Obama's critics are right

 The Obama administration is dragging America to the wrong future. One that we have less freedom, higher taxes, and bureaucracies will control us in. More and more people are filing for disability as a result of the lack of work. This is pulling us to becoming a welfare state. We also are losing a good amount of money in the process. If Obama is reelected, the federal government will spend more and more of the national income.

Obama is the only president since LBJ to push for a bigger government. His energy policy is all wrong too. Rather than just raise the prioce of oil to deter people from using it, he attempts to influence us by brute force. He is using this same brute force in health care too. basically, Obama has disappointed everybody  especially those who really needed him. It would be foolish to reelect someone who isnt up for the task.

1. How does Frum argue that Obama is creating a welfare state?

 more and more people are claiming disability become the jobs are scarce and they need help

2. How does this create a snowball effect within the federal government?

 they lose alot of money and the courts need more judges to process these cases and more and more people are granted disability

3. How does Frum argue that Obama is tampering with the market rather than using economic incentives to change behaviors of consumers?

 rather than increase the price of oil, which will make less people want to use it, he is using brute force

4. How does Frum characterize "Obamacare" differently than Sullivan did?

 he says that Obama is using this to try to make health care come w/o market competition

5. How was the situation in Britain in the 1990s similar to what Obama is doing to America now?

 Blair and his successor Brown used rapidly rising government revenues to finance new public-sector jobs in depressed old industrial areas.

6. How should Obama have handled the economic stimulus in response to the recession of 2008?

 he shouldn't have deferred as many Congress wishlists and made wiser decisons. the ones that he did make had nothing to do with the economy...they were good ideas though

7. Obama does not control what the Federal Reserve does, but how has he influenced it?

  he nominates the members

8. What will Obama's biggest foreign policy issue be in the coming election year?

 saving the euro

Obama's Critics are Wrong

 Everyone claims that they are disappointed with the President. He is getting attacked from everywhere. The attacks are wrong. The people that are attacking him are failing to realize what he has actually accomplished. They are really just being petty. The right side is getting upset because the stimulus package didnt work fast enough and the left side is upset that he constantly sucks up to Wall Street.

Obama has actually accomplished alot more than people actually give him credit for. People just dont realize his strategy. He plans for the future but no one notices that. This was expected though....presidents in their first term are always attacked mercilessly. But in just the first term, Obama has done much more beneficial things than the Bush administration accomplished in 8 years.

 

1. What does Sullivan say about presidents in the last year of their first terms?

 he will always get attacked mercilessly by his partisan opponents, and also, often, by the feistier members of his base.

2. What are the main criticisms of Obama from the right?

  He has governed more as a radical leftist and he is trying to change the American way of life and that he is a socialist

3. What was America's economic situation when Obama assumed office?

 the United States was losing around 750,000 jobs a month and there was a real chance of a systemic collapse of the entire global financial system, and unemployment and debt—lagging indicators—were about to soar even further

4. How have Obama's responses to the problem been interpreted by the right?

 they think that the stimulus plan was a fail because it didnt work fast enough and in the first year of his term, unemployment peaked

5. What typical Republican stances has Obama taken while in office?

 he has been far more fiscally conservative than his predecessor

6. In what ways is "Obamacare" a pretty conservative reform of the health care system?

 this will let 44 million free riders benefit from this

7. Why is the left wrong to be disappointed in Obama's performance so far?

  a depression was dodged, the bail out of the auto industry was successful, the Iraq war was ended, and the banks have been repaid

8. How is Obama communicating his accomplishments to the public?

 he shows them by his actions. show-dont-tell

9. How does Sullivan characterize Obama's pattern of responses to problems?

 Obama was always planning for eight years, not four

10. When does Sullivan concede that Obama has made mistakes in office?

 he has waged a war based on a reading of executive power that many civil libertarians oppose. And he has signed into law the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without trial

Obama - State of the Union - 01.24.12

First off, I'll tell what i liked about his speech. The main thing that jumped out to me was his style. I liked how he singled out just random ordinary people based on their good deeds. He made it seem as if we know him on a personal level. Its good to know that our president, one of the most powerful men in the world, has enough time to single out typical Americans because of an injustice that was served to them and their ability to perservere.

Obama plans to do alot if he is reelected. His main priority, it seems, is to restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot. He also wants to create more jobs of course. But he wants us to stay at home. What I mean by this is, that Obama wants the people that we educate, the things that we buy, and the things that we make, should stay here in America. He wants to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. He plans to lower tuition and reward teachers who are doing good jobs. One that that I'm sure pissed rich people off was when he said that if you make over 1 million a year then there is no way that you should be paying less than 30% in taxes.

