Political Cartoon # 3

For my third Political Cartoon, I chose one that depicts Barack Obama as a firefigher who wants to save the day, but can not in the specific situation because he is not the president until January 20th, 2009. I found the political cartoon in the Washington Post, and it was drawn by Nick Anderson for the Houston Chronicle. The cartoon I chose was divided into two sections. The first section has a house going up into flames with the word, "Economy" on its roof. In front of the house is a man calling on his cellphone to the firemen saying, "Help! My house is on fire...how soon can you be here?" The then second part of the cartoon has Barack Obama dressed up in a fireman outfit recieving the call. Instead of saying,
"I'll be right there" Obama says, " January 20th..." This is significant because Obama will not the President until January 20th, where he can officially help the economy as the President. I really liked this political cartoon!

Political Cartoon Current Event #2

Hey! I found this week's political cartoon in the Washington post. The cartoon that I chose was about the economy, and with housing mortgages. I first thought this political cartoon was interesting because it had Santa at the bottom of a chimney ready with a bag of gifts, but it showsed Santa looking out from the chimney confused, to the remains of a house that once stood there. At the top of the chiminey is Santa's reigndeer balancing since there was no roof. This cartoon describes the economy at this point in time, showing how badly some people are being affected by the increase and decrease of goods. This cartoon also showed how the mortgage companies increased their profit/tax on the homes by increasing the amount of money due from the people who took the loans. This action left many people in debt or they were unable to pay for their home, or the economy hurt their $ towards their original Christmas traditions or material goods. The symbol that was shown was the remains of a home, Santa confused with this reigndeer, and the phr ase about the mortgage companies. I thought that this cartoon was a bit sad but it characterized the situations well.

Current Event # 1

Hey, it's been awhile. So for my current event for this week I will talk about my political cartoon that I chose. I chose the cartoon from the Washington Post, I believe it was in Sunday's post? Anyways, my political cartoon was a picture of a house with a long line of people standing outside the front door equip with full, budging suitcases. The cartoon also had a question, " Q:How do you make friends in Washington? A: Sell out one of your rooms for the next Inaguration." I thought this was an interesting cartoon because it really is true to an extent. No, I don't think that one can really make friends with a stranger staying in their home (although it can happen) I think maybe along the lines of new accquaintnces. This upcoming Inauguration is one that will go down in history so it is no surprise that many people are flocking to Washington D.C. to see the historic event. Not to mention the nice income the home-owners recieev from their guests. Some rooms even go for thousands of dollars a night, crazy!

Volunteering for Obama Post #3

This is my last, and final volunteering post! I completed my last four hours volunteering with Connor and Melanie again! It was so fun! This time we did not get lost and it was a nice, sunny afternoon, and a nice neighborhood too! We mapped out a plan to go around the entire circle, then on the way go through the streets in between. This time, more people answered their doors and most were very polite to us too! One woman even stated, "Sarah Palin is scary." She told us her views with Sarah Palin and thought that Palin as VP was a scary thought. In the beginning of our volunteering hours people answered their doors, but as the time got later, very few people showed up again. Some people answered their doors quickly, and after they found out that we were taking a poll about the campaign, they were hesitant to give us their answer. I also noticed that a lot of people registered to vote who were on the list were in College, and were not home. After the first hour and a half the weather began to get colder, and the sun began to slowly go down. As the temperature dropped nobody came to their door. We spent the last two hours walking around going door-to-door with no luck. Our conclusion was that during the times 6-9 many people are unable or reluctant to answer their doorbells, because they're too busy with work, dinner, or helping their families. Once the fourth hour was up, I couldn't believe the ten hours went by so quickly! I learned some new people- to people skills, and learned a lot more about the time and patience that many people go through to spread the word for their Party's candidate. This was a good experience, and I am glad that we were given the opportunity to help volunteer towards the 2008 Election, it was definitely worth it! :)

Volunteering for Obama Post #2

My second time Volunteering for Obama was on October 6th with Melanie, and Connor!! Since it was their first time, and my second time volunteering it was fun to show them what to do! However, we got a bit lost looking for the development that was given to us. If I can remember correctly, we were driving around in circles for at least an hour! Instead of giving us a neighborhood, the headquarters gave us a group of condominiums. The only problem was finding out if we were allowed to go inside and take polls about the campaign. At first, we stood outside not sure what to do, then we quickly went inside and looked for our first apartment number. It was really quiet in the halls, so at first it was a bit awkward being the loudest people around. Later on we went back and checked with the front desk to double-check and make sure that everything was allowed, and it was! For the majority of the night we had no luck and very few opened their doors to us. Since we were volunteering from 6 to 9, we were thinking many people were out for dinner, having dinner, or weren't home at the time. So ending that night, we probably had 30ish people answer their doors, leaving more than a hundred unanswered. It was still a fun night!!

