Is It Fair????

So, you were brought to a different country when you were just a child; you learned the language, the culture, the way of being. You grow up feeling like you are from that country, respecting and following the laws like most other citizens should. You also have these god-given abilities in that you out-perform most people in athletics and in the class room.

When you get an offer for a scholarship, like any young person you take it with dreams of giving yourself a great life. At the climax of your excitement, the school calls you and tells you that because you are not born in the country you reside in, they are taking the scholarship from you.

Is it fair for them to take the scholarship from you? You work as hard as anyone else and out- perform most people, and you did not cheat. Why are they allowed to take the scholarship back?Because of politics? It was not your choice to be brought to this country, so is it fair that you must pay a penalty?

Aaron Vega (8:00)

Is fast food really worth it?

How many times a week do you eat fast food? These days, more children under the age of 10 can identify any fast food character before they can identify any historical figure. Most adults are setting their kids up for health issues by taking them to fast food restaurants a couple times a week. Children get addicted to the sugar, caffiene, fat, and salt used in the food products. The more fast food you eat, the more weight you will gain. So, are your children gaining weight because of the food you are feeding them? As the children grow older, they will still be addicted to the products used in the so called "food." They will also more than likely develop health problems like heart disease or obesity, both of which can lead to a death from heart attacks.

What are your views on this? Do you think most (some) people eat way too much fast food? How often do you yourself eat at McDonalds, Burger King, KFC or other fast-food chains? More than 3x a week? More than 5x a week? Never?

Finally, do you have any idea which fast-food chains are the least healthy and which the most most healthy?

Macy Shupe (8:00)

Should Truckers have their own Lane?

We all hate that moment when we have to get past the long, scary semi that takes up all of its lane and sometimes more . . . well, what if us little cars and trucks had an extra lane to get past without having to get run off the road or worse?

I know that some interstates (near big cities) have lanes designated for cars and small trucks only, so why not expand on this idea and make most interstates much more safe for driving?

This idea might sound silly or unrealistic to some, mainly because we spend so much on the interstates already, but what if this extra lane saved lots of lives? What if we could reduce that 4% of truck-driving related accidents that lead to deaths just by adding another lane on all interstates?

I chose this question because I travel.. A LOT.. and it's scary when I'm trying to get past a semi and they start to come over in my lane. Or when it's pouring down rain in the dark, and it's really windy, and driving is already super dangerous--do we really need 18-wheelers blowing by us at 70 mph to make conditions even more hazardous?

Your thoughts on this? Thanks!

Alex Segobiano :)

HYPNOSIS

Have you ever been hypnotized? Do you believe in it? Do you think hypnosis can be a reputable form of therapy? Can it be used more throughout the world to help people get over their addictions to food, smoking ,and all the many fears people are faced with today?

Jessica Ervin (8:00)

Should you be judged by the clothes you wear?

Should you be judged by the clothes you wear? It happens daily. Say if you're going into a public place and you're wearing baggy clothes, people tend to look at you differently, don't they? Or you could be wearing all nice clothes, but you got a hat or something like that--people are still judging you, regardless, don't you think?

I don't understand why it goes on so much, but it does. Probably more than we even think. Who knows--even your closest friends could judge you, say, if you change your clothing style or something like that.

So, is this a problem? Should people be judged by how they dress? Isn't this a free society where people are at liberty to dress as they wish without being judged or discriminated against? If you think this is true, where do you draw the line? What if someone dressed in swastikas and other Nazi garb? Is that okay, or no? What if girls choose to dress in very short shorts and and low-cut shirts? Should they be judged for that? How about if someone insists on wearing the same clothes every day of the year without ever washing them? That okay, or should it be?

Thanks for your help.


Kevin Hays (noon)

Dealing with Your EX . . .

Why do some people still deal with their ex's? (calling them, having sex with them, spending time with them). In what way is an ex an ex if you are still sleeping with him/her? How do you keep an ex from affecting your current relationship?

How do you get over an ex? Do you try to stay friends with your ex? If so, what goes along with that friendship?

Tavaruss Townsend (Noon)

punishment or child abuse?

Some people think it's alright to hit their child any kind of way to discipline them. Others say that there are a lot of disciplinary actions that you can do to let a child know that what they did was wrong. After disciplining them, you can tell them why they were wrong and why you chose the disciplinary action that you did and tell them what will happen to them if they do it again.

