Unit 5
Last Thursday North Korea sent a fax to South Korea telling them that they would "strike mercilessly" on their nation. This threat was in response to the recent protests against the North Korean regime. These protests were rallying in Seoul and were burning effigies of the country's leader and of North Korean flags. North Korea said that it disrespected their highest authority and that they would attack if protests like this occurred again. South Korea quickly responded by saying that they would retaliate if any attack were made. This is only one of several tensions that have occurred between North and South Korea since the Korean War.
I think that this could be a big problem, but won't be. North Korea is always making threats but has never really done anything with these threats. If these threats were carried out though, I could see the USA getting involved very quickly. The USA does not want all of Korea to fall under the North Korean regime. They would respond if North Korea attacked South Korea. Since we have been talking about foreign policy lately, I thought this article was appropriate. If these threats were carried out, the current foreign policy of the USA could change very quickly.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/world/asia/north-korea-threats/index.html?hpt=wo_c1
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Friday, December 20, 2013
Obama Says 2013 Wasn't the Worst of His Presidency
Unit 5
In a recent press conference Obama said that 2013 wasn't the worst of his presidency. Although Obama's approval ratings are at record lows, he still denies the idea that 2013 was the worst year of his presidency and that 2013 was a failure of a year with the government. 2013 has brought a lot of governmental struggles. Controversy over the rollout of Obamacare, government surveillance, and the government shutdown were some of these controversies that has lowered the approval rating of the president. Obama took responsibility for the struggling Obamacare rollout. He also said that the surveillance controversy will be investigated. Obama firmly believes that 2014 will be one of the best years of his presidency. He believes that if Obamacare improves that 2014 will be a lot better than 2013.
My personal opinion is that 2013 was the worst year of his presidency. What was his worst year? This year has had so many controversies surrounding the government. I can't remember a year that has had more controversy with the government shutdown over Obamacare and then the struggling rollout of Obamacare. I also think that 2014 is going to be very controversial as well. Obamacare is going to continue to be evaluated and criticized and there will be a lot of disagreements over it in Congress. I also thought that this article was very appropriate for this unit because policy is often formed based on the president's performance. Obama's performance during 2013 has caused a lot of people to reevaluate their stands on certain policies.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/politics/obama-news-conference/index.html?hpt=po_t1
In a recent press conference Obama said that 2013 wasn't the worst of his presidency. Although Obama's approval ratings are at record lows, he still denies the idea that 2013 was the worst year of his presidency and that 2013 was a failure of a year with the government. 2013 has brought a lot of governmental struggles. Controversy over the rollout of Obamacare, government surveillance, and the government shutdown were some of these controversies that has lowered the approval rating of the president. Obama took responsibility for the struggling Obamacare rollout. He also said that the surveillance controversy will be investigated. Obama firmly believes that 2014 will be one of the best years of his presidency. He believes that if Obamacare improves that 2014 will be a lot better than 2013.
My personal opinion is that 2013 was the worst year of his presidency. What was his worst year? This year has had so many controversies surrounding the government. I can't remember a year that has had more controversy with the government shutdown over Obamacare and then the struggling rollout of Obamacare. I also think that 2014 is going to be very controversial as well. Obamacare is going to continue to be evaluated and criticized and there will be a lot of disagreements over it in Congress. I also thought that this article was very appropriate for this unit because policy is often formed based on the president's performance. Obama's performance during 2013 has caused a lot of people to reevaluate their stands on certain policies.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/politics/obama-news-conference/index.html?hpt=po_t1
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Unemployment Rate Falls To 7%
Unit 4
The U.S. economy has been doing very well in terms of unemployment. In the month of November the economy added 203,000 jobs. It was predicted that 183,000 jobs would have payroll gains by U.S. economists. Unlike other months in 2013, this recent boost in the number of jobs has been more widespread. Business and Professional services added 35,000 jobs. The transportation and warehousing sector added 30,500 jobs. Manufacturers added 27,000 jobs and construction companies added 17,000 jobs. This unemployment rate in 2013 has been the lowest since 2008, and 2013 has been the best job creation year since 2005. Economists are positive about the year 2014. Some economists think that 2014 is going to be the year that really adds a lot of jobs and drops the unemployment rate.
