Blog Stage Eight

You talk about the economic recession finally being announced as official, and you predict that it will not end soon. I have personally seen the effects of economic recession in my own life, and I concur with your assessment. Money is tight for everyone, and many prices are sky high at the moment. I didn't know how drastic all of the job losses were until I read your article. I am shocked and worried as well. But even with all of these bailout plans, and these stimulus plans, I am still concerned about something that has always somewhat puzzled me. How on earth is spending more money going to get us out of the depression? Yes, it helps us right now. But what about years later? What about when our children are the ones who are the people in office, dealing with all of the debt that we've accumulated. The United States is so much in debt, it's not even funny. We're so in debt, we have to auction off our debt, have other countries/organizations pay our debts for us, which we will pay at a later time, but with interest. And so the debt continues. If Obama does indeed plan to spend 200 BILLION dollars on a stimulus plan, will it be worth it? I can't help but wonder if there's just some other way! I'm no expert on economics or recessions or depressions or stimulus plans. All I know is that in my mind, spending more money only sounds like it won't help us, at least in the long run.

Blog Stage Seven

I'm going to talk about somewhat of a touchy subject. It relates to the American people, the American governmet, and the American President Elect. In my opinion, it gives us a glimpse of what the next four years are going to be like. And frankly, I'm worried.

Barack Obama has said that one of the first, if not the first act he will pass will be the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This Act is one that will allow mothers to terminate their pregnancy even after the fetus is viable (21 weeks). This Act will increase the number of abortions performed immensely. FOCA prohibits restrictions like parental consent, spousal consent and the requirement that all abortions be performed in a hospital. Also under this act, a mother has a "right" to terminate the baby if the doctor rules that it will affect the mother's health, "health" being defined as anything physical, emotional, psychological, anything related to the well-being of the mother. In other words, a patient could tell the doctor that she's not emotionally ready to have a family, or that the child would cause her stress, and that would be grounds for abortion. This opens up so many doors to women who will just take advantage of this act, use it as a way of fueling their reckless and irresponsible lifestyle. If the abortion is performed after 21 weeks or so, it is murder. With the passing of this Act, not only would numerous murders be taking place daily, but American tax dollars would be used for this cause.

The reason that this is such a concern to me, personally, besides the fact that I am morally opposed to it, is that I am very worried about what is going to happen with our country. What other Acts will be passed? If the United States government won't draw the line at murdering unborn babies, where will they? This is an Act that there is not a need for, not a demand for, and yet it is just one more thing that the American people will be forced to pay for, one more thing that will put this country into debt.

I know that what I'm saying is usually debated about in ethical conversations, not government blogs. But Obama's willingness and eagerness to pass this Act makes it a concern of the government. It makes it a concern to the American people. It's something that is going to affect us economically as well as morally. While we're on the subject, isn't America all about protecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Keyword being life? That's what our goverment should be about, ensuring safety for American citizens, even if they are unborn citizens.

In the upcoming months, I think that we will be able to see the direction that our national government will take, and the Acts that are passed and the taxes that are issued will show what we can expect, and what we can look forward to, or not look forward to.

My response to the 'Eyes on a Pluralistic Society' Blog

Chris Le's Blog: Eyes on a Pluralistic Society

The Election
In this year's election, it would not matter which candidate will win. The fact is, Obama and McCain are both vulnerable in some of the responsibilities as the President. It won't matter how well they handle foreign warfare or how long they will last. It'll be the nation's reaction that will determine which direction our country will take. Some threaten to kill Obama; some say it would be stupid to have a president be elected that will probably die within a week of the election. But what the greatest factor is is the how the nation pulls together in a time of "change."So how will this change affect the nation? Will it be a major breakthrough in a decade full of chaos that has resulted in the presidential term of President George Bush? Or will it bring us into an even heavier burden: a falling economy, the increase in poverty, and an even greater debt to the world around us. McCain promises redemption. Obama promises a slow but sure recollection with many reforms to make sure these problems never happen again. Before you vote in the final days of the election, consider the previous assertions by the two presidential candidates. Can the Republicans redeem themselves after two failing terms by their party leader? Will the reforms by the Democrats benefit us, or is it just a move for their lust for power? There are pros and cons on both sides. It's up to how we deal with them that will determine the consequence of choosing our next president. For more coverage and information on the presidential election go to the following link: 2008 Presidential Election


My Response:

I think that you are absolutely right in your assessment that the success of the new leadership we have is dependent upon the reaction of the American people. Like so much else, it is the majority opinion that really makes a difference. Take Vietnam, for example. A bad example, yes, but a true one. The American people did not pull together. The American people were not supportive of their soldiers and they did not act positively. I think that it is absolutely necessary for the people of this country to be united, otherwise we'll be torn apart. Even though we don't all have to agree about who should be leading our country, we need to be united in our support for the leader of our country. If we really want change, we need to work together, instead of tearing each other down.

I know that it's possible for Americans to be united. It happened after 9/11. Yes, it took a tragedy to bring us together under one cause, with pride for our country and sorrow for our losses, but we did come together,and we were a stronger nation because of it. If people truly want to affect change, they need to realize that we have to come together and work for the common good of the nation and for people everywhere. It doesn't matter whether or not people got their way when it came to the final outcome in the election: what matters now is that we have a new president elect, and we need to be supportive of him because being president is not easy, and we need to support our leader and hope and pray that he will lead us in a positive direction.

