Should The Pledge of Allegiance be Amended?

Since 1953 the Pledge of Allegiance has tried to be amended for the fact that the two words “under God” refers that our nation supports the God of the Christian Bible. Even though it is only two words many believe that it should be amended because it violates the First Amendment. They say that it would not be an issue if it wasn’t they were required to make a personal affirmation of God and because it requires affirming that there is, “one nation under God”, it should be taken out. Although there are some that believe it should go there are also many more who believe it should remain on the grounds that it is, too minimal, and most people don’t even pay any attention to it when they are saying it. Also because it isn’t a direct affirmation but more of a historical account of what our founding fathers believed. The most important issue though is that people are not forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ever since our founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence and then later the Pledge of Allegiance society has acknowledged that our nation was formed under the notion that we have been “endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights”, and that our nation was founded “under God”. Not until the last couple decades though has society called these principles into question and if they are even constitutional. In the case of Elk Grove School District v. Newdow, they argued that reciting the pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it encroached upon the establishment clause referred to in the first amendment. I believe that the Pledge doesn’t encroach upon the First amendment but simply reinforce the beliefs that our country was founded on. The idea of amending the Pledge is ridiculous. It should stay so that we know how our country was created and who created it, which would happen to be God with the help of men with Christian beliefs and morals.

I believe the current actions taken by the Supreme Court are appropriate and that though there are many objections that are made upon it; the issue should be stricken down and not be brought up again. If people do not wish to say the Pledge then they have the right not to say it. They don’t however need to tamper with an age old belief held by our founding fathers based on good morals, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Does Playing Video Games Affect GPA?

For most kids in school video games are a fun activity where they can relax and not think about all the deadlines they have to meet at school and extracurricular activities they have to be at. Although it is entertaining does playing video games really affect grade point average (GPA)? I believe that you cannot directly relate playing video games with a low GPA. There are various reasons why kids have low GPAs and they cannot all be blamed on video games, although many people would like to.
Video games for kids are an escape from reality. Most kids get tired of doing homework, going to practice, and doing chores, so they find something entertaining and fun they like to do to have some desperately needed R & R. With video games kids are able to totally forget about their current situation and become captivated in a world that in some cases has no boundaries where they can do whatever or be whomever they want. Yes, video games like anything else can be abused, but with good time management it can become an activity which relaxes and entertains so that when kids go back to school they are not as stressed and bogged down with all the things they have to do which might cause them to be more attentive and ready to learn. Although most parents and teachers might thing differently video games could be doing more help than they could ever imagine, but I will say if the games are not properly monitored by parents, if their kids are in high school or middle school, that it could cause problems with interfering with what is really important such as their GPA.

Why Americans Are Overweight

Ever since the rise of the industrial age and of technology the average American citizen has fallen into the routine of consumerism and laziness. Because of this many Americans have become sedentary and overweight. Although the United States is the wealthiest and most powerful nation the in the world, it has also achieved the status of leading the world in obesity rates.
The invention of all sorts of new gadgets and gizmos is all well and good but it has also profoundly affected the sorts of activities Americans engage in, in this generation. I am not saying that technology is bad, because there are definitely numerous wonderful things about it. All I am saying is that it also has had a negative effect on society which is no one's fault except themselves. They have become so accustomed to being pampered and waited on, with the abundance of new technology that has been discovered, that they do not take part as much in the labors which their fore-fathers partook in such as; actually making their food from scratch, walking everywhere instead of driving cars, watching television and many other things. This very, American ideal has created the conclusion that because all these different machines are doing our work for us that we do not have to do anything. This laziness has caused many people to stop doing things like working out and being active leading them to become sedentary. Also adding to this lifestyle is the fast food industries which allow people to quickly purchase and consume their tasty yet very unhealthy food in just mere minuets. Now instead of making a healthy nutritious meal people are settling for what is quick and easy. Then with the buildup of all the fat building foods on top of their already sedentary lifestyle people are becoming overweight.

Are spectator sports overemphasized in this country today?

In this day and age people are obsessed with watching their favorite sports teams and finding out who will win the World Series, Super Bowl, World Cup, or whatever other sport they watch. Do not get me wrong I really do not think watching your favorite team go head to head with its rival is bad at all, although I do believe that our generation has overemphasized spectator sports to an extent to where it is not just fun and games anymore but is based on the foundation of consumerism and leads people to be less productive because they are too worried about not missing out on watching their favorite game to do anything else.
To start off, going to your desired game is no cheap event, it costs hundreds of dollars for the ticket and then you have to pay for food which is ridiculously priced. That money then goes straight to the overly paid athletes who you are watching and put so much emphasis and attention into. Every year advertisers pay millions of dollars to buy mere minutes of air time for the most watched game in the United States, the Super Bowl. These are prime examples of how sports have become more about consumerism and less about the game. Maybe if people did not care so much then all the consumerism would end and would not be an issue but unfortunately this is the sad reality of it. It is upsetting that professional athletes get paid exorbitantly more than the people who risk their lives to protect us for a living and everyone thinks that is fine and normal.
Also people do just spend countless money on spectator sports but time and energy. I hear all the time in school and work about people talking about the game they just watched and the great play that person made last night and I think to myself about all the things they could have been doing instead of watching some meaningless game which does not accomplish anything but is simply entertainment. If people spent less time being spectators and more time actually getting up and doing something then I believe this world would be better off.

Clean Well Lighted Place-waiters differnet views of the old man and the effect it has on the theme of the story

The views of the two waiters in, A Well Lighted Place, depict the the universal theme of innocence and experience. This is supported by the opinions both waiters have on the old man in the cafe and how they respond to his late night stay there. The young waiter obviously represents the innocence of youth and how short sited they are. The young waiter was in a rush to get out of the cafe to go be with his family at home so he was angry that the old man was staying so late and not being mindful of "those who must work". On the other hand the older waiter did not have a problem with him staying for an extra hour because it was a comfortable place to drink and relax. What the younger waiter was too naive to realize was that although it was just an extra hour that time was no less important to the old man than it was to him, and the older waiter understood that fact because he was more experienced and could appreciate and relate with the old man because in the end "what is an hour?" The older waiter because he was not innocent, like the younger waiter was, knew that the present time should be appreciated and that people should slow done and not be in such a hurry. Instead they should take in the moment because before the blink of an eye the younger man will have become the older man sitting in the cafe wishing he had another hour.