Re: Obama Releases Long-Form Birth Certificate

Wow Tony, it looks like we had nearly the exact same views on the whole “birth certificate” issue. Rather than focusing on issues that really matter right now, the media and news outlets are hounding the government for a piece of paper to prove that our president is American born? Then again, you can’t really expect the American people to focus on more important things when every news source is busy covering a story that does nothing for anyone. As we talked about earlier in the semester, the newspaper is almost dead, yet it is the only source of news that offers multiple topics at once. The things that really matter get pushed to the side because Americans have almost been “trained” to want the pointless drama rather than important issues.

Although Obama didn’t personally kill Osama Bin Laden , this picture that has been circulating on the internet makes a great point:

http://images.dailydawdle.com/obama-kills-osama1.jpg

The government has plenty of real issues to worry about. 

STILL, AMERICA?

In one of my most recent blogs, I referred to the US government as a "soap opera". I now stand corrected, as I have realized that a soap opera at least has a plot. Clearly what we have is less of a soap opera, and more of a reality show.

 In the wake of several very important issues and decisions, such as Defense Secretary Robert Gates facing the possibility of having to retire, the fact that budget cuts across the country may be forcing unemployment rates to jump even higher than they already are, and even significant cuts in the Medicare budget, government and the media seem to be focused on trivial things. Why is it that, instead of presenting the important issues, all of the front pages of the media outlets are blown up with stories about Obama's birth certificate? One that has been available for quite some time with a little online searching?
To add to the mix, we've got an election approaching soon. As with any reality show, you've got to add some ridiculous character to the mix when things start getting dull. The American public wasn't entertained enough by having real politicians run for office, so they threw in a walking, talking comb-over with a mouth the size of his wallet. Although it is not official yet, can someone please tell me why there is even a possibility of Donald Trump running in 2012? Trump adds no value to the American democracy, or to the people. CNN correspondent Will Cain sums it up perfectly in his most recent opinion post:

Trump's appeal is [hard] to see, but I think I understand. Deep inside, we all want to blurt out every obnoxious, politically incorrect, unpopular truism we think lurks inside us. But we're afraid. At first blush it appears Trump -- like Charlie Sheen -- is doing just that. But when you look closer, you realize he's not. Trump says nothing at all, nothing of substance, anyway. You just think he is, because he insists he is, and uses the word "frankly" a lot.

In fact, the only argument he ever makes that isn't peppered with "probably" escape hatches, is protectionist nonsense. He constantly tells Americans that our problems aren't our fault; they're the fault of the Chinese, OPEC and someone he shamefully says is an illegitimate president.

-Will Cain, CNN contributor

Good Call, Emmanuel

You called that one perfectly, Emmanuel. Last Thursday, I was actually sitting in class talking about the potential shutdown with a few of my classmates, and it was honestly shocking. There were so few people in my class that understood exactly what a shutdown would mean to them, individually. With numbers like these, it's easy to see exactly what would happen to us if funding ceased. 
Of course, we did avoid the shutdown. Seeing where some of the last minute budget cuts came from surprised me though. There were several groups that I didn't even realize existed (such as the U.S. Institute of Peace, heating for the poor, the Administration on Aging, etc.). Even more shocking than the existence of these groups is the massive amounts of funding some of them receive.The Administration on Aging, for example, has been receiving $2 billion in federal funding per year for the last few years. Not to say that it isn't an important group, I'm just surprised that we don't hear more about these groups that receive more money than entire counties.
On a side note, seeing these groups makes me realize just how large of a role special interest groups play in our modern government. Without the larger special interest groups, none of these federally funded groups would exist to receive any funding.


Political Competence by Emmanuel Gomez

A GOVERNMENT BASED OUT OF HOLLYWOOD?

I doubt this is what the Founding Fathers wanted for our nation. Government has quickly become less about maintaining all aspects of this country and more of a 'soap opera' of sorts. Rather than worrying about issues that matter and attempting to put ANY focus on American citizens, the government seems to be more interested in doing things that cause a scene and make headlines. Government officials (primarily our oh-so-wonderful president) are more interested in trying to be the 'first' to do something supposedly revolutionary, rather than trying to work on things that don't require near as much effort and money. Instead of creating more jobs here in America, the government is more worried about becoming involved in a dick-measuring contest (pardon my language) with other nations by invading and attempting to change the way their systems work. Sure, it may seem like a decent attempt to make the world a better place. But what works for one group is not always the solution for other groups.
Speaking of forcing things on people, I can guarantee James Madison and company are turning in their graves knowing that the government has started trying to force new policies on its own people. If the majority says that a ridiculous bill - such as universal healthcare - is the opposite of what they want, then why force it upon them? Is the government that concerned with being 'revolutionary' that they have to force this 1,990 page pile of crap on us? Try again, government, you fail.

CHECK IT OUT

The government is always saying that we are pulling out of this recession, and that the job market is taking a turn for the better. We hear it every day in the news, but rarely are there any significant figures to back up the claims. Sure, an unemployment rate of 8.8 percent is still enough to make the average American wince in agony at the seeming hopelessness of our economic situation, but its better than where we have been. And adding hundreds of thousands of new jobs to help that 8.8 percent is always promising, as well. So finally, some good news that doesn't seem like a bunch of over-exaggeration by the government - this post taken from the New York Times suggests that things may in fact be looking up, and that there may be a small glimpse of hope in this struggle for recovery.

New York Times - Job Growth Suggests Resilience of U.S. Economy