2013 SOTU Prediction Review

The five topics I predicted Obama would discuss at this year's SOTU were job creation, immigration law, protecting the middle class, reducing the deficit and debt and gun control.
Obama discussed job creation and how since the recession there have been six billion new jobs created.  He also talked about a new immigration reform as well as improving lives for the middle class as they're the backbone the America.  The end of the speech was focused on gun control, which everyone was waiting for.  Obama gave a powerful message about how there will be stricter laws when it comes to buying and selling guns.
The topics of surprise involved raising minimum wage, womens rights, and cyber hacking.  These topics were the highlight of discussion for those on Twitter discussing the SOTU as they were completely unexpected.
Overall I feel I predicted well what Obama would say in his speech, though my predictions of his plans were off.  Now is the time to watch and see what the president can do.

State of the Union Predictions

President Obama will use this year’s State of the Union address to build on topics he has previously discussed in his re-election campaign.  The annual speech before Congress will focus on an equal economy and other difficult issues the president as spoken of.

House Speaker John Boehner, Republican from Ohio, said in a letter inviting Obama to the State of the Union address the people are waiting to see that Congress and Obama can come together to solve America’s problems and make us a greater nation.

“Our nation continues to face immense challenges, and the American people expect us to work together in the new year to find meaningful solutions," Boehner said.

Potential topics being covered in this year’s SOTU include:

• Job creation
• Immigration law
• Protecting the middle class
• Reducing the deficit and debt
• Gun control
•  

The president has brought these issues to attention in his attempt to revive the economy since the recession.  Job growth is a top priority to continue during his next term though it has been quite successful already.  This is particularly seen in professional services, health care and manufacturing according to a study by CNN, which found the Labor Department had recovered about 4 million jobs overall during Obama’s first term.

Immigration law is also a top priority because it focuses on the businesses hiring undocumented workers and those who are in American illegally as well.

“We have to deal with the 11 million individuals who are here illegally. We all agree that these men and women should have to earn their way to citizenship. But for comprehensive immigration reform to work, it must be clear from the outset that there is a pathway to citizenship,” Obama said on his website BarackObama.com.

            While immigration law is part of the equal rights fight in America, so is the fight for the middle class in the nation.  In protecting the middle class Obama plans to revamp the tax code, reform schools and reduce health care.  Middle-income families have already been protected since the Bush tax cuts have been restored but he may introduce other measure to protect them.

            Obama may also bring up protecting those depending on Social Security and Medicare by finding other ways to reduce the deficit and debt.  According to WhiteHouse.Gov Obama’s plan to “Reduce the Deficit and Win the Future” includes:

• Domestic spending cuts
• Build on bipartisan budget agreement, with the largest government reduction in government spending ever.
• Cut non-security spending levels consistent with the bipartisan deficit commission.
• Security spending cuts
• Hold growth in base security spending below inflation, while further improving efficiency and effectiveness.
• Health care costs
• Bend the long-term cost curve for Medicare.
• Make Medicaid more flexible, efficient and accountable.
• Tax reform
• Close loopholes and produce a tax system that is simpler, fairer and not rigged in favor of those who can game it.
• Reduce tax expenditures enough to lower rates and lower the deficit.
•  

Another top priority Obama may focus on is reducing gun violence and protecting children and communities by implementing stricter gun control.

“Every step we intend to take will preserve the tradition of responsible gun ownership in our country and uphold the Second Amendment. And while we'll never end gun violence entirely, if we can save the life of even one child, then we have a responsibility to act,” Obama said.

According to BarackObama.com, Obama has “called on Congress to act on four specific legislative measures: losing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons and limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, making our schools safer, and increasing access to mental health services.”

These issues have been looked over many times, and this year America hopes to see progress within them.  All of these initiatives will be difficult to pass but America expects to hear Obama’s plan and solutions for them, as well as become a team with Congress.  The SOTU will be held on Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12 at 9 p.m. EST.

MLK Day - Still Significant?

Martin Luther King Jr. had a message he wished to spread across the U.S. about nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement. He helped to successfully protest racial discrimination in federal and state law. Unfortunately, his message is no longer heard loud and clear.  In this generation, students said what MLK stood for is less important than what it used to mean.

Christina Stradwick, a sophomore, said she took the time on Martin Luther King Day to discuss with friends how nice it is that they can all be friends and go to the same school thanks to the civil rights movement. Stradwick said they also discussed how sad it is more people are using the holiday as an excuse to have a free day, rather than appreciate the rights they have now.

"I think that sometimes people don't realize how important it actually is. People get excited for [the holiday] because everyone gets a day off work or school, but they don't realize how important it is or how important he was," said Stradwick.

Not only is it important to look at what MLK stood for when he was alive, but also to focus on the holiday itself and what people had to go through to make it happen.

It took 15 years to create the federal holiday in MLK’s memory. U.S. Representative John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, and U.S. State Senator Edward Brooke, a Republican from Massachusetts, first introduced legislation for the commemorative holiday just four days after MLK was assassinated in 1968.

After the bill was stalled, petitions in support of the holiday with six million names were submitted to Congress. In a 2006 article in The Nation it was deemed "the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history."

Conyers and Representative Shirley Chisholm, a Democrat from New York, resubmitted the MLK holiday legislation each legislative session. Public pressure for the holiday also increased during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington.

Congress finally passed the holiday legislation in 1983, which was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

         To overcome opposition to the holiday, a compromise was formed that instead of holding the holiday on Jan. 15, MLK's birthday, it would be held the third Monday in January - to move it farther from Christmas and New Year's.

