What You Should Be Reading 12/29

There are a lot of things going on in the world right now.

We all know about the fiscal cliff, but do we really understand it? Most won’t admit that they probably don’t, so I found a nice “dummies guide” to bring us all up to speed. Even after reading the guide, I still have questions. So, can Congress actually stick to deadlines?

Obama spoke briefly last night about it and seemed a bit optimistic that a deal could be reached. Many on Twitter weren’t satisfied or even convinced.

Let me know what you think. I really wish Obama would take more questions. But what do I know.

In more depressing news, a 23-year-old woman from India, who was gang raped two weeks ago, died from her injuries yesterday. Already, six men have been charged with the crime, according to the NYT.

I wanted to throw this story in here because it’s insanely important that it go unnoticed and there have been protests growing ever since word got out. I’m not trying make anyone more depressed then they already are, but I felt obligated to get this story in here this week.  Most, if not all, of the major networks are covering it now, as well.

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Oh, and does the name William Spengler, Jr., ring any bells?

Spengler is the man who went on the upstate New York (Webster), that killed two firefighters and injured two others. I bring the Christmas eve tragedy up because I just found out that a woman bought several of the guns used in the rampage. The guns were apparently purchased in 2010.

She is facing 10 years in prison for her alleged role in the shooting.

This is just another twist in a story that rocked our nation, and still so close to the tragedy in Newtown.

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And in case you missed it, Congress gave final approval (Friday) to a bill that would extend the “government’s power to intercept electronic communications of spy and terrorism suspects, after the Senate voted down proposals from several Democrats and Republicans to increase protections of civil liberties and privacy.” Read the NYT story. It’s a long one, but it’s insanely important.

I know this news isn’t uplifting, but, most of the time, news isn’t and shouldn’t be. We all need to do a better job of reading the stories that make us think and upset us. Then we can ask questions, get more information and seek out ways to educate other people about what’s going on and what we can do, if anything, to help the world we live in.

At least, that’s how I see it.

Jonathan