Social Studies: Bio Sketches/Mission Statements

CANDIDATE BIOSKETCHES


SARAH PALIN (R)




Sarah Palin’s strong moral and religious views and her ability to criticize and reform even her own party has empowered her to make choices she sees fit. Sarah Palin has been selected to run with John McCain as vice president for the 2008 election. She was born on February 11, 1964, which now makes her 44 years old. She grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, where her parents both worked. Her mother was a secretary, and her father was a teacher. Sarah Palin has five children, and the eldest son is in the army. She and her family strongly value their Christian faith. Sarah Palin graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982, and then received a BA degree in journalism and communications from the University of Idaho. Her political career began when she won a seat on the Wasilla city council in 1992. Four years later she was elected mayor of Wasilla. In 2002, Palin narrowly lost her first state-wide run for lieutenant –governor, but four years later Sarah Palin defeated the Alaskan governor for the republican nomination and narrowly won the election for governor in 2006. As governor, she tried to eliminate all corrupt politicians in Alaska without distinguishing between parties. She reformed Alaska’s government
Sarah Palin has many strong views on different issues. As governor, she focused on education, transport, and public safety, and she is very strongly pro-life. She also supports the teaching of creationism in schools, as opposed to evolution. She considers her strength to be in government reform in Alaska, and because of this, people think she can reform the government in Washington. Sarah Palin is influenced by her religion and time as a mayor of a small town and is not afraid to shake things up a little, earning her the “maverick” label.





JOHN MCCAIN (R)



Mission Statement:
Call for troop surge in Iraq
Help for unemployment
All people given strong national security
No abortion
Good foreign policies
Everyone




John McCain’s Past as a military leader and a honored war veteran might affect how he makes choices as a president. He was born on August 29, 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was in the Navy at the time. Because his father was a naval officer, John McCain followed in his footsteps and graduated from the naval academy 1958. Afterwards, he served for 22 years in the Vietnam War by flying “carrier based attack planes” in 1967 (he was 31). He suffered many injuries in the course of his duties and was captured by Vietnam and tortured on more than one occasion. He earned many prestigious awards including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. John McCain began his political career in 1976, which started with him winning a seat in the House of Representatives. He then was elected to the US Senate, and was re-elected three times total. John McCain earned a reputation which said that he was a conservative republican yet on the other hand he was not afraid to question the Republican administration. He is now married to Cindy McCain, and has seven children and five grandchildren.

John McCain has had a long career as a politician, and he is considered as an expert on military and national defense. He is now the Senior Senator of Arizona, although he has held other various positions. He ran against George W. Bush for the presidential nomination in 2000, but lost. He has also worked with a Democratic Senator to overhaul the campaign finance system, which he won in 2003. Unlike Senator Obama, McCain supported the Iraq war, but still criticized strategies and the number of troops. McCain “also serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.” McCain is considered to have a lot of experience, and he opposes Senator Obama in the 2008 election. He is affected by his life’s events when he makes choices.






JOE BIDEN (D)





Joe Biden has had many years working on committees, dealing with conflicts and foreign affairs, stopping drug trafficking and promoting law enforcement which empowers him to use his core beliefs and experience in dealing with these matters. Joe Biden has been selected to run for Vice President with Barack Obama because he has a lot of experience in politics. Joe Biden was born on November 22, 1942 (which makes him 66 yeas old) in Scranton Pennsylvania to Joseph Robinette Biden and Catherine Finnegan. He was married to Neila Hunter originally, but she passed away in a car accident along with her two sons in 1972. He is now married to Dr. Jill Jacobs, and has three children. He and his family is Roman Catholic. Joe Biden attended University of Delaware, where he received his bachelor’s degree, and then he attended the Syracuse University College of Law. He then worked in a private law practice as an attorney, and has been a part time professor at Widener University School of Law since 1991. Biden has written and co-authored many books on politics, including international politics domestic issues, adding to his experience.

Before Joe Biden was selected to run as the Vice President for the Democratic Party, he was a senator in Delaware. He was elected to be the senator in 1972, at the age of 29. He is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the co-chairman of the International Narcotics Control Caucus. As a senator, he created the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which is still in effect. Joe Biden is known for enforcing law; he created the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which he updated in 2007 to include online harassment and prescription drug abuse. As the democratic vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden balances Obama’s newer ideas and lesser experience with his own experience and policies. His past dealing with foreign affairs and his many years in office and on the boards of committees have affected his choice-making to be more experienced and evaluated.






