Archive for the 'Politics' Category

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Victory for Students as Obama Unveils Loan Forgiveness Plan

By: alex.chrum, October 27, 2011 in Finance, Government, News and Politics. Closed Tags: , , , , .

When it comes to student loans, I’ve been luckier than most. Federal financial aid and academic scholarships paid for almost all of my college education. Even so, a majority of students in America today will earn their Bachelor’s degrees and consequently face roughly $25,000 in debt. For those who decide to go to graduate or law schools, that amount is often tripled.

An Occupy Wall Street protestor shows his dissatisfaction with the current student loan program

This leaves young people with an unrealistic burden to carry. After all, it is next to impossible to find a job without a college degree. Higher education has become almost as crucial to social survival as elementary and high schools. Yet with today’s economic climate, jobs have never been harder to come by. Those who graduate with a degree often cannot find careers until several years after they have completed their schooling. Without a legitimate income, how can they pay back the thousands of dollars it took for them to get their education in the first place?

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Earthquake in Turkey Reminds Midwesterners of the Fears Lurking in Their Own Backyard

By: alex.chrum, October 24, 2011 in News, Politics, Science and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , .

Yesterday around 1:40 P.M. local time, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit about 12 miles from the Turkish city of Van. Its effects and aftershocks left most of the eastern part of the country in utter destruction, with a total of 970 buildings having collapsed, including 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory.

The Golcuk Mosque and Minaret stand unaffected amidst the destruction of Sunday's earthquake

So far, 264 people have died and 1,300 are injured. Unfortunately, however, these numbers are expected to rise astronomically, as more extensive rescue efforts are underway today. The main obstacle to clean-up efforts now is the near-freezing temperatures, forcing rescuers and survivors alike to test their own physical limitations. Despite this frigid atmosphere, a good number of residents refuse to return to their homes and are instead sleeping on the streets, either because their residences have been destroyed or simply because they are scared.

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Gaddafi is Dead! …Gaddafi Who?

By: alex.chrum, October 21, 2011 in Government, News and Politics. Closed Tags: , , , .

When Muammar al-Gaddafi seized control of Libya in 1969, his dictatorship changed the landscape of the country forever. Not only did he abolish the country’s Constitution, instituting his own form of aggressive and destructive government of which he was the sole participant, but he funded militants, terror groups and guerilla armies.

Libyans celebrate Gaddafi's death in Martyr's Square

He caused destruction not only in the country over which he ruled, but in the world at large. His regime was held responsible for several terror attacks, including the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that of a French passenger jet in Africa in 1989 and the 1986 bombing of a German dance club.

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The World Series Returns to Saint Louis for the Third Time in Seven Years

By: alex.chrum, October 19, 2011 in News, Politics and Sports. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed growing up in St. Louis, it’s that we have some of the most diehard sports fans in the country. I’ve seen tricked-out Hummers with custom Blues paint jobs, more Cardinals tattoos than I can count (yes, the permanent kind) and enough Rams merchandise to keep me from forgetting that we still have a football team. But our dedication really is somewhat ironic, when you think about it. For a good seven years, we didn’t even have a football team; the Cardinals moved to Arizona in ’88, and it wasn’t until ’95 that we acquired the Rams from L.A.

Saint Louis Cardinals players celebrate after clinching a birth to the world series.

Since then, they’ve made it to the Super Bowl twice, winning the first against Tennessee in 2000 and losing the second to New England in 2002. The St. Louis Blues, my favorite team, have never, ever, EVER won a Stanley Cup in franchise history (much to my chagrin). The Cardinals, our one saving grace, have played in the World Series a total of 17 times. Of those 17, they have won ten and lost only seven.

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Moderate Jon Huntsman Throws His Hat Into the GOP Presidential Race

By: Zack Stovall, June 21, 2011 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Huntsman

The GOP field to challenge sitting President Barack Obama is thickening, with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman declaring today that he will be a candidate for the Republican primary.

Huntsman was elected and re-elected the Governor of Utah in 2004 and 2008 before being named U.S. Ambassador to China in Obama’s Administration. In fact, he has served in four administrations altogether, including the Reagan and both Bush Administrations along with the current President’s.

Huntsman is seen as a fiscal conservative, while being somewhat socially moderate. In a primary campaign that has its share of social conservatives, Huntsman is seen as a viable alternative, and someone with a proven track record of reaching across the aisle and working with the other party, in this case, Democrats.

