Question of the week #4: Holiday Memory

My favorite holiday memory was when I was in 7^th grade and my sister was in 3^rd  grade. Her teacher had given her a bag filled with “reindeer food”, that she was to spread on the front lawn. Every year we go to my Grandparents house in Indiana. My sister took extra care to put the reindeer food into the car the morning we were leaving for Indiana.

            On Christmas Eve our entire family (extended included, usually around 10 people), goes to my Grandparents church for a service. On the way there my dad turned on Christmas music and right as the song “Let it Snow” came on, it began to snow. By the time we arrived at the church the ground was fully covered in powdery, fluffy snow. We were not allowed to play in the snow before the service, but as we sat down in the large auditorium, we noticed that the entire side was made of glass window, and we could watch the snow fall throughout the entire service.

            At the end of every service the room’s lights are turned off and everyone receives a candle. The first candle in each row is lit. A statement is read saying “friendship and love are best to be shared, however, they cannot be forced upon each other, like the flame of a candle, one must wait for a friend to take the light. If you force it upon them you risk losing the friendship.. and dripping hot wax on their lap ;)”. As the flames pass across the room, everyone sings “Silent Night”. Finally the room becomes lit up, and the snow outside is seen with a gentle yellow glow.

            After the service, we walked outside and found almost 2 inches of snow were on the ground. We drove home carefully, marveling at the beautiful Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music. When we arrived home my sister dashed into the house and came emerged with the “reindeer food”. All of us kids (age 13 to 9) spread reindeer food across the lawn. We then went inside to check the Santa Tracker online, which showed us where Santa was already delivering presents in the world. Finally, we each had a glass of hot chocolate, brushed our teeth and jumped into bed, ready for the next morning of fun.

Political Cartoon #4

This political cartoon was written by Scott Stantis for the Tribune Media Service on December 2011. This cartoon is showing Obama reading a bedtime story to an unknown person under the covers. The story is titled the Iraq War. There is a hat usually warn by Uncle Sam hanging on the bed post and an American Flag inscribed on the foot of the bed. Obama is wearing a suit without the jacket, and is reading the last line of the story “…The End”. The figure under the bed is saying “THANK YOU”.

The artist is using caricature to show the end of the war IN Iraq through a cute, wholesome scene of the president reading a bed time story to a figure in bed. The issue this article is dealing with is the troops finally being pulled out of Iraq, after over 10 years. The cartoon’s message is that America has been waiting a long time for this to happen, and when it finally happens, it is a very patriotic, heart felt moment, and is thanks to Obama. The cartoonist’s point of view is in support of the troops being pulled out and seems to be pro-Obama. This is not a cartoon meant to make fun of or show flaws, but simply to represent a happy event.

Question of the week #3: Obama Approval

Obama has an approval rate for his jobs of 42% and a disapproval rate of 51%. He has one of the lowest approval rating in December of a presidents 3^rd year in office, since Dwight Eisenhower. This is also one of the lowest point of his own presidency. His rating do seem to be rising slowly but it’s not definite whether it will continue rising, or if it will make any difference.

He seems to be at the area where presidents do not win reelection, based on approval. He has constantly been in the 40% rate, and this does not bode well for him. He will have to either get his approval rating up, or make sure that the Republicans have an even lower approval rate. Newt Gingrich has accumulated the greatest approval of all of the other candidates, including Romney in the past month. If he wins the nomination he will face strong opposition from the Democratic Party and probably attacks on his approval, in order for the Democratic Party to attempt to get Obama reelected. Obama could still win the election with such a low approval rate because rating is not everything. If Obama faces a weak Republican candidate or can undermine the Republicans, he may still have a chance. However, based solely on approval rating, it is not looking too good for Obama.

