VA Governor's Race

I think Bob McDonnell will win the Virginia Governor's Race to be held on November 3. He says that he wants to be a "jobs governor" which I think Virginia needs right now because of the economic recession.

McDonnell's opponent's (Deeds) platform suggests that he is very interested in environmental issues. Some people think that's important, but personally, I don't think it's the most important issue in Virginia right now and I would rather see the issues of job creation and the economy resolved first.

To a lot of people, McDonnell is really conservative which may hurt him a little bit. But so far, all the polls show McDonnell in the lead over Democrat, Creigh Deeds. I'm actually surprised that McDonnell is ahead in the polls. At last year's election, almost all the political elections were won by Democrats and it's surprising that a Republican might win. I assumed that because of the strong support of Barack Obama last year, Virginia Democrats would be very involved in this election, and endorse Deeds.

From watching the commercials and reading the newspaper about the election, I have more confidence in McDonnell as governor. Deeds has done a lot of slanderous commercials, whereas I feel McDonnell has focused on the issues more. We'll see what happens on November 3!

Current Event #5- H1N1 Becomes National Emergency

President Obama announced this week that the increase of illness of Swine Flu is a national emergency and will take actions that will hopefully decrease the number of people affected. 

Obama signed a declaration on Friday that will give the federal government more power to help the states by providing more vaccines. Some requirements for a vaccine will be waived and equipment will be given to states that need it the most. Those requirements are contained in Medicare, Medicaid and state Children's Health Insurance programs, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy rule.

Obama said that the pandemic may overburden health care resources which would be detrimental to everyone. 

Since arriving in the US in April, millions of people have been infected and over 1000 have died. 

I agree that the H1N1 virus is a problem and I think Obama and other health care officials have made the right choice by making vaccines more available. It's a good idea to stop some cases of the flu now, before too many people are infected and money is drained. 

Click here for the full article from CNN.

Biggest Issue Facing VA

The biggest issue facing Virginia right now is transportation, especially in Northern Virginia. Both candidates for governor have addressed this issue in their campaigns.

Major problems right now are the number of cars, traffic delays, unpaved roads, and roads in bad condition.

These issues are not expected to improve without immediate attention and funding.

Check out some facts from "It's Time Virginia":

• More than 8,000 of Virginia’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
• Increasing traffic congestion causes approximately 38 annual hours of delay for each urban motorist in Virginia – nearly one full working week.
• Approximately one third of Virginia’s major roads are rated in substandard or mediocre condition.
• By 2025, 45 percent of Virginia’s roadways are expected to be congested unless the state’s roadways and public transit systems are expanded.

The safety of motorists should be an important issue for the state of Virginia. So many people use our roads everyday, that we can't afford not to have high quality roads.

Current Event #4-Recession Catching Up to Alaska

Numbers released Friday show that Alaska's unemployment rate is up to 8.4%, up from 6.7% last year. As winter approaches, two major parts of the economy, tourism and construction, decrease.

Due to the economic struggles throughout the nation, many people in America may view Alaska as a steady place to be because of the manufacturing and industry. However, Brad Gillespie, a regional director for jobs centers in Anchorage, urges people not to move to Alaska unless they already have a job in place.

A state economist said that Alaska is often isolated from national economic trends because the economy is so different: manufacturing, sea food processing, the energy sector, and federal spending on military.

Alaskan Governor Parnell (R) said that stimulus money has helped, but he hopes that Washington will make some efforts towards long term improvement like tax cuts aimed at job creation.

For now, Parnell is hoping to boost the state economy with a new tourism campaign.

Click here for the full article.

Obama's Report Card

Health Care: I would give President Obama a C+ for the Health Care reform because he has proposed suggestions but nothing has actually gone into effect yet. Considering Congress is mostly Democrat right now, I feel like he has an advantage, but nothing has happened yet. Also, the health care benefits wouldn't be available until 2013, which is a long time to wait for those who really need it.

Economic Recession: Obama earns a C for helping fix the economic recession. It is a big undertaking, but he did promise to fix it while running for president. There are still about 15 million unemployed people and the US is losing more jobs everyday. While the stock market is improving, the recession is definitely not over and I think stronger programs and actions are required to fix the economy.

War on Terror: Lastly, I would give a C for the War on Terror. While troops have been removed from Iraq, more troops will be deployed to Afghanistan. I think this is necessary to win the War on Terror, but it's not exactly what President Obama promised when he ran for president.

I'm not giving him any bonus points for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Unlike the NPP, I'm not going to reward for promises instead of actions.

Current Event #3- Insurance Companies upset over Health Care

Insurance Companies issued a statement this week saying that President Obama's health care policy would drive up the costs for consumers. This statement comes just before the Senate will vote on the proposal.

Democrats say they aren't worried about the bad press, but they are staying alert because they want the bill to pass.

Inusurance companies' studies conclude that the legislation would add $1,700 a year to the cost of family coverage in 2013, when most of the major provisions in the bill would be in effect. Premiums for a single person would go up by $600 more than would be the case without the legislation. The price increase would come from new taxes.

Democrats say that the disapproval of the insurance companies is not valid because it fails to awknowledge the subsidies that would help low and middle class families afford the health care.

Major Points: Senate will vote for Obama's health care plan on Tuesday and may be dissuaded to approve it because of the disapproval and opposition of insurance companies.

Click here for the full article.

Current Event #2- Obama's Dilemma

While running for office, President Obama said that the Iraq war was a distraction and that he would withdraw, but the war on Afghanistan was a "war of necessity."

Since taking office, he has shifted the US's focus to Afghanistan, sending 20,000 additional troops. But as the war begins its 8th year Obama worries of failure and the need to send even more soldiers to fight.

Obama faces pressure from the public. Only 39% of Americans favor the war. People are hoping that President Obama stays faithful to his promise to end the war.

Major Points: Obama has switched focus onto the war in Afghanistan. He may need to send 40,000 more soldiers which would only make the war larger. His advisory staff is split on possible actions.

I think that Obama should keep his word about ending the war. It is important for him to come up with a solution that won't cost more lives while still resulting in American victory.

Click here for the article on CNN.com

An issue I'm interested in

Flag desecration is something that we recently discussed in class, so it sparked my interest on the issue.

I was not aware that burning an American flag was legal until a couple years ago. I had always assumed that since the flag represented our country, the police and the government would not want people to destroy it. Personally, I think that flag burning or desecration should be illegal. I just don't understand why anyone who lives in this country and enjoys the liberties we have would want to burn something that represents American sacrifices that have secured our rights.

After doing some research, I discovered that in 1968, 48 of 50 states enacted Flag Protection Acts, but the Supreme Court overturned them because they violated the First Amendment. In recent polls, 63% of Americans said that they did not want to amend the Constitution to prohibit flag desecration.