Before I get to the substance of the State of the Union Address, I would like to thank Justice Alito for so eloquently letting us know which statements by the President were untrue. What happened to the good old days when the Justices of the Supreme Court sat through the entirety of the speech without moving a muscle? If the Justices continue to show signs of life during the State of the Union address, the next generation of Americans will not have the yearly opportunity to watch the President speak while trying to figure out which Justices are actually alive.
Since the speech was very long and covered a variety of topics, I will pick just a few to comment on.
1- The Clapping. Everyone talks about it, it is annoying, but due the rules for the State of the Union set forth in the Constitution, it is inevitable. Personally, I enjoy watching the each round of standing ovations. The awkwardness of these moments makes for great viewing. From the Republican Senator who needed to "remind" his fellow party members when to stand to the Democrat Congressman who thought he was at a Redskins game (I am sure you all heard him yelling during the speech), these moments of brevity make the State of the Union more than just a speech, they make it an event.
2-Education. To say that I was disappointed in the four short paragraphs President Obama shared on education would be an understatement. It was all very vague. Obama said that, "the idea here is simple: instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success." Yes Mr. President, that is true, but is it really simple? How do you define success? How are we going to reward this success? Is a school corporation who finds a new way to "count" students in order to raise their "graduation rates" a success? I would be more optimistic if the President would have laid out a plan that included every American child and gave them the tools to succeed in life. Not every student is going to go to college, so while the tax credits for families with college students is great for these families, education reform must go beyond the higher education spectrum. The graduation rates of most public high schools is frightening low. The high school curriculum has changed today and is a preparation tool for students who want to pursue a higher education. What about the nearly 50 percent of Americans who do not go on to higher education? Programs must be installed to supply the tools for success for this large segment of the American population. Just like colleges and universities, high schools should set forth different "majors" in an attempt to keep kids in school. If you plan on attending an institution of higher learning, you would follow the "college prep" program and take a well rounded schedule of classes that stretches into all disciplines. Do you plan to start an apprenticeship in a labor union after high school? Than follow the "pre-apprentice" program and take math, science, and language classes that will directly correlate to the next step in your career path. Finally, if you just want to get your "high school degree", offer a program that will prepare these people for future jobs as well as real life. Teach life skills: banking, creating a budget, meal preparation, and basic language and math skills that are necessary in everyday life. The effects of these types of programs would be threefold. 1- Students would receive the type of education that is tailored to their needs and aspirations. 2- Drop out rates for students who are stuck in classes that "don't mean anything to them" would drop. 3- Classrooms would be filled with like minded students and the atmosphere of the educational environment would benefit because students are in classes they WANT to be in. This is reform, it would not be easy, but lets be honest with ourselves, reforming education is not as "simple" as Obama would like to make you believe.
3- Health Care. This has been THE hot button topic in politics for the last few months. Politically, this issue has been very polarizing for the American people, but it does not need to be. Health care reform needs to be a priority and I believe that people on both sides of the aisle would agree. Americans with good medical coverage at a moderate rate seem to have an apathetic attitude when it comes to health care reform. They do not see the plights of the American people that can not afford health coverage. Members of the House and Senate are also blind to the struggles in health care because at the end of the day, they are able to make a doctors appointment, pay their small premium, and get the best medical treatment available. However, for millions of Americans, this is not their reality. Recently unemployed Americans are losing their health coverage at an astounding rate, even those still employed are losing or having their insurance benefits cut. While there are some programs in place, like Cobra Coverage for the recently unemployed, these are usually not viable options. Can an unemployed person afford $900 a month to have medical coverage for their families? While health care should not be mandated, it should be accessible at a reasonable rate. If we can take the President's words as truth, although Judge Alito would probably tell you we can't, than members of both parties of congress have a responsibility to put together a bill that would reform the health care industry as a whole, not just throw money at it and "hope" that it works.
These were just a few thoughts that took a look at small parts of the State of the Union speech. I did not get into the economy, bank bailouts, Iraq/Afghanistan, or any of the other issues that were addressed. As usual, President Obama gave a very eloquent speech. Whether you agree with him or not, the President is a very gifted orator, which is probably the reason he is in office. I thought the State of the Union address as a whole was very vague, but that is to be expected due to the multitude of topics that needed to be addressed. If I were to grade the speech, I would give Mr. Obama an A- in delivery and a C in substance.
