Political Cartoon 4: Soldiers and Jobs

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/44ef54f8-4e3c-46fd-8a7b-2015423932ca.html
The link above will take you to the cartoon.
So this cartoon is all about the war veterans from Iraq coming back home. It was drawn by Joe Heller. The key elements in this cartoon are the veteran and Uncle Sam, who represents the US. There is also a pamphlet with the US Job market statistics on it. This cartoonist isn't really using an technique to get his point across, its a pretty literal cartoon. His message is that now that the war veterans are home, they all need jobs and based on how the US job market is looking, they are going to have a hard time finding them. This guy is obviously on the side of the veterans, and to be honest so am I. I think that they all deserve jobs so that they can get back to their normal lives, but I also think that its going to be easier said than done. We got a pretty high unemployment rate right about now and so finding all of these people jobs is going to be a tough task.

Question of the Week: HOLIDAY MEMORIES??!!??

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. Its always a happy time at my house, and we usually go to visit family. I think that my favorite christmas was one that we experienced while we were living in Ohio. It gets pretty cold up there around christmas time, and this particular christmas sticks in my mind because we were snowed in. I'm pretty sure that we didn't have a car back then so it's not like we  were going anywhere anyways, but I was really small and it was the first "white christmas" that I had ever had. We didn't really do anything special besides just sit around the house and do nothing, but I will never forget how it looked outside.

Political Cartoon 3: Herman Cain

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/4f678e7a-4fa3-4dd6-b9ef-3a854b3a2cc1.html

The link above will take you to the cartoon. This cartoon is all about Herman Cain's presidential run. The train represents his campaign, and the lady at the end of the track's represents his alleged affair. This cartoon was drawn by Milt Priggee, and this guy is using satire to lampoon the candidacy of Cain. This gigantic train was stopped by none other than a girl. It seems almost impossible, but it happened. The message of this cartoon is, if your going to run for president, make sure that your personal life is in order first, because even the smallest doubt can lead to the derailing of your campaign train. The cartoonist is obviously not a Herman Cain supporter, but rather someone who thought that Cain's presidential bid was shot right from the start.

QOTW 3: Obama on the polls

So I went on gallup expecting numbers that were way worse than what I saw. Obama's not doing to shabby a job! 42% of people approve of the job that he's doing and 51% do not. While it seems that he has a minority in terms of approval, it is not too much and on election day i doubt that any other candidate will have the approval that he does. Perhaps I am a bit biased towards Obama, because I supported him from the moment he began to campaign back in 2008. I think that Obama has pretty high odds to getting the presidency. He big thing that he's got going for him is the simple fact of his incumbency. People know Obama. On the other hand, the republican candidates sound good on paper, but nobody really knows how they are going to act when the get in the oval office. I don't know about specific odds, but I'm pretty sure that he's going to get the presidency again.

Political Cartoon 2

To see the political cartoon, click on the link below:
http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/4c5c7d4f-3f70-4177-aa87-3d0c4e0ff15c.html

Another occupy wall street cartoon. I don't know why, but these cartoons always manage to make me laugh. This cartoon was drawn by Bob Englehart. The major devices in this cartoon are the gigantic shoe, and the protesters under the shoe. The shoe represents the general public and the government, and the protesters represent the protesters. This cartoon is pretty satirical. It deals with the occupy movement, and it basically is saying that it has lost almost all speed. People just don't care about occupy wall street as much as they used to. The protesters are starting to get desperate for ways to keep their attenton. The point of view is definetely told from the point of view of someone who is not a strong supporter of the movement. I think that this is a great cartoon. I've been pretty neutral on the occupy movement for a long time, but I think that they have made their point. They're just dragging things on longer than they should have.

