Will Native Americans Vote in a Different Way This Year?

In the article, "Native American Vote Could Tip South Dakota’s Senate Race," (Link to Article) it talks about how influential Native American voters will be in this election. It talks about how Native Americans have supported Democrat candidates in the past, and they might be Rick Weiland's only shot of winning the Senate race this year. Almost ten percent of South Dakota's population is Native American, so they could have quite a bit of sway in the election. The only problem for Rick Weiland is that the independent candidate, Larry Pressler, may be taking some of these votes for himself. Pressler has campaigned on every reservation and even made promises of building a museum in Wounded Knee to commemorate the abuses that Native Americans have suffered in the past.

How Native Americans decide to vote this year could contribute greatly to how the Senate race turns out this year. If all of their votes do go to Rick Weiland then there is a chance that he could beat Mike Rounds. If the vote is split, however, like this article suggests, and some goes to Larry Pressler, then Mike Rounds will most likely come out on top in the election. I think that it will be interesting to see how this turns out. The Native American vote usually goes to the Democrat party, so if it doesn't this year, it could signify a change in political orientation of the Native American population.

South Dakota's not so Predictable Anymore

In the article, "Senate Race Delivers A Surprise Jolt To Conservative South Dakota," it states that South Dakota is home to an unexpectedly close Senate race this year. (Link to article) The article mentions how South Dakota was initially expected to elect the Republican candidate to the senate, but now it has become harder and harder to predict who will win in the upcoming election. Polls show that while Republican Mike Rounds is still in the lead at the moment, his opponent, Democrat Rick Weiland, is only three or four points away from him. The other opponent, Larry Pressler, is running close behind as well.

This election is obviously turning out to be an unexpected battle between the candidates. If the Democrat candidate does end up winning the senate seat, it will be a major game-changer for South Dakota since this state's majority usually votes Republican. I think one of the main reasons why Rounds is losing support from voters is the scandal that now surrounds his name. Without all the controversy surrounding him, Rounds would probably have an easier time winning the race.I think that this election, however, will be a tight race all the way up until election day, and any of these candidates could come out on top.

Faith in Humanity Restored

This week, the Bernalillo County Commission is considering naming a newly renovated baseball field in Albuquerque, New Mexico after a boy named Martin Romero. (Dying boy donates Make-A-Wish gift)This is because Martin, who died of brain cancer in January, asked the Make-A-Wish Foundation to donate his wish to improving the baseball fields in his local community. Martin originally wanted to use his wish to go skydiving, but when this wish was turned down due to the nature of his brain tumor, he decided instead to improve the baseball fields that he loved and had been playing on since he was six years old. The Make-A-Wish Foundation ended up donating $2,000 for this project.

The new improvements made to these baseball fields will impact Albuquerque's community in a variety of ways. These new fields will allow those using wheelchairs to have easier access to watch the games along with other fans, and it will serve as a memorial for Martin Romero, so all in his community will remember him. This story renews my faith in humanity, for in a society where most teenagers are now considered to be selfish and uncaring, we see a 14-year-old kid who uses his last dying wish to support his community. I think that Martin could be a role model for all of us.

The Cost of Fighting a War Against Ebola

In the article "Congress releases war funds to fight Ebola" (Link to Article) it is mentioned that $50 million of President Obama's $1 billion request has been approved by Congress to be used in the fight against Ebola. The money comes from leftover Afghanistan war funds and will be used to airlift supplies and personnel to areas affected by Ebola. This request was finally signed off on by Senator James Inhofe who was at first very skeptical of the plan, for he had very little information on specifically how the funds would be used. Senator Inhofe is the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and was required to sign off on this request before it could be put into motion.

I think this is a huge step forward in the battle against Ebola. The money that will be used could significantly lower the risks of Ebola spreading all over the world, and it will hopefully be of assistance to those already affected by this disease. U. S. officials have said that over one million people could be affected by Ebola if there is nothing done about it, which is why being active in fighting the disease is so important. Hopefully this money will be able to save lives that otherwise would be ruined by Ebola.