Texas JSA LoneStar Winter Congress Approaching 2 3 The Fight against ISIS 3 Compromises 4
THE LONE STAR GAZETTE Winter Congress Approaching By: Katherine Thomas As the days of January count down, we get everything from back room logrolling to the closer and closer to Winter Congress. It is the fiery speeches made on the floor of the perfect opportunity to meet and debate with House and Senate. Textbook accounts of people from all over the Mid-Atlantic region. how a bill becomes a law can never convey Debates. It will be taking place in Washington the passions of lawmaking. Even viewing DC from February 19th to the 21st. Through Congress in session fails to give you a this event, JSA members attempt to pass their sense of the heated debates that go on in bills through Congress. You will also have the committee hearings or the compromising opportunity to debate other student s bills and done in back room meetings. At winter to propose amendments to make them better congress, you write the bills. You cast the or do your best to prevent a bad bill from becoming law. At Congress you will votes. You make the laws. experience
Compromising By: Enrico Borba By: Tate Daniels, or congressmen and women who make their civil service their only occupation, have become a common talking point today due to the controversial nature of the career politician idea; before we break down whether or not a Career Politician is constitutional, or within the hope of our founding fathers, lets check the facts. Congressmen are paid $174,000 annually for (roughly) working ⅓ of a year. If a Congressman gives 5 years of service (less than one full term for a senator, 2 ½ full terms for a representative) they are awarded with a pension once they reach the age of 62. They can receive the pension earlier if they give certain more years of service. Continued on page 5 Politicians in our country have the job of representing the people in their county, state, and/or nation. This would be an easy job, however everyone has varying viewpoints on issues that they wish the government to adopt. On the campaign trail, many politicians promise voters that they will not compromise with other political parties. While voters like to hear that their views will become law through the lack of compromise in their political leaders. However, when the sides of the arguments refuse to compromise on their ideas to bring change to their region, nothing gets done. The lack of compromise is not a trait desirable in politicians. Stubbornness gets nothing done in politics. Every politicians needs to be willing compromise some of their ideals for the greater good. So many people complain about Obamas lack of action in certain issues when it is the republican majority who is blocking all of his actions. This is present in both political parties and in most interest groups. In order to foster a better future in which all people can have some say in our government.
The Fight against ISIS By: Soojin Lee We've underestimated them. That's clear. Our president once said that ISIS is the "JV" team. Not on par with other terrorist groups. Less than 48 hours before the Paris attacks, he told us ISIS was, in his words, "contained". Well, I think it's clear that we have underestimated them. In the last year they have killed over 20,000 civilians. Not people fighting against them, but women and children, Christians and non radical Muslims, Americans, and Syrians, Libyans, Parisians, and more. They are a threat to our safety. No one can deny that, our own president, the one who called them JV, issued a travel warning to his citizens. Now I don't know if they are Junior varsity, varsity, or whatever. But I know we, Americans, are All-Pro. Before we think about WHAT the government should do, let's consider the job of the government. The reason we have a government instead of just having anarchy is so that we can have protection, domestic and foreign. That issue there isn't up for debate because that's both the definition of government and what our founding fathers intended. So if you're telling me we shouldn't put soldiers on the ground then you are telling me that you don't believe ISIS is a threat to our country. Brothers and sisters, Let's not make that mistake again. ISIS hates us-- they want to kill us. They have killed us. And when I say "us" I don't mean US soldiers. I don't mean our president. I mean us. I mean you and me. They are our enemy, and they have proven that if we don't stop them they will continue to kill us. Some people say that we are okay just doing the occasional airstrike like we do now. But all that yields is a few ISIS deaths every 3-4 weeks. However, They are recruiting and training jihadist faster than we can kill them. There a quote I love from a man named Todd Wagner. He says this: "if you like what you got, keep doing what you're doing; but if you keep doing what your doing your not going to like what you've got". Fellow Americans-- I don't like what we've got. so let's change what we're doing and stop these men from killing us. You know how we stop these men from killing us? We put boots on the ground. We put soldiers on the ground who are just as committed as we are to the goal of eradicating ISIS. We make a point to show radical Islam that we will not let their barbaric ways stand. We will protect our citizens here in the US, and protect thousands of other humans from a merciless and unjustified death because of their beliefs and because of their race. We must send troops to end these atrocities. I leave you with one final thought. A thought of intentions. ISIS stands for all the wrong things. They behead Christians who have no aggressions other than protection. They kill civilians, who just try to send their kids to school and live their life. They enslave girls of all ages, who they use as sex slaves for their own pleasure. By not sending troops down to obliterate these terrorists we are saying that we are okay letting that go on. We are saying that we will allow them to continue to behead Christians, that we will allow them to continue to kill Civilians, and that we will allow them to continue raping countless girl of all ages. We can't do that-- they must be stopped. ISIS stands for all the wrong things. They behead Christians who have no aggressions other than protection. They kill civilians, who just try to send their kids to school and live their life. They enslave girls of all ages, who they use as sex slaves for their own pleasure. By not sending troops down to obliterate these terrorists we are saying that we are okay letting that go on. We are saying that we will allow them to continue to behead Christians, that we will allow them to continue to kill Civilians, and that we will allow them to continue raping countless girl of all ages. We can't do that-- they must be stopped.
Texas JSA Social Media Twitter: @texas_jsa Instagram: @hotjsa Facebook : /texasjsa At conventions, the publicity team does competitions through social media. Also they spread awareness of each individual chapter and people involved in Texas JSA. Continued from page 3 Pensions differ, but average around $70,000. Congressmen will receive healthcare benefits, and in most cases the taxpayers pay up to 75% of the cost. So, in short, congressmen receive their fair share of benefits. Most people, after hearing these facts, have one of two thoughts. One: They think that s not fair! that s my money they re spending! ; or Two: well, they have an important job, so they should have benefits. However, let s see what our Constitution (and our founding fathers in general) say about this topic. Our founding fathers never intended for Congress to be a full time job. Some state legislative branches understand this, but our federal government obviously is oblivious to this idea. In fact, the Pennsylvania state constitution requires members of their state Congress to have some profession whereby he may honestly subsist.. In Texas, the state legislative branch pays all its members only $7,200 yearly for their work so that they must have some other source of income. Meanwhile, our federal legislative branch is paid a salary 3.5 times higher than median salary in the US. The founding fathers intended the role of a representative to be a civil service, not a career. Some at the time even believed that senators shouldn t be payed at all! (That was mostly because they figured senators would come from the upper class). We know they opposed career politicians based on how they ran the legislative branch. Originally, in 1787 Congress received $6 a day for their service, because most members of congress were farmers or lawyers or had some other job that was their main source of income. Now, $6 in 1787 translates to a little less than $150 a day today. And since we already know Congress only works 1 out of every 3 days, that means if that salary stuck then Congress would be paid $18,000 a year. We the people should not accept this to be fact, let us come together and change this, so we will not waste our taxpayer dollars. We the people... Not we the editor. Without submissions from fellow JSA ers, the LoneStar would not exist. If there is an event or anything you important you wish to write about, please send it in. The Publicity Department of Texas JSA If you are interested in submitting, please contact Katherine Thomas katherineathomas97@gmail.com