Blagojevich Investigation: "Pay to Play" on gBay

On the cover of every major Chicago paper, over the last five days, has been the investigation of Governor Blagojevich. In Friday’s Chicago Tribune the article “Blagojevich fundraiser held by Jackson allies Saturday,” Davis Kidwell, John Chase, and Dan Mihalopoulos discuss what exactly happened with the Blagojevich fundraiser.
Money, more than one million dollars, was being raised to help encourage Blagojevich to pick Jesse Jackson for Illinois’ next U.S. Senator. The article states that, “Blagojevich and the congressman met to discuss the senate seat on Monday, one day before federal prosecutors arrested Blagojevich and charged him with trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-Elect Barack Obama.”
The Blagojevich situation directly relates to my perilous times essay, “Executive Branch Power in Perilous Times.” My essay in particular, along with the chapter “Democracy in the Balance” from Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason, both focus on cases in which the executive branch (presidents in particular) has overstepped its constitutional boundaries. In the Blagojevich situation, it is the executive branch of the State Government instead of the Federal Government.
In cases, such as Blagojevich’s, politicians are abusing their power. What steps should the government, and our country, take to insure that in the future, power will not be misused? Should it be Governor that chooses the replacement for the U.S. Senate position when it is vacated during the term of office?
Can you explain the meaning of "gBay" in the title?

A Veterans Challange

On Sunday morning, Tom Brokaw interviewed Barack Obama on Meet the Press. During this interview, a topic arose that I found very interesting. Obama brought up some of the issues that veterans have when returning from foreign service. These courageous men leave their homes, families, and jobs, to travel to a foreign land during times of peril to defend and protect our country. When they return from military duty, they are faced with many challenges. First, some of them are recovering psychologically from living with terror and death. They may be permanently physically injured as well. They have been separated from their families and friends. These men left their jobs to protect our country. When they return they are confronted with finding work. Some are fortunate to have their jobs held for them. For others this search could take months or years. This disruption of their lives continues as they job search. Without a job, their lives continue to lead them to the path of financial debt, and who knows if they will be able to support their families.

How can we repay these loyal Americans? Should they be guaranteed jobs when they return? What about health care for them and their families?

Perilous Times in India

The tragic terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India reveal how vulnerable we all are any where in the world. According to the article, Terrorist Strike on Mumbai adds to U.S. perils in region, on the front page of Sunday’s Tribune, at least 195 people were killed during the attacks. Indian officials believe that Pakistan based militants coordinated and executed the attacks. Some believe that this action stems from the conflict over the land of Kashmir. According to Saturday’s Tribune, India and Pakistan have already fought two wars over this province. More recently however, with the encouragement of the United States, India and Pakistan have been moving slowly to mend their relationship.

Do you think that the governments of Pakistan and India will be able to move forward after this attack?

Obama’s Treasury Choice

Saturday morning I read an article from the front page of the Chicago Tribune. It was titled “Markets soar on Treasury choice.” The article discussed how Obama’s selection of Timothy Geithner for his treasury secretary solidifies his economic team. Geithner has extensive experience with the Treasury Department and has been active in the current administration in trying to sort out the economic crisis. Also, the article mentioned the affect of his selection on the financial markets.
“Word of Geithner’s appointment Friday afternoon sent the Dow Jones industrial rocketing up. It closed up 494 points, or 6.5 percent, erasing Thursday’s drop of nearly 450 points.”
It is interesting that one choice of a cabinet member can change the markets that drastically. The hope is it will sustain an affect, but only time will tell.
What do you think will happen? Do you think Timothy Geithner was a good choice for Obama’s Cabinet?

Change: Obama’s Transition Team

The cover of Time Magazine this week has super-imposed a video image of President Elect Barack Obama into a hat, coat, and car that resembles that of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In this cover story, “Change. What It Looks Like,” Karen Tumulty discusses the transfer of power from Republicans to the Democrats. She also reflects that “not since Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in the midst of the Depression has a new President faced a set of challenges quite as formidable as those that await Obama.” She goes on to evaluate Obama’s transition team and cabinet choices. It appears that Obama is moving quickly to put his team in place and has already announced his transition team which includes Valerie Jarrett, Peter Rouse, John Podesta, Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff, and Robert Gibbs as Press Secretary. Each individual has an impressive background, but only time will tell if it is a winning team and if it can put into action the changes Obama promised during his campaign: stabilizing the US economy, investing in renewable, innovative energy sources, withdrawal from Iraq, universal health coverage, a shift in taxation, immigration reform.

