Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

Mass. Considers Outlawing Spanking

A bill that would prohibit parents from spanking their children is being criticized as unnecessary and unenforceable by many Massachusetts lawmakers.

The measure - being heard Wednesday by a legislative committee - defines corporal punishment as "the willful infliction of physical pain or injurious or humiliating treatment." State legislator Jay Kaufman said he submitted the bill at the request of nurse Kathleen Wolf.

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"The state has always had rights in this area" such as "child safety seats in cars," said Whitehurst. "We're not saying parents can't make choices. We're just saying let's move toward nonviolent methods."

The legislature has ended formal sessions for 2007, so the earliest the bill could be debated would be next year.

I found this article really intriguing because of the huge controversy going on with parents abusing their children. Spanking has been used as a form of punishment and a method of discipline and now there are possibilities of banning it because of some parents who go way too far and actually abuse their children.

Clinton, Obama tied; Romney ahead in Iowa poll

Clinton, Obama tied; Romney ahead in Iowa poll

In a poll conducted by Strategic Vision, Sens. Clinton and Obama are tied at 29%, while John Edwards trails at 23%. Bill Richardson comes in with 6% and Joseph Biden with 4%.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney is beating former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee by just two percentage points, the poll shows. Huckabee has reportedly been getting a bounce in Iowa from evangelical Christians who are uncomfortable with Romney's Mormon faith.

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Meanwhile, the Republicans are preparing to square off against one another Wednesday night in another key battleground state: Florida. At 8 p.m. Eastern, Giuliani, Romney, McCain and the others meet in St. Petersburg, Fla., in a debate hosted by CNN and YouTube. Polls show Giuliani enjoying a comfortable lead in the Sunshine State.
Florida's primaries are set for Jan. 29.

This article seemed interesting to me because of how close some of the standings are looking like they are going to be in the upcoming elections.

Students join GOP debate via YouTube

Students join GOP debate via YouTube

When eight Republican presidential candidates meet Wednesday to answer questions coming from citizen videos, the audience will include political activists, local VIPS and Ray Keller, a Nebraska teacher.

Keller, 36, got his coveted ticket to the St. Petersburg, Fla. event because executives of YouTube, co-sponsor with CNN of the debate, see him as an exemplar of what they hoped to achieve with the forum's innovative citizen-driven format.

According to Steve Grove, head of news and politics at YouTube, Keller is among scores of teachers who have encouraged students to submit questions to the candidates via the online video uploading service. The student questioners run the gamut "all the way from middle school to graduate school," Grove said. One entry is from a class of Harvard University medical students.

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That's exactly what debate organizers hoped would happen when they opened the floor to citizen videos. "This is their first taste of political action," Grove said of the student questioners. "We hope it will keep them in the battle, certainly for the fall, but hopefully for the rest of their lives."

This article was very interesting for me. I think it's a great idea that kids are getting so involved in politics. I think it would be great to continue doing this.