The U.S. economy has been doing very well in terms of unemployment. In the month of November the economy added 203,000 jobs. It was predicted that 183,000 jobs would have payroll gains by U.S. economists. Unlike other months in 2013, this recent boost in the number of jobs has been more widespread. Business and Professional services added 35,000 jobs. The transportation and warehousing sector added 30,500 jobs. Manufacturers added 27,000 jobs and construction companies added 17,000 jobs. This unemployment rate in 2013 has been the lowest since 2008, and 2013 has been the best job creation year since 2005. Economists are positive about the year 2014. Some economists think that 2014 is going to be the year that really adds a lot of jobs and drops the unemployment rate.
I thought this article was appropriate because unemployment rate dropping can form public policy on certain issues. My personal opinion is that I feel positive about this recent boost in our economy. It is good to have a low unemployment rate so it's good when it is going down. I'm just not sure if this current economy will continue to lower the unemployment rate and create more jobs. Obamacare has been struggling and it could have a very big effect on our economy. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of years with Obamacare and other economic policies.
Monday, November 25, 2013
President's Marks Take a Hit
Unit 4
A recent poll has shown significant dropping in Obama's approval ratings in different areas of the presidency. Only four out of ten people think that Obama can run the federal government effectively. 53% of Americans think that the president is dishonest. 56% of people said that the president is not a person they admire, he doesn't agree with them on important issues, and that he doesn't inspire confidence. These statistics are largely a result of the struggling start of Obamacare and partly because of the recent government shutdown. His best areas in this recent poll is that 60% of Americans think that he has a vision for future America and 70% think that he is still likable.
Honestly, I feel bad for Obama. I'm on the side that generally is not good for Obama, but I think that constantly being analyzed on your performance by all of America would be very hard. Part of the reason his statistics are dropping are not even his fault. The rollout of the Obamacare website is hardly even the president's fault. Despite that, I still disagree with many of Obama's decisions and viewpoints. I'm not going to go into detail about all of my differing viewpoints, but I can say that I think that the president could be doing a better job.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/25/presidents-marks-as-manager-take-hit-in-new-cnnorc-poll/?hpt=po_c1
A recent poll has shown significant dropping in Obama's approval ratings in different areas of the presidency. Only four out of ten people think that Obama can run the federal government effectively. 53% of Americans think that the president is dishonest. 56% of people said that the president is not a person they admire, he doesn't agree with them on important issues, and that he doesn't inspire confidence. These statistics are largely a result of the struggling start of Obamacare and partly because of the recent government shutdown. His best areas in this recent poll is that 60% of Americans think that he has a vision for future America and 70% think that he is still likable.
Honestly, I feel bad for Obama. I'm on the side that generally is not good for Obama, but I think that constantly being analyzed on your performance by all of America would be very hard. Part of the reason his statistics are dropping are not even his fault. The rollout of the Obamacare website is hardly even the president's fault. Despite that, I still disagree with many of Obama's decisions and viewpoints. I'm not going to go into detail about all of my differing viewpoints, but I can say that I think that the president could be doing a better job.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/25/presidents-marks-as-manager-take-hit-in-new-cnnorc-poll/?hpt=po_c1
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Republican shutdown pain may boost Dems in 2014
Unit 3
The government has finally reopened. People are very disappointed in the way the government has handled the whole shutdown issue. Recent polls have shown that most of the blame is falling on the GOP. Now other statistics show that it is going to be easier for the Democrats to take back the Senate in 2014. Also, many of the Republican's main donors are skeptical about what is happening in the GOP. This also helps the democrats in morale and funding. The shutdown is finally over, but throughout the shutdown the majority of the blame was falling on the Republicans. The shutdown began because of senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz of the Republican party, pushed the GOP to try to make significant changes to Obamacare before it was enacted. This caused disagreement and eventually the shutdown. Republicans from the House presented many new deals to the Senate and to the president which were repeatedly denied. Republicans were eventually forced to settle for a more scaled back deal. People saw this government shutdown as Republican stubbornness. This helps the Democrats in future elections. Another thing that is going to help Democrats is the rift in the Republican party between Republicans and their emboldened tea party colleagues. Tea party groups are already devising a plan to take on the Republican party in upcoming elections.
My opinion on this article is that Republicans' chances in elections are going to be hurt because of the government shutdown. But I don't think that it is because of Republican stubbornness. It is because of the public's general misunderstanding of what went on during the government shutdown. The Republicans presented many deals for compromise so that they could end the shutdown, but Democrats would not budge. They were being just as stubborn and their party should be just as hurt as the Republican party.
