Stem Cell Research

The interest in stem cell research can date back to the introduction and popularity of microscopes in the 18^th century.  http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/microscopes/timeline/

Cells were recognized as the building blocks of life and in the mid 1800’s the discovery was made that some cells could generate other cells. 

http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/history-of-stem-cell-research-faq.htm

Researchers found that various types of blood cells came from a particular “stem cell”. In 1963, Ernest A McCulloch and James E Till documented the first quantitative descriptions on self-renewing activities of transplanted mouse bone marrow cells.

http://www.ukscf.org/research/history.html

“In 1973 a moratorium was placed on government funding for human embryo research. In 1988 a NIH panel voted 19 to 2 in favor of government funding. In 1990, Congress voted to override the moratorium on government funding of embryonic stem cell research, which was vetoed by President George Bush. President Clinton lifted the ban, but changed his mind the following year after public outcry. Congress banned federal funding in 1995. In 1998 DHHS Secretary Sullivan extended the moratorium. In 2000, President Bill Clinton allowed funding of research on cells derived from aborted human fetuses, but not from embryonic cells. On August 9, 2001, President George W. Bush announced his decision to allow Federal funding of research only on existing human embryonic stem cell lines created prior to his announcement. His concern was to not foster the continued destruction of living human embryos. In 2004, both houses of Congress have asked President George W. Bush to review his policy on embryonic stem cell research. President George W. Bush released a statement reiterating his moral qualms about creating human embryos to destroy them, and refused to reverse the federal policy banning government funding of ESC research”.

http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/history-of-stem-cell-research-faq.htm

On April 26,2005 the National Academies released “Guidelines from Human Embryonic Cell Research and new guidelines and restrictions keep producing up until December 3. 2008.

In 2009 President Obama removes barriers to responsible scientific research involving human stem cells.

http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/history-of-stem-cell-research-faq.htm

The main players include scientists, religious leaders, government officials, investors, advocates, and potential patients.

The Republican platform opposes stem cell research while the Democrats support the research. Opponents believe that the destruction of a fertilized embryo for research purposes is immoral. Supporters disregard an embryo that will never mature to become a living being is a morally unsound act. The embryo in question could provide stem cells that in return could save lives.

However, this debate is not always black or white. Some support adult stem cell research, while others are against both embryonic and adult stem cell research. Concerns are also present for those who support the research such as technology and monetary abuse. The real question becomes whether or not society can handle the new power responsibly rather than whether progress is good or bad.

http://www.stemcellhistory.com/the-stem-cell-research-controversy/#more-13

Romney’s plan would be total of 8 trillion

5 trillion tax cut

extension of bush’s 1 trillion tax cut

2 trillion of army (they have not asked for)

"I don’t have a tax cut of that scale" is what Romney replied. 

Tax cuts seemed to be one of the biggest disputes. So who was correct and who was lying?

After I did a fact check I found that Obama was sided with more.

 The Washington Post's Fact Checker says the facts on this one are on Obama's side. The New York Times notes that Romney "has proposed cutting all marginal tax rates by 20 percent — which would in and of itself cut tax revenue by $5 trillion."

FactCheck.org has weighed in too, tweeting during the debatethat "Romney says he will pay for $5T tax cut without raising deficit or raising taxes on middle class. Experts say that's not possible."

PolitiFact has given a "mostly true" rating to the charge that "Romney is proposing a tax plan "that would give millionaires another tax break and raise taxes on middle class families by up to $2,000 a year."

Obama:

3600 tax cut for middle class – DONE

Politics 101

This upcoming election will be the first time that I can legally vote for a candidate. Ashamed to say, I've always been apathetic towards politics. I learned quite a few things after doing some research on the two major parties, as well as third parties.
1. The Republican party originated from the joint opposition to human enslavement and government tyranny. The name "Republican" alludes to equality for all.
2. The symbols of the donkey and elephant came from the cartoonist Thomas Nast. He drew a Democratic donkey trying to scare away a Republican elephant. The two animals have stuck since then.
3. The Democrats are committed to investing in the technologies and support for more advanced research. Obama lifted federal restrictions on stem cell research and allowed scientists and doctors with new resources.
4. Although third parties are not as popular to the general public compared to the two main parties, they still play an important role in elections. In the 2000 election, Ralph Nader ran as a member of the Green Party. He received more than 97,000 votes in the state of Florida. It is reasonable to assume that a majority of those votes would have went to the Democrats rather than the Republican if they had to choose. "This was the election that came down to the contested recount in Florida.  George W. Bush was named winner by a margin of only roughly 450 votes" (eNotes).
5. Due to the lack of financial resources, the third parties are rarely portrayed in the media. The two major parties consolidate dominance with high profile primaries and national conventions using the tax payers money. How can third parties compete with that?