         Some states resisted celebrating the holiday - some opponents said that MLK didn't deserve his own holiday because the entire civil rights movement should be celebrated, rather than an individual. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

While his message is becoming harder to hear, there are those who still take the time to remember MLK's dream and what he stood for. Students said this could be tied to this year’s re-election of Obama and his inauguration on Jan. 21. Holding the nation's first African-American president's second inauguration on MLK Day gave citizens another reason to celebrate. The question is, will they feel the same way next year?

Sophomore Ethan Bartlett said he used his free day on Jan. 21 to look back on important moments in MLK history as well as pay attention to the history going on today.

"I spent most of the day watching some of the inauguration ceremonies. I read a lot of things on MLK just to see different speeches, I read the "I Have a Dream" speech and I reflected on it a lot," said Bartlett.

I personally tracked the inauguration via Twitter. Attendees continually tweeted updates giving quotes from President Obama’s and others’ speeches as well as other events throughout the day. I found this extremely convenient being in a car for nine hours from North Carolina with no access to television (the mountains do not typically offer good service to watch clips on a smartphone). I was still informed of what was happening and enjoyed being able to see how my friends reacted to the president’s speech as it was being posted and sharing my reactions as well.

Other things that could be seen on social media, such as Facebook, were pictures of MLK with memorable quotes, showing support for the man who helped changed many lives.

For those in older generations, they will hold MLK's dream firm in their mind for the rest of their lives. They lived through it and watched history happen. However, what of the younger generations that do not understand the hardships they did not have to face?

The new generation experiences difficult times via social media by posting pictures of those that have passed, asking for prayers or likes for a cause and other such things all done with a keyboard and a click of a mouse.

The fear the people are looking at now is that activism will no longer be as active if it means going beyond a screen. The younger generations are losing empathy by seeing crucial events happen online all the time. They need more to care for and especially to care for longer than a week until the next major event occurs.

I find myself pushing away from politics and important events because everyone pushes them into my life via social media.  It may connect everyone to the world and what’s happening around them, but it also weakens our compassion and our desire to be more active with the world itself.

MLK fought and struggled for years to make his dream come true and it led to his death. Others in the civil rights movement fought, struggled and hoped for a better nation for themselves and their children. Now that the people have achieved this to some level the fear now is that the dream will eventually fade, lose its significance and die.

MLK Holiday Proposal Assignment

I'm quite excited to start my op-ed piece on the MLK holiday and it's meaning to young people.  My boyfriend recently said he disagreed with Dr. King's views on non-violence and this was something I didn't think was possible - that someone could disagree with someone people celebrate each year.  Then it became apparent that though we have a holiday to celebrate the great things Dr. King has done, it doesn't mean people actually celebrate.  It's turned into another reason to have a 3-day weekend to look forward to.

I'm excited to talk to my boyfriend more about his views: why he has them and where they came from. I'm also looking forward to talking to other students who may feel similar that they disagree with Dr. King's views or maybe they respect and appreciate what he has done but still don't think it's cause to have a day off school or work.

I hope doing research for this story allows people to share their points of view that aren't often heard since it might be a negative thing to focus on.  I also hope that those who don't get their say on the subject are content knowing that someone is doing the work to find those views and share them with the world.

NY Times Op-Ed Writers: Woody Allen & Alissa Quart

"Hypochondria - An Inside Look" By Woody Allen

In this piece Allen is called upon by the NY Times to write about his experiences as a hypochondriac because he is strongly believed to be one.  Allen points out in the lead paragraph that his affliction is actually similar to hypochondria, but not quite the same.  His following paragraphs after the lead explain the difference between being a hypochondriac and an alarmist and why what he goes through is very real rather than imaginative.   He gives examples of different situations in which he dealt with being an alarmist - the smallest things that happened to him, such as having chapped lips, had him fearing death was around the corner.

"The point is, I am always certain I’ve come down with something life threatening. It matters little that few people are ever found dead of chapped lips. Every minor ache or pain sends me to a doctor’s office in need of reassurance that my latest allergy will not require a heart transplant..."

I thought this piece was well-written because it was personal and gave evidence to his argument that what he goes through is real.  It also has a touch of humor that causes the reader the become more involved with the story since it is entertaining as well.  The only downfall was that he didn't have support from any other sources.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

"The Thinking Person's Entertainment" By Alissa Quart

In this article Quart discusses various TV shows that people find entertaining simply because they tell an interesting story and give people a break from their own lives and the constant exercise of multitasking.  This is increased by our easy access to watching these shows at our leisure, by way of DVR and Netflix.

Quart points out that because of technology we're always jumping from one activity to another.  By just sitting and watching TV we get a sense of peace from one problem occurring and being solved within the same episode.

"By pulling us away from Twitter, texts, e-mails, pointless videos and all the other technological distractions demanding attention, “Homeland,” “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” provide a coherent (albeit sometimes disturbing) refuge from our fragmented lives."

I thought this piece was very well-written because it not only gave Quart's personal account of how watching TV shows gives her a piece of peace in her otherwise hectic life.  She also has supporting evidence from a scholar from the City University of New York Graduate Center, Lev Manovich which shows she reached out to get more information from a credible source.

First Day Rhyme

For my journalism class we have to write
on our blogs day and night.
I hope I do well and make good grades,
I'll try to attend class every day.
So far I made this blog and it's alright,
but I look forward to Twitter fights.
Using these sites are useful tools
to learn about reporting in school.

Also the beat I am covering is the Cabell County Board of Education.