5 things that have happened since Obamacare launched
Unit 3
It has been a long road for Obamacare. It had to go through a Supreme Court appeal, a government shutdown, and continuing oppositions by many politicians before it was running. Now it is running and every American must have health insurance or pay a fee. The rollout of Obamacare hasn't been easy though. 5 main things have happened since the start of Obamacare.
1. Sign up on Healthcare.gov has been hard: There have been difficulties for the many Americans that have been trying to sign up for health insurance on the government website. The number of people that are trying to access this website has contributed to the problem. Technical workers have been working long hours to try to get the new website running better. Obama said that the difficulties are unacceptable.
2. State sites seemed to fare better: 14 states are now using their own website for enrollment in health insurance. The government website has not been doing well so many states have tried their own websites which are working a lot better.
3. Overall enrollment numbers are unclear: The government has not set a goal for monthly enrollment numbers yet. They are expecting a lot of new enrollment in the upcoming weeks and months. But it is still unclear how many people have signed up for health insurance.
4. The Cost of Care has become more clear: Before Obamacare, nobody really knew how much it was going to cost. But now that is has been running for a couple of days, researchers are finding out how much it is going to cost. It is affecting local and independent insurance companies a lot.
5. The Shutdown came and went-without changing much: The shutdown had no effect on users trying to sign up for Obamacare. But the shutdown is the reason that Obamacare was delayed for so long.
My opinion on this article is that they need to get Obamacare running better. If this really is a great future for our country then we at least need to get it running well. I personally don't think Obamacare is the right thing for this country. All it is doing is forcing people to get health insurance, decreasing the quality of our healthcare, and ruining private businesses that are trying to sell healthcare.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/19/health/obamacare-enrollment-launch-overview/index.html?hpt=us_c2
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/19/health/obamacare-enrollment-launch-overview/index.html?hpt=us_c2
Monday, October 14, 2013
Shutdown polls: No winners, but a bigger loser
Unit 3
As we near the deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling, the apprehensions and attitudes are not good. They are angry at the government for the job they have done during this government shutdown. A new poll shows that Americans are blaming both the GOP and the Democrats now. Sixty percent of people polled said that if they had the chance to defeat every member of Congress including their own representatives, they would. The blame on the Democrats is starting to grow, but more blame is placed on the side of the GOP. CNN polling director Holland said, "Depending on which question and which poll you look at, either the Republicans have fallen further than the Democrats or both parties have lost the same amount of ground but the Republicans started in a worse position." According to the poll, 63% of people are angry with the Republicans on how they have handled the government shutdown. Contrary to the Democrats and Obama who 57% and 53 % of pollers were unhappy with respectively. These polls were about the situation with the government shutdown. Other polls were conducted on the general opinion of the Republican and Democratic parties. Now only 28% of pollers approved of the Republican party and the Democratic party has also slipped to 43% with a favorable rating.
I think that this article is finally showing people that majorities are now disapproving of both parties. I think that a lot of people thought that the government shutdown was all the GOP's fault and that the Democrats were doing great. This article shows that public opinion of the Democratic party is now falling also. The fact that the Republicans have less of an approval rate is because of the media in my opinion. The media is very Democratic and gives biases to the Democratic party. That is why the public thinks less of the Republicans because they are always given information a little bit pro-Democratic.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/10/shutdown-polls-no-winners-but-a-bigger-loser/?hpt=po_c2
As we near the deadline to raise the nation's debt ceiling, the apprehensions and attitudes are not good. They are angry at the government for the job they have done during this government shutdown. A new poll shows that Americans are blaming both the GOP and the Democrats now. Sixty percent of people polled said that if they had the chance to defeat every member of Congress including their own representatives, they would. The blame on the Democrats is starting to grow, but more blame is placed on the side of the GOP. CNN polling director Holland said, "Depending on which question and which poll you look at, either the Republicans have fallen further than the Democrats or both parties have lost the same amount of ground but the Republicans started in a worse position." According to the poll, 63% of people are angry with the Republicans on how they have handled the government shutdown. Contrary to the Democrats and Obama who 57% and 53 % of pollers were unhappy with respectively. These polls were about the situation with the government shutdown. Other polls were conducted on the general opinion of the Republican and Democratic parties. Now only 28% of pollers approved of the Republican party and the Democratic party has also slipped to 43% with a favorable rating.
