Vote Leahy 2010

After this week’s reading from Dr. Halavais’ text, I came to several conclusions about my own feelings on the Communications Decency Act.  When reading both sides of the argument, I found myself taking the side of Senator Leahy.

Senator Leahy, in the reader, talks about the Communications Decency Act and addresses the president.  The topic is all about how the internet is full of porn and that something needs to be done.  However, Senator Leahy wants to take the harsh rules out of play.  Instead he favors a different technique in protecting our children from the easily accessible porn.  He and I both agree that less should be done by the government and more done by the family.  His argument says that the internet has been so successful and grown so fast because of the limited regulations imposed on it by the government.  The government, in the past, has regulated things and caused them to no be nearly as successful as they should’ve been.  The family, more or less the parents, need to be more involved and controlling of what their young ones do.  By putting the computer in the family room, children won’t try to look at material they don’t want to see.  The parents could monitor who their children are e-mailing to or chatting online with.  By being more involved, you can achieve the same goals as would stricter laws, only without hurting the growth and advancement of the internet.  The internet is a valuable tool that our society needs.  It needs to continue to advance and be as practical as it is in order for us to benefit from it.  With more regulations, companies might frown upon going into business or using the internet.  This could hurt our economy and our everyday life.  All I’m saying that needs to be done to protect our children is to be more involved and aware of what your children are doing.  This will not only help you keep them away from material you don’t want them viewing, but will keep you close and have better family values throughout your lives.