Question of the week: The candidacy of mitt romney

In my mind, Mitt Romney has been the only "sane" republican candidate from the start. He's been the only one that I thought even had the slightest chance of getting the presidency. Right now, I think that the biggest thing that Romney has going for him is the fact that he's been for forerunner for so long. He one of the only candidates who hasn't messed up big time yet. When people think of him, they think of a guy who has had a pretty solid campaign throughout, and who, despite being a mormon, has had a good following for a very long time. I think that there are two big reasons that Romney could lose this race though. Firstly, he falling behind Gingrich right now. In the polls, people seem to like Gingrich more than they like Romney. This could change very soon, but if Gingrich keeps it up, then Romney could lose. Another thing that may play against him is his indecisiveness. One of the main points that the democrats are trying to hit home is that Romney has changed his platform more than once. I think that he needs to get a platform that he's ok with, otherwise people are going to remember him as the candidate who couldn't make up his mind.

Political Cartoon 1 - Everyone needs "life's essentials!"

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/b21cf8ac-9494-495a-b87d-3f27589e1abb.html
The link above will take you to the political cartoon. This one was drawn by Brian Fairrington. I think that it is absolute genius. I literally laughed out loud when I saw it. They major objects in the cartoon are the "hobo", the police officer, and the "stuff." The hobo represents the occupy wall street protesters. The Police represent the event that happened a few days ago in which the police vacated the park for cleanup. The stuff represents everything that makes the protesters anything but the "99 %". This cartoon is very satirical. The cartoonist is subtly lampooning the protesters.
This cartoon is basically about the "Occupy Wall Street Movement," specifically the "cleanup" of the park. The cartoon is basically saying that all these protesters are saying "We are the 99%," when in reality they are anything but the 99%. The real 99% are the people who don't even get 3 square meals a day, not the people who believe that they are "poor." They message is basically that the wall street protestors are hypocrites. They claim to be in the 99%, but they aren't. The vast majority are not people who have to fight hunger everyday. They are just people who want to improve their current status.
Based on how the cartoon is set up, the cartoon is probably telling this from a person who is not in the "99%." The cartoonist obviously is in the middle class range of the economic spectrum.
Occupy Wall Street has been a very prominent movement in the recent months. It has been heading the news for quite a while now. As of late, people have begun to stop caring and the movement is getting desperate. While I agree that their cause is just, I think that it needs to stop. It's not just about the economy, there are serious risks that accompany that many people living in such a confined area.

2nd quarter question of the week #1

At one point in time, Rick Perry was the big republican candidate. Now, he's almost faded into obscurity. Personally, I'm almost positive that Perry is way out of the race. He's embarassed himself so many times in front of camera, that I'm always going to remember his as the guy who didn't know his own stands on policy issues. I think the main thing that's keeping Perry from a presendential nomination is his image. People see him as stupid, and its really hurt his chances. The embarassing debate in which Perry forgot one of the parts of government that he wanted to deal with was probably the most hurtful to his chances. Perry is not a debater or a speaker, and that really hurts his image in the eyes of the public. While I think that Perry is out of the race, he's got one thing going for him that MIGHT get him the nomination. The republican party is still split. While Romney has begun to establish himself as the frontrunner now, there is still enough debate that Perry might be able to slip through the lines. However, the chance of that happening is very slim, and unless he finds a way to turn things around quickly, Perry probably won't be in the white house any time soon.

Current Event assignment 4: Why Rick Perry's Presidential Bid is Toast

I remember back when Governer Perry was one of the frontrunners in the presidential race. Now, people have almost forgotten about him. The man had a real chance to get elected, but he didn't. CNN Democratic Strategist James Carville agrees. Rick Perry is Toast. According to Carville Perry is the worst debater of all time. That is part of the reason that he is almost out of the presidential race. The man is not capable of arguing, which is almost a prerequisite for becoming president. A person who cannot argue that his bill is the best choice, can't be a politician let alone president. In the beginning Perry seemed like a formidable opponent for Romney, but now the media barely covers him because people find him boring. His time is up, and now people are starting to forget about him. Carville thinks that Perry has embarassed himself to the point where he seems incapable of running Texas as well. Carville thinks that Perry is definetely out of the presidential race, and is just kidding himself by thinking otherwise.
I totally agree with Carville. Perry is a goner. He had his chance, but he blew it and now he's out of the race. He had some real potential to be the presidential nominee, but the debates destroyed him. The GOP debates on CNN were some of the most terrible and embarassing for Perry. They other candidates just chewed him out. I feel a little sorry for Perry, because he showed such promise at the beginning of the race, but now he's just a memory.