There was one segment though that stood out to me above the rest. President Obama said,
"But what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day. We can't wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about the other side -– a belief that if you lose, I win. Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can. The confirmation of, I'm speaking to both parties now, the confirmation of well-qualified public servants shouldn't be held hostage to the pet projects or grudges of a few individual senators. Washington may think that saying anything about the other side, no matter how false, no matter how malicious, is just part of the game. But it's precisely such politics that has stopped either party from helping the American people. Worse yet, it's sowing further division among our citizens, further distrust in our government. So, no, I will not give up on trying to change the tone of our politics. I know it's an election year. And after last week, it's clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern." I agree completely with this statement. While I do not have an alternative for a quick fix to this problem, I do see it as an issue that is plaguing our government. Candidates used to campaign for office, today it seems that candidates campaign and win elections just in order to be an incumbent the next election cycle. The time in between, the time that should define a politician, is often spent walking on egg shells so as not to ruffle any feathers in their constituency. The problem is even worse in in Congress where they are up for re-election every two years. Personally, I would rather vote for a candidate who proves their track record by the way they vote and bills they sponsor as opposed to a candidate who is hiding in an attempt to prolong his/her political future. Our politicians owe this to their electorate, if a majority of people in your district look on your votes with disdain, than it it is only fair to them to elect someone who votes according to the will of his people.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer-
If you have watched any news the last two days, you are sure to have seen the uproar surrounding the comments of South Carolina's Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer. While the majority of the backlash has been negative towards Bauer's comments, I think we should take a look at a number of the issues surrounding that surround this media firestorm.
If you are unfamiliar with the comments, last Thursday, Bauer was speaking at a town hall meeting when the topic of government assistance programs came up. Bauer proceeded to come up with this dandy of a metaphor-
"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that."
This day in age, with the 24 hour news cycle, you really have to choose your words a bit more carefully. We will continue to hear how these comments are "demeaning" and "immoral." (Both phrases used by his challengers in his upcoming gubernatorial race) What is lost in this conversation however, is the merits behind his comments.
Is it really a stretch to see what he meant by his comments? Do you truly believe he was mocking the unemployed citizens of South Carolina or trying to say that we shouldn't help children whose families are not able to feed them? Bauer himself was raised in a single family home and relied on government lunch assistance as a child. The point he was trying to convey was that the government must do something to quell the abuses of government assistance. Part of Bauer's campaign includes pushing for drug testing for welfare recipients and mandatory attendance at parent/teacher conferences for welfare recipients who have children is school. Isn't this something that all Americans should be on board with? I know that I personally do not want the taxes taken from my paycheck to go to someone who is abusing illegal drugs. However, if we required drug testing for welfare recipients, I would feel better about my money going towards rehab for those individuals as opposed to handing them a check and allowing them to blow it on illegal substances.
As a country, we need to have a welfare system in place to care for those in our society that need help. As a country with an ever rising unemployment rate, some families would not be surviving without government run unemployment agencies. This is a good thing for the people of our great country. With reform, we could assure that those in need are getting the help they so desperately need. It would also assure that those who try to beat the system must make lifestyle changes in order to receive the help that they need. It is a win-win for the American people. Although Bauer should have picked his words a bit more cautiously, let's hope that his message is not lost in the political bantering.
If you are unfamiliar with the comments, last Thursday, Bauer was speaking at a town hall meeting when the topic of government assistance programs came up. Bauer proceeded to come up with this dandy of a metaphor-
"My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that."
This day in age, with the 24 hour news cycle, you really have to choose your words a bit more carefully. We will continue to hear how these comments are "demeaning" and "immoral." (Both phrases used by his challengers in his upcoming gubernatorial race) What is lost in this conversation however, is the merits behind his comments.
