How do property taxes fund our public schools? Is this fair? How do you think public schools should be funded?

Depending on where you live you pay a certain property amount of property tax, which varies from place to place. If you live in a "nice" area the tax is usually higher and if you live a not so "nice" area it is lower. This tax that is paid goes to the local school in the area as a large part of their funding. When on takes a look to the larger picture of the property tax in america it is fair in a way because the money just doesn't go to the local school it also goes to police/fire protection, local governments, some free medical services, and most of other local infrastructure. But the schools in the less fortunate areas get less funding because the people are poor and with the wealthier areas get more funding because of the wealthier parents, thus, a gap is created. The property tax should not apply to schools because the gap between the rich and the poor ends up affecting the school system. Their should just be a tax that is just for schools at a set rate that are divided up and given to schools in the area.

A major upward revision of the U.S. Treasury Department’s assessment of China’s holdings of U.S. securities last year shows the U.S. is far more indebted to the emerging power than originally thought. Treasury’s preliminary report of foreign holdings of securities is based on better data than its first estimate posted last year, helping to paint a more accurate picture of foreign purchases or sales of U.S. assets. The data are likely to prove fodder for many analysts who have suspected that China has been routing a significant portion of its purchases of U.S. Treasury securities through other major financial centers such as London to play down its debt profile in the U.S., a politically sensitive subject in Washington.

China’s holdings in the month of June 2010 were revised up 32%, around $268 billion, from the previous estimate to $1.112 trillion. The U.K., however, saw a downward revision of almost the exact amount, to $94.5 billion from a previous estimate of $363.7 billion.

President Barack Obama's top political aide Wednesday defended the tax plan the president hammered out with Republican leaders, even as Democrats threaten to rebel over it.

David Axelrod insisted the most important thing was that Obama had been able to secure a two-year extension in current income tax rates for "the middle class."

Democrats are angry that the extension also applies to high earners, as Republicans had demanded, and that Obama agreed to a Republican proposal on the estate tax

Obama is doing the right thing here with this compromise. Democrats criticize him for making so many compromises but if he didn't compromise things would never move along in politics. I think its great that he is trying to make Democrats and Republicans work together and actually make a difference in this country.

A political summit between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders Tuesday yielded further talks on how to extend Bush-era tax breaks scheduled to expire at the end of the year, as well as an acknowledgment from Obama that he needs to reach out more to Republicans.

The meeting, dubbed by some the "Slurpee summit" for a campaign dig by Obama at congressional Republicans, involved the president and leaders of both parties from the House and Senate. It came in the aftermath of the November midterm election in which Republicans took control of the House and gained six seats in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Its good to see Obama trying to break down barriers between Democrats and Republicans. In order to have a successful government one cant just have one extreme government view on how to do things because both sides have some good ideas politically speaking. But Obama shouldn't compromise or fold with these pressures because some might take his willingness to work with he opposing side as weakness but it should be viewed as a strength to work with ones opposition and work towards a common goal to make this country great like it was

As Obama prepares to work with the new Republican majority in the U.S. House this January, a new CNN Poll of Polls indicates that the public is split over his handling of duties in the White House. Overall, 47 percent of Americans approve of how Obama is handling his job and 48 percent disapprove, according to the Poll of Polls which was compiled and released on Friday.

Politics as usual. Everything and everyone is always split on issues in America and how are president is doing. Dont get me wrong here i mean its great to have an opinion on what goes on this country but it seems to they way the things are run and the way of thinking by most people is flawed. Nothing every gets done in this country these days. When ever something is done people either criticize it or go with with based on the things they are told by the media. This particular story has to with political parties because this is a perfect example of two major parties fighting each other. And yes i am speculating that majority of the people who took this poll were either a Democrat or a Republican. But this is how the country is run a power struggle between to factions to get what they want done...im not sure if its funny or ironic that the opposite usually happens.

Californian voters make two verdicts on marijuana taxations on the U.S. Election Day. When they defeated a statewide measure for taxing marijuana’s recreational usage, the same voters allowed taxation of marijuana for medical uses in local bodies.

It seems that voters have intelligibly applied their right in the case of marijuana in California. Proposition 19, the ballot measure to legalize or tax recreational and personal usage of marijuana was rejected by voters for 56 percent over 44 percent in the elections.

In the same time, people in local levels, voted and succeeded proposals to tax medical marijuana. Thus nine California cities got their marijuana measures legalized in this election. It was previously analyzed that Prop 19 was failed in the state due to lesser participation of young people in elections. Actually youngsters between 21 and 29 are the actual demanders of such a measure.

The 2010 elections have been a bitter sweet thing for me. I am quite happy that Jerry brown won govenor but either way he is was the lesser evil. I could care less about any of the props besides 19 because it would of changed California for the better, granted it was poorly written. It also makes me disappointed that many young voters didn't vote.

​Prop. 19, the November ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana possession and use in California, was winning among likely voters according to a new ABC7/Survey USA poll. If the election were held now the proposition would win 47 to 43 percent. That's the good news for pot supporters. The bad news, according to the poll: The number of people committed to voting for the law has decreased by four percentage points.

Of course, Survey USA's automated "robo-call" polls often differ from others, and surveys on this issue seem to be all over the map anyway.

According to the ABC7/Survey USA poll, women, older Californians, minorities and Central Valley residents have given momentum to the initiative's decreasing support.

"It's the folks who are most concerned with what legalizing the recreational use of marijuana will do to children, to schools, to ethnic communities, to public safety," Roger Salazar, the No on Prop. 19 campaign's spokesman, told ABC7.

The initiative would allow Californian's to possess up to one ounce of cannabis while allowing cities and municipalities to allow, outlaw or regulate its sale in retail establishments.

Dan Newman, Yes on Prop. 19 campaign spokesman, tells the station, "We're seeing that Californians are ready to embrace some modest, common-sense reforms to our failed marijuana laws."'

I think that this proposition can do nothing but good for California. This Proposition would bring california out of the recession in a heartbeat. It has been shown that if tax marijuana it can generate more than a billion dollars. Plus if marijuana is legal the production of hemp will go up and hemp is the durable material on this planet. The people of California would be extremely ignorant not to legalize it and just blindly believe the governments lies about this plant. When you look at the history of why it was illegalized it was not because it was harmful but because William R. Hearst was threatened by hemp being that he was one of the biggest manufacturer of paper so he cnstructed lies saying that mexicans and blacks were smoking it and rapeing people so congress mad it illegal without thinking twice. In short if California legalizes it we will be a prosperous and happy state.