Volunteering for Obama Post #1

Soo, I definitely campaigned for Obama at the end of September, but at least I remember everything! I also added pictures from the volunteering in some of my prior posts. Lets see, I first volunteered for my Service hours with Tyler, Carrie, and Maggie! I had no idea what to expect since it was my first time canvasing, I was so nervous. I was surprised how happy and busy the volunteers were, helping to expand their beliefs out to others. I was pleasantly surprised when we were given a neighborhood to canvasing that I knew well. Our first house was one of my family friend's house so it was exciting to what they would say about the campaign. I was nervous at first to go up and ask the poll questions, so I watched for the majority of the night, helping out with filling the answers, and giving brochures. The four of us canvased for three hours, and until it got dark and super cold! As we were finishing our second hour, we saw Mr. Bergman!!!!!!!!! We all miss him sososo much! He was the best band director ever! Ohh and one of the last house's we went to had a little boy give us Go-gurt as a gift! It was so cute! We were thinking he thought we were early trick-or-treaters? I mean, September 25th is close to October 31st right? Haha! :) It was a fun first canvasing experience!

Election Post #6

So here it is, the final Election Post, and the Election is upon us with the continuous campaigning coming to an end. Who will win the Presidency? As I watched the Conventions, read the Newspapers, read blogs, and watched the fluctuation of polls, I have come to the conclusion that Senator Barack Obama will win, and become the next President of the United States. I believe that Obama will win the Electoral College vote 320:218. I am not entirely sure about the popular vote but if I could guess, I think Obama would win 56,000 to McCain's 49,500 popular votes. I think that Obama will win because he has been out campaigning and raising a lot more money than McCain has, and has shown the public and the country that he is doing what he can to show his sincerity and dedication to the Country and to the office. Obama has raised tons of money towards his campaign while McCain used the money given and raised little. Obama used the media in his campaign as an advantage by broadcasting many ads on tv, radios, the internet, etc, to showcase his candidacy to more people.

I think the winner of the Virginia State will be Demorcrat Marc Warner, than Republican Jim Gilmore. I think Warner will win over Gilmore because not only will Virginia most likely swing Demorartic this Election for the President, but most likely will lean towards Demorcrat for the State race as well. Governeor Marc Warner helped cut taxes making more affordable and helped bond ratings. He has also helped fund for schools, helped buisnesses, other services, and during his previous times working in the Government he helped with the economy. I think that Marc Warner will win State.

For the 10th district, I think that Frank Wolf will win.

For the 11th district, I think that Gerry Connolly will win.

Current Event #6

For this week's Current Event I found an article in the Washington Post, “Stealth Candidacy,” about the Green Party Presidential nominee, Cynthia McKinney. Former congresswoman McKinney served with the House of Representatives from 1993 to 2003 and from 2005 to 2007. McKinney is also recognized by many from being in the news in 2006 for hitting a Capital Hill police officer. Apparently the officer did not recognize McKinney as a member of congress and would not let her enter a building. On December 11, 2007, Cynthia McKinney formally announced that she was the Green Party's nominee for President of the United States. Although Georgia did not allow her to be on their ballot, 32 other states agreed to have her on theirs. McKinney's believes that there are spies all amongst us, so she is cautious with what she says to the public. She also does not keep her calenders filled, or does not answer her phone when called. Some citizens who are voting for her said that they have not voted for a President yet and for their first time they are voing for McKinney. This will be some Election! :)

Election Post #5

Swinging states are important in the Presidential Election because they can tremendously change the outcome of who will win. Virginia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are four swinging states that are always closely watched during the Presidential Elections. The two states that I choose to discuss are Virginia, and Florida.

