Original Editorial

The media has a way of manipulating its viewers to think about what they are trying to present. They present certain issues and Isolate them in way to where the story is perceived in a completely different manner. The war in Iraq is a good example. We have been there since 2002 and have made little progress. What is really about? Are the soldiers out there for a good reason? What is the true reasoning behind all this madness that our tax dollars are being contributed to. The war in Iraq has partly to do with numbers. Mission, what mission? The soldiers don't know what they are really being sent out there for. They just know that they need a certain percentage to deploy so there numbers are good. Remember its all about the numbers, not the mission. Yet, the soldiers are sent to the danger zone to sit there and not know what the mission is. It is just bunch of people walking around like chickens with there head cut off. The media does not show that even the commander that is in charge of that unit does not know the true reasoning in being out there, but yet that leader has 200 lives following him/her with the same confusion.

What is the point in sending someone in an area to endanger there lives and not know what the reasoning of being there. The government does not present that half the soldiers out there just sleep in tents all day or are playing on the Internet for the majority of the day to kill time. Maybe gas prices would not be so high, if we were not at war. Since we are going to keep increasing the countries deficit, how about it be for a good reason like building better refineries, so we can benefit from it. The government is so quick to help other countries out of its own range. But, it is not an issue to raise the countries deficit, in order to help others. How about the government try to reach in its own range, and just maybe the country might have a little organization. The government hesitated to make a move in order to help those in need of Katrina, but did not hesitate to send soldiers to Iraq. Yet, we still have issues unresolved with Katrina and the war in Iraq. All the country needs is to build more and more problems so they can remain unresolved. Does the media present the hidden issues or does it frame it in a manner that the government truly wants it presented.

Substantial Commentary #2

In the recent article Oil Prices Pass Record Set in ’80s, published on March 3rd,2008 in The New York Times it talks about how gas prices are rising to $4 dollars a gallon by the summer of 2008. What is going to happen by the summer of 2009? Are gas prices going to increase to $5 dollars gallon. I would not be surprised that if in five years from now gas prices rose to $10 a gallon. Oil prices have risen to an all time record since the sharp rise that started eight years ago. Since 2000, oil prices have more than quadrupled as strong growth in demand from the United States and Asia outstripped the ability of oil producers to increase their output. Supposedly there is evidence that these high prices are finally forcing consumers to cut down on consumption. However, I don't think this cut in consumption by consumers is sufficient to make a huge difference in gas prices.

Gas is a necessity, we as human beings are interdependent. We depend on our own transportation to get us from point A to point B. The percentage of people using public transportation has gone down. While the government creates "stimulus" packages to help our economy, they ignore something as simple as rising energy prices. Energy prices, such as the cost of gas, are so fundamental to our country's infrastructure that it's easy to say that oil is the lifeblood of our country. And with prices that high, its no wonder that our economy is sluggish. Our blood is more expensive than it used to be.

It is easy for the oil companies to raise gas prices.They point to the increase in demand from China and India, meanwhile, they are reporting record earnings and profits. The president and the house figure out plans such as the stimulus package to build the economy, but they can't think of any ideas to keep gas prices down and help the economy. They also refuse to sufficiently invest in developing alternative fuel sources.

What about refineries? Spikes in gas prices can also be traced to the fact that there are not enough refineries in this country.The existing refineries are working at full capacity and some are quite old. The government can solve some of these problems by taking a few steps. The money that we use on the Iraq war can be used to build better refineries. We can also use some of the money to develop other energy sources. The demand for oil is growing in other countries and the fact that we are in competition with China does not help There are so many alternative solutions that we can follow, but in reality, how far does our opinion take us.

To access the article click on the link below.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/business/worldbusiness/03cnd-oil.html?hp