In Pennsylvania's senate are people who are on my side. A few of these are Daylin Leach, Camille George, and my representatives I mentioned in my 2nd blog post. They and other members of PA's government have created laws such as Resolution 110686 and HB 2754. Fracking has also recieved a lot of media attention. The documentary "Gas Lands" by Josh Foxx (now an important and influential activist against fracking) was one of the original cries for help, but newspapers have covered fracking numerous time. They recently linked the recent earthquake activity with hydraulic fracturing. Marcellus Shale protests are now not uncommon, including an Occupy Pittsburgh in protest of fracking. While this is a good first step for my cause, it is also important to recognize the power my opponents hold in government. 

These factors all add to the knowledge a young lobbyist like myself needs. I now know who to coordinate with, who are my opponents. More significantly, I know who I can influence and what that means for my issue. 

Eastern European food(Jewish)-Kasha Recipe 

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1:  Get a large pot, pour in broth, mix in a tbsp. of butter and bring to a boil, .

 Step 2: Meanwhile, mix Kasha and egg together.

 Step 3: Put Kasha and egg mixture into a wok/ frying pan on medium heat.

 Step 4: Stir continuously (so that the kasha mixture will not stick to the pan or together), let the grains separate. Should look dry but not brown.

 Step 5: When broth comes to a boil, pour into wok/frying pan.

 Step 6: Stir and cover on medium heat for 30 minutes (check every 5-10 minutes to stir), let the Kasha absorb the broth.

 Step 7: When the Kasha has absorbed all of the broth, season to taste with mixed seasoning salt and cumin.

Analysis:

 This meal is an easy and healthy option for any family. It consists of two whole ingredients and two processed ingredients. As a staple food in Eastern Europe, kasha is filling and nutritious. It is 82% carbohydrates, 12% protein and 6% fats. Kasha is also a good source of dietary fiber and magnesium with 155 calories for 168 grams. The dietary fiber is the part of food that your body cannot process; therefore it acts as a regulator for your digestive system. Magnesium is important for numerous functions in your body: nerve impulse transmissions and formation of healthy bones. It’s safe to say that this food is nutritious. It is also an environmentally friendly dish.

             The buckwheat used was organic and the eggs were from free-range chickens. The store we purchased these items from look for local farms to buy from so the buckwheat groats and eggs didn’t travel far. The item that traveled the farthest was the vegetable broth that we used to be vegetarian. It was imported from Canada and creates a large carbon footprint, which is ironic and an example of the choices and priorities consumers have.

            The cost of a meal is a big deciding factor for consumers. This meal is fairly feasible. The entire bag of buckwheat costs only 3 dollars and this recipe calls for half of the bag. One organic egg costs 32 cents and the broth costs around 3 dollars. While the total is much more than a fast food meal, this is a pretty cheap meal considering that two of the items, if not more are organic.

            An important aspect of kasha is that most of these products can be produced through a self-sufficient process. Chickens can make the eggs and are easy to contain as livestock in backyards. Buckwheat is apparently easy to grow and can be used in numerous types of food. The only issue with the self-sufficient food process is the limited resources in certain urban areas. Ashley and I are fortunate to own houses with backyards, but many people live in apartments or row homes and cannot grow their own food. However, many of these items were purchased in Acme and were still labeled “organic” so this meal could still be accessible.

            Therefore, Kasha is a good food to know how to cook. It is nutritious, environmentally friendly and affordable. All of the items needed for kasha can be bought at grocery markets such as Acme or local stores or even grown at home. As a dish, kasha follows a lot of the food rules. It is less than 5 ingredients, it is something my grandmother would recognize as food, and it’s vegetarian and organic. All in all, it’s a great dish.

 Personal Reflection: 

When Science in Society first started talking about food, I was ignorant to my role as a consumer. It was only after watching Food Inc. and reading the informative articles that I began to see the error of my ways. I felt extremely guilty. Obesity rates are through the roof, people are buying the cheap and easy choices, and farmers are being exploited daily because of my choices in the grocery store. The entire empire of food seemed messed up.

However, as the class progressed, options began to appear on the horizon. I began to understand how buying food means a vote for that product. Also, I understand now that eating is a responsibility and consumers need to do research before they mindlessly buy everything. However, my work as an eater is unfinished. 

 Some changes I plan to make are to research the products I consume daily such as milk, yogurt, and cereals. I, also, plan to buy only local vegetables and fruits that are in season. Fortunately, the Weaver's Way co-op will make these goals easier to achieve. This store usually buys locally and even plants it's own food. I'm lucky that it's in my neighborhood. Lastly, I need to teach other people about the food industry. Even if nothing comes from it, they at least will be more aware than before.

Food Rule: 

The main people I would need to lobby to are my State officials. Specifically my House Representative: Representative Rosita Youngblood, my Senator, Leanne Washington and Governor Corbett. Each of these people have different views and interests so I'd have to proceed differently with each.

Rosita Youngblood was born in Philadelphia and elected as representative to the 198th District in 1994. She is a chairwoman in the house Gaming Oversight Committee and introduces issue-specific legislation. While she is mostly interested in legislation concerning domestic violence, welfare, health services, personal insurance and property tax provisions, she has voted yes to bills like SB 1155, HB 1200 and other clean energy bills. I have no doubt she would help me lobby against fracking. However, if I needed an "in" with her, I would talk to her about experiences she may have had in Philadelphia and how mine are similar or different. 

