International Drug Trade

Across the globe, there is a widespread black market trade of illicit drugs. These drugs range from relatively harmless substances like marijuana to more "hard" drugs. These include narcotics like heroin and  cocaine, which are among the most profitable. Though they are hard to manufacture, these drugs are the most addictive narcotics on the black market and sell for thousands of dollars for a kilo.
Trafficking in drugs is mainly controlled by worldwide criminal organizations. Each group may manufacture or import drugs from other countries. Once in possession they then distribute and sell them across the country or smuggle them to another country. More recently, different organizations have allied together for greater protection of their products and from law enforcement. During the 1990s, law enforcement officials discovered an alliance between South American cartels and the Italian mafia who were involved together in a multi-billion dollar trade in cocaine.  

The drug trade is most active in parts of the world where poverty is embedded in society. In South America, a large percentage of the population from each country there lives below the poverty line. Poor families that live in impoverished areas are desperate to earn an income to support their families. They therefore are drawn into the hands of drug cartels who offer better pay. These conditions are mirrored in other continents and areas around the world, including Southeast Asia and Africa. Corruption in a national government also abets the drug trade. Corrupt officials may accept bribes from drug lords to look the other way or may be personally involved in the profits made. Weak, corrupt governments that subtly support the drug trade can be found widely through Eastern Europe, extending all the way to Russia.
There is currently a War on Drugs being waged by practically every Western nation against drug traffickers. The war so far has had mixed results. While the trade is weaker than it has been in past decades, violence connected to drugs continues to happen, particularly in Mexico. Many blame the high demand in western nations for drugs that fuel the trade and insist instead for more funding for rehabilitation programs and promoting the awareness of the effects of drugs.
Information obtained from Wikipedia.org & bbc.co.uk/news


   

Afghanistan's economy: Not Great

Afghanistan is ranked among one of the most poorest and undeveloped countries in the world. In terms of GDP, Afghanistan is ranked 110, with a purchasing power parity of $27.01 billion a year. The average per capita is only $1000 a year. Pre-Soviet era, the country was flourishing due to aid from both the US and Soviet Union, who both wished to gain the country as an ally during the cold war. This aid went into constructing a functional infrastructure. After 30 years of war, the economy of Afghanistan has been seriously damaged. As of 2008 35% of the population is unemployed. 36% of Afghans live below the poverty line. There is wide-spread poverty across the country. Much of the population has shortages of clean water and access to electricity.
The economy is mostly agrarian based. Most of the population is engaged in farm work, with 78.6 Afghans involved in agriculture. This is consistent with the fact that most Afghans live in the rural areas. Most of Afghanistan's exports, such as fruits and wheat, come from these rural farms. The most largest export of Afghanistan, however, is not these more legal crops. Opium makes up the largest export of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is also one of the largest suppliers of opium crops in the world, which are developed into heroin. Local warlords and the Taliban profit from the trade. There is currently a debate in the Afghan government whether to legalize the production of the crop in order to draw away financial support from the Taliban.
The US and its allies have been working to reconstruct the economy of Afghanistan since 2001. There has been slight improvements during this time, but the economy remains weak. Recently there have been discoveries of mineral deposits by US geologists, who estimate their worth to be $1 trillion. The hope is that this new discovery will lead to Afghanistan becoming a mining center of Central Asia.
Information obtained from Wikipedia.org and the CIA World Factbook

No Green For Massachusetts

Dr. Jill Stein is currently running for governor of Massachusetts on the ticket of the Green-Rainbow Party. The Green Rainbow party is a merger of the Green party with the Rainbow Coalition. It supports eco-friendly policies, a more open, grassroots(funny), type of government. In political ideology, they can be considered to be left-leaning, as many of their policies echo the extreme liberal policies of the Democratic Party. The party is considered the third party of Massachusetts, as they have enough support to remain afloat, but lack the political power to be a major party. It's candidate, Dr. Stein is a co-chair of the party. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and currently serves on the boards of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility and MassVoters for Fair Elections. Stein ran for governor in 2002, losing to Mitt Romney, and then ran unsuccessfully for the state House of Representatives and Secretary for the Commonwealth.
Stein's support will mostly come from middle-age to older women, who are part of her generation. Liberals-leaning-to-socialists will also support her for her platform supporting eco-friendly intiatives, "fairer" voting practices, among other favorite pet causes of the left. However, Stein has managed to increase her base of support in recent years. During her 2006 run for Secretary of the Commonwealth, Stein ran solo against an Democratic incumbent, who was virtually unopposed. In the final voting tally, Stein was able to capture 18% of the vote, making her the highest scoring Green Party candidate ever to run for Secretary of the Commonwealth
Despite this, it is highly unlikely that Stein will win the governor's race. Third party candidates rarely ever win actual elections, whether it be for governor or president, though they may gain a good percentage of voters. It is also likely that the Green Party realizes this too, or else they've been walking around with their heads in the clouds for the past 20 years. The main reason for this run is to raise awareness to the issues which the Green Party represents.

Tim for Governor? Not Likely

Tim Cahill is the current Treasurer and Receiver-General for Massachusetts who is running against his boss, governor Deval Patrick, which must make the situation extremely awkward for the two. Cahill used to be a member of the Democratic Party, but left the party to run for governor as an independent. Cahill was elected Treasurer as a Democrat in 2003. Before that, he was active in Massachusetts politics, serving in the Quincy City Council, and was the Treasurer for Norfolk County. He has claimed to have significant accomplishments while serving as Treasurer. The Massachusetts State Lottery reportedly 7.2 billion dollars, money which has been distributed to cities and towns all across the state. The Cahill campaign has repeatedly hammered this point in through in numerous ads, since this issue alone is what they believe Massachusetts voters care about the most.