This also marks the second Mormon to enter the race, the first being Mitt Romney. No Mormon has ever occupied the White House.

‘The Daily Show’s’ Jon Stewart Publically Debates Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly

By: Zack Stovall, May 17, 2011 in Celebrities, News and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Politics can usually get a little boring, with hot-headed motor mouths on both sides of the aisle getting into shouting matches about things that don’t seem to matter very much, don’t get anything done and don’t seem to be that much different.

But pit “The Daily Show’s” Jon Stewart against those in the mainstream media, and you can not only expect fireworks, but a few laughs, too.

Comedian Jon Stewart, host of the Comedy Central juggernaut which many people regularly view for their day-to-day news ahead of mainstream media outlets, went on the Fox News show “The O’Reilly Factor” to debate with the eponymous host about the recent controversy regarding rapper/poet Common being invited to speak at the White House by President Barack Obama. Common’s songs and poems have often been critical of past presidents and have evoked images of killing police officers, which irked many conservatives.

This is not Stewart’s first foray into mainstream media. He notably debated with then-anchor Tucker Carlson on CNN’s “Crossfire” about the merits of his own satirical show vs. what was an apparent lack in the quality of the actual journalism done by Carlson and his cronies according to Stewart. This debate sparked another firestorm of debate, and even lead to “Crossfire” (as well as Carlson) being canceled (let go).

Such debates invite numerous questions about Stewart’s role in the media, most pertaining to the most simple one: What is Stewart’s role in the media? Merry prankster in the galleries or powerful advocate who is indeed part of the media? Stewart has always maintained he is first and foremost a comedian, but also acknowledges he plays a very persuasive role when it comes to political discourse.

Luckily, no matter if you’re a comedy or a political buff, you’ll like enjoy the show.

National Day of Prayer Today Opens Conversation Between Government and Religion

By: Zack Stovall, May 5, 2011 in Government and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Today marks the 60th annual National Day of Prayer. Across the country, elected officials will participate with their constituents in a number of different religious ceremonies of various faiths, including Christianity (both Protestants and Catholics), Islam and Judaism. Traditionally, the President has given a message, calling for the nation to collectively keep the country and its various branches and arms, both at home and abroad, in its thoughts and prayers.

Discussions of religion from duly-elected state officials opens the floodgates of debate between those wary of the potential of state-sponsored religion and those who embrace it. In the First Amendment to the Constitution (one of the first ten amendments comprising the Bill of Rights), the Establishment Clause prohibits the government from establishing any such state sponsored religion, such as England had created through the Anglican Church. Many feel that such statements made from these statements of prayer support violate this clause, indirectly creating a state-sponsored religion.

While the day of prayer is not a national holiday, or required to be practiced or even recognized, many feel that since a vast majority of the American constituency is Judeo-Christian, it should be. Political cycles ebb and flow with arguments persuading both sides of the aisle. Politicians are often mindful of the religious climate of their constituency, often to the point of adjusting their rhetoric to reflect this climate (e.g., a politician may quote Christian scripture while campaigning in the South, yet claim no religious practice when asked in another area). “Value voters,” those whose vote is dictate on the sole basis of social agendas in politics, are often religiously-motivated and can be the turning point in some elections.

While a state-sponsored religion does not seem to be in the immediate future (or be an immediate threat, depending on your view point), both sides can agree that the conversation will continue so long as America continues to be as religiously diverse and inviting as it has been since its foundation, a feature that everyone looks at as a unique credit to our country.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Cleared to Attend Astronaut Husband’s Shuttle Launch

By: Zack Stovall, April 25, 2011 in Government, Medicine and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Wonder Woman

If the phrase “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” holds true, expect Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona) to start bench pressing cars any day now.

The Congresswoman, who was brutally attacked in January 8, 2011 by a lone gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, has been rehabilitating since the assassination attempt in Houston, Texas. While holding a meet-and-greet at a grocery store in Tucson, Arizona’s state capitol, Loughner opened fire, shooting Giffords directly in the head, killing nine others while injuring several before being subdued. Numerous reports coming from the the day of the incident first claimed that Giffords has been so severely injured that she had died, however her status was later clarified as critical condition.