So do you think that punishing children by spanking them is all right? Is it okay to use a belt? When does discipline cross the line and become child abuse? How do you plan to discipline your children?

Sierra (noon)

DUI

The term DUI makes me think of the end of the line. I would think that it is very hard to get around to your job and friends after getting a DUI. If you do get one, I know you cannot have a CDL license or a Foid card, which for me would be really horrible because I am a hunter (a Foid card is like your license for a gun), and I do want to be able to drive a semi and have a CDL.

So what I am asking is when you hear the term DUI, what does it make you think of? How inconvenient would it be for you to get a DUI? Why do you think people risk getting a DUI by driving drunk even when they know the penalties awaiting them if the are caught?

Are you aware what the penalties are exactly for getting a DUI?

Tyler Farmer (noon)

Is too much alcohol taken seriously enough?

I was once a very heavy drinker and a heavy smoker. I have also used chewing tobacco regularly in the past, so I know the effects of both alcohol and nicotine and I am well aware of all of the risks associated with both of them. It annoys me that there are all of these smear campaigns for tobacco (especially cigarettes), yet alcohol is glorified in our culture. All of the ads for alcohol depict people having a good time at parties, or tailgating, hunting, or say that "he is the most interesting man in the world" and completely ignore the dangers of drinking. Sure, they say that one should drink responsibly, but there really aren't any disclaimers about the dangers of drinking, even if it is in moderation. My point is that tobacco users, for the most part, are only harming themselves, while drunkards put the everyone's lives at risk when they decide to drive, operate machinery, or show up to work drunk or hung over. I also believe that DUI laws and punishments should be harsher. Alcohol related accidents are a leading cause of death in America and around the world, yet it is glorified and treated as a social norm. I believe that alcohol should be taxed just as much as, if not more than, tobacco because it is just as dangerous. Do you agree or disagree? Please explain you reasoning.

Kevin Farnum (8:00)

Can we really go green as a country?

First, for info that might be helpful before answering my question, check this site:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/f.j.doorman/07Env.htm

Now my question . . .

Can America afford to go green? Americans are driven to buy new appliances, heaters, air conditioners, refrigerators that are energy efficient in an effort to save energy, gas, and natural resources. E-85 fuel-efficient vehicles, hybrid cars, and hybrid luxury SUVs are part of the new craze in buying efficient cars. As part of the stimulus package of 2010, citizens were offered tax breaks on buying new appliances that are energy efficient to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and energy suppliers. My question is: Is this a good idea for the economy? For our ecology? For both?

What do you see as the main benefits to going green? What will happen if many companies and individuals stubbornly refuse to get on board with the green movement? Do you think the world's governments need to play larger roles in establishing and enforcing regulations on factors that affect the environmment? For instance, in 2007 (the latest data available), the U.S. and China were responsible for 42% of all the world's greenhouse emissions. Third and fourth on the list are India and Russia, who emit only 5% each. Does this mean the U.S and Chinese governments must crack down harder on companies responsible for emissions harmful to the earth's environment?

Jesse Hill (8:00)

schools need to be concerned about their students

Everday teens are being bullied by their classmates at school and no one even tries to help them. They just stand there and watch them get beat up in the hall ways; they don't think to go to the principal or a teacher. Some students don't realize that bullying can hurt people, not only physically but emotionally too. Sometimes bullying can cause suicide if it gets too extreme. Bullies don't only hurt others in school but they also hurt them outside of school too.

Teachers and other school staff need to be more observant about the students.

Should schools be more concerned about their students being bullied? What do you think can be done about bullying in schools? Were you ever bullied, or were you ever a bully, in school? What do you think causes bullying in most cases?

Hillary Moore (noon)

biggest lesson learned?

If you die today, what will be the biggest lesson that you have learned? I often hear people--my mom, mainly--talk about the world ending in the year 2012. If that really does happen (and I know it probably won't!), on your dying day which lesson in your life would you call the most valuable, and why?

Another way to ask this question is, on your death bed, if you have one piece of advice to pass on to your children, what would it be?

Thanks!

Demario Jordan

Driving while distracted. (DWD)

With cell phones becoming more and more popular, driving is becoming more and more dangrous. 25% of all car accidents are caused by talking on the cell phone. A cell phone can be more dangrous than drunk driving. 4 out of every 5 accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers. In contrast, drunk drivers account for roughly 1 out of 3 (33%) of all accidents nationally. Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.