Political Cartoon #3

This political cartoon was written by Mike Keefe for the Denver Post on 11/18/11. This cartoon is showing people on a plane getting ready to take off. A man titled Newt (“Newt” Gingrich) is attempting to shove a HUGE suitcase into the luggage holder. The flight attendant looks very annoyed, along with the other passengers. The flight is apparently going to “the nomination”, and Newt is crying out “I’m on my way to the nomination!” and the peeved flight attendant is responding “Not unless you get that thing stowed”. This is symbolizing Newt Gingrich’s large amount of “baggage” he is trying to enter into the Republican primaries with. Some of the examples are ethics charges government shutdown and adultery. He cheated on his wife who was fighting cancer. Not a good way to start off the primaries.

This cartoon uses satire, turning Newt Gingrich’s “baggage” into an actual, ridiculously large luggage bag which is stopping his plane from taking off toward the “nomination”. This issue is dealing with all of the scandals Newt Gingrich has already committed before even acquiring the nomination, however, he and Romney seem to be one of the few left standing in the running now, and it is beginning to concern a lot of democrats and even some republicans that he might actually get the nomination. The message of the cartoon and of the cartoonist is that he definitely has baggage, and it could very well inhibit him from acquiring the nomination. However, if he is able to stow it away, it is still possible he could receive the nomination. 

Want to see the website?: 

http://www.denverpost.com/keefe/ci_19358713

Question of the week #2: Mitt Romney

Romney has been doing fairly well since the beginning. He raised four times more funds in the second quarter of 2011 than his opponents. He has been opposed since September by Rick Perry. He has been doing fairly well through the entire race, Republican voters are waiting to see if anything dramatic happens

One reason why Romney could win is he hasn’t yet been marred by outrageous scandals like Cain, or made embarrassing errors in remembering his own policy plans like Perry. He has fairly moderate views so he would not scare off the middle voters by being an extremist.

This is America, where people claim it is an equal state and no one will be judged by their religion, race or background. However, one reason why Romney could lose is that he is Mormon. He is white, even though American Democrats just proved they would break that stereotype by voting in Obama, and he is male, which America has still not proven they will vote against, by not voting for Hilary Clinton. However, he is not a Protestant, or even a Catholic, he is Mormon.  Mormonism is considered part of Christianity by some groups, however, the Christian church does not recognize it as a denomination. Could America ever have a non-cookie cutter Christian for president? Even more importantly, would Republican voters ever vote one into the race for presidency? These questions may very well determine Romney’s success.

Political Cartoon #2

This political cartoon was written by Mike Keefe for the Denver Post on 11/17/11. This cartoon is showing a happy father and son walking through a field with the family’s dog. It appears that the father is simply telling his son that he can do anything he wants when he grows up, for example he can become president because ANYBODY can become president. Next to the word “anybody” however, there is an asterisk symbol. At the bottom of the cartoon, the word “anybody” is defined as being a person “who is aligned with a Superpac, owned by corporate America and blessed with a personal fortune”.

This is a cartoon that uses satire to make a mockery of the American belief that “anyone can become president if they work hard in life”. This cartoon comes at a time when Republican candidates are fighting to win the Republican nomination to run in this fall’s election. However, as people enter the race the question arises as to how they were able to enter into this position, what types of backgrounds they have and what kinds of connections they have/ are utilizing. The author is basically saying that not everyone can become president, basically only a person who already has political ties with Superpacs or corporations or a person who has a lot of personal funding to start off with. This is a rather negative, sarcastic cartoon mocking the American ideals that anyone can aspire to anything they want, when in reality, people must have connections. 

 This picture came from the Denver Post:

http://www.denverpost.com/keefe/ci_19349148

Question of the week #1: Rick Perry

In the beginning of the Republican primaries, Rick Perry seemed to be very strong and able to keep up with the best of the Republicans. However, Perry is receiving a lot of criticism for his stumbling speeches, and forgetfulness of his own project, and this could become a large problem for his campaign in the future, and casts a lot of doubts into the minds of republicans across the country. 

One reason Perry would be able to win the nomination is if he is a governor of Texas, and has a lot of support in a highly Republican state. He has a lot of support going into the race and if he can gain more support from slightly more conservative Republicans he might be able to win more from the party as compared to some of his more moderate competitors.  

