News of the Week - Online

This post is for the week of March 10th/12th.

Obama lifts Bush Restrictions on Stem Cell Research

On Monday, President Obama lifted restrictions on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research. This angered many anti-abortion opponents, but pleased those who believed the study could produce treatments for many diseases.

Obama supports the scientists who conduct the research and aims for America to lead the world in discoveries.

Shares of companies specializing in stem cell research rose as much as 73 percent.

Some believed George W. Bush based his actions on stem cell research on politics and religion. Religious conservatives who supported Bush opposed human embryonic research because it involves the destruction of embryos, which they viewed as human life.

When it comes to stem cell research, Obama believes that this is a call to care for each other and will work to ease human suffering.

The National Institute of Health has 120 days to come up with guidelines regarding stem cell research.

Question: *Government is put in a bind between morality and science. Do you believe government should use federal spending on research for the possible discoveries of treatment for diseases?


Sources: Cytori Therapeutics, Stem Cell Research Foundation, Gray's Anatomy, Advance Cell Technology

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52721M20090309?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6QZdfblCZY


Obama Outlines Plan for Education Overhaul

On Tuesday, President Obama called for changes to American education by urging states to lift limits on charter schools and improving the quality of early childhood education and linking teacher pay to performance.

The president said it was time to erase limits on the number of charter schools, while closing those that are not working. 26 states and the District of Columbia now have caps on charter schools.

In his recent budget message, Obama hoped to double financing for charter schools. He called on states to impose tougher curriculum standards and said states should weed out bad teachers. Obama pledged to pursue programs that would reward teachers with money for improved achievement by students.

The address on Tuesday was the first step for the president's agenda to improve schools.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/us/politics/11web-educ.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA27kLJrHew


$410 billion Spending Package

On Wednesday March 11, President Obama signed a $410 billion spending package. He called it an "imperfect" bill, but insisted the bill must mean an "end to the old way of doing business."

The bill is to sponsor 8,000 projects through the fall, but there are many critics against the bill. Among the projects include $485,000 for a boarding school in western Alaska for at risk students and $1.2 million for the Helen Keller International nonprofit to provide eyeglasses for students with poor vision.

Obama believes that some of the money for projects in the past have been abused.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29632177/

Question * Why do you think Obama signed the bill in private and did not have a public signing ceremony? Obama usually signs bills in front of the media, but he declined a reporters question why he signed the bill in private.