I think that a lot of general-interest reforms are generally to help the public. They are created for the well being of the public. They want to promote the general welfare of America! America's government is all about the people: "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union". We are here to serve the larger public interest and unite together. 

I think a lot of people in this world tend to settle for less instead of going for the best. We settle to take the road traveled more than the road less traveled. We as humans want to take the easy way out. We want to have the simplest solution to our problems and make them go away. I think that we should start aiming higher and going for our goals. If we are determined and keep our eye on the prize, anything is possible. 

Some forms of policy reforms are seen as more critical and need sudden attention. The ones that pass are the most important ones and they need to be used immediately in the United States government. The reforms that are eroded away are probably ones that need less attention and require less government assistance. I think overall there is a tremendous effort invested in enacting policy reforms. 

What else could President Clinton have done? It's hard to get involved in something so far from us. Rwanda is on the other side of the world and it is hard to stay in contact. We only know what is going on from stories and pictures being shared with the U.S. I feel like if the United States got involved it possibly could have made it worse. Clinton was put in a tough place and all the pressure was put on him. I think there were things that maybe could have happened to help but it was a difficult place to be in. 

Often when trying to get a point across, many will have facts to back them up. When persuading someone, using a credible source really helps to support their argument. Like they say, "it's about the style", as well. The language, the phrases, all the words they use are how they share their position and get the "point" across. Communicating in such a way creates strong arguments and provides a source to believe. 

Just because your parents are poor, doesn't mean that you will be poor. People still have the opportunities to make a better environment and living situation for themselves. The government may not be able to help but they can find ways to stay stable.

This relates a lot to the Interest's chapter of what Stone is trying to say. We all can come together with our one specific interest and make an impact. The staff and community in this case, wanted the school to improve so they came up with strategies to make this  effective. Working together helped get their message out for people to see.  

Healthcare in McAllen is very expensive. Why would you go somewhere to pay for higher healthcare? Why wouldn't you just go to get cheaper healthcare? Is the care better? Is the care worse? These are all issues we are having to deal with. I think that all healthcare prices should stay the same throughout. If all healthcare prices stayed at a steady rate, people would know what they want and how to get it. Healthcare is a topic that has remained in discussion for many years. We must find a solution together. 

Healthcare that costs a lot is not necessarily the best healthcare. What makes it so expensive? Why go to this place of all places, when you can get cheaper healthcare somewhere else? I think that healthcare should not have a price that is constantly moving. The pricing should stay the same so we can get the healthcare we need without worrying about the rising costs. 

I thought that this TED Talk was very interesting. Dan is basically stating that we as humans are easily influenced from other ideas. We sometimes are influenced by toxic ideas that can hurt us. We need to change this and spread encouraging ideas instead. 

The larger the group and the more opinionated they are, it is harder to keep more unified with the same opinion. If the issue is smaller, the party is more unified and set on what they believe. They are more likely to get there interests displayed because they have come together as a group to influence policy. 

Visuals are a major aspect in getting a point across. They grab the audiences attention. If a visual is visually appealing it is more likely that the readers will like it. They will think it is clear and something they can relate to. Advocating for something that someone strongly believes in should include visuals. Visuals are a strong staple in attention grabbing tactics and should be used wisely. 

Why aren't they getting involved in government? Is there a specific reason?

Just because parts of Africa are in poverty, doesn't mean that all areas are. Those people should still be acknowledged and recognized for the hard work they are doing. Some parts of Africa are actually capable of going far and are going to be very successful. People there still have the opportunity to make a change. 

If a candidate is overly negative towards another candidate they could lose a lot of followers. Others would look at that and wonder they are being so disrespectful to each other. They would lose interest in the candidate. Nobody likes to be around an overly negative person. It just ends  up bringing themselves down. I personally, would rather have a positive candidate who is uplifting and kind. 

Positive feelings toward a candidate can benefit the other candidate a lot. If they are respectful towards each other they can gain followers. If they are not kind to each other they can lose support from others which will have terrible results. 

Why would we want to produce the very opposite of what we have been striving for? Wouldn't we want what we have been working each and everyday for? Wouldn't we want what's best for us and not the complete opposite?

Having our own private area where we can go and express ourselves is very important. Humans need a place where we can be free to do as we please in the privacy of our own homes without society watching our every move. A means of privacy is very important to have generated in our government. 

I don't think there is such a thing as "normal". There is no true definition. To one person, "normal" may mean something completely different than another person's definition. We may look at "normal" as a way everybody should think or act, however, what is "normal"?? I think everyone has different opinions of what "normal" is.