CNN

Jack Cafferty is off today. He'll be back in the Situation Room on Monday.

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Despite all the hoopla over the Senate Finance Committee vote, there is still a very long way to go before health care reform becomes a reality. President Obama applauded Senator Olympia Snowe for becoming the first Republican to break ranks and vote for health care reform - but the truth is Snowe is keeping her options open.

Senate Finance Committee member Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) talks with Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) before announcing her support for key health care reform legislation.

Her support sounded pretty conditional when she said: "My vote today is my vote today. It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow."

And another centrist in the Senate, Independent Joe Lieberman, said he opposes the bill the way it is now because it would raise insurance prices for most Americans.

Meanwhile a group of almost 30 labor unions is warning that the Senate finance committee bill is deeply flawed. They say they'll oppose it - unless they see come changes. Big labor, a key Democratic constituency, is insisting a public health insurance plan is essential to reform.

And they're not the only ones... as the Senate committee passed its bill without a public option, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stood on the other side of the Capitol still insisting the House would pass a bill with one. Pelosi also says a bill will pass "certainly this year."

Really? There's a lot of people who still aren't on board and a lot of legislative steps to go. At the end of the day - a committee vote does not a health care reform law make.

Here’s my question to you: How confident are you there will be meaningful health care reform before the end of the year?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Distracted drivers are a deadly threat... and this includes anyone talking on cell phones, texting, eating, putting on make-up, etc. while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. It's estimated that 6,000 people were killed - and more than half a million injured - in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted or inattentive driver.

One study shows 80 percent of crashes are related to drivers not paying attention... and people using handheld devices are four times as likely to get in crashes that could result in injury.

Safety advocates say they're especially worried about young people... saying that some of the kids learning to drive now text 5,000 times a month. This is scary.

Washington wants people to take this threat more seriously... there's one Senate bill that would reduce federal highway funding for states that don't ban texting while driving.

President Obama signed an executive order that bans federal employees from texting while behind the wheel. The government also plans to ban texting by bus drivers and truckers who cross state lines; and possibly prevent them from using cell phones while driving. Hundreds of companies have already banned employees from using cell phones while driving.

The problem is - there's no enforcement. I see literally dozens of people yakking away on cell phones in cars every day on my ride into work from New Jersey. They change lanes, slam on their brakes, swerve all over the road... all while lost in their own little worlds on their cell phones.

Want to get serious? Yank their drivers' licenses - permanently - if they cause an accident while driving distracted.

Here’s my question to you: What’s the answer to people who insist on driving while doing other things?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Tom Friedman writes a scary and sobering column in today's New York Times called "Where did 'we' go?" In it - he compares the political climate today in the U.S. to Israel in 1995... right before the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Friedman describes the "ugly mood" in Israel at the time... where right-wingers were trying to de-legitimize Rabin. They questioned his authority and shouted death threats at rallies.

Friedman says the parallels to America today turn his stomach:

"I have no problem with any of the substantive criticism of President Obama from the right or left. But something very dangerous is happening."

Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into de-legitimizing his presidency.

He's right. You don't have to look any further than protesters comparing President Obama to a Nazi or a Facebook poll asking if he should be killed.

Friedman says even if you're not worried about violence against Mr. Obama - you should be worried about what's happening to American politics.

He talks about the "cocktail of political and technological trends" that make it possible for "idiots of all political stripes" to take advantage of the system... things like excess of money in politics, the 24/7 cable news cycle, the blogosphere and a permanent presidential campaign.

Meanwhile - Republicans are pushing back against claims that conservative rhetoric is creating a dangerous environment for the president.

Party Chairman Michael Steele says of people like Friedman, "Where do these nut jobs come from?" Which to me sort of proves Friedman's whole point.

Here’s my question to you: Are critics of Pres. Obama crossing the line in creating a hateful and dangerous environment?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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(PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Olson/GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The city of Chicago is mostly closed for business today... as a way to save money.

Most city employees are off without pay. Emergency services like the police and fire department aren't affected; but city hall, public libraries, garbage pickup, health clinics and other city offices are closed.

Chicago is facing an estimated budget shortfall of about $250 million to $300 million for 2009... so as part of the budget, the city included three reduced-service days. The other two are the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

The city anticipates these reduced service days will save more than $8 million.

But city workers are losing more than just the pay for these three-days. They've also been asked to take six furlough days and six unpaid holidays this year.

Mayor Richard Daley says every dollar the city saves from these measures "helps to save jobs, and in the long-term, maintain services for Chicagoans." He thanked city employees for making the sacrifice and being "part of the solution" to the budget challenges. The employees weren't given any choice.

But some city workers say they don't mind taking the unpaid days if it means holding on to their jobs in the long-run.

Here’s my question to you: Should government employees be forced to take time off without pay as a way of saving money?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 4pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

Women make better bosses than men. So says Carol Smith, a senior vice president at Elle media company. She tells the New York Times that there's no contest: Women are better advisers, mentors and rational thinkers.

She adds that male bosses "love to hear themselves talk," and that in some jobs, she's intentionally arrived late to meetings so she could miss the sports talk before they got down to business.

Some experts agree: They say women are more collaborative and democratic than men. Also, they say women are more encouraging and less bossy - because people tolerate bossy women even less than bossy men.