What do you predict will be the actual changes? When should Obama’s efforts be evaluated – at one year or at the end of his term?

WSOD? (What Should Obama Do?)

Earlier today I was reading an article, written by Patrick T. Reardon, from the Chicago Tribune. It was called WWLD? (What Would Lincoln Do?) and stated that Abraham Lincoln seemed like the perfect model for President Elect Barack Obama. The article’s main question was, “what lessons can Obama learn from what Lincoln did- and didn’t do- in the time between his election and inauguration?” To answer this question Reardon consulted two Lincoln scholars, Harold Holzer and James McPherson. Their lesson plan involved eight parts. Here it is:
1.“Keep your cards close to your vest.”
2.“Avoid empty rhetoric.”
3.“Court the opposition media.”
4.“Pick Cabinet members who have skills and knowledge you lack.”
5.“Use your Cabinet to bring diversity into your administration.”
6.“Use your Cabinet appointments to unite your party behind you.”
7.“Get any resentment or bitterness off your chest in the first draft of your inaugural address- then cut it all out.”
8.“Use your inaugural address to set the tone for your presidency.”
These were some of the key steps Lincoln took during the time he
was in office. Each of these helped make him the great President
that he was. Do you think that if Obama follows the lessons taught by Lincoln he will be prepared for taking office while also avoiding making a misstep?
Many of the lessons stated by Holzer and McPherson involve Obama’s choice of Cabinet members. Who do you think Obama will choose to appoint to his Cabinet?

"Curiosity did not kill this cat"

On the evening News the other night and then in an article in the Chicago Tribune, I read a story about Studs Terkel. Studs Terkel was a prize-winning author and radio broadcaster who focused his work on the thoughts and lives of the average America. Terkel’s book Division Street: America was compiled from interviews from Chicagoans from all walks of life: prostitutes, ordinary workers, whites, blacks, Hispanics, businessmen. Terkel is also remembered for several of his books such as Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, in which he captured the views during the Depression of people spanning the socioeconomic spectrum from inmates in a prison to the wealthy. His book, Working, reflected the feelings of the typical working class about their jobs and what they do all day. Studs Terkel passed away October 31, 2008. The story of Studs Terkel and his life and work, reminded me of our recent speaker, LeAlan Jones. Both of these men have worked as journalists in Chicago. Both have used the radio as a media to tell their stories. Both men have written about the simple, lower-to-middle class, the downtrodden. I wondered why I had not known about either journalist until this fall. Instead, our typical media promotes the lives of the rich and famous through People Magazine, Sports Illustrated, News Week, and television news stations.

What does this say about our values as a society?

How do we go about learning of these journalists and radio shows?

Can anyone explain the significance of the quote that is the title of this blog?

A Student's Influence in this Election

In an article in today’s Chicago Tribune, Jim Tankersley discussed which states are predicted to have a majority of votes for Obama versus McCain. He mentioned several states that have the potential to go either way. Specifically, Colorado appears that it could go either way. Looking at past history and changes in voter registration, Tankersley goes on to say,
“President George W. Bush won Colorado by 100,000 votes in 2004. Democrats have surged to match Republicans on the voter rolls, and young people have registered in record numbers. If the ’04 election were held today in Colorado, and all demographic groups performed as they did then, strategists say John Kerry would win by 75,000 votes.”
It appears that new young voters have the potential to make a significant impact on this election. My brother is a freshman at college in the state of Indiana and he was thinking of switching his voter registration to that state, a political swing state, where his vote would have more significance. Many of his friends have done just that. With the tens of thousands of students in “out of state” universities, I am wondering if they shift their location to vote, could they have a significant outcome on the election?

Do you think that college students should be able to change their voter registration from their home state to the state they are studying in? Do you think that college age voters will have a significant impact on the outcome of the election?

