Virginia Political Issue: Education

The jobs rate in Virginia is relatively low compared to the other states, so in my opinion education is the most important political issue in Virginia. 

Virginia has some of the finest universities in the country and  remarkable public school systems in some areas. This is a result of streamlined spending on education from estates taxes. But I believe in order to increase job opportunities, people must have a strong educational base. So, basically more money will need to supplied to schools in order to have more teachers and programs to support the educationally desperate Virginians.

Debates have raged on about how many Virginians state schools such as Virginia should accept, but their argument is valid that they don't receive enough funds from the state to other in-state tuition. So, more money will need to be spent on education to help the overall state of Virginia.

Current Event # 4: North Africa

Interesting events are taking place in North Africa while the homecoming festivities were under way. The big event that everyone is talking about is the death of Qaddafi(or the million other ways you can spell his name), which cements the revolt of the rebels. The other event which has been less publicized is that Tunisia is having elections for the first time since their revolt. I am intrigued and will try to pay close attention to the success or failures of these new governments. I think we are going to see a whole new middle east by the time I am an adult. One which will be more tolerant of freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. The United States should in my opinion support these new governments to make sure they are on our side in the future, but make sure not to get involved in their governments, like we did in Iraq, and let democracy take its free course.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-23/libya-declares-liberation-tunisia-holds-first-vote-since-revolt.html

Curent Event #3: Inhumane Cain

Well first, I would like to start off by saying that I know I skipped current event #2, I was in Ohio and was lazy to get to a computer by Sunday night.

OK, now Herman Cain. One of my least favorite Republican candidates. First off he comes from a business background, all he sees in economic policies is cost and returns. His 9-9-9 plan resembles that of a pizza deal, which is exactly where he came from, CEO of Godfather Pizza. One fun fact is that it is the recommended settings in SimCity. 9% income tax, 9% sales tax and 9% business tax.  Now, I do agree that we should have tax overhaul, but this plan is not it.

He has little sense of the hardship that a majority of Americans are facing right now. For a 50k household, the tax burden would jump from 8.3k to 13.5k. A stupid 9% sales tax would kill low income families. The burden goes from rich people to poor people, who don't have much money to begin with, so whats the point? I fail to understand why during an economic downturn the first thing we choose to cut are programs for people who need it the most. This plan would increase the already huge gap between the rich and the poor. The middle class would shrink substantially as well. Businesses shouldn't like this either, because it does a terrible job with tax deductions. They can't deduct wages, and products made overseas... EVERYTHING IS MADE OVERSEAS!

Overall this plan is terrible and once people realize how much this sucks Cain will no longer be a contender, Good Night.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/On-the-Economy/2011/1014/999-Plan-A-distributional-nightmare

President Obama's Report Card

Health Care: B
Can't say i worry about health care because of my parents, but i do believe "Obama Care" has saved lives and will continue to do so. People can no longer be denied insurance because of a preexisting illness. People I know who are 26 years old or less can stay on their parents plan while they look for jobs. Obama care is projected to reduce the deficit and covers more people, so enough said.


Dealing with the Economic Downturn: C+
The one area that Obama has done well with the economy is the auto industry. With the bailout of GM came a preservation of millions of jobs, and GM is projected to pay off all the money they owe to the United States and Canada. Despite some advances here and  there, unemployment remains around 9% , and people are desperately looking for jobs. I think Obama needs to address our trade imbalance with China, which is just flat out beating us. No more on this subject.

War on Terror: A+
Obama has used the same defense budget as Bush and done twice as much with it. I'm glad we are finally getting out of Iraq(Bush's biggest blunder). Obama has put Al Qaeda on the defensive with the use of drones, seals, and normal ground troops. The deaths of Bin Laden and Anwar were crucial to the fight on terrorism, and we haven't had an attack in awhile. In my opinion, Obama has been one of the U.S.'s  better commanders in chief.

Reelection bid: B
Although it is still early, I think Obama has to be the favorite going into the next election.I agree that he has lost momentum from 2008. The economy is in the toilet at the moment and no one is happy with Washington. However, if he positions himself as a President who has tried to get the economy out of the hole (i.e. the jobs bill) he may be able to take key states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.; Florida will most likely go Republican.

Political Party Allignment

Although my views on politics is still evolving, I would have to say at this point I am most closely aligned with the Democrats. One reason being I don't trust Wall Street and the big banks, and I think they are a big reason why this economic recession started. I believe that government has a role in the economy, especially in infrastructure, which is is sub-standard compared to other countries such as Singapore. I think that America should have a certain "social net" to keep those who are on the brink of poverty to stay above. I agree on social issues such as legalizing same-sex marriage, legalizing marijuana, abortion rights, some gun control laws, and in separation between church and state. Overall at the moment, I consider myself a "liberal", but this could very well change the next day, it is forever evolving.

Current Event #1: Partisan Politics

Over the summer there was a sense of brinkmanship inside the Beltway of a possible government default on its loans. Thankfully a deal was struck, but it was pushed to the final day before default, giving many Americans the question of whether Congress and the President were able to govern effectively. Flash forward to yesterday Monday September 26th and you find a congress that still has no way of dealing with the issues that face this country. The midterm elections of 2010 brought together a House full of Tea Party supporters and the other aisle filled with big government liberals. Many of the moderate politicians are out of Washington becasue of the previous election. It will be interesting to see how long the politicians in Washington will be willing to stay in gridlock over issues such as the struggling economy. We may not get concrete action from the government until the 2012 elections are over. (sigh) http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/bipartisanship-is-dead-at-least-until-2013/2011/09/27/gIQAxkH31K_blog.html?hpid=z3