Inspiring?....indeed

A few weeks ago my fellow classmate, Adrianna Cardenas, wrote about the inspiring election of Barack Obama. In her posting "Obama an inspiration", Ms. Cardenas cuts through the politics and gets right down to the bone. She sets aside the Barack Obama victory, and instead focuses not on the man himself, but on the historical accomplishment. "Whether you were rooting for him or against him, I think we all can admit that it is a huge inspiration to many, especially minorities". Not only did we elect the first black president, we set precedent for future minorities of any race. The glass ceiling has been broken. No longer will any dream be out of reach because of the color of your skin. As a minority myself, i whole-heartedly agree with Adrianna. Obama is an inspiration. I hope this step forward is only the first of many, and hopefully one day we will see a Latino in the White House.

Mr. Grinch

The holiday season is upon us once again. Winter weather is swooping in, sweaters are in style, and retailers are starting to lick their chops. Yes, November and December have historically been the two busiest consumer spending months of the year, except for this year? With the U.S. quickly diving into an economic recession, Americans maybe tightening their belts and leaving the retailers to starve.
According to "BusinessWeek", this sales season is predicted to be "one of the ugliest in decades". Strangely, this is not surprising. In fact, you might even say it's expected. For months now we have seen, heard, and read about the delicate state of our economy. Talks of the second great depression, a wall street bailout, and foreclosures have caused shoppers to deposit money instead of withdrawing it. Even U.S. Automakers are feeling the heat, and are literally begging congress for a bailout of their own. Ironically, the lack of consumer spending is one of the reasons the economy is in the shape it's in. Everybody wants it fixed , yet nobody's willing to pay the bill. Talk about a "catch-22". On a lighter note, the recent gasoline price decline could help absorb some of the spending phobia, causing shoppers to dish out a few more dollars then they had originally planned.
The sad part in all of this? Everything. It's tough for folks all around. Disappointing for parents who cant afford to buy gifts, and devastating to children who will wake up on the 25th to news that "Santa" couldn’t deliver. Tally one up for the Grinch this Christmas.

Obama it is Miss Cardenas

A few weeks ago my fellow classmate, Adrianna Cardenas, pleaded with her readers to "Vote for Obama". In her posting, Adrianna focused on what was then, the upcoming presidential election. She used the controversial War in Iraq to try and persuade voters to vote for Barack Obama. Her logic, although she never mentions John McCain in her writing, she obviously intended to link John and current president George W. Bush. With record low approval ratings, Bush is not someone you want to be associated with in an election. I think the angle she took and the subject she picked helps her argument. In my opinion, I think actually naming John McCain would have helped paint a clearer picture of her reasoning. Also, she should have touched on other issues besides just focusing on the war. With the last eight year having been what they have been, there is a lot of material to work with. I think perhaps talking about the economy and how McCain and Bush have similar ideologies would have sealed the deal in Miss Cardenas' persuasive effort to encourage a "Vote For Change". Overall I thought it was a well presented argument and I whole-heartedly agree that Obama is a change for the better. Well done Miss Cardenas.

Here's our chance

The finish line is close. There is no doubt that the campaign trials for both candidates have been long and tedious ones. After 3 debates, hundreds of speeches, and thousands of handshakes, we are only days away from electing our next commander-in-chief. So if the last eight years have taught you anything, hopefully this year you will place your bet on a winning horse and vote for the "change we need".
I would be lying if I sat here and said I have always cared. To be honest, if you had asked me eight years ago who I would vote for, Gore or Bush, I would have probably ignored your question and gone about my business doing something that actually mattered, like playing my Nintendo 64. Even four years ago, a little older, a little more mature, I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around how important a presidential election really is. I was too busy in high school chasing girls and living my life. I wont go as far to say that I was completely oblivious about the election, I mean, I knew I wanted Kerry to win, but I didn’t know why. I didn't know the issues, I didn’t know much of anything. All I knew was that I was a Democrat because my parents were Democrats. That was it. So here we are, 2008. The country is in an economic free fall, we are at war with not one, but two countries, and life all around is just a little harder. I too, along with millions of Americans have opened my eyes and have seen first hand the repercussions of an ill informed vote. I have seen my uncle laid off from his job of 25 years because the company was forced to cut back on employees. I have seen my own father have to close down his small business and go back to work for someone else in order to receive steady pay. I have seen these hardships first hand, and I now know how important this election is. This is our chance. Our chance to right the wrongs of the past. A chance to change the direction of our ailing nation. I’m not writing this to persuade voters one way or the other. I’m simply trying to encourage change itself. To encourage voters period. Don’t wait four more years. An informed voter means a smart vote. Listen to the issues, research plans and proposed policies. We cannot afford four more years of the same thing. We need change NOW.