One former female executive says women give more "straight talk" than men, and that many employees complain about the feedback style of male bosses - calling it everything from harsh to evasive.

But others say that women don't necessarily make better bosses. They find them less likely to take risks and say they're more emotional, which can be a bad thing... They say that women who it make it to senior management positions wind up belittling other women as a way to prove their own superiority. One study shows that women report less stress if their boss is a man.

Research also shows that good managers usually exhibit more so-called masculine traits - like autonomy and independence - than feminine traits - like warmth and sensitivity - to what others need.

Here’s my question to you: Do women make better bosses?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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File photo of Ringling Bros. elephants. These animals were not featured in the video we aired. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)

FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has released a video that it says shows abuse of circus elephants by the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

The video shows animal handlers using a sharp metal object known as a bullhook to strike the elephants across the head, legs and body. In one part - a trainer curses at an elephant and then strikes the animal… telling it to "back up."

PETA says the video was shot by an undercover member who posed as a stagehand and worked for the circus for six months.

He said the circus elephants and tigers are regularly put through this kind of cruelty. The animal rights group says it has filed a complaint with the Agriculture Department under the Animal Welfare Act.

The circus denies the abuse claims and says it's looking into the validity of the video. They say they were in compliance with federal, state and local laws - and were inspected 10 times during the period that PETA claims the video was taken. The company says it loves its elephants and is proud of its efforts to care for and increase the endangered Asian elephant population.

But this isn't the first time Ringling Brothers has come under fire for allegedly mistreating animals. A 2000 case is set to be decided in federal court this month.

Here’s my question to you: Should the use of wild animals in circuses be outlawed?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

President Obama is facing resistance from his own party when it comes to plans to close down the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. Senate Democrats say they won't provide the $80 million requested to shut down the facility until the administration comes up with a plan for transferring the detainees.

A guard tower and gate are pictured at the Guantanamo detention center at the U.S. Naval Base, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

That money will be stripped from a supplemental war bill and instead replaced with language that says no money can be used to transfer detainees from Gitmo to the U.S. - and no additional money will be approved until 60 days after Mr. Obama submits his plan to Congress.

This is similar language to what's in the House bill, and it's a big blow to the president, who right after he took office, announced he would close the base by next January.

You can bet politics is behind all this.The Republicans have been hammering away that it would be a reckless move to shut the prison down before deciding what to do with the terror suspects. They've released statements saying things like: "Meet your new neighbor, Khalid Sheik Mohammad?" And House Republicans introduced a bill called the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act.

Meanwhile the Pentagon says there's nothing to indicate that the deadline to close Gitmo by January is at all in jeopardy; and just today a top Pentagon official said members of Congress have to rethink their opposition to allowing detainees into the U.S. She says closing the prison in Cuba will mean hard choices for everyone.

Here’s my question to you: What does it mean that the president's own party won't give him the money to close the Guantanamo Bay prison?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

The number of countries with nuclear weapons could more than double in the next few years unless the major powers take serious steps towards disarmament. So says the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency... Mohamed El Baradei tells the British newspaper The Guardian that the current international regime that limits the spread of nuclear weapons is in danger of collapsing.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed El Baradei is pictured at the 'Managing Global Insecurity' conference in Berlin.

The 1970 nuclear non-proliferation treaty was supposed to restrict membership in the nuclear club to the U.S., Russia, China, the U.K. and France. But it has been less than successful. For the last 40 years, Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea have all been developing nuclear weapons outside of this framework.

El Baradei predicts the next wave of proliferation will include so-called virtual nuclear weapons states - countries potentially like Iran, who can produce plutonium or highly enriched uranium - and know how to make the weapons, but haven't gotten there quite yet. He says soon there could be nine nuclear weapons states and another 10-20 virtual weapons states.

El Baradei suggests the only solution is for established nuclear powers to live up to non-proliferation guidelines and disarm as quickly as possible. Only then will the major powers have the moral authority to go to these wannabe weapons countries and ask them to stop.

Here’s my question to you: What can be done to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons?

Tune in to the Situation Room at 5pm to see if Jack reads your answer on air.

And, we love to know where you’re writing from, so please include your city and state with your comment.

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:

British parents could soon be fined if their kids act up in school... A new government study across the pond takes a look at different ways to keep children in line in the classroom. It suggests that it's time for parents to "share the responsibility for maintaining discipline."

Cafferty: Parents may take more of an interest in disciplining their kids if they have to shell out a few bucks each time they misbehave.

Now there's an idea...

Parents can be fined the equivalent of $75 if their kids are caught in a public place without a good reason within the first five days of being suspended or expelled. The fine doubles if it's not paid within a month. And - parents have to be interviewed by teachers before their child is allowed to return to school.

Schools can also require parents of children who are misbehaving to take parenting classes. If they don't attend, they can be fined up to $1,500.

These guidelines come as teachers warn that existing methods of disciplining students were failing. The Telegraph reports that some schools have been handing out prizes if kids promise to behave - things like plasma screen TVs and iPods - instead of punishing them if they act up.

U.S. schools should pay close attention to how this experiment works. My guess is parents of disruptive little mutants might take more of an interest in disciplining them if they have to shell out a few bucks each time they misbehave. And then the teachers might actually be able to get down to teaching.

Here's my question to you: Is it a good idea to penalize parents if their children misbehave at school?

Interested to know which ones made it on air?

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