BARACK OBAMA (D)



Mission Statement:

Change in the White House
Hope for new employment, housing, and opportunities
All people educated and given opportunities
No shipping jobs over seas and no war in Iraq
Good economic fundementals and good tax breaks for the middle class
Everyone can see what the government is doing


Obama's background in coming from a multi-racial family, having a good education, and working with the working poor has empowered him to be empathetic to the needs of many different groups of citizens. Barack Obama, who was previously the Senator of Illinois, has been elected as the Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Party. He was born on August 4th, 1961, which makes him 47 years old. His mother was from Kansas, and his father was African, so he comes from a multi-racial family, although from the age of ten, he was raised by his Caucasian grandparents.
Barack Obama is now married to Michelle Robinson, he has two daughters. His early education took place in Indonesia and Hawaii, and later on he went to Occidental College in LA for two years. He then received a degree in Political Science from Columbia University in New York, and afterwards attended Harvard University in 1988. Before he entered Harvard, however, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago, helping low-income families. After Harvard, Obama returned to Chicago and practiced as a civil rights lawyer in a private firm.

Before announcing his run for presidency, Barack Obama was the democratic senator of Illinois. He was sworn into office in July of 2005, after a long election. Barack Obama expanded healthcare and tax cuts for the working poor and opposed the Iraqi war in its earlier stages. He also worked with a Republican senator to try to eliminate weapons of mass destruction in Russia and Eastern Europe. He has always encouraged making the legislative process more visible to citizens, and opening it to their criticism and comments.
Barack Obama was nominated as the Democratic vice presidential candidate in August of 2008, after running a long campaign against New York Senator, Hilary Clinton. Some of his views include that he wants to bring home troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, he is pro-choice and he wants to cut down America’s reliance on foreign oil by using solar, geothermal, biodiesel, etc. Barack Obama is running a campaign to become President of the United States.

Social Studies: Ten Political Issues

MCCAIN


#1- Abortion:
McCain wants to overturn Roe v. Wade and make abortions illegal. He considers them “dangerous operations.” (CNN. Aug. 1999). McCain does not want to “violate the sanctity of life,” and allow innocent children to be killed. He does however, support abortion in the case of danger to the mother, and in the case of rape or incest, he requires no proof of rape from the victim.

#2- Education:
John McCain wants to improve America’s schools and says schools should be “innovative, flexible and student-centered,” (johnmccain.com). He pointed out that many American children fall behind standards, and that parents should be able to choose the school they send their child to. Teachers should be rewarded for character-building and effectiveness.

#3- Death Penalty:
John McCain does not support the death penalty in the case of a child rapist or the use of racial considerations in the death penalty, but does support the death penalty in the case of federal crimes (like terrorism). John McCain also wants to “Broaden the use of the death penalty.” (vote-smart.org)

#4- Environment:
John McCain wants to address climate change and he supports new forms of transportation including new, more fuel efficient vehicles. He also wants to increase the penalty for the CAFE standards which have mileage requirements for car manufacturers. He intends to create a “Clean Car Challenge” which will give buyers of zero emission cars tax credits. McCain supports offshore drilling to decrease America’s reliance upon foreign oil.

#5- Health Care:
John McCain is opposed to universal healthcare. Instead, he favors alternatives such as giving a $2,500 tax break to individuals and a $5000 tax break to families for healthcare. McCain wants people to have “portable insurance that could be purchased along state lines,” (usatoday.com) and “employers would no longer be allowed to deduct health care costs from their taxes under his plan,” (usatoday.com). To help victims of cancer, diabetes, and other serious conditions, John McCain wants to provide incentives to companies to provide cures/preventative treatments.

#6- Immigration:
John McCain wants to strengthen our borders by increasing funding, using technology, support staff, and providing training facilities for other staff. He will use a “reliable electronic employment verification system to ensure that individuals are screened for work eligibility in a real-time fashion,” (johnmccain.com). McCain will also help undocumented workers by putting them in a place to become documented.

#7- Iraq War
John McCain wants to keep troops in Iraq until he has ensured Iraq has “become capable of governing itself and safeguarding its people,” (johnmccain.com). He does not want Iraq to fall to terrorists or under control of another nation, and he believes that setting up a stable, nonthreatening state in Iraq will help him accomplish this goal so the troops can come home.

