News of the Week-Radio

This week has had many definitive moments.  The U.S. will hopefully be forever changed for the better.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101103753
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1881675,00.html

The Bailout
With the unveiling of Obama’s new bailout, the stock market has been up and down this week. It looks like the stock market and our economy may pull itself out of the depths of recession.

-Why do you think the stock market did not climb as dramatically as some had predicted after the new housing bailout was revealed this week?
-What about the weeks to come? Do you think this will be a long drawn out climb or an overnight redemption?
-Who’s going to buy some penny stocks today?





http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/23/us/politics/23otext.html

Obama Radio Address for Saturday
Obama's focus for this week's radio address was the bailout plan, he did not update us on the Iraq War, or social security issues. He was very optimistic and his words were determined.

-What do you think the next step is for Obama's cabinet involving the bailout strategy?
-What if it fails? What do you think he'll try next?




http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/09/02/20/The-quickest-and-broadest-tax-cut-ever/

On taxing the wealthy
"Never before in our history has a tax cut taken effect faster or gone to so many hardworking Americans" is what Obama said in his radio address on Feb. 21. We are returning to a more democratic and less republican state of mind.

-How do you think taxing the rich will directly help the middle-class and lower-class Americans?

NOW Presentation- Entertainment Media- February 26, 2009

Video:

Barack Obama’s Congressional Address

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/219745/february-25-2009/barack-obama-s-congressional-address

Many of the members of Congress were on their PDAs during Obama’s speech…Is this a result of their lack of dedication or Obama’s failure to keep their attention?

Video:

Optimist Prime

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219494&title=optimist-prime

Are Americans actually willing to work hard to get our economy back on track or are Americans just looking for a quick fix?

Video:

Canuck Obama

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=219481&title=Canuck-Obama

Article:

Nation’s Blacks Creeped Out By All The People Smiling At Them

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nations_blacks_creeped_out_by_all

Do you think that our country will continue breaking down the walls built by race as a result of Obama being elected or is it only a matter of time before the walls are up again?

Article:

Obama Debuts Annoying Catchphrase

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/obama_debuts_annoying

Do you think that Obama’s relaxed- easy to relate to- down to earth demeanor makes him more relatable to Americans or just makes him look less “presidential?”

Article:

Obama Peddling Stimulus Package Door-To-Door

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/obama_peddling_stimulus

Do you think Obama actually believes that what he is “selling” to our country will work or do you think he is trying to convince us to buy into his plan and give us something to shut us up for now?

News of the Week - Print - Feb. 26

This week in print, some of the top stories discuss the possibility of a new housing bailout plan, saving Social Security, bringing the troops in Iraq, cutting the deficit and the new public works projects.

• Housing Bailout

As the housing market continues to decline, Obama has stepped up his efforts to help struggling homeowners with a new bailout plan that could cost as much as $275 billion. The plan would help homeowners refinance their homes; modify existing mortgages and lower payments, among other things.

*Do you think this plan could actually help the market bounce back? Or is this just a short-term fix?

Housing Bailout at $275 Billion

• Comparing the New Deal to the Stimulus Plan

One of the major differences between the public works projects in the New Deal and our current stimulus plan is that our projects will be on a much smaller scale. Instead of building bridges and airports, we will be making buildings more efficient and repaving roads all over the country.

*Do you think that that this approach will provide enough jobs for Americans out of work?

Obama stimulus: More old school fix-ups, less New Deal grandeur

• Saving Social Security

Relying on Social Security for retirement has become outdated. People are setting money aside for their future and expecting less help from the government. Obama has previously said that he would like to address the issue with Social Security but is lacking support from both parties. The Democrats want him to spend the money elsewhere and Republicans do not want the funds to come from taxing the upper class.

Is saving Social Security important right now? Or, should Obama focus on other areas like health care and creating jobs?

Democrats Resisting Obama on Social Security

• Mid 2010 Pullout

Obama may decide to give the troops in Iraq three extra months to pull out of the country.

*Considering how adamant Obama was during his campaign to get the troops out as quickly as possible, are the extra three months necessary?

Obama Favoring Mid-2010 Pullout in Iraq, Aides Say

• Cutting the Deficit

Obama has said that his newest plan will cut the $1.3 trillion in half by the end of his term.

