BLOG STAGE 2: President Obama’s Inauguration

Barrack Obama’s inauguration will definitely make history on many counts. Principally in being the first African American President but in this particular article he’ll be the first on a topic that has been American tradition since the first U.S. inauguration. On the morning of January 20th 2009, President-elect Obama will say his full name, “Barrack Hussein Obama.” Using his full name intended or not, is in itself a statement. The fact that our country has elected not only an African American as President but an African American of Islamic roots will show the world that our country is in fact a country that has been transformed. We are now a country that can show our neighboring nations all over the globe that we can embrace them and work together to better our nation.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/obama-to-use-full-name-when-he-takes-the-oath-of-office/#more-7809

BLOG STAGE 4: Commentary on “Step Aside Governor”

The accusations of presiding Governor of Illinois are not shocking in any way, shape or form based on the state’s history of Governors. The fact that one of the editors of the Chicago Tribune wrote this piece doesn’t exactly make me think that all the evidence incriminating the Governor might be true. The Governor might have a case. I found it odd that the writer had to declare that they were critical of him from the beginning and the Governor tried to barter with the owner to remove members of the Chicago Tribune board. Because of this, the article is definitely biased. Regardless of who wrote the article, I can’t ignore the people of Illinois’ track record for choosing Governors who cheat, lie and steal for money and power. The fact that this has happened off of a great presidential election won by the Senator of Illinois definitely puts a bad taste in the public’s mouth for political leaders in Illinois. I’m positive President-elect, Barrack Obama will make an official statement regarding the incident and will show us that change will come on all levels. Ultimately, as the author of the article points out it is up to the people of the great state of Illinois to choose better leaders and be better informed.


http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/12/11/1211tribune_edit.html

Blog Stage 8: Criticism on Commentary to “Why I’m Pro-Choice”

I think the deeper question behind being Pro-Choice is how it is affecting our nation and our youth. Personally I don’t think abortion should be legal unless it was beyond that person’s control to have a child in cases such as rape. While Analia touches on the individual’s “ideology” and how abortion should be dealt in relation to that, we have to keep in mind that everyone’s ideology will always vary based on their upbringing. Who’s to say what is right or wrong? Our rank in infant mortality rate is not going to rank highest because we have some of the best doctors in the world. I think this is irrelevant. The statistics we should be looking at are those that say we rank number one in the world in teen pregnancies per the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. Abortion would not be an issue if we could teach our children to be responsible when it comes to having sex. We are an irresponsible nation and not educated enough to know the difference. Keep in mind that in a teen pregnancy; is the person who is deciding between having a child or ending the life of one capable or mature enough to make this decision on her own? Of course not, and this is why no one should have a choice when it comes to deciding the lives of innocent children. I know that the ability to choose for ourselves is very much a part of our American culture but so is religion as Analia also points out in her commentary. It is religion that keeps us grounded. Making abortion legal is a statement made by our government saying that if you slip up, it’s ok.

Blog Stage 7: New Stimulus Package

Stimulus Commentary

This nation is driven by consumers and we unfortunately cannot undo ourselves of our bad spending habits. The stimulus will only end up a disaster like the last stimulus checks sent out to “fix” the economy. The majority of the American public will spend their checks on frivolous items as soon as they get them. The blame is put on our economy and what it represents; the frivolous spending habits that the credit and loan industry has made us believe in. Obama speaks about sending the American public a stimulus check of substantial proportion. The size of the stimulus checks will not matter in the end. This new stimulus check proposal will have to do a lot more than just cut out checks like the Bush Administration did. This administration will have to educate the people to save their money and decrease spending. I believe the Obama administration is definitely looking for a long term solution and not a “quick fix” like his predecessor. While I believe in change and what the Obama campaign stands for, I also believe that this stimulus check proposal will have to be more carefully strategized to have a positive effect. We must learn from our mistakes. I know that when I got my stimulus check I actually put it in my savings for worse times to come versus my friends who went on a shopping spree with it. Again, I have to emphasize the importance of teaching the consumer better spending habits, so that we do not suffer financial debt or crisis in the future.