The Health Privacy Act and Vice Presidential Candidates

While reading the Chicago Tribune this morning I encountered an article titled “Candidates guard details about their health.” This article discussed how both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin have denied access to their medical records. The article contained information stating that in 1988 Joe Biden had a brain aneurysm rupture and this resulted in two surgery procedures. Since then, Biden has remained in good health. In the article, David Wade, Biden’s spokesperson stated that Biden “leads an active lifestyle, works out regularly even as he campaigns, and his wife and family always make sure he drinks plenty of water and eats right. After a health scare over 20 years ago, he’s been blessed with excellent health.” Also, Sarah Palin's representatives said, "We are not going to participate in this piece," but the article shared that in April of 2008 Sarah Palin was pregnant with her fifth child. Just after realizing that her water broke and knowing that her baby was one month premature, Palin decided to take a plane 3,000 miles from Texas to Alaska. This was not only dangerous for the child’s health, but it was also taking the chance that Palin could have been forced to deliver the child in the air. I believe that the general public benefits from knowing this information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) passed by Congress in 1996 gives each of us privacy in terms of our health information. I completely understand that the vice presidential candidates’ wish for privacy; however, should an exception be made for these individuals running for the highest offices in our country to make public their health information? Should the voting public have all the information and not have any secrets kept from them especially when serious health conditions could affect the security of our nation? I think that it is important for the voters to know as much as possible about each candidate so that they are able to make the best decision when determining who they want to vote for. Do you think that the public should have access to health records?

How much does the public’s knowledge of topics affect their perception of the Presidential Debate?

(time: 28:50 to 29:00)

In class we had a discussion on the Presidential Debate that took place at Hofstra University. We were talking about how some of the facts that the candidates stated were not true. A specific example of “slanting the facts” came up in our discussion on abortion and stem cell research. In the third debate, McCain reprimanded Obama for an ad stating that he is “opposed to funding stem cell research.” As we discussed it in class, I had the impression that the ad was about McCain being against abortion but supporting stem cell research. I was thinking that Obama made a good point. However, as I re-watched the third debate (time: 28:40 to 29:00) and tracked down the transcript from Obama’s radio ad, it did indeed state that McCain has “opposed stem cell research.” Using other articles, factcheck.org, and politifact.com, it appears that McCain changed his mind in 2001 and has supported both embryonic stem cell research and adult stem cell research ever since. In fact, both Obama and McCain voted in support of bills funding embryonic stem cell research that Bush vetoed. Both candidates misrepresent the facts. Obama’s ad falsely represents McCain’s position. However, it seems like McCain is trying to hide the fact that he supports “embryonic” stem cell research for two reasons. First, it goes against his party’s position on abortion, Pro-life. Second, Palin is against embryonic stem cell research. Thus, both candidates change and manipulate the facts to support their claims. I believe that the public audience needs to know more about the topics being discussed and the past history of the candidates. If the public knows this, they would be able to evaluate whether the candidates' comments are true or false.

Do you think that there is any way that people can be informed while the debate is occurring to find out the truth? Do you think that this is important to keep in mind when watching a political debate?

Has Our Economy been flushed down the Toilet? : U.S. Deficit

(political cartoon scanned on from the Chicago Tribune Newspaper.)

While watching the “Real Time with Bill Maher” show, I listened to a democrat from California, Maxine Waters, and a republican journalist, Stephen Moore discussing politics, the economy, and taxes. During this discussion, Bill Maher made a comment about our countries debt problem. When Clinton was leaving office, our country took down the debt clock because we had a surplus of money. Currently, as Bush is preparing to leave office, again our country has taken down the debt clock, but this time for a different reason. We need to add another digit to the clock because our debt has exceeded ten trillion dollars (ten thousand billion dollars). To eliminate this debt, each household would have to provide 480 thousand dollars. If this trend is not reversed our country could go bankrupt. Where does our country even start when approaching the task to defeat this debt?

Palin vs. Biden Debate: Was this a Debate?

Debating can be viewed as a formal discussion or argument regarding a specific topic. The moderator introduces the question the debaters are to discuss. Throughout the debate I found it interesting that Governor Palin seemed to purposely get off topic. She would be asked a question and her answer would be about an entirely different idea. This did not happen on every question, but it occurred frequently during Palin’s portion of the debate. It seemed like Palin had a number of pre-rehearsed speeches that she was determined to give. It also appeared as if the questions were irrelevant and not important as long as she could cover another one of the topics on her list.
I vividly remember watching the portion of the debate where Palin was asked to say what promises her party has made that cannot be kept. Her response had nothing to do with the question; she spoke about energy instead. Gwen Ifill, debate moderator, had to ask the question again after hearing the response. You can see this in the short video clip below. The event I am describing takes place between 3:10 and 3:40.
What other examples have you noticed where Sarah Palin swayed to a different topic when answering a question?
What other interesting things did you notice occurring in the debate?
Did you consider this hour and a half to be a debate for both candidates?

How clean is our air?

