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?