Feel free to watch the Video. Click on the link below:

http://www.usnews.com/

BLOG STAGE 6 -- Barack Obama for President!

Barack Obama for President. I definitely agree with Ms Moye. I voted for Obama because of all the background information that was given to us. It was sufficient for me to be convinced that this is the man that we have all been waiting for. Because he doesn’t come from a wealthy family like McCain for example, I think it is easier for Obama to relate to those that have financial issues and need more options to better their lifestyle. The economy of the US has dropped a lot. I think that with Obama being president he can bring that back up and present to us better life opportunities. Like Ms Moye said, “America needs a man with good leadership skills, a level head, and the confidence to stand strong and promote peace.” I think this definitely describes the man Obama has been portrayed throughout the media and many other people that have met him. Hoping that everything that we have learned about him is true, we shall wait for a good change in America now that he is our new US President!

Blog Stage #5 -- Dream Act

The US National Government should be looking in depth into the Dream Act proposal. This Dream Act, according to Wikipedia, “is a piece of proposed federal legislation in the United States that would provide achieving illegal immigrant high school students the opportunity to obtain permanent residency”. I don’t quite understand why the US Government has opposed this proposal in the past. I feel that it’s a great way to encourage immigrants to pursue their dreams, attend college and obtain a college degree. Their residency would be like a reward for all their hard work during their high school and college years. The US Government would benefit from having more college graduates, instead of having immigrants working illegally at a job where they pay nothing more than the minimum, and dropping out of high school. We want more educated people in our nation; more educated people will equal a better economy for the United States. If immigrants are looking for a better lifestyle and want to pursue a career, why not give them the opportunity to enhance our nation even more? I have friends that were brought to the US by their parent’s right after they were born in Mexico. Some of these friends have been excellent students all throughout their entire life. Thankfully, Texas is a state where immigrants CAN go to college, versus other states require you to be a resident or citizen. However, it is very sad to me, to see how some of my friends, can only get so far. Once they are done with college, there is really no place to go. They can either chose to go back to their native country, or work illegally and if they work it will probably not be a job related to their career nor will it pay them anything near to the amount of educational background they have. This is where I really feel that the US Government should do something to help these students out. The US is known for the “American Dream”, for its valuable educational programs and schools, if these students are only after this, we should definitely grant them some kind of permission or reward to work in the US legally in their field of study. The Dream Act Proposal would be the best solution to this problem that MANY students are facing out there today.

BLOG STAGE 3 - October 3, 2008

I found an article in The New York Times Opinion arguing that the United States government should come up with a better strategy to “build a smoother path to legal entry and citizenship.” I feel that it is a great idea and that the argument is presented in a very fine way. The article is mentions how there are teachers, engineers, researches and other immigrants who are here in the United States following the “rules”, filing their paperwork, paying their fees and waiting for someday to become legal residents. It is very unfair I believe that we have people here from other countries, like Mexico, who are willing to be hard working people and do everything the right way and not be able to legalize their status. There are people coming over with college degrees, masters and some even with PhD’s trying to be proactive and looking for a better lifestyle. I believe that the author makes a good point when he mentions this because it’s like saying, why wouldn’t we give the opportunity to these people who are willing to work hard and make this a better country, to be able to become legal citizens in a much easier and smoother way. If the system was much easier, we would have less people trying to go around the immigration system and doing things illegally, rather than having people do things the right or legal way. Granting green cards to people younger than 40 with college degrees, is a very good and smart idea. We, as US citizens, want only but the best for our country. If we could only have more successful people, more college graduates, or simply have more people pursuing higher goals in life; our government and economy would blossom like never before. Therefore, if we have people like this coming over from other countries and can prove to us that they are here to be proactive, then we should definitely grant them an easier way to legalize their citizenship. The author presents this argument in a very detailed way and is why I can definitely agree with him, for his good examples and well written argument.

Article URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/opinion/03fri2.html?ref=opinion