J.D. Salinger

While he may not be strictly related to Government or Economics, I feel the need to comment on JD Salinger's death. I was informed of this through trending topics (which seem to be very useful in broadcasting new news stories) when I was checking my twitter at lunch break.

As an author, I despise J.D. Salinger; that is not something I am going to lie about, but I recognize the immense impact he has had on a few generations. I have heard stories from people who dealt with high school "because Holden could". He has inspired a great amount of aspiring authors and has completely changed contemporary literature by introducing a new style and not backing down from saying what he truly feels.

He has been known to stay "out of the spotilight" and under the radar, but both his life and death have made an imprint on the minds of young and old people alike.

Chris Matthews

OK, so after heading to twitter this morning, I noticed Chris Matthews was a trending topic. After recent events, I quickly came to the conclusion that one of two things that have been happening far to often had occurred: he died or did something incredibly stupid. It was the latter.

He seemed to have forgotten that Obama was black for an hour. I think that this statement has been blown just a little out of proportion. Although it was undoubtedly a racist comment, it must be taken in context. He was commenting on Obama's "gutsyness"in an extremely condescending fashion. It's like Obama is a political Susan Boyle to Matthews, but to a greater extent.

Don't misunderstand me, what Matthews said was unforgivable, but people speak out of turn all the time, and there are more important things for us to focus on in the world right now.

Helping Haiti

Ok, so at the end, the video goes off on a tangent on how to begin to fix what has gone wrong in our culture, but I would like to focus on what has gone wrong in the first place. I wholeheartedly agree with the statement he makes. We are doing an OK job helping what can be helped, but at some level, it was our fault. If an earthquake were to strike in San Francisco, the consequences would not be anywhere close to what they were for Haiti. The technology we have contains immense potential, and I think it's time to take the next step in the technological revolution we call the internet.

Christmas "attack" Followup

Obama has been criticized for the lack of follow up on the Christmas day attempted bombing, but it seems to me that he has been addressing the public on this issue every few days. The debate over the "virtual strip-search" body scanners represents two solid arguments. In order to go onto a plane, you would have to be searched in a way that could possible violate your rights. However, it is of my opinion that if everyone being let through security is searched in the same way, it is not violating any person's rights.

It has come to the point where bombs can be hidden in the most discrete places, and something needs to be done to detect such threats, or else flying will never be safe.

New Jersy Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Bill

While this vote was somewhat close, I am still very annoyed how people feel they can tell others whether or not they can marry. I know (unfortunately) several homophobic people who believe that homosexuals are unnatural, and "80% do it for attention" (a claim that has never been reinforced). As Leslie Gable-Brett says, although they are defeated, "we aren't done fighting". It reminds me of the saying, "I may have lost the battle, but I will win the war". Not all hope is lost for those wishing to give and receive freedom for all.

Community Service Project

For our class, we are required to fulfill a certain number (15) of hours of community service. I have decided to complete mine volunteering at a local hospital 3 hours a week. My volunteering takes place mostly in the Postpartum Department of the hospital. One advantage of this volunteering choice is the health care reform that is going on now. In my observation of the workplace and the patients, I have been able to experience the needs that exist in the health care reform arena. Many are faced with the cost of hospital fees who cannot afford them, and many are confronted with difficulties that were not previously accounted, such as the infants who spend the first weeks of their lives in the Intensive Care Nursery.

I am greatly looking forward to completing this project and being able to keep up with it in the news.

The Governator Changes his Mind

It seems as though Arnold Schwarzenegger has kicked up some fuss in Congress and has come to disagree to the health care reform bill. Over the past two months, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's view has become increasingly skeptical of the reform. On the 22nd of December, he was supporting the bill, if the Medicaid reforms were revised. Just two days after, he stated that the bill was unsatisfactory. Now, in just a few weeks, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has completely changed his opinion.

If things like this keep happening in Congress, the bill may never have the chance to make a difference in peoples lives

News in 2009

The song starts at :24. If needed, the lyrics are in the description on youtube.

So, I think this song is meant to be both funny and scary. It feels like this song was written specifically for my blog. This last year, the quality of interesting American news has further decreased, and the news media needs to fix this issue.