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What the Veep? If bullets were chocolate

2013-05-14T12:34:15Z

(LIN) — After the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., it became much harder to avoid conversations about gun violence.

Newtown: Complete Coverage from WTNH.com

Even a 7-year-old named Myles came up with a suggestion, and he took it straight to the top.

Myles, a second-grader at Downtown Montessori Elementary School in Milwaukee, Wis., went to a reading specialist at his school with his plan. (Myles' last name has not been released by school officials.)

“He said if we have chocolate bullets, nobody would get hurt and nobody would be sad,” said Barbara Rankin at the school.

So Myles got to work, putting his plan into letters to Vice President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama and Rep. Gwen Moore, R-Wis.

Then Biden did the unexpected, but classic Biden move: He wrote back.

I am sorry it took me so very long to respond to your letter. I really like your idea. If we had guns that shot chocolate, not only would our country be safer, it would be happier. People love chocolate.

You are a good boy, Joe Biden.

When you're a kid and you write a letter to the White House (or anyone famous), it's your biggest hope that it will actually get read. At the very least, you might get a form-letter response.

Myles got a handwritten letter on White House stationary, and school officials say he wanted everyone to see it. He made copies of the letter and passed it around to friends and family, telling other kids, “Did you know I was going to be famous?”

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What the Veep is a bi-weekly feature about the office of the vice president. Jessica O. Swink is a contributing editor to onPolitix. Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Status: Printable pistols

2013-05-08T19:45:55Z

(LIN) — A University of Texas law student has made history and headlines recently by successfully firing the world’s first 3-D printed gun.

The gun, called the “Liberator,” poses major questions and dilemmas in the country’s ongoing gun control debate, but that hasn’t stopped the self-described anarchist Cody Wilson from posting the gun’s blueprints online and showing a demonstration on YouTube, which has racked up more than 2.6 million views in just 3 days.

His company, Defense Distributed, has a three-point mission statement: To develop a fully printable firearm, adapt the current design down to a cheaper printer and to become the web’s printable gun wiki for printable plans.

"This project might change the way we think about gun control and consumption,” according to the website. “How do governments behave if they must one day operate on the assumption that any and every citizen has near instant access to a firearm through the Internet? Let’s find out.”

Some lawmakers aren’t interested in finding out, and are quickly trying to parse together legislation that could ban plastic guns.

“Now anyone, a terrorist, someone who's mentally ill, a spousal abuser, a felon can essentially open a gun factory in their garage,” says Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “And, the only thing they need is a computer and a little over a thousand dollars. No background check and you don't even need to leave your house to make hundreds of these guns."

What also leaves Schumer and others concerned is the inability for plastic guns to be detected by metal detectors.

While there is no law yet banning the creation of firearms, the Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act was introduced on April 10 and seeks to ban undetectable firearms, firearm receivers and ammunition magazines.

ONLINE: View the full text of the bill

The bill, championed by both Schumer and Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., also brings up the increasing popularity of 3-D printers and the ability to create firearms.

“These 3-D printers which print sort of 3-D plastic the way they spray ink on a piece of paper have a lot of very good uses. No one wants to abolish them. They make parts for machines that are out of circulation and the part has worn out,” Schumer explains. “ But now, of course, because you can make a gun and this group, this libertarian group printed it online which I think is a reckless act, it can create real danger as well. A felon, a terrorist, can make a gun in the comfort of their home not even leaving their home and do terrible damage with it.”

In the meantime, Wilson plans to continue to grow his website and mission.

“WikiWep is about challenging gun control and regulation. Economic or reliability advantages vs. traditional guns or gun production aren’t even at issue. We look to inspire and defend those who live (and are threatened to live) under politically oppressive regimes. Firearm Rights are Human Rights.”

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Social Agenda is biweekly feature following political issues on social media sites and across the Internet. Follow @onPolitix on Twitter or like onPolitix on Facebook.

Ladies First: FLOTUS and Jason Collins team up

2013-05-07T15:28:21Z

(LIN) — When first lady Michelle Obama isn’t in the headlines for her style, she’s showing unwavering support for the president and his policies.

So it shouldn’t be any surprise that she’s appearing with NBA player Jason Collins and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the party’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leadership Council gala on May 29. Collins, who made headlines recently for coming out as gay in a story for Sports Illustrated, will headline the event.

Michelle Obama, @ dwstweets and @ jasoncollins34 will headline the 2013 DNC LGBT Leadership Council Gala on May 29th.

— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) May 6, 2013

Collins is the first male athlete in a major American sports team to announce he is gay. Immediately after his story hit the news wires, Michelle Obama wasted no time taking to Twitter herself, to show her support:

So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We’ve got your back! -mo

— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) April 29, 2013

This move is a key step in the DNC’s LGBT Leadership Council strategy to highlight the contribution of gays and lesbians in politics, as well as encouraging more Democrats to support gay rights.

LINK: Click here to see the invitation to the gala

The first lady is publicly supporting Collins and others in the LGBT community to support the tone that was set in this year’s presidential inauguration speech:

“It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts,” President Obama stated. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.”

President Barack Obama was the first president to address gay rights in an inauguration speech.

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Ladies First is a biweekly feature centered around the first lady of the United States. Jessica O. Swink is a contributing editor to onPolitix . Join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

DC Download: Weekly rewind

2013-05-03T19:44:25Z

(LIN) — Although Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court were on break, this week was packed with plenty of political headlines.

Here’s a look at what you might have missed.

Volkswagen pitching in

On May 2, Volkswagen of America announced a donation of $10 million to help fund the neglected National Mall’s renovation. The National Mall, which runs from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, has been under construction for more than a year with repairs to sidewalks, grass and ponds. Although stimulus money helped pay for some of these projects, federal funding has slowed. Volkswagen of America CEO Jonathan Browning is teaming up with former first lady Laura Bush on a fundraising campaign to improve the National Mall’s appearance.

Red line debacle

On April 30, President Barack Obama held a press conference at the White House, wasting no time taking questions from the crowd as soon as he reached the podium. His first question posed by Ed Henry: “On Syria, you said that the red line was not just about chemical weapons being used but being spread, and it was a game-changer — it seemed cut and dry. And now your administration seems to be suggesting that line is not clear. Do you risk U.S. credibility if you don’t take military action?” Obama responded that they are still looking into if chemical weapons have been used, and by who. This response comes after reports from a White House aide sent in a letter to two U.S. senators saying the intelligence community assessed "with varying degrees of confidence" that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government had used the chemical agent sarin on a "small scale." The president did not outline a plan for action in Syria at the press conference.

Cuomo a no-go?

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that he will not run for president in 2016 if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decides to run. That’s not stopping him from a book deal, however. Although the book slated to debut next year doesn’t have a name yet, Cuomo says it will be a memoir of his accomplishments and his views of government. Many speculate this is a way to gain political support for a presidential run, but Cuomo stands beside his resounding words: He’s focused on New York.

More appointments

Obama continues to restock his Cabinet with new appointments this week. On May 1, Obama announced his nominees for Federal Communications Commission Director – former lobbyist and Obama fundraiser Tom Wheeler – and Federal Housing Finance Authority Director –Rep. Melvin Watt D-N.C.

On May 2, longtime fundraiser Penny Prizker was nominated for the Commerce Secretary position. Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Michael Froman was named Obama’s pick for U.S. Trade Representative.

Obama heads south

Obama called for “old stereotypes” to be broken while speaking to an audience of mostly college students May 3 in Mexico City. His message was to help further his immigration initiatives, and to convey that Mexico no longer poses as much of an illegal immigration threat. "The long-term solution to the challenge of illegal immigration is a growing and prosperous Mexico that creates more jobs and opportunities for young people here," said Obama.

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DC Download is a week-in-review featuring the latest news from Capitol Hill published every Friday. Get the latest political news at onPolitix.com, and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Gen Y: Why we’re so cynical

2013-05-02T14:11:44Z

(LIN) — It’s the same story generation after generation: The older and wiser look down on the up-and-coming young Americans and hang their head, wondering how in the world the young bucks will carry the future of America.

Today’s millennials are no different. We have been called lazy, haplessly doomed and politically apathetic. But has anyone ever thought to ask why we might feel this way?

Short answer: We just don’t trust our government to take care of us.

According to an April 2013 study by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, Americans ages 18-29 are becoming increasingly more skeptical that the nation’s major branches of government – The White House, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court – will “do the right thing.”

Here are a few highlights from the study surveying Americans ages 18-29:

48 percent do not think their vote will make a difference (up from 29 percent in 2012.) Only 25 percent think the U.S. is headed in the right direction. Nearly half of Americans under 30 think today’s politics cannot meet our country’s future challenges. Although 52 percent approve of President Barack Obama’s job performance, less than half approve of the way he’s handling Iran, health care, gun violence, the economy or the federal deficit.

And these fundamental findings are only strengthening partisanship, it seems.

“Young voters, like older Americans, are becoming more partisan by the day,” said John Della Volpe, polling director of the Institute. “On issues ranging from their views of the president to immigration to gun control to the role government should play in improving our economy, both Democrats and Republicans are hardening their positions, while Independent-minded voters are tuning out.”