*Is such a task even feasible or is it too soon to tell?

President Obama's budget will seek to cut deficit in half

News of the Week -- Online

It's been a busy week for Barack Obama and his team.

They put the finishing touches on his $787 billion economic recovery plan last Tuesday and have turned their efforts to slashing the deficit, fixing healthcare and this Tuesday night's speech to Congress.

How to spend that much money

Speech to Congress

For all of Obama's hope-filled rhetoric what is a realistic timetable to expect results?

Some people are already tired of hearing the same campaign-type message from Obama but it's not like he has come into the White House and just rolled over.

He has taken serious steps to combat the dire economic situation and even the most critical opponent of his would have a hard time arguing he has lacked passion or aggressiveness.

"We will rebuild, we will recover"

The experts debate Obama's address to Congress

Healthcare

Cutting medicare and taxing the wealthy!

It's been no secret that since Obama burst onto the scene he has planned to tax the hell out of those with the most. To overhaul America's badly flawed system of healthcare the rich once again become easy prey.

Is it fair to tax the rich at a higher percent?

Like other things that don't personally affect me this subject is a difficult one to tackle. It's easy to say, "Sure! They have so much money already."

But didn't they earn that $2 million like I earned my $25,000 - through hard work?

$634-billion fund to bring healthcare to 47 million uninsured Americans

Iraq

It's now also being speculated, that as early as Friday, Obama will announce a date for troop pullouts in Iraq. It's being reported that the date he will set will be August 2010, or three months after he promised to bring the troops during his wildly successful campaign for President.

Later Iraq pullout?

A year and a half from now? If he really opposes this war what's keeping him from doing it much sooner? 

Cutting the Deficit

One final note on all this spending. Obama has said he hopes to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term but in case you haven't noticed all is he doing is spending.

When numbers like $787 billion get thrown around they are too big to even comprehend.

Even if with a change in medicare, more taxing of the wealthy and two Iraq War-free years is there anyway the deficit drops by the end of 2012?

Obama and the deficit

News of the Week- Television

"If you haven't been personally affected by this recession, then you probably know someone who has."

That is what Obama said during his first address to Congress Tuesday.

But he is hopeful, as always, and says, "we will recover."

CNN covered the story saying, his address was full of lofty promises to make unprecedented investments in government programs.

They are wondering if he will be able to meet his goals? Are you wondering the same thing?

See his entire speech here

The Day After

The day after Obama made his speech to Congress, NBC news covered him cracking down on Wall Street.

He also made a third attempt to name a Commerce Secretary, former Washington Governor Gary Lock.  Once again, Obama reminds the media, he will keep at something until he gets it right.

I love his tie in this video

There was another television story that looked at Obama's response to Mc Cain's comments about the budget deficit.

I've never owned a helicopter either Mr. President  

There are so many different television news shows that cover Obama everyday, like CNN, CBS news, NBC news, BBC, the Daily Show, etc.  

What do you think are the advantages of having so many different shows to get your news?

What are some disadvantages?   

News of the Week - Online

The biggest story online is the stimulus plan dubbed the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan." Although it doesn't have the same ring as the New Deal, we are still taking on a debt of epic proportions. The 3 trillion dollar debt is going to be met with a 787 billion dollar stimulus package that the following video will demonstrate from the Washington post.
Washington Post
Question - Do you believe this plan will be anywhere as effective as the "New Deal"? When do you believe that we will start to notice the effects of the plan?

On other terms President Obama will be sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan which is a 50% increase on the already 36,000 that are already there. This comes in opposition to his statements of less troops being deployed but he says this is a necessary and swift action that must be taken. Also noting that the troops in Iraq will be dwindling while the conflict in Afghanistan escalates. The generals are demanding as much as 30,000 troops but Obama is finding a middle group between both sides. This is according to the New York Times online.
NY Times
Question - Do you find this to be a contradiction to what he promised before his election? Do you believe they are just redirecting the military effort?