To see the full story, follow the link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/opinion/carville-rick-perry/index.html

Question of the week 4!

So the biggest political issue facing Virginia.......I'm going to have to say the economy. I know a lot of people that have been hit hard by the reccession, so I think that the biggest problem right now is the economy. I think the economy will be the biggest turning point for voters in Virginia. The candidate that has the best plan to fix the economy is the one that is going to get the votes. In a lot of places around Virginia, People have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Something needs to change. Unfortunately, what Obama has been doing hasn't really been helping us yet, so we need a new plan, one that will get families economic relief, before they starve.

Question of the Week 3

So I posted this before, but turns out that I didn't really understand the question so here is the revised version!

Health Care- Well I'll have to give obama a B+ on this one considering that he did get healthcare passed. This is something that many presidents have tried and failed at, and Obama finally did it. Unfortunately, it is a rather unpopular program so there is still work to be done. I support Obama, and I think that his healthcare plan is a good idea, but needs work.

Economy- Unfortunately, I'll have to give Obama a B- here. The unemployment rate is at an all-time low, and Obama's approval rating is also at an all time low. I give him credit for his effort, but he's just not delivering what the US needs. I think that his jobs plan and such are steps in the right direction, but he needs to go further.

War on Terror- From me Obama gets an A or A- on this one. The one big thing that he has going for him is the death of Osama bin Laden. It was probably one of the biggest hits on Terrorism that the US ever dealt, and it rid the world of one of the most dangerous leaders on the planet. We've also been handling situations in other countries decently (ie. Libya), so I think that Obama is doing pretty good here.

Reelection bid- I'm going to give Obama a B+ on his reelection bid. There are two reasons for this. One, he was not the nations worst president. His programs did work, and he did deliver on most of his promises, but then again he wasn't the best. He could have handled the economy much better than he did. Two, his opposition is rather divided. There are so many republican candidates that the entire party is split. I don't think that one candidate can get enough support from everyone to beat Obama.

I've been an Obama supporter from the start, and I think that given the circumstances, he's doing a pretty good job. Of course there is room for improvement, but he's not doing too bad.

Current Event #3: Conservative group backs Cain's '9-9-9' plan

So Herman Cain has this plan. It's called the 9-9-9 plan. Cain plans to replace the current tax system with a flat 9% income tax, 9% corporate tax, and 9% national sales tax. Conservatives are beginning to lighten up to this plan, and are saying that it will lead to an economic boom, but some  conservatives are worried about the sales tax addition to the plan. They think that it will "suck" income out of Americans.

Personally, I'm a liberal so I don't really think that tax-cuts are going to get our economy back to where it was. The government needs more revenue, not less. Although I don't advocate taxes that are too high, I do think that taxes are something that the government needs to sustain itself in the hard economy of today. I don't see how when we're in a large amount of debt, tax cuts are going to do anything other than make Americans feel better about themselves. Sure, tax cuts will take less money from normal Americans and will make them feel better, but in turn it will take money away from the government which kind of needs it right now. I also don't really like the 9% sales tax idea very much. 9% is no small sum. A 9% sales tax when buying a car could equal $1000 or more! So I don't really think that Cain's 9-9-9 plan is a good idea at this time.

To see the full story click on the link
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/14/conservative-group-backs-cains-9-9-9-plan/?hpt=po_bn1

Current event post #2, Bachmann and Cain dodge religion question

Ok, so being a nonchristian, I believe in a firm and distinct seperation of church and state. To me, the way that we run this country should not be dependent on religion. Religion should be something private and sacred, not public and commercialized. So when I read this news story, I was a a bit annoyed.

The news story was about Mitt Romney being a Mormon. Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann both refused to talk about Romney's religion to the press. The press accused them of dodging the question, and they both said that Mitt Romneys religion was inconsequential to the upcoming election.Then some pastor said that while he thought that Romney was a good and pious man, he thought that most Americans would prefer a "Competent Christian."

