Obama Declares H1N1 Emergency

Background: H1N1, more commonly known as swine flu, is a strain of the flu that has hit people around the world hard. It has created a pandemic and has made all people fearful.

Summary: President Obama has declared a national emergency to deal with H1N1. His administration said that it has nothing to do with the current case count or any new development. Instead, it allows the federal government help states deal with the pandemic by lifting bureaucratic requirements. Obama has allowed Health and Human Services to waive some requirements in hope to help health care facilities. Since the beginning of the pandemic in April, more than 20,000 people have been hospitalized and more than 1,000 people have died. Millions and millions of vaccines have been sent out across the country, but they are being given faster than they can be distributed.

Analysis: Obama's declaration of a national emergency a very appropriate and necessary step. The federal government needed to do something to help states deal with the effects of the pandemic. The lifting of bureaucratic requirements makes it so the states can worry more about what they need to do to keep their people healthy rather than worrying about the process they need to go through and the requirements they have to meet to solve their problems.

Editorial: Although I think that the steps Obama has taken in dealing with the H1N1 pandemic have been good, I think more needs to be done before the pandemic reaches even worse levels. The idea of getting a flu that is potentially life threatening is very freighting. I am trying to do all I can to make sure I avoid getting swine flu, but there are some situations I can't avoid. Most kids get swine flu from there friends at school. I think schools need to come up with a way to prevent the spread of H1N1 in school, like a closing. That way, everyone can rest and get better, while not missing any work.

Who Will Win the Virginia Governors Race?

The Virginia governors race between Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell is starting to heat up as election day draws closer. According to polls, its appears as though McDonnell will win the election. Although I think that Deeds is better suited for the position, I agree with the polls, and believe McDonnell will be victorious. While both candidates have plans and ideas for improvement, McDonnell's ideas are more clear and have been more clearly addressed. Deeds' poor public speaking gives the public the idea that he is unprepared to deal with the problems that Virginia is facing. Transportation is one of the biggest issues that the state is facing. McDonnell has a specific and aggressive plan to deal with the problem while Deeds currently has no established plan. This hurts Deeds. Ultimately, the biggest factor in the election is that Virginia is a Republican state, thus the Republican candidate already has an advantage. In order for Deeds to overcome the advantage that McDonnell has, he needs to really push Obama's presidency and his ideas similar to those of Obama. He has failed to do this. Bob McDonnell's victory in the Virginia governors race won't be because he is a better candidate than Creigh Deeds, but because Deeds failed to express his ideas and goals to the public.

Virginia's Biggest Political Issue

The biggest political issue facing the the state of Virginia is the economy. Our country is facing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It has affected every state, including Virginia. People are losing jobs, losing homes to foreclosure, and small businesses are struggling to remain in business. Major changes are going to be necessary in order to get Virginia's economy in a state where the people won't have to worry about it. I think the governors race will have a major impact on how the economic problems will be dealt with. Each candidate has different ideas on how to fix the economy. A lot of effort and a lot of change is going to have to take place in order for Virginia's economy to return to a prosperous time.

Pentagon Cancels Deployment of 3,500 U.S. Troops to Iraq

Background: President Obama plans to remove all troops from Iraq by August 2010, while he will likely increase the number of troops in Afghanistan.

Summary: Because the military is trying to decrease the number of troops in Iraq, more than 3,000 troops that were scheduled to deploy were not sent to Iraq. The withdrawal of troops from Iraq is taking place along with the debate of whether or not to send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. All combat troops are planned to be removed by August while 50,000 troops will remain in advisory roles. Those advisory troops will be removed by the end of 2011. There are many concerns that may delay the removal of troops from Iraq. Uncertainty with the upcoming Iraqi election and continued violence in Iraq are major concerns that make the government wonder if the withdrawal of troops is the appropriate action.

Analysis: There is always going to be a lot of concerns in Iraq because it is not a stable country. The military has done a good job of dealing with the violence and has set up the base for a democratic government. Now it is time for the troops to leave and let the Iraqi people and government use what has been set up for them. If more troops are going to be sent to Afghanistan then the military should put all of its focus into one area.

Editorial: I think Obama is doing the right thing by removing the troops from Iraq. We have done all we can do to stabilize Iraq and it is time for us to leave. Violence will always be a concern in Iraq. I can understand why Obama and the military might second guess their withdrawal plan, but the concerns they have will take a very long time to solve. They need to continue to remove troops from Iraq so no more American lives are lost.