#8- Economy:
John McCain will support small businesses, families, and others with cleaner energy, simpler and fairer taxes, lower barriers for trade, and government reform. He proposes different tax cuts for the lower and middle classes, and he supports the Reagan tax cuts.

#9- Poverty:
McCain supports housing for low income families and more funding for child care programs. He said, “Welfare and anti-poverty assistance is a shared responsibility among federal, state and local government; the private sector; community and faith-based organizations. Welfare policy must provide a strong safety net, while promoting work, responsibility, self sufficiency and dignity.” (vote-smart.org)

#10- Stem Cell Research:
John McCain supports Stem Cell Research where it can help cure disease and other serious conditions, but is against it in the use of fetal farming (which he would make illegal). He would increase funding for research using “amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.” He claims he does not want to sacrifice moral and ethical boundaries for stem cell research.


#1- Abortion:
Barack Obama wants to leave women with their own right to choose; he trusts that women can do what is best for their own life. He does, however, want to push and “expand access to contraception, health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies.” (barackobama.com).

#2- Education:
Barack Obama wants to reform the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Program, and develop new ways to evaluate a child’s progress. Barack Obama also wants to focus on providing students with an opportunity to go to college by offering many college grants and making them less complex. He also wants to offer more AP classes in high school and double funding in many of the previous initiative and afterschool programs.

#3- Death Penalty:
One of the things Obama wants to do with the death penalty is to eliminate racial profiling, which would allow people to use race in consideration when deciding whether or not the death penalty is appropriate. He also thinks that the death penalty does “little to do deter crime,” and he thinks it should be used only for the most atrocious, appalling crimes.

#4- Environment:
Obama is a strong supporter of alternative energies and has offered many new plans to help Americans out with gas prices and cars to be more energy efficient. Obama wants to “Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America.” (barackobama.com).To help out Americans with gas prices, he claims he will “Crack down on excess energy speculation,” (barackobama.com). He will also invest billions of dollars in alternative energy sources which will also create many new jobs. In addition to this, he wants to cut back greenhouse gasses 80% in 42 years (2050).

#5- Health care:
Barack Obama wants to provide health insurance for those who don’t have health insurance and as for those who do and are happy with their coverage—he will reduce their costs by $2,500. He wants people to able to get coverage, regardless of their medical history or background. He also wants employers to cover their employees, and he claims he can help them do so with credits and other incentives.

#6- Immigration:
By creating more secure borders, punishing employers who hire illegal immigrants, and making a simpler more understandable immigration system, Barack Obama hopes to keep more families together, get more illegal immigrants documented, and offer them the chances to work in America. He will also work with Mexico to help their economic system so there will be less immigration.

#7- Iraq War:
Barack Obama wants to start the withdrawal of troops in phases as soon as he becomes president. He says “The decision to invade Iraq diverted resources from the war in Afghanistan, making it harder for us to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden and others involved in the 9/11 attacks.” (barackobama.com), so Obama wants to change the plan, concentrating forces on finding Bin Laden. He wants to help Iraq stabilize their government through democracy.

#8- Economy:
Barack Obama has a plan that would include things like : “Jumpstart the Economy, Provide Middle Class Americans Tax Relief, Trade, Job Creation , Support Small Business , Labor , Protect Homeownership and Crack Down on Mortgage Fraud, Address Predatory Credit Card Practices, Reform Bankruptcy Laws, Work/Family Balance,” (barackobama.com). He wants to provide tax breaks to seniors, students, and families that have trouble with child expenses. He will provide more jobs by creating “green” employment opportunities and encouraging companies to keep jobs in America.

#9- Poverty
Obama wants to increase the minimum wage for Americans to $9.50 over the next three years. He will also help keep families together by offering families with small children tax cuts, and he will make sure single mothers get child support money. Obama will give people who have committed crimes in the past the chance to train for a job and change themselves .

#10-Stem Cell Research
Obama supports stem cell research so it can be used to help cure serious diseases. He wants to make stem cell research a little less restricted and allow scientists to look at stem cells in fetuses. “Recent developments in stem cell research may hold the key to improved treatments, if not cures, for those affected by Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury and countless other conditions” (obama.senate.gov)

Science: Global Warming

What is it?

