President Obama - One Year Later

I would be remiss this week, if I did not devote a portion of the blog to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12th, 2010. Next week, I plan to post a question to you regarding United States assistance to countries affected by natural disasters. Until then, if you would like to donate to the relief effort, you can do so by clicking on the following link: http://www.redcross.org/

This week marked the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration. As I look back on that moment, it seems a lot has changed. I remember the night of the election and the hope that so many seemed to feel. I remember how as I watched his speech in Chicago, it ceased to be about politics for me and became more about living history.

When President Obama took office, he was faced with crisis of epic proportions on both the foreign and domestic front. Within his first year, the President laid out a plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq, while simultaneously increasing troops in Afghanistan. He passed a historic economic stimulus package, and saw our economy slowly start to recover, while unemployment rates remained high. He proposed sweeping healthcare reform legislation, which Congress is still struggling to pass.

As I reflect on President Obama’s first year in office, I am both grateful and disappointed. I am grateful the economy is starting to recover and that so many felt the effects of the stimulus. I am grateful that more “green” programs are available and funding for renewable resources has increased. I am grateful that our image around the world is starting to become more positive. However, the year has also come with disappointments. I am disappointed that unemployment is still so high and healthcare reform has yet to pass. I am disappointed and saddened that lives are still being lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of all, I am disappointed that all the hope we seemed to feel just one year ago, has slipped away and that politics have gone back to the usual. So my question to you this week is “How would you rate President Obama’s first year in office? What have liked or disliked about his policies?” Answers are due no later than Thursday, January 28th, 2010. Make sure you sign your name and designate your class.

A Dream Deferred

As we all know, Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King Day. Like everyone else, I enjoy getting a day off, especially one that results in a three-day weekend. That being said, it struck me that having the day off of school or work is hardly honoring Dr. King’s memory. In fact, many times, Rosa Parks, the Montgomery bus boycott and of course, Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, are all students receive when it comes to cultral awareness and diversity.

I never learned about the “Trail of Tears” that Native Americans took west as they were forced off of their land. I never learned about Caesar Chavez and the important work he did on behalf of the migrant worker. I never learned anything about African-American history except what was contained in one to two pages in my history book. Most ironic, I never ever learned anything about Arab-Americans or the Muslim religion. I was a college student before I realized all of the things that had been left out of my education over the years.  It made me wonder what other things had been left out of my studies and more importantly, why?

So for our first blog, in honor of Dr. King, my question to you is, "Do you think our educational system does a good job of educating students when it comes to cultural history?  Why or why not?" Answers are due no later than Thursday, January 21st, 2010. Please make sure that you sign your name and designate your class to receive full credit!

Your thoughts and feedback are appreciated!

As I sit down to write this it is hard to believe that another quarter has passed. When we started out together it was still warm and sunny and now there is no doubt that winter is here. I really had a good time with all of you in class. I can see how many of you became more vocal as the quarter went on and I hope you can say you learned something in this class!

For our last blog post I would like you to give me your thoughts and feedback on this class. "What did you like most or least? Is there anything I could change to make the class better?" Answers are due no later than Thursday, December 17th, 2009. After that the blog will be down until class resumes next year.

I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that you stay in touch with me. Have a wonderful, safe and blessed holiday season!

Do the unemployed look like you?

This week I was driving to work, flipping through the radio channels, when I happened to come across Reverend Al Sharpton on the Tom Joyner morning show. Now we all know that we are facing some of the worst unemployment rates since 1983. There are currently over 15 million Americans looking for work. The national unemployment rate of 10.2% is just that, an average. It means some places that have been hardest hit by the recession have rates that are much, much higher. That being said, it shocked me when Reverend Sharpton stated that in New York City the unemployment rate for African-American males is 50%!

