In response to the blog, “Professional Politicians”, by
Friday, December 11, 2009
Professional Politicians
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Race to the Top
The government implemented educational reform program “Race to the Top Fund” has four main points of focus and rewards states for following them. It focuses on “Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy; building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and turning around our lowest-achieving schools.” This is raising the level of standardized testing, getting better instruction and instructors, and helping lower level schools raise their standards. This program is a step towards raising
Friday, November 13, 2009
I personally am against the idea of having a death penalty at this current time. Right now, in our justice system, as Misty stated, there have been people convicted by faulty evidence, and innocent people killed. If we cannot even distinguish if a person is completely guilty of a crime deserving capital punishment, then what gives us the right to take their life? When criminals are placed in prison for a life term, instead of put on death row, there remains the possibility of discovering that the incriminating evidence is faulty. But with the death penalty, the only thing left to happen if such a thing is discovered is to say, "Oops, well, we can't bring him back." Death is irreversible, so what gives us the power or right to permanently end the life of another human being, even if they killed someone? I do not think anyone should be able to wield that power. Relating to executions and the death penalty, there has always been a certain part of the procedure that does not make sense to me in this form of "justice". This part is that to execute a person, it takes someone to push the red button, or make the lethal injection. The executioner then, too, by definition, is a murderer. Why should they not go to court, get tried, and get the death penalty themselves? Even though they may have seen the execution as protecting the world from a criminal, they still technically have killed someone. And so continues this vicious cycle of revenge for murder with murder. There are other ways to deal with criminals, but, as of now, the death penalty is not a just option.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Hate Crimes Prevention Act
Friday, October 16, 2009
Obama’s Theorems
The article Obama's Theorems by Victor Davis Hanson talks about the waning belief in Obama from the public and that his ideas are not being believed or accepted as much any more. The author criticizes the theorems Obama has, including ideas about global warming, energy, and borrowing money to get out of the recession. Though people may like Obama as a person, they no longer believe his ideas because they have been found to be radical ideas that have not been fully proven. Hanson addresses voters and the general US public and brings up ideas important to them currently. He states that even with our weak economy we are discouraged from use of the carbon-based fuels of which America is plentiful. Some scientists say that global warming is eminent, yet this has been seemingly opposite for the past decade, and now is one of the coldest times.
Instead of looking at what is happening now, we are told to think of on a much larger scale to see global warming, but voters are not going to have their money spent on these issues, especially with cold weather. Hanson makes the point that borrowing money is not going to be the way to get the economy out of the recession, in the same way that making purchases with a credit card can be a quick way to fix things, but the charges take a long time to pay off. We are in an energy crisis, and are told to convert to hybrids and electrics cars, because oil is finite. Though the recession has helped lower oil prices, this is only a temporary fix. Increasing and using all energy sources seems to be a better choice to voters than using changing ideas of what is good for the environment with respect to the ideas of global warming.
Health care reform also has some issues. The voters wonder how it is possible that money would be saved with government takeover of healthcare with more people covered. Hanson asks that if Medicare has problems and dangers of fraud and waste, why would a larger government program not have these same problems?
While abroad, Obama is very open about the wrongdoings of America while overseas to make us better liked, but some disagree that this tactic will improve foreign relations. Also, if Obama is so knowledgeable about the wrongs of the past, why does he not also become so greatly knowledgeable about the rights of the past? In regards to overseas affairs, Obama has not yet finished the war in Afghanistan, even though the war in Iraq has been won.
Americans want solutions to long-term problems and welcomed a new president who was ready to take on challenges. But they are not sure if he understands that problems or has the right solutions, and if those solutions are even possible.
Hanson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a recipient of the 2007 National Humanities Medal. I agree with some of the ideas brought up by Hanson because I believe that there can be better solutions to some of our economic problems. These solutions should be reasonable and possible and beneficial in both the short-term and long-term, instead of just short-term solutions to long-term economic and world problems.