According to CNNMoney.com, President Obama will be unveiling a plan to help fix the foreclosure problem that America is facing in these present times. Although the exact details are being kept under wraps, the plan seems to be for a 50 billion dollar bailout to help not only homeowners but also the banks that supported and let this catastrophe happen. There are already a million homes in foreclosure and another two are suspected to succumb within the year. The plan will focus on the modification of loans given to homeowners and also a remodel of the loan plan and making it harder for banks to give away easy money. The following map shows a idea of the kind of problem that we are facing now.
Map
Question - Do you feel that he is misappropriating the bailout funds or do you feel this will help the current housing market?

The associated press noted that Obama is taking a stance on the issue of the arms race in North Korea. He notes that they will use their connections with Japan as a heart of America in the east to help and try to confront the Korean issue. He noted that he will try and encourage peace and to develop a position that will prevent what he calls the next arms race in the East. Although he has yet to make any formal plans on the issue he is announcing it as a issue he will face in his candidacy.
APOnline
Question - Do you think he needs to concentrate on the Middle East and our problems at home before trying to cure the world of all it's issues?

News of the Week--Print Journalism

This post is for the week of February 17th/19th.

This week has been all about the stimulus package. The proposed $787-billion boost to the American economy has had its supporters and its detractors. In this article by The Los Angeles Times, the undertone of the story is that no one is completely happy with the way things worked out, but that Obama is pushing ahead anyway.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-obama-stimulus17-2009feb17,0,2931930.story

Questions: *Do you think the stimulus package is a good idea? Why or why not? Is there a better solution to the economic crisis?

*Has Obama started off his presidency the way you thought he might? Has he been derailed by the realities of our economy?



Unlikely support has come from many Republican governors, such as California's own Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlie Crist of Florida. This is mainly because these states are strapped for cash themselves and welcome help balancing the budget. In this New York Times article, it talks of how the two faces of the Republican party are at odds over this issue. On one side, we have the Republican lawmakers in Congress who almost unanimously voted against it, and on the other side, the Republican governors who are in favor of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/us/politics/17repubs.html?_r=1

Questions: *Why do you think that the Republican party is at odds with each other right now? Do you think the Democrats are taking advantage of their majority in Congress? Why or why not?

* Do you think its a good thing that there have been so many concessions and negotiations on the stimulus package? Do you think that in the end, it will benefit us more if we have ideas from both parties?

Also, in relation to eveything thats been going on with the stimulus package, there has recently been controvery over a cartoon that appeared in the the New York Post. Its a picture of a chimp being shot by police officers, and them commenting on how they will now have to get someone else to write the next stimulus bill. Many people took it as a reference to Obama, but the editor of the Post said it was only riffing off the news story of the chimp that attacked a woman recently. Here is the link to the cartoon:

http://www.nypost.com/delonas/delonas.htm

News of The Week Online

During the week if February 10th through the 12th the main issue online during Obama's first 100 days was the issue of the stimulus bill and its affect on homebuilders and buyers. According to Nick Timiraos of the Wall Street Journal, the $15,000 homebuyer tax credit didn’t survive the final negotiations on the stimulus bill. Instead, Congress slightly increased to $8,000 an existing $7,500 credit for first-time homebuyers and eliminated repayment provisions. This is just one of the issues that people are talking about in terms of the stimulus bill.
What affect does this have on Obama? he is coming into office and taking on all these issues but now he is the focalpoint of all the issues. Has America forgot that he basically inherited all these problems? We are looking for a quick solution but it took us years to get in this position and it might take us years to get out of it. My question is this, Does America have time or patience for change? Change takes time to see it is a process but it seems like we are always looking for a quick fix to things and therein lies the issue. Quick and easy is not always the answer. I will post the link to these articles at a later time or you can check them out at www.wsj.com.

NOW- Entertainment Media

This week, President Obama tried to draw bipartisan support to push his economic plans and discussed them at this first press conference.

Track the progress of President Obama's 100 Days at The Onion.

Here is a clip from late-night comedians discussing highlights from President Obama's press conference.

Steven Colbert discusses "Loyal Opposition" in regard to partisan viewpoints.

In the following video, Bill Maher and Jay Leno discuss "White House Casual Friday."

The Hundred

Okay here's the blog for our class, I just picked default stuff, I'm going to look for an Obama-ey layout. If you guys have any concerns or questions, let me know.