This, Della Volpe argues, depresses the collaborative spirit of American ingenuity and creativity.

This national partisanship can be seen in three major areas –the federal budget, immigration and gun control – where young Americans have the strongest opinions.

Federal Budget: Approximately 55 percent of young Americans cite issues relating to the economy as the biggest problem America faces. Not surprisingly, “creating jobs and lowering the unemployment rate” was the top issue. In 2010, the difference between Democrats and Republicans who agreed that “government spending is an effective way to increase growth” was 17 percentage points. In 2013, that divide increased to 24 points.

Immigration: In three years, an 11-point percent difference can be marked between Republicans and Democrats when asked if immigration reform has “done more good than harm.” In 2013, 31 percent of Democrats and 20 percent of Republicans can agree with that statement. According to this study, 44 percent of Generation Y believes that those in the country illegally now should be afforded a path to citizenship, as long as they pay taxes, learn English, have no criminal history and pay a fine.

Gun control: Nearly half of millennials want tougher gun laws, 35 percent say no change is needed and 15 percent say laws should be less strict. The partisan divide has deepened on a national scale in light of recent events including shootings in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. Since 2011, the percentage of Democrats who want tougher gun laws has increased 8 points; while the percentage of Republicans wanting tougher laws has decreased 7 percent.

“We have been warned,” writes Della Volpe in the final pages of the report. “Unless the discourse in America changes, from the top-down, all of us will suffer and the nation will lose a generation of the best and brightest citizens, voters and public servants the world has to offer.”

It’s not that we don’t care about the issues. We just don’t trust those making decisions for us.

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ONLINE: View the complete study

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Gen Y is a weekly opinion piece covering issues that matter most to younger, influential Americans through their late 30s. Jessica O. Swink, a 20-something, is the digital political producer for LIN Media and contributing editor to onPolitix .

At White House dinner, Obama's got jokes

2013-04-29T15:08:57Z

President Barack Obama took time to laugh at himself during the 2013 White House Correspondents' Dinner, and the jokes started before he even reached the podium.

DJ Khaled's song "All I Do Is Win" was Obama's selected walk-up song as he addressed the crowd, as he joked, "Rush Limbaugh warned you about this ... Second term, baby."

To view this clip and many others from the evening, watch the accompanying video player.

The president's humorous monologue touched on the first lady's bangs, his Republican rivals, and even Daniel Day-Lewis.

Entertainers Michael Douglas, "Gangnam Style" performer Psy, Kevin Spacey and Claire Danes were just a small handful of big names on the star-studded guest list in attendance at the annual dinner. Six journalists also received awards for their coverage of the presidency.

Other journalists, however, were at the end of Obama's punch line.

"The History Channel is not here," he told the crowd. "I guess they were embarrassed by the whole 'Obama is a devil' thing. Of course that never kept Fox News from showing up. They also thought the comparison was not fair to Satan."

Obama, White House OK after false tweet

2013-04-23T17:41:40Z

(LIN) — The hearts of many Americans sank Tuesday after seeing a tweet by The Associated Press saying, "Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured."

Minutes later, AP reporter Sam Hananel tweeted: "Please Ignore AP Tweet on explosions, we've been hacked."

That didn't stop the retweets and paranoia that an attack did happen.

Stocks plummeted at the news of the White House being attacked. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 150 points in just minutes after the tweet. As quickly as it fell, it seemed to rebound.

Twitter quickly suspended the account, and the AP announced it was working to quickly correct the issue.

While talking guns, Biden gets news of explosions

2013-04-16T15:21:55Z

(LIN) — Although he hadn't planned on it, Vice President Joe Biden became the first person from the White House to comment on the Boston Marathon explosions.

Biden was on an afternoon conference call with gun control advocates when he said someone entered his office and turned on a television with news of the explosions. His reaction played out in real time on the call.

"As I'm speaking here, they just turned on the television in my office and apparently there has been a bombing —- I don't know any of the details of what caused it, who did it — I don't think it exists yet but our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injuries. I don't know how many of them there are. I'm looking at it on television now."

Click the video player above to hear the Vice President's reaction to the explosions.

The president spoke publicly about the explosions later in the afternoon, saying the government "will increase security around the United States as necessary."

Biden continues to work toward tougher gun legislation, but it seems the background-checks bill still has a long way to go in gaining support in the House. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., said Monday the bill doesn't have the necessary votes, "but we're working on it." Senate Democratic leaders still need to acquire 60 votes to block a predicted GOP filibuster.

DC Download: Outcry over Obama's budget

2013-04-12T18:49:03Z

(LIN) — This week, President Barack Obama released his 2014 budget, boasting $1.8 trillion of cuts to the national deficit over the next 10 years.