Source: www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/10/17/u.s.iraq.troops/index.html

Obstacles Ahead For Obama's Gay Rights Goals

Background: Barack Obama does not support same-sex marriage and believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, but he does support civil unions for same sex couples that offer similar rights and protections

Summary: President Obama gave a speech on Saturday to the Human Rights Campaign. He commended the group for the strides they have made towards equal rights and promised to deliver on campaign promises. Critics have said that Obama has put this issue on the back burner. Obama has been pushing Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act that was passed under Bill Clinton. Many Senators don't support this push because their states have laws prohibiting same-sex marriage. Obama said in his speech that there are still many laws to change and hearts to open.

Analysis: Obama's speech was a good way to reassure the gay community that he is going to help give them equal rights. Obama has placed the issue on the back burner. This is because there are many more important issue that need to be taken care of like the economic downturn, war on terror, and health care system. Not much progress will be made in this area in the near future, but once Obama is further into his first term and has dealt with some of the country's major problems, he will work to make sure that the gay community gets equal rights.

Editorial: I agree with the steps that Obama is taking. Although I don't support gay marriage, I do think that gays do deserve equal rights and the ability to marry if they choose. I think Obama will have a difficult time making sure the gay community gets equal rights because there is so much controversy over it. It will take a lot of work to get all states to get rid of there laws against gay marriage. I do think Obama has put the issue on the back burner and it is sort of a good thing. There are many other issues that Obama needs to deal with before he tries to gain rights for gays.

Source: www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/11/obama.gay.rights.reax/index.html

President Obama's Report Card

Health Care: When it comes to health care, President Obama has only provided ideas. His ideas for a universal health care system are good and will eventually help the nation, but he has been all talk and no action. I would give Obama a B for health care. His ideas are proactive and will help keep our country in good health to make good decisions. Once Obama's ideas are put into action, this grade will improve.

Economic Downturn: Obama was put into a very difficult situation. He came into office facing one of the worst economic downturns since the Great Depression. Although it is a tough situation, Obama hasn't done a very good job. I would give him a D. Dealing with the economic downturn should have been the first thing on Obama's agenda because in order for our country to improve, our economy needs to be saved. Obama should be working to decrease spending rather than increasing spending. Even though his spending is being used to stimulate the economy, Obama is just putting the country further into debt.

War on Terror: I would give Obama a C+ when it comes to the War on Terror. He is being true to his word by removing troops from Iraq and declaring that combat would in Iraq would end by August 2010. However, Obama took a slight step backwards by increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan. Obama needs to focus on improving the conditions in our own country. Continuing to fight and send troops is just a distraction that will slow the improvement of the problems with our economy, health care system, etc.

Overall: Overall I would give Obama a C. He has not been in office long enough to really make an massive improvements or changes. He also stepped into office facing some very pressing demands and many problems to deal with. So far Obama has been a lot of talk and no action which will not help make improvements. I do believe that his ideas, once put into action, will greatly improve the country.

Long Lines For Veterans Looking For Emergency Economic Funds

Background: The Post 9/11 GI Bill gave veterans benefits including four years of educational tuition. Many veterans are beginning to want the benefits that the bill guarantees them.

Summary: On Friday, 8,500 checks were given out to out to veterans by the Department of Veteran Affairs. These checks totaled $26 million. An additional 7,880 request for funds were made that would total $23.6 million. Veterans had been calling to the VA to process the applications faster because they were having to borrow money and in some cases drop out of school. The emergency funds program fixed this problem.

Analysis: When the veterans began to complain about the problems with the process of receiving their benefits, the VA was very good at coming up with a solution to appease the well deserving veterans. If everything goes as planned, every veteran will be served which is the right thing because every veteran deserves to be rewarded for the hard work they put into protecting our country.

Comment: I think the VA is doing a really good thing by making sure all veterans receive their benefits and receive them in a timely fashion. All the veterans are deserving and should be rewarded in this way for all of the hard work they dedicated to our country. However, I do think that this could add to our country's economic problems. It causes the government to spend even more money when they should be finding ways to save money.

Political Issue That I Am Personally Interested In

There are many political issues that I am interested in, but most recently I have become interested in the problems with the Social Security system. With the baby boomers beginning to retire, people fear that the Social Security system will run out of money and collapse. I agree with these people. I worry that I will have to pay taxes towards Social Security all of my working years and then when it comes time for me to retire, I will never see a Social Security check with my name on it. It doesn't seem fair that my generation will have to give up some of our money when we will never get anything in return. I really think the government needs to devise a plan that will prevent the Social Security system from collapsing. There are many people in our country that rely on Social Security checks. Without them, the people may suffer from even worse economic problems.