Chicago's Toxic Air Despite the shocking stock market and housing market crash, The Chicago Tribune's lead article on Monday, September 29, 2008 was about "Our Toxic Air." According to this article, Cook County ranked the worst in the United States for dangerous air pollution. This data, based on a study by the EPA performed in 2005 is just becoming available. Local industries are pouring to toxic chemicals into our air which can cause cancer, lung disease, and other problems. One of the worst offenders, Avery Dennison company, is in the nearby community of Niles. If the EPA is supposed to be protecting us, how come this data was not available several years ago? What can we as local residents do to protect our air and environment? We also need to look out for underprivileged people living close to these major polluting industries.

Secret Messages

Authors use specific words to communicate secret messages. By investigating the text and analyzing the author’s diction, you will discover many “secret massages” that you did not notice when first reading it. Specific words that an author uses can reveal their perspective or bias. In the historical text that we discussed in class there were a number of works that revealed the author’s perspective. We can see some examples in the titles of each passage. For example, “Indians are CHEATED,” points out that the author favors the Indians over the Americans. It shows that the author believes that it was an unfair victory and that there was some reason that they should not have originally won. Also, another example would be, “Chivington MASSACRES the Cheyenne.” Massacres is a strong word that has a negative connotation. It portrays the idea that innocent people were wrongfully killed, or it was genocide. Next, in the phrase, “The Indians wars have SKILLFUL leaders,” it is interesting to notice the author’s word choice. Skillful has a positive connotation. The reader could think that the leaders could be dangerous because they know how to use tool to hurts others.
What other Secret Messages are discovered from word choices made by an author appear in this historical text or other texts? What about political speeches?

America has been living beyond its means: Who's going to pay?

On September 20th, President Bush asked Congress to agree with his plan to bail out the United States Financial Markets. Over the last year we have been watching mortgage companies allow clients to acquire mortgages without putting any money down. When the housing prices fell, these clients were left paying a mortgage much higher than the current worth of the property. Many of these clients defaulted on their loans and the financial institutions were stuck with them. This has lead to a downward spiral of financial institutions throughout the United States with a huge drop in the stock market. President Bush proposed that the U.S. Treasury buy up $700 billion in mortgage-related bad debts, making this “the largest financial bailout in U.S. history,” and to raise the national debt ceiling to $11.3 trillion (from 10.6 trillion). Why should we, the United States tax payers, have to pay for the financial mistakes of our greedy financial institutions?

SNL

The Presidential Elections

It seems that the election has veered away from the Presidential candidates, and is now focused on the newest arrival to the scene. Unlike Barack Obama’s choice of Vice-President, the well known Senator Joe Biden, John McCain’s choice of Governor Sarah Palin was unexpected. It appears that both parties have had a women candidate. Hilary Clinton, although not nominated, was a strong presidential candidate who captured the attention of men and women alike. Hilary had been visible in the political scene for years. In contrast, Governor Palin has risen from obscurity. With less than two months until Presidential Election Day, will we have time to learn enough about her? It also seems that the Republican Party chose Palin in order to capture the votes of women. Isn’t it presumptuous of them to think that women will automatically vote for a woman candidate? The Saturday Night Live video gives a comical but poignant portrayal of Palin and Clinton. What do you think?

Who Killed the Electric Car?

With the disasters of Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Ike, many people question whether they are a result of global warming. If this is the case, then what are we doing to decrease emissions and prevent global warming from progressing further? One technology that appears to have the potential to decrease emissions is the electric car and hybrids. I was shocked to learn that General Motors actually invested around $1 billion in the technology and produced an electric car, EV1. However, a little over 1,000 EV1s were produced by GM before it ceased production. A number of reasons have been sighted. They may have thought this car would “cannibalize” their current vehicles. Another is that they were pressured or bought out by the oil companies. They attached video trailer introduces the subject. This month Business Week reported that Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetics, which gets 65 miles per gallon, is being launched. Unfortunately, we won’t see it in the United States. Ford is only marketing it in Europe at this point as it’s too expensive to import. It seems that our government should get involved and perhaps subsidize these cars that save on emissions. As consumers, we need to support this new technology. How could GM have scrapped production of “The Electric Car” that would have made the company a leader in this new field of technology?

Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messages are messages that are recognized subconsciously by the brain. These messages can have a negative or positive influence on a person’s thoughts. Subliminal messages are commonly found in advertising. Subliminal advertising commonly uses visual or audio messages. You can find these messages in signs or commercials. An example is the Fed Ex logo. If you look at the photo you will see an arrow that is located between the “E” and the “x”. What do you think the purpose to this arrow is? Where do you see other examples of subliminal messages throughout your day? How do these messages affect a persons thoughts and alter their behavior?

Pictures