Extra Credit #4

This chilling article is about a pair of sisters 15 and 11 years old who were charged with killing their brother. The brother supposedly beat her and locked her in her room. This led to the 15 year old sister sneaking through a window in her parents bedroom, getting the handgun, loading it, and shooting her brother once. She claims that this was not the first time that this had happened. Also, on numerous occasions the parents would lock her in her room with only a blanket and a bucket. This led to the parents getting charged with “child neglect causing great bodily harm”. This is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. However, the decision to try these girls as adults has yet to be determined. A Florida prosecutor has 30 days to make this decision.

I personally feel that the 15 year old should be tried as an adult because the murder was clearly premeditated. However, the 11 year old did not play too big a role in the murder of her brother as she did not pull the trigger. Also, being only 11 years she has a greater chance for rehabilitation than her sister who carried out the crime. I do agree with the charges being brought against the parents because no child deserves to be treated so poorly, no matter what they did. There is nothing a child can do to deserve being locked in their room and given only a blanket and a bucket.

Extra Credit #3

At the Mexican-American border in California, a truck containing 15 tons of weed was stopped and seized. This is the second largest bust to date in America. The first being 17.6 tons, which was also caught crossing into California from Mexico. The truck was passing through Monday night when it came to the U.S. Border Patrol. As usual, the truck was X-rayed and the patrol officer stated that the “objects inside didn’t look right” (CNN). Another officer opened the back doors to see bricks of weed wrapped in plastic stacked from floor to ceiling. In total, there was 1,296 weighing in at 31,598 pounds which has an “estimated street value of $18.96 million” (CNN).

I find this very stupid. I do not quite understand why someone would take the risk of hauling 15.8 tons of marijuana across the border. It is obvious that they are going to X-ray the cargo of the truck, especially when it says “mattresses and cushions” on it. The patrol officers would want to make sure that what the truck says the cargo is, is actually in the truck. In this case, there were a few mattresses at one end of the truck and the rest was weed. However, I would like to see the punishment that is given to the driver of the truck. Unfortunately, this article did not give that information. This is because this just happened 3 days ago, so it’ll take some time to try him/her.

Extra Credit #2

Last week, a finalist in a cooking show on the Food Network was found dead in a wood stove. Her and her husband were reportedly killed and their bodies put into a wood stove leaving only remnants of the bodies. Police got a call regarding suspicious behavior at Robert Jason Owens’ house, a contractor who was working for the victims at the time. The call pertained to the discarding of items in a dumpster. The police obtained a warrant to search Owens’ house and there they found the remains of the TV star and her husband in the wood stove of his house. The finalist, Cristie Codd was five months pregnant at the time. Owens is being charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of an unborn child, and breaking and entering. Also, Owens’ apparently confessed to his wife that he had killed Joseph Codd, the husband to Cristie.

This is a very odd story to say the least. There was no motive that the police released at this time. Their only connection was that Owens’ was the Codd’s contractor and that he had done some “odd jobs” for the Codds in the past. It is an ongoing investigation so the police could not release much. I would like to follow this story to see if there was a motive or if Owens just went insane.

Underground Economy

The Underground Economy is the untaxed labor of millions of people around the world. In the United States, it is most commonly known for people working under the table. This means that these people earn a flat rate of pay, whether it be hourly or otherwise, that never gets taxed by the state or the nation's government. Their pay is still taxed by the goods they buy or the things they may own, but their income is untaxed. This can be a very good thing, especially if you are the one getting untaxed income. It helps many people survive. These people either can't get an official job or choose to work under the table. However, it is detrimental to the government. It prevents the government from collecting a percentage of that income that could help the country and/or state better its economy or environment. In the United States, the Underground Economy accounts for 7% of the nation's GDP all of it tax-free. In my opinion, I feel it will never be completely stopped even though it is detrimental to the nation.