Global warming is caused by carbon buildup in the atmosphere, which creates a thick “shell” of buildup on the earth’s outer atmosphere. Instead of heat from sunlight dispersing towards the poles and flowing of into deep space, this heat is being trapped by the “shell”. This carbon buildup is caused by emissions from cars (and other means of transportation), factories, coal plants; basically through burning fossil fuels. Global warming is a serious issue because it affects the entire world. Even though the earth’s temperatures change naturally, global warming has caused the ocean’s temperature to rise which can cause storms to be stronger and more frequent as the waters are warmer. Hence the more hectic weather the world has had this past decade (typhoons, hurricanes, tropical storms, droughts and floods). It also causes the glaciers to melt, which causes the sea to rise, flooding low-level areas.



What do I think?

Global Warming:

In my opinion, global warming is a serious issue that people should look very closely at before choosing a candidate to support. It could end the world eventually—it could end us. Protecting our environment now is important instead of leaving it to future generations. It is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better. The candidates in this election should be able to unite everyone in the world—that is the one common factor we share. We are all in the same world and all in this together, so we all need to work together because it is everyone’s problem. Global communications, tact, and diplomacy will be important as there are many nations that simply do not work well together because of their history.



What do they think?

Issue: National Park Funding/Promoting "Green" Habits (Recycling, etc.)

John McCain believes in adding extra funding to the national parks. He has called them "the crown jewels of America". They are underfunded, and he says he will change this. He also believes in promoting energy efficient products.

Barack Obama plans to work with people who own land privately to conserve wetlands, national parks and forests, and the coast. He encourages organic farming and agriculture.

Issue: Global Warming/ Green House Emissions

John McCain: He considers this a serious issue like many other politicians. He wants to cut down on mercury emissions, and he has backed many EPA standards that limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by large factories.

Barack Obama has similar views to McCain. He also sees this as a huge problem, and wants to set limits for the amount of emissions a company can produce. If they go over the limit, the company will be fined, and then that money can used towards alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, biodiesel and geothermal.

Science: Nuclear Weapons

What is it?

While nuclear weapons render America with extraordinary power (enough to blow up the world several times over), the testing involved and the power struggle over them is very high-risk. The uranium used in nuclear weapons is highly dangerous, and being radioactive, the after affects of the bomb may include civilian casualties from radiation exposure. In fact, many people have died from bombs in the past, including those in Hiroshima and Nagasaki who were often mutated, sterile, diseased, cancerous, or killed from radiation poisoning. Radiation Poisoning is caused by the decaying alpha, beta, and gamma particles released by the bomb destroying white blood cells and organic tissue.


What do I think?


I think nuclear weapons create a special kind of respect—and not a good kind. They create respect out of fear, and while opposing countries might bow to their threat right now, it’s not something we should hang over their heads. It’s going to cause a grudge that will come back to haunt us. While totally eliminating nuclear weapons right now might not be the best idea, there are easier ways of negotiating deals than keeping the threat of, “We can blow you up if you don’t agree,” over their heads. Not to mention there are scarier things out there, like biological warfare which could leave a country either dead of dying painfully in its wake. After Nagasaki and Hiroshima, we should have seen enough to dispose of the rest of the nuclear weapons.

What do they think?

McCain says “It is naïve to think we will never use nuclear weapons.” He believe they will be necessary in keeping rouge nations like Iran and North Korea which also have nuclear weapons and can attack us with them. He points out that without them, we are defenseless and it puts our troops over seas in greater danger.

Obama believes that we should try to eliminate all nuclear weapons to get rid of the possibility of a nuclear war. Not only should we get other threatening countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea to do the same, but we should eliminate our own “stockpiles”, which reduces our threat, encourages others to follow, and lowers the amount of tax dollars used to maintain and update this expensive project.

Science: Offshore Drilling

What is it?

There is currently a heated debate of the pros and cons of offshore drilling. Although it has been outlawed for the past 30 years, owing to the current rising gas pricing, many people are re-thinking the idea. While many people are opposed to idea, saying that it will destroy wildlife in Alaska, California, and Florida, and we don’t need rigs on our coasts when we have the technology to create alternative energy sources, others differ in opinion. While we consume the largest amount of fossil fuels in relation to our size, almost none comes from within America itself. While we have some of our own off of our shores and it provides jobs as well, why shouldn’t we use it? Some of the other reasons why not include that it would take about 10 years for any of that oil to reach American citizen’s tanks, and the jobs are generally high-risk. Offshore drilling in Alaska could endanger the Salmon population as well if streams are polluted.