Senator Leanne Washington has the most interesting biography of any of my representatives. She was a teen mom, a high school dropout, and a victim of domestic violence. She served in the House of Representatives for 12 years before becoming the Senator to the 4th district. She, like Youngblood, is primarily interested in enhancing community; she's interested in assistance for domestic violence, and social security insurance for disabled foster children. I think she would also be a good candidate to talk to about my lobbing topic. She co-sponsored SB 596, a bill creating a fund for citizens with contaminated well water caused by fracking.  

The last, and most challenging of my representatives would be Governor Tom Corbett. He was elected to office in 2011. His top priorities while in office are to reduce the government budget, improving the economy and, in that same vein, jobs. I say he is the most challenging because he has been a big advocator of fracking and it's abundance of jobs. There was a bit of unrest because he was sponsored during his election by some Gas Companies. However, he has recently made an Act that would give counties in PA the right to make fees on fracking. An "in" I have with Corbett is that he went to college in Annville, which is where my grandparents live. He, also, worked in a highschool for some time so I could talk with him about how unique SLA is. 

These are my three representatives that could help me with my lobbying project. I am generally confident that I could get good results from speaking to them about my topic. Which, is very helpful to know.  

Summary:

The state of California reduced rates of reimbursement from Medicaid to the recipients, which is a Federal-State law. But State law cannot trump Federal law because of the supremacy clause in Article 6 that basically states that Federal law is supreme.

Arguments:

California-

They are using Article 11 as a defense. Article 11 refers to a state's immunity against being sued by an individual.

Douglas-

The prosecution is using the Ex parte Young case in their argument. The case was about when Minnesota limited railroads charge, which violated the 14th amendment and was sued by shareholders of the railroad

Prediction:

I think the court will give the individuals the right to sue California because the Supreme Court will take into account the Federal Government before the State Government. 

For my lobbying project, I have chosen to lobby against the Hydraulic Fracturing in the Marcellus Shale. Specifically, I would like to see our government in Pennsylvania begin to tighten the restrictions on the Oil Companies and force them to reveal what harmful chemicals they put in the water used in the process. This would be helpful for, not only the citizens who have these chemicals in their water, but workers at water treatment plants who are finding that they don't have enough technology to fix the water that comes to them. This is what I want Governor Corbett to do. 

Many groups are asking for the same thing I am. My dad receives numerous emails asking him to sign petitions against fracking. Groups such as the Environmental Protection Agency, who are doing their best to study the effects of Fracking on local rivers. See Epa's Work HERE. Another group, Protecting Our Waters, is organizing protests and mass call-ins to the Governor. A link to their website can be found HERE

However, there are other groups that have high stakes in the Oil Companies and are doing everything they can to keep Fracking as it is now. Big Oil Companies like Cabot Oil and Gas say on their website "345, 000 people employed" and "Landowners paid 30 billion in royalties". But, after snooping around on their website, I found that they aren't as friendly and helpful as they seem. In one of their documents they say that they will gladly screen your tap water upon request however, they will not help you understand your results nor do they say much to how they would fix any damage. The other problem with the opposers of my lobby is that they are involved in the government. In one article it says that Governor Corbett gave authority over Fracking to Walker who was once a CEO of an energy company and owns several trucking businesses (Fracking requires A LOT of trucks). To see this article click HERE. 

Me llamo Julia Boyer, vivo en el barrio cerca de su oficina. Tengo cuarenta años y soy una maestra en la Universidad. Estoy escribiendo porque quiero denunciar un problema. Hay un chaval en mi barrio y pienso que su padre le abusa. Miro al niño mucho porque reconozco los indicios de maltratar.Yo entiendo que maltratar infantil es un tema serio y la policía necesita un razón para una investigación. Entonces, escribí una lista de indicios preocupantes para prueba suficiente.

La familia del chaval tiene muchos problemas. Cinco años pasados, su niño se murío en un accidenté del coche. Luego, el chaval, se llama Pablo, nacío. Posiblemente, su padre le azota Pablo porque el extraña su niño. Pero, hay otros indicios de negligencia. Pablo no tiene supervisión adulta; yo veo Pablo en la calle durante escuela y durante la noche. Es obvio que el llega temprano a la escuela y sus padres no tiene un idea. Tambien, el comportamiento emocional de Pablo es un indicio. Por ejemplo, cuando se saludo, siempre está alerta y contesta muy rapido y quietamente. Es como el tiene miedo de su padre todo el tiempo. Finalmente, una día, cuando Pablo estuvo caminando, vi algunos moratónes en sus brazos y su cuello. No se pregunte a que pasa, porque piense que Pablo habré mentido.

El padre es un hombre muy severo. El trabaja en un ferretería y Pablo ayuda con los clientes. No hablo con el mucho; tengo miedo de el, también. Pero algunos tiempos, cuando llego a la ferretería, oí el papa gritando a Pablo. Mucha del tiempo es porque Pablo respondío despacio o porque el respondío con disrespeto. El papa usó palabras malos y intimidó a Pablo.   

Por favor se enfrenta con el papa. Pablo necesita ayudar y tiene tan miedo para preguntar alguien. Es muy preocupante y yo necesito su ayuda a prevenir esta crueldad. Es parte de tu trabajo promover la prevención de abusar. Por favor, me escribe rapido.

Julia Boyer