Have the large salaries of professional athletes had a negative impact on the athletes or the sports?

Athletes in my opinion are paid way too much for running up and down a field, and hitting a ball with a bat or a stick naming a few. Being paid so much money I believe these people are taking advantage of life. It seems that in the past few years the salaries of players have been going up and up when in the long run they aren’t doing a very good job playing the sport. What really upsets me as a Criminal Justice/ Law Enforcement major is these athletes getting off so many things because they have a big salary and can buy their way out of something when regular Joe Blow would spend month’s maybe years in jail or prison because they don’t have the money or the fame to back it up. Everyone is human and people should be treated the same wither they have money or not. Just because someone is a athlete doesn’t make that person any more important than the next person.

                With people having such big salaries and being able to buy their way out of certain situations or just buy whatever has made a negative impact on the players and the sport. With all of these athletes acting a fool and getting away with it, it makes the sport look as if they are just supporting crooks or negative people. People need to stop putting so much money into these athletes who I think take things for granted and start putting that much money into our school systems, homeless people and other areas instead of athlete's pockets.

Should victimless crimes such as prostitution and other sexual activity between consenting adults be free from government interference?

I think as adults we should have the choice on what we do with our bodies. The government controls everything else; I believe that when it comes to our bodies we should have the choice of what we. I am not for prostitution, I believe that it is not right to sell your body but what voice do I have to say about the woman who lives down the street from me or the woman who is working the corner to put food in her kid’s mouth at night.

                As a woman myself I don’t think that I could have sex for money myself because I look at having sex or any other sexual activities as a private thing that I feel brings two people closer but some people look at it in a totally different perspective. The government controls everything I think that we should be able to control what we do and that we do and what comes out of it. We are adults we know what is right and what is wrong. We don’t need someone telling us that. We need to be able to have more freedom then we have.

Should English be declared the official language of the United States?

With there being so many different languages, cultures, religions in the United States now with so many people emigrating from different countries I think that we should declare an official language and that it should be English. There have been so many people hear for years and English has been primary language I think declaring a different language or having people speak many other languages could make life very hard. I also look at declaring English as the primary language as a good thing. So many people from other countries want to learn how to speak it I think that if we declared it as our language it would be a positive thing and many people could benefit from it, being bi-lingual isn’t such a bad thing.

tobacco companies be held responsible for smoking-related illnesses and deaths?

When tobacco comes into the picture we don’t think tobacco is as bad as alcohol. We think that just because tobacco won’t kill a person right away that it is not as severe as alcohol. I think that the tobacco companies shouldn’t be held responsible for things that happen to people who consume their products. I believe that everyone has free will, they have the choice on what they want to consume in their bodies. Everyone knows that tobacco is bad for you. On cigarette boxes it says on there Surgeon General’s Warning, Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth, and low birth weight. It may also cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide. Reading all of these warning labels how could someone be stupid enough to put those chemicals in their bodies.

                We cannot make tobacco companies responsible for everyone who smokes and then later in life have a smoking-related illnesses or death because there would be so many cases that I don’t think the company could keep up with. The tobacco companies warn us with the labels on the boxes and from a young age you are taught that smoking is bad for your health. You have the choice to put that tobacco into your body or not its your choice if you want to take the labels on the box serious or not.

Should pornography be restricted by law?

   Ever since I can remember pornography has been such a huge controversy on what should be done about it, should it be restricted by law or not? When I think of the laws that should be put against pornography I think that the ones we have are good ones. Being able to only buy it at certain places, if the pictures are to provocative they are covered up and only the title of the magazine is showing, you are only allowed to buy it at certain ages.

          Just as naked women can be looked as art in a sculpture I think that pornography can be a form or art to. It is just in the eyes of the beholder. I feel like this question is just so hard to answer it makes me think really hard on what is right and what could be wrong.

Should homosexuals be permitted to serve in the armed forces?

Homosexuals should have the same rights as a heterosexual when wanting to serve in the armed forces. I think that denying someone because of their sexual orientation is wrong. Whether you are straight or gay who you have fallen in love with doesn’t affect how you would fly a place in the air force, shoot a gun in the marines or drive a truck in the army.  So I don’t understand what the big issue is with homosexuals in the armed services. They are just as willing as someone who is straight to put their life on the line for their country, why should they be denied because of their sexual orientation?

            I have a few friends that are gay and their passion is to serve in the forces but because they aren’t straight everything they want is thrown out the window. I think we need to change the laws when it comes to homosexuals serving in the armed forces. There sexuality isn’t going to bother the enemy their fighting against or the plane is going to decided because a gay man or woman is flying it will not work. We need to be fair to everyone.

Should children be required to attend school past the age of sixteen?

I believe that children should be required to attend school till they are 18. At 16 I believe that you are mature to a certain point but not enough to make a decision that will affect you your entire life. I believe that the decision about school should be made up by the parent. At 16 your parents are still telling you who you are allowed to hang out with, what time you need to be home and some 16 year old are still getting a allowance. Being able to make that decision at 16 whether you want to drop out of school should not be a choice that they get to make, it’s the parent’s choice.