What do I think?

Offshore drilling should not be allowed anywhere, and we should not stand for it, especially off of our own coasts. Alternate energies are available; they just need to be mass produced to make them cheaper, and mass producing calls for a large demand. Some of the alternative energy sources include solar, geothermal, biodiesel, hydrogen fuel cells, electricity, and a new source being researched: algae. I believe America has the ability to lead an energy “revolution”, and we need to start today. Drilling more will only increase our reliance on oil instead of promoting alternative energy sources.




What do they think?

John McCain wants to lift the current ban on offshore drilling owing to the current gas prices and state of the economy. He believes the extra jobs it opens up and the amount of oil it will produce will be significant enough to help destabilize our current job and economic crisis.

Barack Obama opposes offshore drilling in favor of research and development of alternative energies such as Solar, Geothermal, Biodiesel, and wind energy. He wants to reduce America’s oil intake by 30 percent by 2030, and he has said “What I will not do, and this has always been my position, is to support a plan that suggests this drilling is the answer to our energy problems.” He does not plan to lift the ban on offshore drilling like McCain does.

Digital Literacy: Technology Issues

There are several technology issues that have been addressed by the presidential candidates of ’08 and play an important part in the election. The first and foremost is something most people use every day: the internet. To both candidates, the internet should “connect citizens with each other to engage them more fully and directly in solving the problems that face us,” (barackobama.com) and be “connecting our citizens to a world-class network,” (johnmccain.com). Jon McCain wants to provide a source of broadband internet when other companies do not, and he also wants to keep the internet open and free, without any government interference and keep “maintaining the vibrancy of the Internet economy.” Barack Obama also wants to support the openness of the internet and allow citizens access to broadband and wireless inside their houses.
Another issue pertaining to the internet is network neutrality, which means it would “level the playing field for Internet Transport” which has been in place since the internet started and would charge large sites for more traffic. Barack Obama supports it, while John McCain does not. Another technology issue would be the use of technology in transportation. Both candidates want to fully implement the technological resources at hand and use them to help solve all crises, including “developing alternative fuels, addressing climate change, stopping the spiraling expense of health care, and better educating our children,” (johnmccain.com). Also, both candidates want to use the internet to improve global commerce, trading internationally without being undercut.

English: Collages

Republicans:

The often contrasting views between the Republican and Democratic Parties set the two substantially apart. The Republicans are “conservative” and they generally work from the top down. They ensure that the large corporations of America work well and that they provide jobs, hence letting the wealth filter down. Generally, Republicans are pro-life (anti-abortion) and they are known for good national security. Unlike Democrats, they don’t usually support gay marriage. Gerald Ford was a Republican president, and the current Republican nominee is Senator John McCain. However, their goal is essentially the same as the Democrats; do what is good for the people so you can be re-elected.







Democrats:

The Democratic Party has many different views than the Republican parry. For starters, their economic ideas are totally different. The Democrats are advocates of the middle and lower working classes, and they work from the bottom up. They are also much more environmentally protective and anti-global warming (they promote alternative energies more than the republicans). When it comes to the economy, the Democrats are generally stronger, where the Republicans are stronger in the military. John F. Kennedy was a famous democratic president, and the current democratic nomine is Senator Barack Obama. While their views often oppose each other, the Democrats share a similar view with the Republicans—do well and get re-elected.

English: Political Cartoons

Political Cartoon #1- 9/2/08:


Compliments to Obama can be twisted by the Republican Party to make them seem like criticism. For example, in the first panel, McCain makes “popular” into a “celebrity”. This implies that Obama just gets lots of press and attention; more attention to his family and what he wears versus his politics. In the second panel McCain turns “smart” into an “elitist”. This entails that Obama is well educated (or smart) and therefore he is an elitist because he think he is better than the rest of us. Moving on to third panel, this shows how Obama is “young”, which McCain makes “unready”, but then realizes he can’t call him young because he has just selected his Vice President (Palin) who is younger than Obama. Calling Obama unready is saying that he won’t be prepared to take the presidency. In panel four, McCain makes “He worked his way up from a difficult background” into “Bizarre”. This is trying to alienate Obama from the voters and separate him from what seems normal. In the fifth panel there is no dialogue, and the second man is not there. This indicates a pause in time. In the last panel, his advisor comes back and tells him Obama has been made president, to which McCain responds “We’ll call him ‘My Friend’”. This shows how quick he is to change his mind, which is flip-flopping on issues. McCain re-formed positive things about Obama to become negative words.

