic beverages, and aerospace technology. Missouri leans Democratic, but only at 48.8%, while the Republican vote is 37.9%. Missouri considered is a swing state. Trump has made campaign visits to Missouri since August 22nd. Hillary established the Missouri Leadership Council in Missouri in 2015 and has made multiple stops in Kansas City at churches and Baptist Conventions. Missouri is neither anti-Hillary nor anti-Trump.

Roy Blunt is the incumbent in the Missouri Senate and is running for a second term. Blunt is currently endorsed by John R. Bolton, George W. Bush, Ted Cruz, the National Rifle Association, and the United States Chamber of Commerce. He attended Missouri State University and Southwest Baptist University. Blunt has been in the government since 1997. Roy Blunt is pro-life, thinks taxes should be decreased, supports gun control, and doesn't support government funding for energy or environmental programs. He has raised $14,352,574.00 and spent $10,436,064.00, he is heavily endorsed by the Crawford Group, Goldman Sacs, and Captial One Financial.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 5 NYPD Shooting

Today on CNN, a video claimed that there was a shooting between a mentally disturbed black woman and a NY policeman. The policeman was supposed to use precautions because he supposedly knew that the lady was unstable, however, he overlooked his training and fired two shots whenever the woman advanced towards the policeman with a baseball bat in hand. The story is very touchy because there have been many shootings and conflicts between cops and civilians, so this only adds to the flame, considering that she was a black woman and the cop was a white man. The government is debating implementing better training, security, and handling of situations by cops to settle the conflicts. The past situations between policemen and innocent people have caused quite an uproar on social media, and among the government and public eye. 

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 5 Bob Dylan

Though this is hardly political, it is important to American history and literature. Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for song writing and composing. Though the article on CNN claims that he hasn't been heard from regarding when he will receive the prize, it is a milestone in history. With the election coming up, it is important that we appreciate the little things in life that aren't political. There is controversy surrounding if he deserves the award and if he will receive it since he hasn't been in contact with officials about the award.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 5 Passports

On CNN, there was an article regarding eyeglasses in Passport photos. Starting very soon, the government will require people to remove their glasses in order to take their picture for their Passport. Officials have claimed that it will help make Passport photos have more "consistency," but there is a conspiracy and controversy that it will make it easier for the government to improve their photo recognition and tracking of people through photos and identification like Passports and IDs. In 2017 there will be no more glasses in Passport photos, but whether it's to make the spectrum of photos more consistent, or to make it easier for the government to use facial recognition to track us, is still being debated.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 5 Claudia Tenney in the Congressional Race

On Breitbart, I read an article about one of Claudia Tenney's opponents. Her opponent, Babinec, took a poll in September and claimed that he would be the one to win in the November election. Currently, there is still debate surrounding who will win, as the 22nd District's incumbent is not running for reelection. The District is Republican by three, so naturally it is predicted that Claudia Tenney will win, though Babinec's self made poll states otherwise. It will be interesting to see who wins in the upcoming election.

8-Day Blog Post: Cycle 5 Obama Mars Mission

On CNN, I watched a video about Barack Obama's love of science. He is extremely involved in events including science in the White House and hosts many guests for science fairs and receptions. Obama has just recently decided to fuel the debate regarding Mars and if a NASA mission to Mars is feasible, according to Obama it is. Space camps, NASA, and other organizations are moving toward missions on Mars and fundraising for space initiatives and groups. There is still debate surrounding whether these projects can be supported but it is to be determined in the next two years according to CNN.