ABortion in americaTo this day, abortion laws have been restricted and changed numerous times throughout America. Currently, there are seven different regulations on Abortion that vary by state. For example, North Dakota's law states that the fetus can be aborted within the first six weeks of pregnancy, while in Iowa, Texas and Virginia, the fetus must be aborted within the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. This law, as well as others, slowly separate each state from each other, creating their own little country. Why not declare a national law that states if or when a baby can be aborted? This would bring tie each state closer to each other and ultimately create a more unified, consistent country.
Fight on AbortionWhen taking into consideration the states that do support abortions and those who don't, the "pro-life" ram would represent the percentage of America that do support abortion, while the "pro-choice" ram represents the states in America that do not exactly believe in Abortion.
Medical MarijuanaSimilar to the variation of rights with the legalization of abortions and gay marriage, medical marijuana has caused an uproar of debates in 21st century America. Just like the two previous subjects, some states do accept medical marijuana, while others don't. In fact, there is only 22 of the 50 States in America that have legalized medical marijuana, this means that 40% of America is in disagreement. If we were to analyze all three of these subjects, we would discover that only 12% of America support all three, 14% supports two of the three and 20% supports just one. That leaves 54% of America that does not believe in the legalization of these rules. These numbers support the idea that America is not a whole country, but separate "countries" that are divide by lines drawn on a map.
Small Distance, Big DIFFERENCEThis may just be the most perfect political cartoon to prove the thesis. The cartoon really emphasizes how close these states are by drawing and labeling the state line. On one side (Colorado), there is a Marijuana store, while on the other side (Wyoming) , they do not support the legalization of Marijuana, so they used a firework shop. It is weird to think that even under the same leader, the same government, in the same country, you can take one step and something goes from legal, to illegal (or vice-versa). This is exactly what this cartoon shows.
IncomeMost people who wish to come to the United States of America believe that the country truly provides equal opportunity to everyone, but they are sadly mistaken. After researching the average home income per state in America that assumption is far from the truth. Connecticut, the state with the highest income ($58,908 a year) happens to be located directly north of Delaware, which averages only $41,940 a year. The question is, why is there a $17,000 dollar difference when these states are just 150 miles from each other? The answer lies within each state. It all comes down to geography, politics and opportunity.
Map of income by stateThis map, similar to the same-sex marriage map, shows the difference of income in America. This map is a great way to visually show the differences in America when it comes to money, the main thing that people focus on when talking about opportunity. Well, here one can see how the income differs from state to state, thus the opportunity changes depending on where in America one may live.
Crooked Smile - J. ColeLook at the nation, that's a crooked smile braces couldn't even straighten.
Although the song "Crooked Smile" by J. Cole does not focus on America or the American Experience, this line above stood out. I like to think of each of the tooth as a state of America and how crooked (different) it is from the others. I see the braces as the unifier (The United States of America) that attempt to pull all the teeth together perfectly, like the states should be.
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Gay MarriageAs to do with the laws of abortion, the laws of same-sex marriages vary state by state. Today, Gay Marriage laws have been talked about many, many times. The laws on whether or not Gay Marriage should be legal splits America into a two to one ratio. 17 American states such as California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire support gay Marriage, while 33 other states such as Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia oppose same sex Marriage. This disagreement combines some aspects of the Civil War and Abortion laws. The main reason for the Civil War, as we know, was the discrimination against African American which, for 5 years, separated our country in two. Today, gay people are being discriminated against in more than half the states in America, just like African Americans were. This, as well as many other differences in America, portray the United States of America as an incomplete country, not a whole.
National Map of states that support same-sex marriageThis map shows the states in America that do support gay marriage. These states include California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Looking at this map, one can really determine how different some states are from each other, even though they may be neighboring each other. For example, even though Iowa supports same-sex marriage, its neighboring state, Ohio, does not support it. There does seem to be a trend though. The states that do support gay marriage do not stand alone, they have a neighboring state that also supports gay marriage.
Death Penalty The death penalty in America, along with abortion, marijuana, and gay marriage, varies from state to state. The death penalty is legal in 31 of the 50 States of America. As for the remaining nineteen states, it is illegal. The purpose of researching this topic along with the previous three is to show that each state is different from each other no matter how close they are. One individual could live on in New Hampshire right on the border of Maine and once they step one foot outside of this border, life is different. There is tax in Maine, there isn’t tax in New Hampshire. Maine supports the death penalty, New Hampshire does not. If we all live in one country, shouldn’t we all live under the same rules and not have to live by the different codes that are separated by invisible lines?
Americas mixed opinionWhen looking at this cartoon, America instantly comes to mind. As the man with the sign stands there supporting pro-life, he is also saying that if the other man touches his sign, he will KILL him. The reason this brings America to mind is because America as a country is undecided on not only the Death Penalty, but all other laws like it. Some states do support the death penalty, while others don't.
Crime RatesCrime in America is something that people try to avoid in order to create a healthier, safer country. Some people and states have accomplished this goal. For example, Kentucky has placed itself at 40th out of 50 states in crime rankings. Tennessee on the other hand, is second out of 50 states for crime rates. Well you might be thinking "Hey, some state has to be first and another has to be last," but isn't it strange that these states are bordering each other?
Map of violenceWhen examining this map, not only do we discover that states drastically differ in the amount of crimes happening, but we also see a trend. If looked at carefully, one can see that the southern half of the United States has a generally higher crime rate than the North. Why is one half of the country more violent than the other? It's because of these rules and laws we have previously discussed that differ from state to state. People in the southern states may disagree with the way the state is run, which can lead to violence and protests.
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