One reason why Perry might lose the primary is his problems with speaking and debating. When under stress, specifically during debates, Perry cannot keep his words straight and actually forgets his own plans. If he were to be president, he would have to be able to keep his cool, and be a strong figure of the US to look to in times of stress and pressure.

Political Cartoon #1

This political cartoon was written by Mike Keefe for the Denver Post on 11/19/11. This cartoon is a scene looking at the outside of congress, and a line graph of Congress’ approval rating. A man is leaning out the door of Congress announcing that they declared pizza to be a vegetable. The line graph is falling off the charts and actually jumps out of the picture and crashes into the ground.

The cartoon artist uses ridicule to over exaggerate the declining approval rate for Congress by having the arrow crash through the ground. The issue being referenced is Congress’ announcement that Pizza is now to be considered a vegetable. This will allow schools to serve pizza as one of the two required “vegetables” they have to serve at lunches. Many schools were making two vegetables every day and almost no one was eating them, they were just eating the pizza and a snack food, maybe one vegetable or one fruit. The schools were being forced to buy and serve vegetables that were going to waste. Now, with pizza being considered a vegetable school’s only have to serve one additional vegetable and not waste money on a second one.

The message this cartoon is portraying is that many people, from parents, to health advocates are very upset and even disturbed by this announcement. Congress’ approval rate has probably not dropped that drastically, but there is a large population who is not happy with this new legislation and may be losing approval for Congress. The cartoonist seems to agree with this point of view and is making a mockery of Congress by over exaggerating the decline in approval and actually having it jump off of the chart and smash into the ground.

Q4, Transportation in Vriginia

One of Virginia’s largest concern politically is the issue of transportation. In Northern Virginia specifically there is huge congestion on roads and bridges.

A large concern is the lack of bridges crossing the Potomac River causing increased congestion and delays. The last new Potomac River crossing was constructed in 1971. Since then, the region has gained 2.2 million people and over 1.7 million jobs. This growth has largely occurred outside of the Capital Beltway. The two nearest bridges outside the beltway are over 40 miles north or 40 miles south. Each of these is only one lane in each direction and carries around 22,000 vehicles per day. This amount is predicted to double in the next 20 years.

One proposed project that is already under way is the construction of the Metro Silver Line which is going to run from Falls Church to Dulles Airport. This is proposed to be opened in 2013-2017. This will supposedly reduce traffic on the Dulles Toll Road and Route 66. However, funding has become a huge issue and is constantly being debated and under heavy review.

Obama Works to Reduce Stuend Loans, #4

The economy has been an issue in campaigns for a long time. Recently, there has been increasing challenges for college students to pay off their loans. As campaign season begins, Obama announces that he is going to authorize some changes in federal policy. His action will make college loans easier and more affordable to the millions of students who are trapped in their loans. The Occupy Wall Street movement actually brought this issue to attention recently. Obama will reach out to the “Occupiers” and a crucial bloc of the voting pool that could help in next year’s elections.

When Obama visited the University of Colorado’s Denver campus, he announced that he and his administration would no long wait for Congress to take action, he would. His “Know Before You Owe” plan would let some college graduates limit their federal student loan repayments to 10% of discretionary income starting in January, which is two years before the cap was going to take effect under federal law. This “pay as you earn” option could help 1.6 million low-income borrowers reduce their payments by a few hundred dollars a month, and the remaining debt would be forgiven after 20 years (five years earlier then under the current law). Borrowers with more than one loan would be able to consolidate their debt and reduce their interest rates up to a half a percentage point.

Obama says this plan has the potential to boost the economy. Student loan debt actually surpasses credit card debt for the first time ever. When people’s paychecks are going towards paying off loans instead of buying things, this not only hurts the families but actually damages the economy. The money should instead be used to feed back into the economy and help businesses grow.

I believe this is definitely a step in the right direction at addressing the huge costs of higher education. The Obama administration taking action is nice to see and I believe will influence a large bloc of people’s votes if it goes successfully. This actually increases my interest in the upcoming election more than it was before. 