Is it really a stretch to see what he meant by his comments? Do you truly believe he was mocking the unemployed citizens of South Carolina or trying to say that we shouldn't help children whose families are not able to feed them? Bauer himself was raised in a single family home and relied on government lunch assistance as a child. The point he was trying to convey was that the government must do something to quell the abuses of government assistance. Part of Bauer's campaign includes pushing for drug testing for welfare recipients and mandatory attendance at parent/teacher conferences for welfare recipients who have children is school. Isn't this something that all Americans should be on board with? I know that I personally do not want the taxes taken from my paycheck to go to someone who is abusing illegal drugs. However, if we required drug testing for welfare recipients, I would feel better about my money going towards rehab for those individuals as opposed to handing them a check and allowing them to blow it on illegal substances.
As a country, we need to have a welfare system in place to care for those in our society that need help. As a country with an ever rising unemployment rate, some families would not be surviving without government run unemployment agencies. This is a good thing for the people of our great country. With reform, we could assure that those in need are getting the help they so desperately need. It would also assure that those who try to beat the system must make lifestyle changes in order to receive the help that they need. It is a win-win for the American people. Although Bauer should have picked his words a bit more cautiously, let's hope that his message is not lost in the political bantering.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Bill Gates-
The 2010 Annual Letter from Bill Gates was recently released by the Gates Foundation. I highly recommend reading it if you get a chance. www.gatesfoundation.org
The Gates Foundation spends millions of dollars each year on projects in three main categories; Global Health Program, Global Development Program, and the US Program. The projects deal with disease prevention, economic relief, education, and many other issues that are of concern at the local level and across the world. The United States government could learn a lot from the Bill Gates Foundation model. Although the Gates family has an amazing amount of money to use for these projects, they are still making sure that the money that they spend is put to good use. Real-life applications to real-life issues. Their goals are to not just solve problems but solve these problems in a cost effective manner and be able to apply their work in a realistic setting. It makes a difference when you are spending your own money. All too often our government throws a lot of money at an issue but does not do the research to develop a workable strategy. I particularly like the sections on their improvements for public education. Teacher evaluations, the way they are most often utilized, are a waste of administrators and teachers time and do not give a true evaluation of a teacher's skills. How can a teacher improve if they don't realize where they lag behind? The use of webcams as a tool in teacher evaluations seems like a plausible advancement and with most classrooms already equipped with a computer, economically viable.
Where else in our country could the Gates Foundation approach be beneficial in our society?
The Gates Foundation spends millions of dollars each year on projects in three main categories; Global Health Program, Global Development Program, and the US Program. The projects deal with disease prevention, economic relief, education, and many other issues that are of concern at the local level and across the world. The United States government could learn a lot from the Bill Gates Foundation model. Although the Gates family has an amazing amount of money to use for these projects, they are still making sure that the money that they spend is put to good use. Real-life applications to real-life issues. Their goals are to not just solve problems but solve these problems in a cost effective manner and be able to apply their work in a realistic setting. It makes a difference when you are spending your own money. All too often our government throws a lot of money at an issue but does not do the research to develop a workable strategy. I particularly like the sections on their improvements for public education. Teacher evaluations, the way they are most often utilized, are a waste of administrators and teachers time and do not give a true evaluation of a teacher's skills. How can a teacher improve if they don't realize where they lag behind? The use of webcams as a tool in teacher evaluations seems like a plausible advancement and with most classrooms already equipped with a computer, economically viable.
Where else in our country could the Gates Foundation approach be beneficial in our society?
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Colts win, ND/Big Ten comparison, and more...
Wow, what a busy weekend!
Bring the Heat, the baseball complex I am working with, is up and running. We had two days of open houses and signed up a multitude of teams and more individual memberships than we had anticipated. Hopefully we will keep up with this pace. Our website should be up this week, www.bringtheheat.net , please check it out!
Destination-Miami! The Colts are Super Bowl bound again, which can only mean one thing....I need a new jersey to add to the arsenal. I am thinking defense this time around and the front runners are a Gary Brackett or Antoine Bethea jersey. Ryan Diem is a possibility, but only if I continue the trend of only buying jerseys with ineligible numbers. The long shot- Hank Baskett, husband of reality show star Kendra. I somehow doubt that a third string receiver jersey is readily available but, stranger things have happened. Hell, who would have thought that Hugh Hefner's "girlfriend" could have a TV show for more than one season AND get a spinoff series??? Anyways, Go Colts! I can't wait until February 7th.