Teens and cell phones.

Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore cell phone driving restrictions. Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver's reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old. 56% of teenagers admit to talking on their cell phones behind the wheel, while 13% admit to texting while driving. Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.



Do you use cell phones while you are driving?

Do you think cell phones cause a risk in a car?



Scotty Johnson (noon)

Does music make you smarter?

Please check out this link before you answer:
http://aaapianosvc.com/MusicMakesOneSmarter.aspx

Are students who play a musical instrument smarter than the average student? Do you think that playing an instrument when you are young makes you more capable of doing well in school? Why or why not?

Thanks!

Melissa (noon)

STOP HERE!

FALL 2010 students. Don't answer any questions below Melissa's music question. All of these below this are old ones!

--JOHN

Underage Drinking

“Too many Americans consider underage drinking a rite of passage to adulthood,” says former acting surgeon general Kenneth Morisugu. Research shows that young people who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol-related problems later in life. But from 2001-2007, youth exposure to alcohol product advertising on T.V. rose by 38%, and in 2007 approximately 1/5 of all alcohol products ads. on T.V. were on T.V. programming for which viewers' ages are between 12 and 20.

So my questions for you . . . are children overexposed to alcohol advertising? What can be done to help children not start drinking until they are of legal age?

Thanks!

Melody Nelligan

Is being gay really all that bad?

Is being gay really all that bad? Why is loving someone of your own gender seen as comitting a deadly sin? I believe that many people have no self-control over who it is that they're attracted to. Just because it is seen as right in the eyes of so many people to date one of the opposite sex does not mean to shun another for being an individual and doing what it is they feel is right. So why judge them for being different?

What is your take on this? Loving someone of your own gender--Is it really wrong? Do you think people have a choice to be gay or not?

Quantia Braziel

Video games--Good or Bad?

Are video games good or bad for our kids? Being a gamer myself, I would say they can be good, but only to an extent. They keep your hand-eye coordination up, and now the military is starting to use the controllers to fly unmanned aircraft into battle.

What is your take on this? Should the games children play be cut back on hours playing, or do video games help in some way?

Mike McClure

Should Drug Controls Be Reduced?

There are some people in America who feel the government should reduce restrictions placed on certain prescription medications. To get any kind of prescription medication today a person has to go see a doctor and get that doctor to write a prescription for them. This obviously places liability on the doctor and thus the doctor may be reluctant to prescribe certain medications without a thorough exam or as part of a step-up treatment plan. For some (those with good insurance) this isn't an issue. Good insurance can make doctors accessible and inexpensive. For those without insurance, this approach can be really restrictive.

The advent of the internet now puts more information than ever into an individual's hands. A person can look up their symptoms, find a likely diagnosis, and create a common treatment plan in minutes, rather than waiting perhaps days for a medical appointment. The a major downside to this approach is when symptoms are less obvious or might be indicative of a more obscure or far more serious illness. Also, treatments involving prescription drugs are obviously restricted for people who would diagnose and treat themselves.

The sentiment generally goes, "Drug laws aren't in place because of you or me. They're in place for the rest of society, who would find ways to harm themselves otherwise." Obviously, some drugs would have to be restricted in any case. Narcotics have too much potential for abuse, and antibiotics, if overused, could create drug-resistant bacteria. Besides those two classes of drugs, there are many drugs out there that may significantly improve people's lives but are hard to access.

My question is: do you think that controls on prescription drugs are too restrictive? Should individuals be allowed more freedom to make decisions that affect their own lives, or does government hold a responsibility to protect the individuals in society who might potentially harm themselves if drugs controls were removed?

David Nadermann

Overpopulation

Are we over populated?

How much is too much?

It begins growing very slowly, but over generations the growth rate increases more and more rapidly, similar to a snowball effect. It took the human population thousands of years to reach 1 billion in 1804. However, it took only 123 years for us to double to 2 billion by 1927. The population hit 4 billion in 1974 (only 47 years), and if we continue at our current rate, the human population will reach 8 billion in 2028. Doubling from our present count of 6.8 billion to 13.6 billion will have a much greater impact than our last couple doublings combined.

Will we run out of resources? Do you envision other problems caused by overpopulation on the earth?

Mohammed Ahmad