I think that this article is finally showing people that majorities are now disapproving of both parties. I think that a lot of people thought that the government shutdown was all the GOP's fault and that the Democrats were doing great. This article shows that public opinion of the Democratic party is now falling also. The fact that the Republicans have less of an approval rate is because of the media in my opinion. The media is very Democratic and gives biases to the Democratic party. That is why the public thinks less of the Republicans because they are always given information a little bit pro-Democratic.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/10/shutdown-polls-no-winners-but-a-bigger-loser/?hpt=po_c2
Saturday, October 5, 2013
R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Conservatives say they need it in shutdown debate
Unit 2
The government shutdown has had many different things that have caused it, but House Republicans are calling it an issue of respect. One Republican representative said that, "Republicans are in a position where they don't want to cave in because it sets a bad precedent that the Senate would be somewhat dictating how the House runs." Another Republican House member expanded saying, "we're not going to be disrespected." Republican House members think that the Senate is not being reasonable, while the Democratically-held Senate thinks the same of the House. This issue of Obamacare was passed in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court last year. The House is now trying to defund the program of Obamacare. The House has proposed many compromises with this issue, but the Senate does not want to give in. Obama and the Senate leader have rejected GOP efforts to use the government funding issue in seeking partisan goals. Obama is saying that the GOP is getting this disrespect because of their attitude in trying to just defund Obamacare because they don't like it.
This relates to our current unit because we are talking about reasons that people vote for certain candidates. People are now forming opinions because of the government shutdown and will vote accordingly. My personal opinion on the issue is that the GOP is getting too much of the blame for the government shutdown. People are just saying that the GOP is unwilling to compromise. But from this article, we see that both parties are unwilling to compromise. I think that we should get rid of Obamacare, but I know we need to compromise somehow because of differentiating opinions. We need to get this problem fixed quickly before there are drastic effects.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/politics/shutdown-gop-respect/index.html?hpt=po_c2
The government shutdown has had many different things that have caused it, but House Republicans are calling it an issue of respect. One Republican representative said that, "Republicans are in a position where they don't want to cave in because it sets a bad precedent that the Senate would be somewhat dictating how the House runs." Another Republican House member expanded saying, "we're not going to be disrespected." Republican House members think that the Senate is not being reasonable, while the Democratically-held Senate thinks the same of the House. This issue of Obamacare was passed in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court last year. The House is now trying to defund the program of Obamacare. The House has proposed many compromises with this issue, but the Senate does not want to give in. Obama and the Senate leader have rejected GOP efforts to use the government funding issue in seeking partisan goals. Obama is saying that the GOP is getting this disrespect because of their attitude in trying to just defund Obamacare because they don't like it.
This relates to our current unit because we are talking about reasons that people vote for certain candidates. People are now forming opinions because of the government shutdown and will vote accordingly. My personal opinion on the issue is that the GOP is getting too much of the blame for the government shutdown. People are just saying that the GOP is unwilling to compromise. But from this article, we see that both parties are unwilling to compromise. I think that we should get rid of Obamacare, but I know we need to compromise somehow because of differentiating opinions. We need to get this problem fixed quickly before there are drastic effects.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/politics/shutdown-gop-respect/index.html?hpt=po_c2
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Mitt Romney's Neglect for the Hispanic Vote
September 20, 2013
Unit 2
Mitt Romney has had some time to reflect on his presidential campaign that ended last November. He has finally spoken out and said that his greatest fault in his campaign was neglecting to appeal to the Hispanic voters. He said that the Hispanic voters did not understand that he wanted to reform immigration. He lost the Hispanic vote by 40% in November because Hispanics did not understand the Republican Party's stand on immigration. He said that he needed to get his position on immigration out better through Hispanic TV and outreach. Republicans have been trying to get the Hispanic voters on their side. 50% of Hispanics identify with the Democratic party while only 15% identify with the Republican party.