Slowly, Giffords began to show small signs of improvement. While still in critical condition and a medically-induced coma, she began to show signs of understanding, including gripping her husband’s hand, moving her eyes make making small gestures. The initial prognosis from doctors was grim, some doubting that she would ever walk again, others that she would even live through the rehabilitation. Giffords has been improving at a miraculous rate, beginning to engage in conversation, stand on her own and even walk around.

In fact, doctors say she is doing so well, she plans to be able to attend the shuttle launch of her astronaut husband, Mark E. Kelly. Kelly is the commander of the space shuttle Endeavor, and is scheduled to launch this Friday, with his wife and President Barack Obama on hand to watch the shuttle’s final mission.

50 Year Anniversary of Russian Yuri Gagarin Being The First Man in Space Before Immediately Being Overshadowed By Neil Armstrong, America

By: Zack Stovall, April 12, 2011 in Education, News, Politics and Technology. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Not Neil Armstrong.

April 12, 1961 was a historic day for all mankind. Not even a half century prior, man (specifically two men, the Wright Bros.) had just begun to defy gravity by creating the first manned flying vessel in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. But on this day, man was finally able to break free of our terrestrial shackles, through the firmament and into space for the first time ever. Russian Yuri Gagarin, a 27-year-old flight major, whose journey from a farm west of Moscow as the son of a carpenter became the stuff of folk lore, ascended into space for just under two hours, the first to ever do so.

Of course, this was vehemently cursed in the United States, and then quickly overshadowed by the American space program, NASA, most notably Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew moonwalking on the moon after having gone through space and landing on the moon. Did I mention it was on the moon? Moon. Moon landing. Moon moon moon.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we were in the middle of the Cold War with Russia at the time. I knew I left something out. At the time, the United States was full of nail-biting tension, fretting that Russia was aiming nuclear weapons at the United States, and with Russia worried about the same thing from the United States. At the same time, the Space Race, a marathon of aeronautic innovation from the two sides determined to get their man in space, have him stay there for awhile, then get him on the moon, was at a dead sprint. While the Russians won this first battle, beating NASA by a couple of weeks, America is thought to have won the Space Race by landing on the moon and firmly planting the Stars and Stripes in its soil, which as we all know, is the only official way to claim any sort of land.

So today, we commemorate the accomplishments of all mankind, made 50 years ago by Gagarin and, yes, the Russians. Let’s just not forget who won the Race though.*

*It was America. We won it. We so won it! Neil Armstrong, baby! WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER. MOONWALKIN’.

Boehner and Obama Compromise to Avoid Government Shutdown, Will Resume Verbal Attacks Shortly

By: Zack Stovall, April 11, 2011 in Government and Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Government shutdown, as of 10:59 PM EST on Friday evening, seemed inevitable, as House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama seemed unable to agree on which cuts would be made to the 2011 fiscal budget. Without such an agreement, Congress would be unable to appropriate funds to the various arms of the government, such as salary payment for soldiers, etc. Then, as the clock dwindled to under an hour before the 12:01 deadline, a short-term compromise was reached, staving off the shutdown and allowing the next steps for long-term budget reconciliation.

Did you ever read those old comic books, or see those old shows, in which the good guys and their enemies had to begrudgingly team up against a common enemy? Like Magneto and Professor X, or Batman and the Joker*? That’s sort of what this was like. And the common enemy between the two parties was everyone hating both their guts for not being able to get a deal done and let the government come to a grinding halt.

House Speaker Boehner, representing a caucus that demanded no cuts in the defense budget but cut funding for several government programs, was able to slash roughly $38.5 billion in cuts, while President Obama was able to keep funding for such programs as Planned Parenthood, while making several cost-cutting measures for defense.

Naturally, Republicans and Democrats each feel cheated now that the shutdown has been avoided and their ears turn back to their vocal constituency. Liberal Democrats clamor that the President gave too much away in government programs to reach a deal, and conservative Republicans, who feel they had to “drag Obama to the discussion,” feel like Boehner compromised conservative principles in the name of bartering an agreement.

It seems that, with the next issue being adjusting the debt ceiling and hearing other deficit reducing proposal, Politics will continue to be Politics, and the mudslinging will commence even before the dust has settled on this new found compromise.

* I’m not a nerd, comic books were are awesome. You’re a nerd.