Political Cartoon 4

1.) Larry Wright drew this political cartoon

2.) It was published in the Detroit News on December 17, 2009

3.) This political cartoon deals with the division between Democrats and Republicans, the economy,  and the holiday season.

4.) With the current economy, there's not a lot of extra money for holiday spending. This cartoon jokes that Santa wants to know the children's political alignment in order to know whether or not he should get them a lot for Christmas. I think it's possible Santa could represent Barack Obama because he is in charge of where funds are allocated and he would only want to give to Democrats. 

5.) There's always a big divide between Democrats and Republicans and typically a lot of dislike. If Santa does represent Obama, Republicans won't get "what they want for Chrismtas" (money and support) which is unfair, but that's usually what happens with opposing parties. 

Why I Love Christmas :)

My favorite holiday is definitely Christmas. This holiday is very important to my religion and I love it because I get to celebrate it with my family. 

I like the happy, spirited feeling of Christmas. Many stores and houses put up a lot of lights and decorations and I think it makes everything look so pretty. I like going shopping for Christmas gifts to give to family and friends. 

I have 5 older siblings so Christmas is one of the rare times every year that we all get together. My sisters and I love to bake Christmas goodies like sugar cookies, gingerbread, and bread. We buy a Christmas tree and decorate it. On Christmas Eve night (which also my brother's birthday), we dress up and go to a candlelight service at my church. Then we come back and open presents around the tree, but I like to leave a few of my presents to open on Christmas morning. We usually stay up pretty late. On Christmas Day, I help my mom make Christmas dinner and I enjoy spending time with my family.

Merry Christmas everyone!

The "Holiday" Season

Personally, I think that religious displays are completely appropriate especially around this time of year. The holiday season is about celebrating a holiday that's important to your religion and yours alone. Therefore, I don't think people should be so offended about a specific religious display. I think religious displays are fine unless they put down any other religions in the process. 

I think big retailers are to blame for people shying away from being holiday specific. I can't even remember the last time I saw an ad that said "Merry Christmas" instead of "Happy Holidays." I can see that these businesses have clients from all religious backgrounds and they don't want to single anyone out but I feel like the people businesses are most afraid of offending are people who have no religious beliefs.

It annoys me that those kinds of people take the spirit out of these important holidays just because they don't take part in anything. Holiday season is just a broad term for the celebrations that take place from November to January. But what people sometimes forget is that most of those holidays have religious backgrounds. I think that if holidays would become less about holiday shopping and gift-giving, then religious displays would become more accepted. 

Political Cartoon 3

1.) Bob Englehart drew this political cartoon

2.) It was published on December 12, 2009 in the Hartford Courant.

3.) This cartoons discusses both Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and his recent decision to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan.

4.) The cartoon shows Obama receiving his Nobel Prize, but he is wearing an army helmet and shooting it with a gun. It's kind of ironic the Obama was given an award that honors those who promote global peace, and yet he has escalated the war in Afghanistan. 

5.) I agree with the artist of this cartoon. I too think it's unfitting for Obama to receive a "peace award" and then choose to endanger lives of soldiers and increase the conflict in Afghanistan. 

Health Care Happenings

After passing the House of Representatives, the current health care reform bill is at the Senate is being debated. Amendments are being created but the bill has not formally passed the Senate yet. If passed, the health care bill would go to a House-Senate Conference Committee which would resolve differences between different versions of the bill. 

Some problems that people have with the health care bill that are currently being debated are whether public financing would be available for women getting abortions or whether illegal immigrants could receive public financing. Also, whether there would be cuts in Medicare reimbursements. That is when the federal government pays medical providers for services for patients 65 and older. 

I think that after a lot of discussion and resolution of the major problems, the health care bill will be approved. Republican and Democrats really disagree on health care, so I think that it will take awhile before a resolution is created. 

Political Cartoon 2

1.) Mike Smith drew this political cartoon.

2.) It was published in The Dallas Morning News on December 5, 2009.

3.) This article is joking about texting while driving

4.) The cartoon shows a man sitting in a psychiatrist's chair saying "I have a death wish." The psychiatrist asks him "How long have you been texting while driving?" 

This cartoon is saying that the most common life-threatening thing that people do these days is texting while driving. It's become so common that the psychiatrist just assumes that that's what the man's problem is. 

5.) I agree that texting while driving has become a really big problem. It's something that's mostly associated with teenagers.  However, I don't think it's the only dangerous habit Americans have developed. Gambling, drugs, and drunk driving are also just as serious as texting while driving.