To begin, I really don't like it when the press writes stories like this. It makes them seem desperate for a story. Really? Why does Romney being a Mormon matter?  I'm a liberal-leaner, and I don't really like Romney, but I would not stoop so low as to attack his religion. To me religion has no place in politics. America is a free country, and it has so many religions that to talk about someone elses religion doesn't even make sense.

For once, I totally agree with Cain and Bachmann on this point. Romney's religion should not even be talked about. If people want to undermine Romney then they should talk about his political stance on issues, not his religion. Freedom of religion is guarunteed in the first amendment, and nowhere in the constitution does it say that a person must be either protestant or catholic to run for president, so I think that it was wrong of reporters to ask these questions because it puts the people who were asked in an awkward position and it also has nothing to do with the upcoming election.

to see the full story follow the link below
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/09/bachmann-cain-duck-question-on-romneys-faith/?hpt=po_t2

Question of the Week 2

I'm not really a political guy, so I don't really know all of the intricacies of US politics, but the one issue that I tend to take a stand on more than any other is the management of the federal government and the raising of the debt ceiling.
As I said in the last policial question, I tend to have more liberal leanings. On this issue I definetely side with the liberals. While I agree that raising the debt ceiling isn't the solution to our problem, I think that something is far better than nothing. Better to have the debt ceiling raised than cause a government shutdown. I think that a government shutdown would be a disaster right now. The American people are already so worried about their jobs and money that if the government shut down it would be like a sealing of their doom. If the government can't find a solution, then who can?
Personally, my family is pretty rich so we haven't really been hit by the recession so far, but I take a particular stand on this issue because I know that the economy needs to get better. I think that at this point its time to try something new because what we have been doing hasn't been working. I'm not saying that the conservatives are wrong, but I do think that a liberal solution will be the one that will get us out of this crisis. When I go out into the world after college, I don't want to be in a world of economic depression, so I think that we need to think of something, and do it fast.

Current event assignment 1, US kills Anwar al-Awlaki

So, yesterday we apparently went in and bombed this guy named Anwar al-Awlaki. This guy was a real leader in al-qaeda, so it should be a good thing that we killed him. The only problem is that this guy just happened to be an American citizen, and the bombing also happened to kill another US citizen. There are a lot of people that say that the US should not have taken this action. It goes against both US and international law. People like Ed Husain, think that the consequences of such an action greatly outweigh the advantages. Not only was the man an American citizen, but the killing was done 8 kilometers away from a town. It was a major risk to kill the man when we did. Overall many people are depricating the attacks. Moreover, many of these outspoken critics are future presedential hopefuls, such as Ron Paul.
However, the US may have acted I believe that the deed is done and that further criticism is only going to hurt the unity of the US. I can't say that morally and lawfully, the deed was good, however the man did present a significant threat to US security. I personally am a very big advocate of human rights and peace and all, yet I cannot find overwhelming weight in the arguments of the critics. While I agree that the man should have had some sort of a trial, the lack of that only is not enough to sway me to become a critic. I have to say that on this issue I am neutral.

To see the article click on the link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/politics/targeting-us-citizens/index.html?hpt=po_t2

How 'bout that Political Ideology quiz? (Question of the week 1)

Well apparently a lot of political ideology quizzes like to think that I'm a post modern/centrist. Unfortunately, I had no idea what these terms meant at first glance. Upon further viewing, I was able to discern that it was code talk for someone who is right in the middle. That sound's about right. I'm not really a person who tends to have extreme views on issues. I usually just take the middle ground. So I guess that I agree with the quizzes. Who'da Thunk?

Blog Nummer 1

So this is my first blog. I don't really know what I'm supposed to be talking about right now. I think that it has something to do with the news, but its 8 o'clock in the morning right now so its probably not going to turn out so well. In any case I guess that I'm supposed to be writing on this a lot more now that I've made it, so you may be hearing from me a lot.