Getting our economy back on track is all fun and games, until your government benefits get cut or your taxes increase.

"If anyone thinks I'll finish the job of deficit reduction on the backs of middle-class families or through spending cuts alone that actually hurt our economy short-term, they should think again," Obama said Wednesday in an effort to reassure Americans.

Not everyone’s buying it though.

One of the biggest programs to take a hit in Obama’s budget is Medicare, and the proposal on the table slashes $400 billion over the next 10 years.

Next in line is Social Security, in which checks could fall by $45 the first year and by hundreds of dollars in years to come.

INTERACTIVE: Scroll to the bottom of the story to see more proposals

This leaves even Democrats feeling betrayed.

Rep. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat running for the Senate, released a statement to the Associated Press this week, saying he opposes the budget "because it would cut benefits to seniors on Social Security and makes other significant cuts to other key low-income programs that are vital to Massachusetts residents like low-income heating assistance."

Republicans aren’t jumping for joy, either.

One of Obama’s major proposals calls for increased taxes on wealthy, raising an additional $580 billion by limiting the amount of reductions the wealthiest can make. Also on the table is enforcing the “Buffett Rule,” which forces households who make more than $1 million pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes.

"We need a balanced budget that encourages growth and job creation. We don't need an extreme, unbalanced budget that won't balance in your lifetime or mine," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., this week.

LINK: Read Obama's complete budget here

It’s impossible to make everyone happy, but it appears that this budget doesn't make many in Washington happy at all.

In a president’s second term, the battle for re-election is over, and the "heavy hitter" issues tend to come out. In the past four months, Obama has tried tackled a “fiscal cliff,” immigration, gun control and a sequester. In each case, he’s been caught up in compromise and technicalities in partisan politics that has gotten in the way of legislation. (Although, gun control legislation has progressed quite a bit this week.)

His budget proposals prove also prove this point: He’s had to compromise so much with both sides, that neither side walks away winning.

How many of his proposals will be meld with the proposals Congress comes up with? Time will only tell.

It will be an interesting next few months, to say the least.

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DC Download is a week-in-review featuring the latest news from Capitol Hill published every Friday. Get the latest political news at onPolitix.com, and join in the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Gen Y: What plagues us

2013-04-12T12:27:10Z

(LIN) — It’s a never-ending cycle. To get a good job, you have to go to college. But to go to college, you need money, and the easiest way to get it is applying for student loans.

Luckily for college kids, the U.S. government makes it very easy to take what you need to pay the astronomical tuition bill each semester. But maybe it's a little too easy.

Today, the federal student loan program is the largest consumer debt class after home mortgages. And unless Congress passes legislation, the interest rate on new government-subsidized Stafford loans is set to double on July 1 – to 6.8 from 3.4 percent, creating an even bigger crater for college grads to have to dig themselves out of upon graduation.

It’s a $1.1 trillion problem that Washington doesn’t want to talk about. Why? They are profiting from it as millions of borrowers are paying record relative interest rates.

Twenty years ago, one in 10 Americans owed some form of student loan debt. Today, it’s one in five. And while the cost of education continues to rise, the value of college degrees continues to diminish.

In 2012, the Associated Press conducted a survey based on information from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and U.S. Department of Labor. It showed that 1.5 million – or 53.6 percent – of Americans 25 and younger with a bachelor’s degree were either jobless or underemployed, which is the highest share in the more than a decade.

What many fail to realize is the domino effect this will create outside of college grads.

For instance, if you can’t find a job to help pay down your loans, you put of the standard grown-up things: finding a soul mate, getting married, buying a house and having kids. According to the Project for Student Debt, the average student graduates with $26,600 in loan debt. And for the first time ever, the student loan default rate now exceeds the credit card delinquency rate.

When borrowers default on their loans in the private sector, safeguards are in place to try and curb that from happening again - interest rates rise, it becomes harder to borrow and more requirements are needed. When the lender is the federal government, there is no incentive to make it harder to borrow because in in the end, that cost is passed on to someone else.

Does the federal government want young Americans indebted? It’s hard to say. While the “American dream” of hearing success stories after four or more years of higher education is desirable, the more people borrow and the higher the interest rate means more money to the federal stakeholders.

What’s needed is a real grip on the value of education and what it’s really worth, a better checks and balances system and a gut check on what the federal government’s real priorities are.

Until that happens, Gen Y will continue to enter the workforce already behind, and continue to play an indefinite game of catch-up on their path to financial success.

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Gen Y is a weekly opinion piece covering issues that matter most to young, influential Americans through their late 30s. Jessica O. Swink, a 20-something, is the digital political producer for LIN Media and contributing editor to onPolitix.