Not so fast Mr. Grinch...

In Roman’s blog, “Mr. Grinch”, he describes this holiday shopping season as being predicted to be the worst in decades, especially on Black Friday. He says this prediction is not surprising due to all the talk of the second great depression, the Wall Street bailout, and foreclosures. He then goes on to describe how one of the main reasons the economy is in the shape it is, is because of the lack of consumer spending.

Before Black Friday I would have completely agreed with Roman’s prediction, however reports showed that this year’s Black Friday had an even better turnout than last year! I thought this was very ironic with the economy being the way it is. Perhaps it’s because of the enormous drop in gas prices. On the other hand perhaps it was because retailers were dropping their prices even lower than they typically would any other year to try and draw more of a crowd. Whatever the reason may have been I am glad to see that not everyone out there has completely turned into a Grinch this holiday season even under these hard times.

Obama an inspiration....

Well, our Nation has elected its very first African American president, Barack Obama. Whether you were rooting for him or against him, I think we all can admit that he is a huge inspiration to many, especially minorities. Whether you agree or disagree with his views is one thing, but I believe we can all applaud him in having the courage to run for president, knowing he would have to work twice as hard than a white candidate. Sure, our nation grants everyone equal opportunities, equal rights, and so on. However, the sad fact is, our nation is still filled with so many racist individuals who would rather vote for anyone except an African American, or of any color for that matter.
Barack Obama has not just put a foot in the door for African Americans, he has set forth the foot for Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and all other minorities. Maybe all people have needed was for just one person to lead the way. Hopefully now more minorities will have the courage Obama did and run for more seats in office. I think this would be great because then our government could be filled with a much more diverse group of people than just the typical rich white male. I think having more government seats filled with more minorities would benefit our government as a whole. I think everyone could bring forth many different ideas and approaches to things. Everyone could then learn and grow from one another.

in Lomas' blog..

In Roman Lomas’ blog, entitled “Here’s our Chance”, he is encouraging people to go out and vote in the critical election that just took place. He starts out by first describing to his audience how he had never taken much interest in politics in any of the previous elections years. He explained how he was either too busy focusing on the things that mattered to him, such as playing N64 and chasing girls in high school. I think he did well in giving examples such as those described because they were things that many people in his audience were able to relate to. Whether it be playing video games or any other hobby you may have had, many people simply did things that seemed more worth their time and effort.

Lomas then goes on to describe how he witnessed firsthand those around him who are suffering because of our economy. He describes his uncle being laid off from a job after having worked there for 25 years and his dad having to shut down his personal business. I think Lomas did well by including this information in his blog because I am positive he is not the only one who has had to witness their loved ones suffer through economic hardships.

Overall I think Mr. Lomas did an excellent job in persuading his audience to vote. He does not lean towards one candidate more than the other; in fact he does not make reference to either of the candidates running for office this year at all. He simply yet effectively lays out the facts that clearly show that our country needs to see change and that the only way for that to happen is to go out and make your voice heard through your vote. He did a great job.

Vote for Obama!!!

There are several reasons why people should vote for Barack Obama. But there is one huge reason that stands out by far the most and that is the war in Iraq. Our president, George W. Bush, declared the war on Iraq a few years ago. After many years of the United States troops occupying Iraq, many people to this day are still quite unsure of the real reason why our troops were sent over there to begin with. There are so many people who have lost countless loved ones because of this ridiculous war. Why should our government continue to keep those that we love in what seems to be a never ending war, especially a war with no real meaning behind it? I honestly do not think that there is or will ever be a good enough answer to that question. The war is pointless. The vast amount of people dying every day because of this pointless war needs to stop and it needs to stop now. Our country cannot afford to vote for another president who will continue to lead our country in this horrible path the way Bush has. Just as Barack Obama always says, “We need change.” I highly encourage everyone to go out and vote for Barack Obama. I think he is just what our country needs right now. I believe he will lead us in a whole new direction that will be beneficial to us all. With that said, unless you want to continue to see your fellow Americans dying in a stupid war, then vote for change, vote for Obama.

NOT a bad idea..

According to a blog entitled “Inspection- Early voting? A Bad Idea”, Ken Carman suggests that no one should vote early. He says the only reason voters are even offered the opportunity to vote early is so that the people will have more time with your votes and toss them. He strongly urges for everyone to wait to vote until the latest possible time so that there will be no time for anyone to look through and toss votes.Carman states, “evidence is pretty damn obvious it has happened like many, many more votes than registered in a given voting district, totally out of sync voting patterns, obscure candidates getting massive amounts of votes, the easy hackability of electronic voting.”He makes that statement as his evidence, however he does not provide any solid proof or examples to back up his argument. Ken goes on to say that he understands making voting easier and earlier is a noble goal, but in that case he believes it should be made a national paid holiday. I agree with the suggestion that there should be a national paid holiday for voting. I think this would raise the voter turnout. However, I do not agree with Carman’s theory on vote tossing during early voting. I think the only reason there is early voting is to encourage people to simply get out there and vote. Many people are impatient and simply do not want to spend their day waiting in a line. I think his opinion of such a voting conspiracy is absurd. Early voting is a convenience to those with busy schedules, not a “bad idea.”

Why you should care about this bailout...

In an editorial in the Dallas Morning News, from an unknown author, an argument is made directed toward all taxpayers why we should care about this bailout. The author does a good job by first describing some of the initial thoughts that many people in this country are probably having towards the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. One of these thoughts is “Why should tax payers have to cover for the foolish investments and risky deals financial fat cats made?” Another is , ”Wall Street made its bed, the thinking goes, and now those executives should lie in it.” Since there are many people having these exact same thoughts, I think the author did an excellent job in stating these thoughts first, this way it allows the readers to immediately begin connecting with the story. After those thoughts are stated, the author goes on to say that although these thoughts are compelling, it is wrong and dangerous to think this way. This is not just a matter of punishing wealthy financers, but it is important to our economy. It is described in the editorial how banks are scared to lend to one another because they are unable to differentiate between those who can and cannot pay the money back. The author argues that we all need to care about this because an economy without credit is like a pond without water. Examples which the audience can relate are then used, such as people can't borrow money to buy or build houses, ordinary people lose their jobs, and neighborhoods turn to slums. I think those were excellent examples because they put a little bit of fear in all of us. In conclusion, I think this unknown author successfully got his or her point across to the audience. The thoughts and examples described in the editorial were put together in a good order and were clearly explained in a simple, but thorough manner. The author not only caused people to think about what he or she said, but really got us to understand why we as taxpayers need to care about this bail out and not just sneer at the idea of how our government is helping out those who already have lots of money. Even if we are not rich and do not have stocks to watch, I highly agree that this bailout WILL effect each and every one of us in one way or another, therefore we need to care about the decision being made.

McCain and Obama are drawing even

John McCain and Barack Obama are drawing even in the latest NEWSWEEK poll. Obama had led McCain 44 to 41 percent two months ago in July, McCain is now tied with Obama 46 to 46 percent among the registered voters. NEWSWEEK suggests this could be due to the "Sarah Palin-all-the-time media coverage." However, when voters were asked if Vice Presidential candidate Palin would make them more likely to vote for McCain, only a small 29 percent of poll respondents said yes. But McCain has obviously benefited from the high volume of attention Sarah Palin has been causing. According to the NEWSWEEK poll, the race is still very much in play. It will be interesting to see the results of the next poll... Click HERE to read more.