Want to read the whole article?: 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-unveils-student-loan-relief-plan-in-denver-campus-appearance/2011/10/26/gIQAOcDNJM_story.html

Q3, Grade for Obama

War on Terror: A- Out of Iraq, reducing the troops in Afghanistan, department of homeland security has done a good job of stopping terror attacks in the US (including the possible attack on Saudi Arabian ambassador)

Health Care- A Democratically, he has redone healthcare, created healthcare initiative, requires that everyone has health insurance and extended young adults health insurance under their parents policy until they’re 26 (used to be 23). I personally support this specifically as I am entering into college and will soon have to look for my own health insurance if I am not on my parent’s health insurance.

Economic Downturn- C Obama bailed out both the American car industry and the American banking industry. He has tried to get job bills through congress, but has had large fights with Republicans in Congress, trying to get these passed. Nothing substantial has passed so far.

Reelection Bid- B Nothing much has been said about Obama’s election because the Republicans have to choose a candidate, while it is assumed that Obama will be the candidate. He has been doing talks and towns meetings about his proposed jobs programs however, which is aimed to boost the reelection campaign.

Republican Jobs proposal, #3

Obama and his administration have been fighting to pass their jobs bill for a long time now. Just this week Obama sent his proposed $447 million jobs bill to congress. Senate rejected this bill earlier this week, which was not much of a surprise to Obama supporters, seeing as how the Senate has rejected many of Obama’s past plans.

Obama has been insisting that the congressional Republicans have been rejecting and rejecting his bills without offering any of their own plans or ideas. As of Thursday, the Senate Republicans presented their own jobs bill. Republicans criticize that Obama’s proposed plan is just a quick fix that relies heavily on increased government spending which they believe only stifles growth. Their plan, however, would limit the scope of government intervention, and promote growth and business power, which would increase jobs.

In response, Democrats called the Republicans efforts merely a wish list, and a statement of their theology of government and economics, not an actual plan that upon enforcement would increase jobs. Republicans claim that they are not trying to force Congress to pass their legislation they just wish to open up negotiations with Democrats. Their plan entails repealing the 2009 federal health-care law, initiating a balanced budget amendment to the constitution, dropping tax rates at corporate and individual levels and giving corporations tax breaks. While, on the other hand, Democrats believe the wealthy should be taxed more, and government should stay involved in business to try and help stimulate job growth.

To me, this just seems to be another proposal that will not get approved by either party. I feel like this is just a waste of time, while thousands are still jobless, nothing is really getting accomplished in trying to lower the unemployment rates, just a lot of arguing, proposing and shooting down.

Want to read the whole article? go here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/senate-republicans-offer-jobs-package/2011/10/13/gIQAKZg5hL_story.html?hpid=z1

Q2: Gay Rights

There are many political issues the government and the people must address. I am personally very interested/ concerned with gay rights. There have been many attempts to limit rights of gay people, such as the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and actions taken against same-sex marriages.  I believe strongly that people of all sexual orientations are equal, and should have the same rights as everyone else.

Allowing gay or bi men/women into the military would not be anymore of a distraction than allowing men to serve in the same ranks as women. Same-sex marriage does not harm anyone. Some claim that it is an imposition on other people’s beliefs if they are forced to accept straight marriages and same-sex marriages as the same thing. However, in the US marriage is a union in the government’s eyes. Besides, the US is based on the idea that we are accepting of other religions, and views. Thankfully, under Obama, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was repealed. There are also some states that accept same-sex marriages, or civil unions.

I feel very strongly about this issue for a few reasons. The main reason is that we have several family friends, and I have some personal friends who are either gay, lesbian or bisexual. I believe they deserve the same rights and opportunities that me and my family receive.