The O' Reilly Non-Factor

In the recent blog posting "How about some fairness in the campaign?" on FoxNews.com, Bill O'Reilly puts in his "two cents" on the recently heated presidential race. O'Reilly, a well know Fox network personality and republican enthusiast, comments on the recent mudslingings directed at White House hopefull, Barack Obama. With the election less than a month away, both candidates and thier respected parties have stepped up thier game and are letting the fists fly. Recent comments aimed at Sen. Obama at a Republican rally suggesting he be killed (among other things) have raised public eyebrows in the direction of John McCain. O'Reilly writes "there have been some nasty comments directed at Barack Obama by some people attending McCain rallies. Of course, that has happened in campaigns since Adams and Jefferson were running around. The New York Times and other Obama media supporters are more shocked than Claude Rains was in "Casablanca" and are directly blaming McCain. Unbelievable." Obviously trying to defend his candidate, Bill presents us with scripts from interviews of John McCain. "I have to tell you he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared as president of the United States. Now I just — now look, if I didn't think I wouldn't be one heck of a lot better president, I wouldn't be running, OK?" McCain in a recent video interview. O'Reilly sees these comments as proof that the Republican candidate had nothing to do with the outrageous comments made agianst Obama, "Now that took guts. McCain could have easily played into the anti-Obama fervor." Although i dont often agree with Mr. O'Reilly, he is certainly right on this one. There will always be fringe supporters who say the wrong things at the wrong time, but McCain should not be blamed for thier stupidity.I think Bill was trying to reach the general public on this one, and critisize the democrats for blowing it out of proportion.

A do nothing Congress

"Our political system is just plain broken". The words of a man who has simply given up on his congress. With America waking up to the news that its government would not "bailout" a struggling Wall st., Ruben Navarrette Jr. has made it his business to bring congress's incompetence into the spotlight. Navarrette, a columnist for the San Diego Union-Tribune, was able to transcribe his feelings to paper in his short, but to the point commentary "Ditch the do-nothing Congress". Referring to the recent failure of the House to pass a $700 billion package deal that would help stop the bleeding of the recently gashed stock market. Ruben uses Congress's lack luster track record to back his argument. "It has already dodged immigration, Social Security, Iraq, the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and other issues". The historical indecision of the House and Senate is a great base for Navarrette to launch his campaign of disapproval. His intended audience (i think) is anybody who is willing to listen. His opinion and argument i thought was well formed and founded. He used good histroical evidence and got his point of view across. Even so, i seem to disagree with him on this one. Yes i admit, while our Congress has at times failed to react quickly to certain issues and matters, i think they got it right this time. There is a sense of discomfort when it comes to the bailout deal among the American public. In an ideal democracy, the collective people and not the select few should have the final say. Maybe it was because none of the parties wanted to take responsibility for future problems that may arise from the deal. Or maybe it's the inability for our government to make a decisive move at a decisive time. Or maybe, just maybe, our political system worked so well, that it heard the cries of its people to vote nay, and that it did. Im not going to sit here and pretend to know or understand what is best for the American economy. If the handout is good or bad. What i do know is what i see and hear, and from what i have seen and heard, not to many people like the idea of giving away $700 billion. However the bill was re-formulated and was able to pass on its second voting through the Senate. The House is expected to vote shortly. Regardless if it passes or not, Navarrette's argument was based on his opinion that our government is unable to hear or react to its people's needs. I on the other hand like to think that our representatives felt and heard the peoples thoughts and opinions and voted accordingly. And with that, were able to go back to the drawing boards and revise the plan so that it will benifit the American People. I know that sounds kinda corny and foolish, but hey, ive always been a "glass half-full" kinda guy.

Palin comes out swinging

Since the concession of Hillary Clinton from the 2008 presidential election, many middle-aged women had basically thrown in the towel on this years race for the white house. Caught in the middle of voting either red or blue and dubbed as swing voters, these women basically became one speech away from leaning to one side or the other. With the nomination of Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain seemed to have tipped the scales in his favor. As FoxNews.com reported, Palin has begun to draw more and more female swing voters for the republican party. Described as a "Down to earth mom", Palin has been able to relate to many women like Jan Thibault. Thibault, a 51-year-old mother of four, was dissapointed when she learned that Hilary would not be on the voting ballot this year. With Palin now at the wheel, it will be intresting to see how Obama and the democratic party will counter the seemingly "right-leaning" tide.