Virginia

So far the polls are showing Virginia as a swinging state from more conservative, to liberal. Records show that Virginia has voted Republican since the year 1964, with Lyndon Johnson. Many believe that Virginia will change due to a high turnout of registered voters in the Northern Virginia area. Some are saying that so far, atleast five million people in Virginia have registered to vote. Other political figures believe that Virginia will be the state that determines who will be the next President, and that is why both Obama and McCain have made numerous apperances in the state, and will continue until November 4th. I predict that Obama/Democratic party will win Virginia. I believe this will be the result because many more younger voters are speaking out and wanting change just like Obama is promising them.

Florida

Right now the polls are showing Obama and McCain in a similar spot. Both candidates are very close in the polls so these next couple days will be the turning point for either candidiate. Last election Florida leaned towards the Republican/Conservative side with President Bush. Now Florida's polls show that it is a close call. It is believed that McCain has north Florida which is in the South, where as Obama has the younger, thriving, cities and populations in the easteren and some southern such as Miami. To compare, most older citizens with more conservative and more traditional views live in the Southern areas of Florida probably will continue to side with McCain, while the younger aged citizens who livein the most thirving, busy, parts of Florida will have more liberal views and will side with Obama. Alhtough the polls show that the race is close between McCain and Obama, I think in the long run the older population/more conservatives will side with McCain thus resulting in his win of the state.

Current Event #5

I found my current event in the Washington Post entitled, “Arduous Transition Awaits Next President.” This article is about the United State’s problems that the new president of the United States will inherit on their inauguration day. There is a “new challenge” for the new President due to the circumstances that the economy is in. Many followers are saying that both nominees will have to create a new administration and new policies to fix the problems. The new president will also be watched closely to see how accurate their actions compare to their campaign promises. Many already want to know if either of the nominees already have plans in mind before their inauguration day. The article also compares the differences between McCain’s promises and priorities and Obama’s.

Election Post #4

For my fourth Election post I went to http://www.gallup.com/ and http://www.electionprojection.com/president08.shtml to look at their polls on the 2008 Presidential Election. The poll results on the Gallup for the Presidential nominees has Obama at 52% and McCain at 41% as of a couple days ago. From the current data, Obama has a lead of 11% over McCain. Also for the "Likely Voters (expanded), and the "Likely Voters (traditional), Obama has gained a point, as McCain lost a point in the polls. To compare results with another poll, http://www.electionprojection.com/ has Obama currently at 52.52% compared to McCain who is currently at 45.48% popular vote. I had trouble finding Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner on the Gallup website but I found their number on the Election-projection website. The results had Warner leading with a score of 57% to Gilmore who has 33% popular vote.

Polling is important in modern U.S. elections because they keep the public notified on the current issues, whether it is the Political Election, to what is the most liked car. Most polls are taken every couple days so their information is up-to-date. Polls usually have an impact on campaigns because once the public sees the outcome either the viewers will become more concerned with the results and feel secure, or they might feel like they need to put more effort into the campaign for the result that they would like. Sometimes polls do help the election depending on the percentages, some people might feel like they need to volunteer/participate for their political party more to help their campaign nominee.

Polls are not always correct in gauging the public opinion. I say this because there might be fluctuation points that could be a little higher or lower than the polls states. The fluctuation can throw off the public views on the election saying one will win over the other, when there is no guarantee until the election occurs. 15 days left until voting for the next President!!!

Current Event # 4

The article I chose from The Washington Post, is, “World Leaders Offer Unity but No Steps to Ease Crisis.” This article is about the national and international financial crisis that is affecting many people around the world. Officials from twenty major countries are trying to come together to create a plan that can help support the economy and bring the stock markets, and international markets up once again. Some officials came up with a plan that has the major countries come together and create an international bank where each country helps support a portion of it. Some believe that this will help the failing economies cope with their loss and bring their economies back up over time. The economy is now affecting consumer spending which directly results in a decrease of merchandise manufacturing. Officials from the twenty most thriving countries are still debating on whether to further the approach of creating the financial plan. Some have their doubts saying the right now the principles of the plan are too vague and not concrete enough. The article ends saying that the international financial bank plan is still being decided upon.

Election Post # 3

For my third Election Post I chose the VA Senate: Mark Warner vs. Jim Gilmore. Both runners are highly qualified in their own individual ways.

