There are many interesting ideas in this world. This blog is dedicated to pursuing them wherever they go. Politics, philosophy, religion, environment, and anything else that captures imaginations and leads to healthy discussions. Never take the world for what it is, there's always a better way to do something.
According to an AP article yesterday, almost 50 million Americans are going hungry. I guess that’s one way to deal with the obesity problem within the United States. Although the article didn’t mention the amount of lbs lost among the participants, I’m assuming the executives behind The Biggest Loser are watching. This is definitively a startling number, almost 15% of American households.
Although the 3.5% increase from 2007, labeled ‘unsettling’ by President Obama, is mostly blamed on the recent economic hiccup, I am wondering a little bit on why the number is so high. I don’t think it surprises anyone when the news of another famine, I’m sure there are a few, in Africa. Stories like that don’t gather enough attention (that means high enough ratings) for our big news channels to devote too much time to them. I’d be unsettled if I heard that’s the number of hungry families in an Easter European or South American country. But United States? That number is much, much too high to be in the United States. Obama misspoke, that news isn’t ‘unsettling’ it’s downright ’shocking’.
I voted for Obama in the last election. I’ll honestly admit that I fell in love with the idealistic qualities of his campaign. How you choose to interpret that is up to you, but I felt much more optimistic about him then about McCain and Pail. They scared me. I felt that if they were elected I’d be exposed to four more years of constant fear of terrorism, a threat of war, threat of Iran, threat of Korea. I was tired of being told to be afraid. That was primary reason for why I voted for Obama, I wanted a change in attitude.
However, now that a year has passed, I have definitely re-evaluated my outlook on him. I still support him, I think if given proper support he will accomplish great things for this country. You have to admit, America is struggling, she’s hurting, and we need someone to do something to heal hear, bring her together, bring the people together and stop the fighting. I think Obama, given a chance, will do that.
I must admit, up to this point I’ve been guilty of this myself too. We align much too quickly to political parties. That unfortunately not only hinders our objectivity and the development of our ideas, but it lets us fall in love with our politicians. This past year Obama was definitively the popular choice among the college age kids. Sarah Palin has herself infatuated a particular segment of the conservative America. There were strong grassroots movements for both during the election. And yet, while I voted for Obama and still believe he will do a great amount of good, I do not believe we should unify in full support behind him. While we should definitively maintain that movement and cooperation that elected him, we should not throw that support behind him blindly. I think it is our responsibility to question all our politicians, regardless of whether or not you voted for them, regardless of whether or not they adhere to your party, as long as they are in office they should face constant pressure.
The politicians do not get enough of that pressure to do whats right these days. I’m not referring to just criticism. They get plenty of that. Unfortunately, that criticism is unorganized and usually very decisive. If someone calls Obama a Nazi or a Communist, one of his supporters will get angry, and they’ll spend the rest of their time fighting each other instead of keeping their pressure on Obama. We need organized, united public pressure on ALL politicians, not just the ones from the opposing party. That’s how the lobbyists do it. While obviously the two parties are friendlier to some groups than others, when it comes to major issues, the special interests do not discriminate. …
Interesting read earlier today on Yahoo. Here’s the link
Copy of the article is below.
By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Sarah Palin’s new book reprises familiar claims from the 2008 presidential campaign that haven’t become any truer over time. Ignoring substantial parts of her record if not the facts, she depicts herself as a frugal traveler on the taxpayer’s dime, a reformer without ties to powerful interests and a politician roguishly indifferent to high ambition.
Palin goes adrift, at times, on more contemporary issues, too. She criticizes President Barack Obama for pushing through a bailout package that actually was achieved by his Republican predecessor George W. Bush — a package she seemed to support at the time.
A look at some of her statements in “Going Rogue,” obtained by The Associated Press in advance of its release Tuesday:
After months of back and forth arguing, name calling, rumor spreading, political hell, the House Democrats have rolled out the new health care bill. The measure, which will probably be voted on sometime next week, will extend health care coverage to about 96% of American population (legal population that is). The part that I’m excited about is that it WILL include a government option to compete with private health insurance providers. Also, the bill will provide federal subsidies to families that are unable to afford health insurance without them. Large companies would be required to cover all workers, while individuals would also be required to get health insurance.
Now the focus will shift towards the Senate, where Senator Reid is putting up the final touches on his version of the bill. While the Senate bill will also contain a public option, it appears it will also have a clause that will let individual states drop out if they chose, something the House version lacks. This comes as a major boost to President Obama, for whom healthcare legislation has been the top domestic priority. Now if only he could get us out of Afghanistan..