 The Cahill campaign is running at a time when Governor Patrick's popularity is at a low, with citizens angry at the incumbent government for poor decisions (the casino fiasco). Many citizens are worried about the nationwide economic situation, how it affects them and their jobs, and are blaming the incumbent state government for being ineffective. Cahill can claim experience in state politics in, a moderate choice instead of a political outsider to lead them in such dire times. Even if you are a Democrat or independent opposed to Cahill, a vote for him could draw votes away from Republican challenger Charlie Baker, who is the more serious candidate opposing Patrick

Unfortunately for the Cahill campaign, any early energy is now losing steam. Cahill trails Baker and Patrick in the polls, making him less of a threat then he was before. Cahill's campaign seems to be falling apart, as top aides have deserted his campaign. A more damaging blow was the announcement on October 1, that Cahill's own running mate Paul Loscocco was stepping down and endorsing Charlie Baker. Cahill's chances of winning at this point are low, and we may find that he will not have much of an impact on the general election.

Charlie Baker: A Republican Takeover?

Charlie Baker is the Republican candidate for governor, opposing Democratic incumbent Deval Patrick. Baker has history of serving in Republican politics and in state government. His father, Charles Baker Sr. worked in the executive branch under the Nixon and Reagan administrations. His son himself served Republican governor William Weld as Undersecretary of Health and Human Services in the 1990s. He later took the positions of Secretary of Human Health and Services and Secretary of Administration and Finance respectively during the rest of Weld's term. During his tenure as Secretary of Administration and Finance, he became directly responsible for financing the Big Dig Project in Boston. After leaving state government in 1999, Baker became CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Under his leadership, Harvard Pilgrim received recognition from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, receiving the title of America's Best Health Care for five years in a row.

Bake has a built a sizable reputation over the years for his work in state government and the private sector. In a climate of anti-incumbency, Baker has a favorable chance of defeating Patrick in November. Much of the public's frustration is aimed at Democrats in power, who have seemed unable to effectively deal with the economic crisis. Given that Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown a US senator are signs that a conservative wave could give Baker a victory.

Baker still has to, however, compete in a state which is overwhelmingly liberal and Democratic. Most state residents are registered as Democrats. Patrick has the advantage of the incumbency, being that voters might not want to get rid of an experienced politician in such times. Baker also has to contend with the possibility that independent Tim Cahill could take votes away from him. If Baker does win, it will be a very narrow win. 

Information obtained from Wikipedia & CharlieBaker2010.com

Deval: In or Out?

Democrat Deval Patrick has been governor of Massachusetts for the last four years. He is the first African-American to hold the position of Massachusetts governor. Patrick is originally from Chicago, where he grew up in the city's housing projects in a poor family. Through a non-profit organization, Patrick was able to attend Milton Academy and Harvard College. He later attended Harvard Law School.  Patrick served in the Clinton Administration as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. In that role, he served to prosecute cases of racial-profiling and hate crimes. In 2006, Patrick was elected governor with running mate Tim Murray against Republican opponent Lt. Governor Kerry Healey.

Patrick has many advantages for running a re-election campaign. He has the traditional advantage of the incumbency, where voters see him as an experienced politician, the proper one to lead Massachusetts through tough economic times. As a Democrat, he has the upper hand in being the governor of one of the most liberal states in the union. If most of the state's registered Democrats show up to vote, he has a good chance of re-election.

During his term in office, Patrick has made some unpopular decisions. His campaign for casinos in the state lead him into a fierce fight with opposition from both parties. Multiple scandals involving staff members has also hurt his credibility. Another infamous episode was when Patrick left the state during the casino debate to work out a book deal for his memoirs. During this election, Patrick faces opposition from his Treasurer Tim Cahill, who might split the Democratic vote.

I am personally not a supporter of Patrick.  I do recognize, though, the chance of his re-election in this liberal state. According to polls, however, Patrick and Republican Baker are almost tied with Patrick leading by a 1% advantage. If Republicans are able to muster the voter strength that swept Scott Brown into office, they stand a firm chance of unseating Patrick.

US Investigates Karazi Brother

The US has been officially and covertly conducting investigations into the business dealings of Mahmoud Karzai, an older brother of Afghan president Hamid Karzai. Mahmoud Karzai has long been suspected of involvement in illegal activities. His has a strong status in Afghanistan, recognized as one of the country's most powerful and wealthy businessmen. He owns 7% of the shares in Kabul Bank, making him one of the largest shareholders there, and is owner to various assets in Afghanistan and the world. Among these are a series of restaurant chains in the US before September 11, the only Toyota dealership in Afghanistan, and Afghanistan's only cement factory. He has been criticized for using his position as the president's brother to participate in inside dealings over commodities such as real estate. Most recently, he has come under attack for alleged involvement in the risky business ventures and other activities that led to the run on Kabul Bank in early September. The National Security Agency (NSA) has been conducting electronic eavesdropping on Mahmoud for several months to gather evidence of involvement in illegal activities. This is part of a new anti-corruption program being set up by the US and Afghans to investigate corruption in the Afghan government.
This news comes at a dampening of relations between the US and Afghan governments. The US has publicly urged President Karzai to end corruption in his administration, a move which the Afghan president seems hesitant to do. The Afghan government's reputation has been hurt considerably by charges of corruption, which stem from allegations of voter fraud in last year's presidential election. Karzai recently pardoned a government official who had been convicted on corruption charges, causing greater strain with the US.  If the Afghan government is unable to effectively deal with corruption within it's ranks, it could create a greater divide between the government and the people, which could lead them to support the Taliban or to just not support its government at this crucial time.
Information for this article came from The New York Times