Mark Warner-Democrat

Born: December 15, 1954

Mark Warner served as Governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. During his time as Governor he tried to improve education in Virginia's public schools. With the huge money surplus that his administration acquired, he was able to invest in the largest amount of k-12 education in the State's history. Warner also cut budgets by modernizing Virginia's schools curriculum which promoted fairness within each ideal focusing on economic development. Warner was also Chaired in the National Governors Association. He was also named one of the "best five Governor's of the country," in the Time magazine.

Jim Gilmore- Republican

Born: October 6, 1949

Gilmore was first elected into the Senate in 1997, against George Allan. During his administering, Gilmore strongly believed in the idea of a tax reduction and pushed for the car tax reduction which significantly helped over time.

Results from the Reduction

1998- down by 12.5%

1999- down by 25%

2000- down by 47.5%

2001- down by 70%

2002- down by 100%

For that a time being the economy was stabilized.

Gilmore also believed that schools should have a uniform cirriculum- Math, Science, English, and social Studies. In 1999, Gilmore proposed and signed into a law that reduced public college tuition's by 20%.

At this point in time Warner is leading Gilmore in the polls- 60% to 34%

The top issues at stake are:

*New Energy Policies

*Health Care

*War

*Competitiveness

*Improving the Nation's Infrastructure

Volunteering for Obama!

Current Event # 3

So, I'm writing this in the library, and it's kinda akward in here because it's so quiet!! I've never used these computers before after school!!? My internet at home isn't working for some reason!?

My third current event is from the Washington Post and is about the economy once again! I believe this is a huge issue that is affecting us world-wide and should be looked into thoroughly. My current event is about a 55 year old woman, Mrs. Fleck, and how she's struggling to maintain a normal life with today's economy. Ms. Fleck lives in Michigan who's dealing with an unemployment rate of 8.6%. Ms. Fleck did not go to College after High School so searching for a job was a challenge for her. Luckly, she found a job at the Dollar Market. Ms. Fleck has been working at the Dollar Market for 12-15 years earning around $10.00 an hour, and recieves an anual raise of .25$. Every day when shipments come in she spends many hours re-stocking the shelves. After work she drives a good distance home to her trailer spending a lot of money on gas. Ms. Fleck is also a single mom working many hours to support herself and her family. She gave up going out for fun to save money. Not only that, but her ex-husband's house has recently been forclosed because he was unable to pay his bills. Ms. Fleck is one of the many residents of Michgian who are dealing with this crisis but has spoken out to the public. The economy is an important issue that should be wached closely!

Election Post #2

At this point, the most important issue to me in the 2008 election is the economy.

The economy affects everyone directly or indirectly whether for the best or for the worst. At this point, the economy is in a dire need to change. Gas prices are still high, banks are failing, and mortgages are harder to obtain. We have all witnessed the rising gas prices earlier this year as it reached its highest number yet during the summer months. For some states the price of gas reached over four dollars a gallon! Wow, that is a lot of money! Just think, a car may need 16 gallons of gas to run and 16 x $4 is $64.00! That is a lot of money for gas! As of right now, the gas prices have leveled out since the summer and let's hope it lasts! Banks are continuing to have a hard time with the economy because they have to deal with their own investments while still providing for those who entrusted their money in them. The country is trying to fix this by spending billions of dollars to companies so they can stay in business and at the same help the economy. The banks are also tightening their rules on mortgages because of the wobbly economy. Many banks are making sure their customer's will be able to pay back the money they borrowed.

If the economy continues to change there may come a time in the future where it will affect other aspects such as, the rising cost of food, clothing, a higher unemployment rate, and with foreign investments. An example of a change in foreign investment is Japan. My recent current event was about Japan's falling economy due to the decrease of exported goods and the high cost of oil. Japan has recently announced that this is their first economic deficit in 26 years. The article also stated that exports from Japan to the United States dropped 21.8% in just one year. Could our weakened economy be part of reason Japan's economy is lower?

A state/local issue is Virginia's old infrastructure. The state needs more money to repair old bridges and to prepare new roads for travel. An example of a local old infrastructure would be the debated idea whether or not to build a metro rail from Tyson's Corner to Dulles Airport.

I think both candidates performed well at the Debate, even though it felt like both of them did not fully answer each question that was given. Both candidates began to answer the question asked, then molded the question back into their original statements/views. Both candidates took awhile to start debating against each other but once they started, they both had good comebacks in their defence. However, when Senator Obama continued to repeat, "You're wrong" to Senator McCain, I felt that was unfair. I believe that all in all, both candidates did well in the debate but neither significantly stood out from each other. In the recent polls, Senator Obama is only up by a few points from McCain. This is a very close campaign!