Millionaire tax

Obama and the Democratic Party have been experimenting with different methods to pay for this jobs plan for months. There have been many proposed ways to produce the half trillion dollars worth of savings necessary to pay for the Obama’s job care. The most recent proposal was to create a supercommittee to come up with ways to get the money. If they were unable to do so, the White House would close tax loopholes to oil and gas companies and would eliminate old deductions for people earning $200,000 and families earning $250,000 a year. This raised huge concerns from the oil companies, and some even complained that the threshold was too low on the families making $250,000 or more.

Lately, however, Schumer introduced an edition, that would let Bush-era tax cuts expire, for everyone but those who earned $1 million or more. This eliminated concerns about angering oil and gas companies, companies that are essential in helping the economy recover. This is hoped to reduce Republican chance to oppose. It is also hoped to draw more Senate approval, because this gives them an alternative that would accomplish the same objective, just in a different way. Finally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promises to bring the jobs measure to the floor before this month is over.

I believe, like many other democrats seem to, that this is a step in the right direction. This might be because my family does not make a million dollars, and I could not even imagine making a million dollars a year. I feel that people that make this much, have enough money to pay a little more in taxes to help the economy, and jobs for the country. I am not sure if this will help the plan to pass, or if it will still go no where soon. However, I believe this is a good way to gain more support.

Want to read the whole thing? Go here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/2chambers/post/millionaire-surtax-proposed-by-senate-democrats-to-pay-for-obama-jobs-package/2011/10/05/gIQArhenNL_blog.html

Middle to left?

Although I do not have a lot of experience, and lack a lot of necessary knowledge to fully align myself with one political party or another, I do have a general idea of where I stand. I have grown up in a fairly liberal household. I believe this has influence my views but when I look at issues on my own, I still seem to have a fairly liberal view point. I am by no means, however, 100% liberal on every issue.

I fully support gay rights, and am pro-choice. I also support the decriminalization of marijuana, which is a very debatable matter between who supports it, but does seem to generally be a liberal point of view. I believe pretty strongly in gun control. My views on the death penalty are not as black and white. I am also more in the middle when it comes to affirmative action and food stamps as well.

In general, I believe that people should be helped if they need it (economically), but should not become entirely dependant on the government to help them, for then they are just taking advantage of the government, and people who are working hard to pay taxes that benefit them. Socially I believe, in general, that people should be protected and able to depend on the government because the government should work to protect individual rights, as long as it does not infringe on a person’s safety (like possession of guns).  

Can Obama protect the unemployed from hiring bias?

President Obama’s job bill has not been as successful as he and his party had hoped it would be. With elections coming up in the next year, Obama is struggling to try and create new jobs, help the unemployed become the employed, and of course, win the election. Taking a different approach this time, instead of creating new jobs, how about open up jobs that had once been impossible for an unemployed worker to get?

Many employers require an applicant to list if they are unemployed, and if so, for how long. Many times, the answer to this question will make or break an application. Many employers would not hire someone who had been unemployed for a long period of time, under the pretence that an unemployed person has been away from the work force for too long, they have probably lost skills and have become lazy. This is of course not the case for every person.

Many people have been searching for jobs for over a year but just have not been able to acquire one. This is creating a class of workers who are unemployed, and keep getting passed over by employers, and are going to continue to get passed over as the length of their unemployment increases. Obama proposes that as apart of his jobs bill, a law would be passed making it illegal for employers to pass over an applicant based on employment status (adding to the list of not being able to discriminate based no gender , race religion or national origin). It would allow a job applicant who believes they have been discriminated against based on employment status to sue the employer.

However like every proposed change, or addition of a law, there are disagreements. A large complaint from the republicans is that it is going to be too easy for applicants to claim unfair application processes, and people will be able to sue companies with ease. This will lead to unnecessary law suits and do little to help the problem.

Personally, I believe that this is a step in the right direction. This is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed. However, there is definitely the possibility of people taking advantage of this. I don’t believe Obama is entirely there yet with this plan, but with some improvement it has the potential to help hundreds of unemployed, and hopefully decrease the growing class of unemployed.

Want to read the whole article? Just go here http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/us/politics/obama-proposes-adding-unemployed-to-protected-status.html?_r=1&ref=politics

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