Toles, Tom. Cartoon. Washington Post. n.d. 2 Sept 2008.
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Political Cartoon #2- 9/9/08:



McCain is challenging Obama by asking him if he’s ready to lead with his experience, while at the same time the media is challenging McCain’s vice president, Palin, on her experience. The media is asking, “Is Palin ready to lead??” while John McCain is saying that “A man would never get that question!” This is referring to the growing debate about how sexism affects how people view Palin, and about how people are questioning if she’s ready to be vice president when she’s still raising a four month old disabled son and is only forty-four herself. The picture shows that the media is questioning McCain, he is getting frustrated, and Palin is standing slightly behind him, and behind her is a banner that proclaims “Is Obama ready to lead?” When you read this both this and the dialogue in the cartoon, it shows that the McCain campaign is being contradictory because they are protesting that a man wouldn’t be questioned, yet they are the ones questioning this very same thing about Obama. The media is questioning Palin, and McCain is challenging Obama on the very same thing the media is questioning Palin about.





Political Cartoon #3- 9/16/08:


Sarah Palin is getting closer and closer to being the vice president, and she is bringing in some very different views about religion and choices. The first apparent thing in the cartoon is Sarah Palin depicted as Darth Vader holding a lightsaber. This is referring to the fact Darth Vader is seen as a tyrant who forces his views on other people, and many people think because Palin is very Christian, teaches creationism, and is anti-choice that she might turn these views into laws. The second thing you see is that she is holding her finger over a button that says World War III. This is talking about how close she is to the presidency, and how her interesting, and often polarizing might lead her to starting a large conflict. In conclusion, Palin is closer than any woman has ever come to becoming president, and she brings different aspects of politics to the table.

Peray, Stephane. Cartoon. n.p. n.d. 16 Sept 2008.
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Political Cartoon #4- 9/23/08:


In response to the collapsing economy, the Presidential candidate’s policy on the economy is coming under greater scrutiny, and because Sarah Palin has been very outspoken in issues, people are watching her perhaps even closer than they are watching McCain as she talks about each issue. The first thing you see is Sarah Palin sitting on top of a bull, with a knife over head while McCain watches her with a bemused look on his face. The bull represents the changing economy, while Sarah Palin, who is an avid hunter, has brought down the bull and McCain is just standing by. The Second thing you see is McCain’s advisor saying “Sir, you’ve got to get on top of this economy crisis… Fast!...” and then “… Before you running mate starts to field dress it.” This represents that a lot of people have been skeptical because Sarah Palin has been attracting a lot of attention and talking out, while McCain is just sitting back, so people are noticing Palin’s policy, when its McCain running for president; that is why his advisor is advising that the hold her back.





Political Cartoon #5- 9/30/08:


The government’s solution to the collapse on Wall Street exposes how big business is willing to let the tax payers take the fall for their mistakes. The people who own these big businesses and have allowed them to fall apart have caused a very difficult situation. Because they have allowed them to fall apart, taxpayers are very concerned with the amount of money they have to pay to save the economy. As the people in Wall Street push tax payers away, saying “You first…” they are trying to line their pockets. These big business people have been revealed as not caring about citizens, but only about their money. Wall Street is counting on taxpayers to pick up the slack in the economy.






Political Cartoon #6- 10/29/08:

Political Cartoons:

The United Sates is in a giant recession, jobs are being sent overseas, gas prices are rising, and things are falling apart with candidates continue to argue over issues instead of doing anything about them. The plane, labeled USA, is falling out of the sky. This is representing how the United States is in a sort of downfall, and no one can seem to ‘pilot’ the plane correctly. The speech bubble says, “And so now Senator Obama will give his rebuttal on why he should be the captain.” The captain, in this case, is representing the president, and it’s really saying that we are just adding a new captain to a sinking ship instead of trying to save the ship. The presidential candidates have a lot expected of them in order to recover some of the American values we have lost.