The electronic media plays a significant role in the 2008 campaign. Many citizens of the United States and all across the World can stay in tune with the campaign events from the media. The use of the television is significant because many spectators can watch the news/Political Conversions/Debates/Speeches, etc. The use of the Internet is also significant because there are always polls being asked, (ex. Who's ahead in the campaign right now?) as well as blogs such as these so others may read and interact with each other about their views on the campaign. The electronic media plays a very important role in keeping us informed with the campaign.

Current Event # 2

"Japan, World's 2nd-Largest Economy, Reports Rare Trade Deficit"

My current event for this week is about Japan's unusual trade deficit. Japan is known world-wide as a MDC, a most developed country, and has the second largest economy. Japan makes most of its income by exporting goods to other countries and in return gains a profit. For the first time in 26 years, Japan is going through a trade deficit.

The economy's deficit was first noticed and documented back in August, 2008. Many officials believe that the deficit will be short- term and is a result of the falling car exports, rising food costs, and the increase in the cost of oil. Although many officials believe that this will surely pass, others are not so sure. The Japanese economy is decreasing at it's fastest rate in many years. Exports to the U.S. have decreased by 21.8 percent in a year and is continuing to fall. Officials believe that if this continues to occur that this will hurt the U.S. economy as well. Shumpei Takemori, an economics professor at Tokyo's Keio University, believes that if the trade deficit continues then it will cease capital accumulation here and limit the income that Japan has entrusted the U.S.'s treasury bonds. Even though Japan is facing an economy loss right now, its government will still invest in the U.S. at this point in time and hopes for the best.

Current Event #1

Hey! Yesterday during class we shared out Current Events for the week. Many current events that I listened to were very interesting and are of great importance whether they were about the 2008 Election Campaign, the Oil Industry, or other interesting events. My current event was about the Campain and described Obama reaching out even further with the Demorcratic Party for more party followers. Obama believed that Nashville Tennessee, a well known major music ndustry area was ready for a new change. Obama and the Demorcratic Party began their new movement by reaching out to the majority of Nashville's devoited Christians, trying to open their minds for new facts and figures such as giving rallies about Global Warming and Capital Punishment. For many years the majority of Nashville's followers have been very religious and conservative, varying little on their views on their Presidential candidate.

Now, Obama and the Demorcratic party are deciding if they also want to campain on ads through Nashville's radio stations since 2.5% of radio listeners prefer Christian Gospel music. The Washington Post article states that one could be listening to a gospel song on the radio and get interupted by a campaign ad. I wonder how this even will turn out? Will there be a change between the majority of Republicans to Demorcrats? How will the faithful Christian listeners react to an ad in the middle of a song? What if the song that was interrupted was your favorite song? How would you react? These are questions that I hope to find out soon!

"Week 1- Election post"

I believe in a majority of what The Republican Party stands for. I believe in the physical security for all our citizens whether here in the United States or while they are in foreign countries. Also, wide access to available energy resources here in the United States will help our economy and cut our dependence on foreign oil. Senator McCain is the stronger candidate based what I see as the two most importance issues facing our country, security and energy dependence.

Senator McCain has real life experiences related to the requirements needed to defend our country. His training at the Naval Academy, service in the military, service in the U.S. House of Representatives and long career in the Senate including his position as Chairman on the Senate Committee on Armed Services gives him a strong background in national security issues.

Senator McCain’s position on energy resources also impacts our security. For example, during a speech at an environmental roundtable at Cedar River Watershed Education Center in North Bend, Washington Senator McCain said “a national security issue when we’re dependent on more than $400 billion a year in imported oil from countries that don’t like us very much...some of that money is helping terrorists organizations.”[i]

While Senator Obama recommends that we appoint a Director of national energy security in the Office of the President, his views seem to stress renewable energy sources and new technologies. While these are important Senator McCain, unlike Senator Obama, also includes an increased use of nuclear energy as a way to break our dependence on foreign sources.
Senator Obama wants to talk to Iran with no conditions, while Senator McCain wants to ensure that we have certain conditions met before we speak to them face to face.

[i] CNN Politics.com, Clean energy a national security issue.

Hey!

Hey, I'm just checking if this post works! I will write my blog shortly! :)