While watching the playoff games today, I may have heard the most asinine comment of all time. A gentleman claimed that if Notre Dame was in the Big Ten this year in football, they would have finished in the top 3. I have been a long time Notre Dame fan as well as a Big Ten detractor but Notre Dame in the Top 3? The top 5 finishers in the Big Ten were Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. Does anyone truly believe that ND would have been a favorite in any of these games? In head to head competition, ND was 2-1 versus the Big Ten. (2 wins by last minute drives vs. the 6th and 7th rated teams and a loss to the 10th ranked team) Not exactly stellar by any means. With the exception of Illinois and Minnesota, I don't think the Irish had many other sure wins in that conference. The IU/ND game would have been classic though. Who would have imploded first, the Irish defense or a Bill Lynch coached offense?
Speaking of Bill Lynch...The local high school football coaches association presents speakers each month and our speaker in February is Bill Lynch. Lynch is one of the classiest men in college football and has done a decent job with the Hoosiers since the tragic loss of Coach Hoeppner. I am really looking forward to his speech.
This should be an exciting week, I am still trying to figure out this blog site, but hopefully by Wednesday we will have the kinks worked out. Matt and I are planning on posting our responses to the President's State of the Union speech. I am sure there will be good material and it has to be better than listening to Chris Matthews' take on the speech.
Bring the Heat, the baseball complex I am working with, is up and running. We had two days of open houses and signed up a multitude of teams and more individual memberships than we had anticipated. Hopefully we will keep up with this pace. Our website should be up this week, www.bringtheheat.net , please check it out!
Destination-Miami! The Colts are Super Bowl bound again, which can only mean one thing....I need a new jersey to add to the arsenal. I am thinking defense this time around and the front runners are a Gary Brackett or Antoine Bethea jersey. Ryan Diem is a possibility, but only if I continue the trend of only buying jerseys with ineligible numbers. The long shot- Hank Baskett, husband of reality show star Kendra. I somehow doubt that a third string receiver jersey is readily available but, stranger things have happened. Hell, who would have thought that Hugh Hefner's "girlfriend" could have a TV show for more than one season AND get a spinoff series??? Anyways, Go Colts! I can't wait until February 7th.
While watching the playoff games today, I may have heard the most asinine comment of all time. A gentleman claimed that if Notre Dame was in the Big Ten this year in football, they would have finished in the top 3. I have been a long time Notre Dame fan as well as a Big Ten detractor but Notre Dame in the Top 3? The top 5 finishers in the Big Ten were Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Northwestern. Does anyone truly believe that ND would have been a favorite in any of these games? In head to head competition, ND was 2-1 versus the Big Ten. (2 wins by last minute drives vs. the 6th and 7th rated teams and a loss to the 10th ranked team) Not exactly stellar by any means. With the exception of Illinois and Minnesota, I don't think the Irish had many other sure wins in that conference. The IU/ND game would have been classic though. Who would have imploded first, the Irish defense or a Bill Lynch coached offense?
Speaking of Bill Lynch...The local high school football coaches association presents speakers each month and our speaker in February is Bill Lynch. Lynch is one of the classiest men in college football and has done a decent job with the Hoosiers since the tragic loss of Coach Hoeppner. I am really looking forward to his speech.
This should be an exciting week, I am still trying to figure out this blog site, but hopefully by Wednesday we will have the kinks worked out. Matt and I are planning on posting our responses to the President's State of the Union speech. I am sure there will be good material and it has to be better than listening to Chris Matthews' take on the speech.
Friday, January 22, 2010
In honor of Faiz....
Since Faiz is the first follower of this blog, I would be remiss if I didn't start out by giving him a shoutout. So Faiz, thank you for coming and hopefully you will enjoy reading this.
In honor of the NFL Championships Weekend thought I would start the blog off with my game predictions for the weekend.
Colts 24 - Jets 13
In a hard fought battle, the Colts will pull out the victory on the back of Peyton Manning's two fourth quarter touchdown drives. Although the game itself will lack in excitement, the real fun begins during the postgame press conferences. Jets coach Rex Ryan refuses to admit that his team is eliminated from the playoffs and holds his postgame press conference wearing a "Road to the Super Bowl" hat and tells of the teams plans in Miami. After finally being convinced that they are in fact eliminated, Ryan calls NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell to file a grievance against the Colts. Among Ryans laundry list of complaints- Peyton Manning playing the whole game, Dwight Freeney using his spin move "an excessive amount of times, and Curtis Painter not being allowed to even be on the Colts sidelines.