It's not just coming from Reverend Sharpton and its not just New york City either. There is ample evidence that racial inequities remain when it comes to unemployment. The disparity for the first ten months of 2009 has been even more profound for those with colleges degrees. The unemployment rate for African-American college graduates has been nearly twice that of their white, male counterparts. Check out this interactive graphic from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/11/06/business/economy/unemployment-lines.html

This week in class we will discuss Affirmative Actions programs and what equality means in America. We will look at how far the gap is between the ideals of America versus the reality. So my question to you this week is "Why do you think this disparity still exists in 2009 an what can we do about it?". Answers are due no later than Thursday, December 10th, 2009. By the way, I have fixed the link and have checked it twice so I really encourage you to check it out. This will also be the last week to make up any remaining blog posts you may have missed. I will not accept late blog posts after Thursday, December 10th, 2009.

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Don't you just love it when your class falls on a day that you end up getting off for a holiday? As an instructor, it makes things a little harder, but as a student, I was always very grateful. Now, I have made it clear in class that Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. I don't like the way schools fictionalize a story that sounds good, while ignoring the sad facts about how we really treated Native Americans in this country. That being said, I have learned to treat Thanksgiving as a reminder of all the things I am thankful for.

This year, as always, I am thankful for my faith, my family and my friends. I am blessed to be surrounded by people who love me. I am also thankful that I have two jobs in an economy where people often can't find one.

So, in honor of the holiday my question to you this week will be an easy one. "What are you thankful for this holiday season?". Answers are due no later than Thursday, December 3rd, 2009. Please be aware that you have almost two weeks until your blog post is due, because we will not have class next week. Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

A sad day in America

As I sit down to write this blog shortly after Veteran’s Day, it saddens me to write about the recent events that took place at Fort Hood, an army base located outside of Killeen, Texas. On November 5th, a gunman opened fire in the Soldier Readiness Center of Fort Hood, killing thirteen people and wounding thirty others. Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an army psychiatrist accused in the Fort Hood shootings has been charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the military's legal system, making him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Since the shootings, there have been many reports on Maj. Hasan’s background, including that he was harassed by military officials for his Muslim faith, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan and that he asked to be discharged from service. Other reports state that Army officials saw no warning signs from the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killings on a U.S. military base.

Recently in class we discussed the role of the media, and why it sometimes called our fourth branch of government. For the blog this week, I would like you to review several sources of coverage on the Ft. Hood shootings. My question to you this week is, “What bias do you see in the media sources that you accessed? Were you able to find two different sources that contradicted one another?” You must access at least two sources and name them in your post to get full credit. Answers are due no later than Thursday, November, 19th, 2009. To our veterans, I would like to say that I personally honor and thank you for your service to our country.

It Pays to Have Friends in High Places...

Last week in class, we discussed campaign finance reform and I told you that I may re-post something I have posted previously in another class. So, as promised, here it is.

This past Presidential election was the most expensive race in history, with candidates literally raising millions of dollars to finance their campaigns. During the primary contest, then candidate Obama pledged not to accept campaign contributions from lobbyists. In fact, Obama returned thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from registered federal lobbyists during the course of his campaign. However, Obama did take money from individuals who while not registered lobbyists, were still employed at lobbyist firms. This activity, along with Obama's past contributions from lobbyists in previous races drew criticism and charges of hypocrisy.

The top spenders in the 2008 Presidential election, ranked in order from highest to lowest, were as follows: US Chamber of Commerce, Exxon Mobil, AARP, PG&E, Northrop Group, American Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, American Hospital Association, General Electric and Verizon Communications. It is no coincidence that one can see two of our countries' biggest domestic issues reflected in this list; health care and energy.For more information on who gave what to whom, check out the Center for Responsive Politics at: http://www.opensecrets.org/. This website will give you the full details on campaign finance and show you who has supported your politicians in the past.

My question to you this week is, "Do you think it is okay for candidates to take money from lobbyists? If it were up to you, how would you reform our campaign finance laws?" Answers are due no late than Thursday, November 12th, 2009.