Cardow, Cam. Cartoon. N.p. n.d. 29 Oct 2008.
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Reflection:



When an individual changes society, it's always for what he wants, and when society changes an individual, it’s generally to what the whole society thinks. In observing all these cartoons, it has become apparent that in every bit of humor lies this kernel of truth. In each cartoon, the cartoonist makes fun of the people’s problems or the government’s choices. The cartoon usually sums up a large problem into a joke, yet it is surprisingly accurate. When the majority of the individuals seriously want something, the government is usually powerless to stop them. Yet the people often become reliant upon the ‘greater’ forces, a.k.a the government.

English: Interview

I interveiwed my parents to see some of their thoughts on the election:

What do you consider the most important issue in this election and why? How does it affect you?
-The economy because the impacts are real—the jobs and the investments we make impact our everyday life. The economy impacts all the asoects of life to jobs to gas prices to salaries.


Do you think media coverage is slanted in any particular direction? How and why? Give an example.
-Depends on who you listen to. MSNBC, NPR and others appear to the left, while FOX is more right and CNN is more balanced.


Do you think the choice of VP Sarah Palin affected McCain’s campaign adversely? What are some things good she brings, and what are the bad?
-She absolutely affected the campaign adversely. The rise in polling numbers for McCain after he selected her for running mate was people’s pure fascination with her. On the other hand, she brings change in the form of a female VP to the White house. Bad= She has a very small world. She probably knows Alaska very well, but she has no other world views. She also has an uncompromising right wing stance.

If Senator Obama had known that Senator McCain would choose a woman for his vice president, do you think he might have changed his VP selection? Why or why not? In his position, would you have changed your VP to maybe Hillary Clinton?
-I don’t think he would have. He chose first, and he saw one of his weaknesses was his foreign policy, where Joe Biden was very strong. So no, I don’t think he would have reconsidered. I would not have changed it in his position either.


What are the huge differences you see between Senator Obama and Senator McCain, especially how they speak and act? Do you think as citizens, we really understand them?
-Obama: He seems more genuine and more intelligent. His demeanor is very steadfast and imperturbable. He speaks intellectually and in full sentences, and he knows what he’s talking about.
McCain: He appears more temperamental and passionate about what he speaks. He seems to harp over the same old things.


Reflection:

My parents are obviously democratic, and see Obama as a good choice for the next president of the United States. As representatives of the community, they like the accomplished, unfaltering demeanor Obama possesses over McCain’s more passionate one. Obama seems more secure, more promising to them. They have faith in his choices and like that he knows what he’s talking about.

English: News Clips

A selection of video clips chosen to document the progress of the 2008 campaign:

McCain's Nomination Acceptance Speech 09/04/08




Obama's Nomination Acceptance Speech 08/28/08




Vice Presidential Debate (C-Span) 10/2/08




Text to be displayed




Text to be displayed

Math: Assignment (Graphs, etc)

Those would be my two polls. I tried to crop to fit, so if the words are cut out, I'll have to go back and fix it.

Polls taken from Rasmussen (http://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/pres_polls.html)
Date Started: Feb. 17th, 2008.


Day Obama
0 41%
29 40%
55 40%
91 44%
125 43%
159 40%
187 41%
207 44%
214 45%
221 46%
223 46%
228 47%
235 47%
242 49%
244 49%
249 47%
256 49%






Day McCain
0 42%
29 46%
55 47%
91 45%
125 44%
159 46%
187 45%
207 51%
214 48%
221 50%
223 47%
228 48%
235 48%
242 47%
244 49%
249 49%
256 45%




State Choice:


I chose Ohio because it is a much-sought after state by both candidates. Both Barack Obama and John McCain are fighting for Ohio because it is a swing state and its number of electoral votes. It is important to me because I want to predict who will win to find the accuracy of my estimation. Because it could go either way in the election, I won’t be able to just guess, I have to use numbers and polls to find my results. Also, the graphs will be similar so and the accuracy of my line of linear regression will have to be perfect.




I beleive Senator McCain will win this sate because of his consistent lead in all the Rasmussen pollsm the graphs, and the line of linear regression. He has generally had a several point lead in the polls, starting from the February 15th, which was even before Obama had become the chosen Democratic Party nominee.