Vikings 13 - Saints 9
In one of the most heart wrenching moments in sports, Brett Favre leads his second team to a Super Bowl berth. A vicious third quarter hit left the aging quarterback immobile under a massive pile of humanity. New Orleans had not seen such carnage since Hurricane Katrina, and the hometown crowd feared for the well being of the Hattiesburg native. After a 20 minute delay, the crowd erupts as Favre is taken off the field on a stretcher and holds the number one sign up on the way out. With less than 2 minutes to go in the game and the Saints clinging to a 9-6 lead, a shadow formed in the tunnel as the entire Superdome held its breath. A slow clap began and from the shadow rolled out Vikings quarterback Brett Favre on a Rascal. After a lengthy discussion, and some coercing by the president of Wrangler, the referees decide to allow Favre to finish the game on his scooter. As time ran down, Favre completes 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards and sets up a 3rd down an 2 from the 2 yard line with one tick left on the clock. Vikings coaches decided to go for the win and set up one of the most improbable endings in history. Favre drops back to pass, the Saints were on his receivers like white on rice, and Favre had nowhere to throw. He scrambled to his right and tucks the ball and headed to the corner of the endzone. The Saints pursuit came fast and hard and at the goalline a convoy of Saints defenders layed out the Vikings quarterback. The ruling on the field was no touchdown but instant replay was immediately invoked. Fox Sports "Pylon Cam" clearly showed two wheels of the Rascal in bounds as the ball broke the plane and the Vikings win.
With a championship weekend like this, I can hardly wait for the Super Bowl!
---Bret
In honor of the NFL Championships Weekend thought I would start the blog off with my game predictions for the weekend.
Colts 24 - Jets 13
In a hard fought battle, the Colts will pull out the victory on the back of Peyton Manning's two fourth quarter touchdown drives. Although the game itself will lack in excitement, the real fun begins during the postgame press conferences. Jets coach Rex Ryan refuses to admit that his team is eliminated from the playoffs and holds his postgame press conference wearing a "Road to the Super Bowl" hat and tells of the teams plans in Miami. After finally being convinced that they are in fact eliminated, Ryan calls NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell to file a grievance against the Colts. Among Ryans laundry list of complaints- Peyton Manning playing the whole game, Dwight Freeney using his spin move "an excessive amount of times, and Curtis Painter not being allowed to even be on the Colts sidelines.
Vikings 13 - Saints 9
In one of the most heart wrenching moments in sports, Brett Favre leads his second team to a Super Bowl berth. A vicious third quarter hit left the aging quarterback immobile under a massive pile of humanity. New Orleans had not seen such carnage since Hurricane Katrina, and the hometown crowd feared for the well being of the Hattiesburg native. After a 20 minute delay, the crowd erupts as Favre is taken off the field on a stretcher and holds the number one sign up on the way out. With less than 2 minutes to go in the game and the Saints clinging to a 9-6 lead, a shadow formed in the tunnel as the entire Superdome held its breath. A slow clap began and from the shadow rolled out Vikings quarterback Brett Favre on a Rascal. After a lengthy discussion, and some coercing by the president of Wrangler, the referees decide to allow Favre to finish the game on his scooter. As time ran down, Favre completes 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards and sets up a 3rd down an 2 from the 2 yard line with one tick left on the clock. Vikings coaches decided to go for the win and set up one of the most improbable endings in history. Favre drops back to pass, the Saints were on his receivers like white on rice, and Favre had nowhere to throw. He scrambled to his right and tucks the ball and headed to the corner of the endzone. The Saints pursuit came fast and hard and at the goalline a convoy of Saints defenders layed out the Vikings quarterback. The ruling on the field was no touchdown but instant replay was immediately invoked. Fox Sports "Pylon Cam" clearly showed two wheels of the Rascal in bounds as the ball broke the plane and the Vikings win.
With a championship weekend like this, I can hardly wait for the Super Bowl!
---Bret
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