I think that this relates a lot to our current unit. We are studying the reasons why voters vote for certain candidates. This article shows that if you don't appeal to a certain group of people, you can lose an election. I agree with Romney in his reflection. I'm not in the hispanic community, but I feel like he didn't get his positions on certain issues out to a lot of different people. I think he appealed to the group I identify myself with, but others misunderstood his positions.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/27/hispanic-outreach-mitt-romneys-largest-error-from-2012/?hpt=hp_t2
Unit 2
Mitt Romney has had some time to reflect on his presidential campaign that ended last November. He has finally spoken out and said that his greatest fault in his campaign was neglecting to appeal to the Hispanic voters. He said that the Hispanic voters did not understand that he wanted to reform immigration. He lost the Hispanic vote by 40% in November because Hispanics did not understand the Republican Party's stand on immigration. He said that he needed to get his position on immigration out better through Hispanic TV and outreach. Republicans have been trying to get the Hispanic voters on their side. 50% of Hispanics identify with the Democratic party while only 15% identify with the Republican party.
I think that this relates a lot to our current unit. We are studying the reasons why voters vote for certain candidates. This article shows that if you don't appeal to a certain group of people, you can lose an election. I agree with Romney in his reflection. I'm not in the hispanic community, but I feel like he didn't get his positions on certain issues out to a lot of different people. I think he appealed to the group I identify myself with, but others misunderstood his positions.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/27/hispanic-outreach-mitt-romneys-largest-error-from-2012/?hpt=hp_t2
Friday, September 20, 2013
House GOP Launches Shutdown Battle by Voting to Defund Obamacare
Unit 1
The Republicans in the House of Representatives have launched a spending battle in Congress. If passed, it could start in 2 weeks. The House passed a spending plan that would eliminate all spending for Obamacare. With a 230-189 vote almost strictly on party lines, the plan was passed in the Republican-held House. Republican leaders are encouraging and pushing for the Senate to do the same. Republicans think that they have listened to the people's opinion and their opinion is to do away with Obamacare. They are telling the Senate that if they should listen to the people and do away with Obamacare. Obama thinks that the Republicans are "trying to blow things up just because [they] didn't get their way." That's a pretty accurate assumption.
I think that we should do away with Obamacare. I think that the Senate should do what the House is encouraging. They should listen to the people. I know that they don't have to listen to the people in every issue, but this is an issue that is very big and affecting many people. The people have experienced its effects and don't like it. Maybe if politicians listened to the people more who are experiencing the things that the politicians enact, we would be able to get a lot more done in Washington.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/politics/congress-spending-showdown/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
The Republicans in the House of Representatives have launched a spending battle in Congress. If passed, it could start in 2 weeks. The House passed a spending plan that would eliminate all spending for Obamacare. With a 230-189 vote almost strictly on party lines, the plan was passed in the Republican-held House. Republican leaders are encouraging and pushing for the Senate to do the same. Republicans think that they have listened to the people's opinion and their opinion is to do away with Obamacare. They are telling the Senate that if they should listen to the people and do away with Obamacare. Obama thinks that the Republicans are "trying to blow things up just because [they] didn't get their way." That's a pretty accurate assumption.
I think that we should do away with Obamacare. I think that the Senate should do what the House is encouraging. They should listen to the people. I know that they don't have to listen to the people in every issue, but this is an issue that is very big and affecting many people. The people have experienced its effects and don't like it. Maybe if politicians listened to the people more who are experiencing the things that the politicians enact, we would be able to get a lot more done in Washington.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/20/politics/congress-spending-showdown/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Friday, August 30, 2013
Like it or Not, Constitution Allows Obama to Strike Syria Without Congressional Approval
Unit 1
President Obama has decided that he can send troops into Syria without approval from Congress. He would be sending troops into Syria for using chemical weapons. He said that it was part of his executive authority as commander-in-chief to send in troops. 200 members of Congress are demanding that Obama get Congressional approval, but the White House has decided that it is under their Constitutional authority to conduct military affairs without consent from the legislature. Not only isolationist Republicans are calling for approval in Congress, but also anti-war Democrats. But President Obama's view on his authority was not only this way.
When President Obama ran for president in 2007 he said George W. Bush, "does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation." Apparently his opinion on that has changed.
I think that the President is correct in using his executive authority to send in troops to Syria without consent from Congress. That is part of his duty as commander-in-chief. I think this is the way the Founding Fathers meant for the President to act as commander-in-chief. They were looking for something that would let out military be quick and decisive. If we had to vote on every military action, the military would never get anything done. That's part of the reason the Articles of Confederation weren't adequate for the nation. They didn't put someone in charge of the military. With the Constitution we have someone who will take action when action needs to be taken.
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