Archive for May 15th, 2011
Poll: Only 19% of Americans Favor Debt Ceiling Increase
Currently, the Federal government borrows 43 cents of every dollar it spends. According to a random sample of 1,018 adults living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, only one in five Americans are in favor of Congress raising the federal debt ceiling, allowing the United States to borrow even more money. The poll has a margin of error of ±4 percentage points.
A Gallup poll released Friday reveals that only 8% of Republicans, 33% of Democrats and 46% 15% of Independents polled favor raising the debt ceiling. Which means that every politician who votes for it is poking his or her constituents in the eye.
According to Gallup,
The May 5-8 Gallup poll suggests that a vote in favor of raising the debt ceiling could be a difficult one for many members of Congress, particularly for Republicans. …
By a 47% to 19% margin, Americans say they would want their member of Congress to vote against raising the U.S. debt ceiling, while 34% don’t know enough to say. Republicans oppose raising the debt ceiling by 70% to 8% and independents by 46% to 15%. Democrats favor raising the ceiling by 33% to 26%.
So, Hillbuzz readers, how do you feel about the debt ceiling debate? Take our unscientific poll and tell us what you think!
(Updated May 16, 2011 with help from an alert Hillbuzzer–thanks)
Sharia law’s literal interpretation of an eye for an eye
Ameneh Bahrami holding a picture of what she used to look like.
One day back in 2004, Ameneh Bahrami was on her way home from work when she encountered Majid Movahedi, a former love interest. Ameneh had just recently turned down a marriage proposal from Movahedi and had broken off the relationship. She noticed that he was holding a red jar and as he approached, he gazed into her eyes for several seconds. That was the last thing Ameneh would ever see because Movahedi proceeded to throw the acid that was in the jar in her face…blinding and disfiguring her for life.
Last week, an Iranian court ordered the application of “an eye for an eye” justice. The victim had specifically asked for this type of justice before the court issued punishment for Movahedi’s crime. The best part? Ameneh gets to be the one to drop the same acid into Movahedi’s eyes that he used to blind her. His blinding will be a little more humane because the courts have ordered him to be rendered unconscious (in a hospital) before Ameneh drops the acid into his eyes.
I love this story. I really really love this story. I feel a little evil being so gleeful that someone will have acid dropped in their eyes but in this case…it’s justice served. This is the first time ever that I have agreed with Sharia law. Most of the time, women get the short end of the stick with Sharia law but not this time. I hope this becomes a precedent.
Go Ameneh Go!
UPDATE: I just posted this story and already I have an update to it. Amnesty International has stepped in and is calling for the sentence to be thrown out. Iran has decided to postpone the “blinding”. Since when does Iran (or anyone in the Islamic world) listen to Amnesty International?