Obama didnt directly slander republicans, but he did say some things targeted to them. He made sure to talk about cutting taxes for the people that make under $250,000 and raising them for people that make over $1,000,000. He plans to create more jobs and expand the gov't. Both of which the Republicans are against. Obama stated that he wanted to reward businesses that only sold their goods in America. I believe that this will anger Republicans as well because that will hurt their businesses.

Obama & the Bureaucratic Agencies

 President Obama announced that he has a new campaign to shrink the size of the federal gov't. He has asked Congress for this power. If he is given the power to do so, he plans on cutting down alot of the small business agencies and just cutting them down to one agency that would replace the Commerce Department.

The White House estimated that the consolidation would save $3 billion over 10 years but will result in reductions of 1,000 to 2,000 jobs. Obama wants to cut wasteful spending in doing this. He argues that no private business owner would want to spend all this money to keep up all of small business when they can just spend money on one business.

1. What is Obama asking of Congress?
 He is asking for powers to trim the gov't

2. What type of bureaucratic agencies is Obama planning to merge?
the Small Business Administration and five other trade and business agencies into a single agency so it can replace the Commerce Department.

3. How does Obama compare the federal bureaucracy to a private business?
he says that "no business or nonprofit leader would allow this kind of duplication or unnecessary complexity in their operations" and that they wouldn't let that happen for their business..so why is it ok for it to be done to the gov't

4. Which party would typically have the goal of cutting government?
 Republican

5. What do observers say about these types of cuts?
it will cut aloooooooot of jobs

6. Why is Obama pursuing Republican goals now?
Its almost time for reelection

7. Why aren't they likely to pass?
Most of the gov't is made up of Republicans and they dont want to do anything that Obama wants

8. How will this probably impact public opinion?

it depends on who argues the best, that winner will be able to get the public to stand by whatever they do

Iowa Caucus Results

 Mitt Romney beat Santorum by 8 votes. Santorum was a loser, but not completely. People will recognize his name from now on. That is sometimes the basis on who people will vote on. If all they hear is Santorum..Santorum...Santorum..then voters just might pick him. Romney has a full head of steam though. More than likely he will become the Republican candidate.

1. What is so special about the margin of victory?

 It was extremely close and showed how a real democracy should be

2. Who were the big winners in Iowa?

 Romney, Santorum, and Paul

3. Who were the big losers in Iowa?

Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann

4. What will these candidates likely do now?

 The losers will drop out and the winners will continue on to N.H.

5. How will Newt Gingrich change his campaign strategy after the results?

 He will campaign negatively

6. What was his approach to negative ads?

 He turned the other cheek

7. Based on the results, do you think negative ads are usually effective?

 Yes, thats just what Americans like. Someone else talking bad about another

8. What will happen in the next week?

 debates

9. What major advantages does Romney have in the next competition?

 Name recognition, confidence, and home-field

10. The article says primaries are "less volatile" than a caucus. What does that mean?

  ppl will remember a primary longer than they will the results from a caucus and they will actually have to prepare for it

11. How is South Carolina different from New Hampshire and Iowa for Republicans?

 SC is more Conservative

12. What groups did Ron Paul appeal to and how would that help him in a general election?

Democrats and young ppl

13. Based on the results, what do you think will happen as the Republican race continues? 

 Romney for pres.

Redistricting District 9

On Friday afternoon, the Speaker of the Senate released the details of statewide congressional redistricting. The 9th district now occupies the entire western two-thirds of the county, from north to south, which leaves the eastern third to the 8th District. The 7th District has seen its western border advanced all the way over to Hardeman County. In short, the Republicans are taking over.

 

1. How has Shelby County's congressional representation changed?

 Republicans have a better chance

2. How was the demographic makeup of the 9th district changed?

 it didnt really change...it is still solidly Democratic with the 60% African American majority but it now occupies the entire western two-thirds of the county

3. How would the 7th and 8th districts be impacted?

 they have gotten bigger

There were some new redistricting plans. Republicans are in control. Some people call it gerrymandering because they claim it is unfair, but Democrats have done it too. Its like a double sided coin...of course someone is going to lose....But anyway, Cohen is losing his Jewish constituents and he's pissed.

1. Why were Republicans able to control the redistricting process?

 they control both chambers of the legislature as well as the governorship

2. How does the article describe the practice of gerrymandering?

 it isnt new..the Democrats have done it too when they were in control

3. How does the 1965 Voting Rights Act affect the process?

the rights of minorities can not be not abridged or reduced in the determination of district lines.

4. How will District 9 be changed?

 it is moving farther north

5. Why is Cohen concerned about the changing demographics of District 9?

 he is jewish and they are separating him from the jews and he doubts that Fincher's rural perspective gives the 8th District congressman proper insight and perspective on behalf of the lost constituents.

6. Why is John Ryder drawing attention to the fact that Cohen represents a black district? (It's not because Cohen isn't black)

he was being sarcastic