National Reform

As a direct effect of the current economic situation, many changes occurred. People were laid off left and right, and could not afford many of the daily necessities. On a larger scale, many of our nations corporations, such as General Motors, are on the verge of collapse. A national reform effort is needed to get the mangled economy back on its feet. Barack Obama plans to make a 175 billion dollar stimulus package, as well as creating 2.5 billion jobs that will "rebuild the nation's roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy."

This would prove to be a huge reform, especially in terms of energy. For the past century, fossil fuels have powered the American people. We all realize that this cannot be the case forever. Not only are we running out of these fuels, but it does vast damage to our environment. If Obama's plan becomes approved, and his plans to revolutionize energy are enacted, I think America will set an example of a much needed International reform. Going from one of the biggest consumers of fossil fuels, to the implementers of alternative energy would be huge.

What Would Ralph Waldo Emerson Say?

In American Studies class we read part of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self Reliance. Emerson, a transcendentalist, believed that all people should voice their thoughts and accept them as fact, regardless of societies approval. On top of this, he believed that accepting ideals that a person does not truly believe in to fit into society is both ignorant and cowardly. What I am wondering, is how far Emerson truly believes in these ideals?
All of the people in my class remember, even if only vaguely, the September 11th terrorist attacks. The only things I remember were the fear, chaos, and mystery that I was seeing. In Barack Obama's speech on the election night, he talked about how he and his administration would defeat all those who have tried to destroy the world. I would like to know what Emerson would say to the beliefs and thoughts of these people.
The idea that Emerson seemed to give off in our reading that everyone, no matter what beliefs they have, should live those beliefs out, but what I would like to know is if Emerson thought that peoples beliefs were wrong. I do agree with some of what Emerson says, that people should not conform to the common beliefs of a society just to fit in, but I do not feel that every belief is good. Would He agree with Barack's belief about defeating those who have tried to destroy the world? This is where Emerson has left a void. Can a transcendentalist say that everyone's beliefs are right, even just for the individual person? Would Emerson say that the killing of people is justified because of what the killers thought was right? Maybe he believed that everyone should accept their own thoughts as truth, but taking action on those thoughts may be another story. I found the reading so interesting because of the absolute nature of the beliefs. Do you think that a belief justifies actions?

We The People

During our studies of the late 1700's, we have learned many aspects of our countries Independence. Some things that were valued in both the declaration and the constitution were the rights to be represented in order to be taxed, the equality of all people, and a system of government where the people, not a king, decide the countries affairs. Although these things were stated in these historic texts, they were not entirely accurate. When written, the term "the people" meant primarily white men. Native Americans, women, freed blacks, and slaves were not considered to be under this qualifying term. Slavery was not abolished until 1865, a full 89 years after the declaration was signed. Black people and white people could not even use the same drinking fountains, or entrances to stores up through the 1960's. Now, 40 some years later, an African American man is the president of our country.
For the first time, we now have an African-American president. As I watched president elect Obama's speech in Grant Park, I knew it would be something I would remember forever. Obama was going to the White House, a house that slaves built. When he started talking about Ann Nixon Cooper, I realized how truly far America has come. Her parents lived in the time of slavery, and being 106 years old, she has witnessed so many of the inequalities that our country has had. For some time she was not allowed to vote because she is a woman and because of her skin color. But more importantly, she lived to see the first African American president. I find it astonishing that one person has seen so much in her lifetime. This made me think and realize the great distances our government has gone. I think that the term "the people" is at least much closer to being a true statement. The Declaration and constitution may have not solved many of our nations problems, but it certainly sent our country in the right direction.

Yo, What Happened to What's His Face?

The 2008 election is getting tense, and both parties are getting very anxious. It's anyones guess on who is going to be the next president. Every day we see commercials supporting and scolding from the Republicans and Democrats. But what many people may not have thought about recently, where is George Bush? It has certainly felt like he has been out of the publics eye for a while. White house officials say that hes busy working to fix the economic crisis, but will anything he does make a difference?
In class we were talking about the "lame duck" period of presidency. This is when the new president has been elected, but has not yet been given their position as president. I think that this lame duck period has started early for George Bush. This week, for example, a few events have been canceled, and he is spending time with his family at Camp David. It actually does make sense for him to keep a low profile during the election season though. It is the opinion of many that George Bush is not a very good president, and the Republicans want to win this election. With a shockingly low approval rating of 28 percent, and a past full of unpopular decisions, he is proving to be a very big threat to the success of the Republican party. Political commercials have been addressing McCain's similar views with Bush. I believe I saw in a commercial that he voted 92 percent of the time with Bush. I believe that the president is enjoying a period of relaxation. Even if he tries to address some of the issues with full effort, he is almost out of office and probably won't be listened to. We'll see if he can stay out of the spotlight for a while longer, and if he costs the republicans the election.