Blog Stage Five: My Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot lately about the founding fathers, and the previous presidents of our country. I remember learning about the election of 1828 in which Andrew Jackson was defeated and John Quincy Adams won. It was called by some the 'Revolution of 1828'. This was a peaceful revolution, though. It was one in which a candidate of a different party was elected and thus proceded to take the place of the previous president without any violence or uprisings. I remember thinking how amazing that was. Think about how leadership works in other nations. Some countries have dictatorships! They don't even get to vote. Other places have people appointed to lead them. We get to vote! We get to choose who we want to be our president, and we do it peacefully! To me, this is an amazing quality about our country.


With the election on everyone's minds, I find myself pondering what the future holds for the United States of America, and our national government. It always feels like each election is the most important. I remember when President George W. Bush was running for re-election four years ago, and I remember thinking how important that election was. This one feels just as important. Who knows what will happen once we find out who our next president is?

There are so many problems that our nation faces, so many situations and issues to address. President Bush has not made it easy for whoever takes his place. Our nation is in tremendous debt, we're in the middle of an economic crisis, and of course, there's the war in Iraq. How would each candidate address these problems? The next four years could either help or hurt us. I don't think that our country is in a place where we can just stay how we are. Things will either get worse or get better. Right now, I'm just trying to think about what things will change, and what things will stay the same. I know that when Obama first started campaigning, he said that he wanted to get us out of Iraq. But recently, he's been quoted saying that we wouldn't get out immediately and that it wouldn't benefit the country to leave just yet. McCain also feels that we should stay in Iraq. But what actually happens when people get elected to office? Would Obama stand by what he's said recently? Or would he pull us out of Iraq anyways?

Our nation is in for a change. Change can be good, or change can be bad. Only time will tell how this election will affect our national government, and then we will know where we stand. It's an ongoing process, keeping this country alive and thriving, and we need a strong president to lead us. We need a strong national government to govern us. I hope that this change will be for the best, both short term and long term.

Blog Stage Four

In the editorial Is It the Economy (Again), Stupid? written by Janine Davidson, the reader's attention is again brought to the upcoming election. In this article, the author suggests that the economic dilemma is the most important issue in this election, when more focus should really be given to foreign policy and national security.

This author is targeting potential voters, people who are really concerned about the upcoming election and the issues that are being focused on. The author appeals to the emotions of the reader by referring to 9/11. Davidson says that this election is unlike the 1992 election of Bill Clinton, where the economy was the main issue, because "We hadn't experienced a major terrorist attack on American soil" then. She reasons that in this day and age, where everyone is, at least on some subconscious level, on alert to terrorist attacks, that national security should be the major issue.

Davidson establishes her authority on this subject by letting the reader know that she is a "national security scholar" and this is obviously her area of expertise.

I both agree and disagree with this author. On the one hand, I do feel that national security is a major issue that needs to be addressed; after all, it's the safety of our country we're talking about here! But on the other hand, we as Americans find ourselves in an economic situation that we haven't been in for quite some time. Many Americans feel insecure about the economy, and this is on their frontburners. Both Obama and McCain know this, and so of course they are going to make it the main issue that they focus on; it's what all of their voters are concerned about. It's an issue that is pressing upon everyone's minds because it affects everyone more directly and personally than national security does, because terrorist attacks don't just happen every day. But bankruptcy, foreclosures, and drops in stock market values do happen every day, and they affect the lives of Americans everywhere. That is why the economy is on the frontburner in this election: it's what everyone's most concerned about, and so while I agree that national security needs to be addressed, I think that McCain and Obama know what they're doing when they focus on the economic problem at hand.

Blog Stage Three

I found a really interesting commentary in the Austin American Statesman entitled Ditch the Do- Nothing Congress. In this commentary, the author (Rueben Navarette, of the San Diego Union- Tribune ) is addressing all Americans, all voters. In this commentary, Navarette talks of the ineffective way Congress handled the Bailout Bill that was proposed and initially rejected by Congress. One method he used in this commentary that I thought was very effective was his neutral (at least party-wise) commentary. He did not lean to the left or the right more in his comments, he only presented the facts, and actually said negative things about both parties, leaving the reader to judge for themselves how they feel about the situation. I think that this was a good idea, because simply stated the facts, but still showed where he stood on the issue. He didn't make it a party issue, he made it about Congress as a whole. I think that this author has a great credibiility because he works for an already established newspaper. He's not just some guy writing his opinions on "that crazy Congress." He's obviously done his research and it's evident that he knows about the subject he is adressing. Navarette argues that Congress needed to act more urgently in the Bailout Bill passage, and that they don't understand how to deal with crises or important issues. He alludes to previous issues which Congress has "dodged", such as Social Security and the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind initiative. He embeded several facts into his commentary, about who did and said certain things, and how those comments effected the passage of the bill. At the end of his commentary, Navarette encouraged Americans not to put up with a "do-nothing Congress". I think that this is an effective closing statement because it urges the reader to become active in the legislative process, whether it be by voting for different representatives or writing a letter to his/her representative. All in all, I think this was a very effective essay, and I do agree with most of what Navarette said. I think that Congress does need to act more urgently when matters require it to, and I think that Navarette was right on.

Check out this article!

Because of recent news concerning the stock market crash, I chose an article that talked about how the US national government was dealing with it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/business/economy/20cndleadall.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=washington


In this article, it talks about how immediate help and relief was essential, and what actions Washington had taken to provide that relief. It talks about how the government decided to buy distressed mortgages at deep discounts from the banks. It also talked about how the government banned short sales of 799 stocks, and how the government was going to put a lot of money into the institutions that needed it in order to restore order and to stop the chaos. It basically just talks about what steps have been taken in response to this event, and how things have helped, and it talks about what else still needs to be done in order to make things right again.