Political Science

Of all the social studies, political science is my favorite. Current politics is a very interesting field for me to study. Something I will take away from the class is the jobs of the President, how the Senate and House of Representatives are arranged, and the requirements for each. Some "portable skills" I can take from this course are debating skills, and analyzing skills. Debating skills I gained from our second soap box. These skills are very helpful in the real world. Analyzing skills I gained from the first soap box, and gaining information for the second one. This will help me do projects in college and finish assignments when I get a job. Analyzing information is one of the most valuable tools you need for school and a job, and I got some good practice in this class. 

American Party

American Party

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The 2008 Presidential Election

As one of the most pivotal elections in American history, the 2008 election had new components never seen before. An entire 30 minutes of airtime was bought by the Obama campaign costing it millions. This "episode" of the Obama campaign was unprecedented. It gained supporters who were still deciding and gave the people what they wanted to hear. Along with this election comes the overwhelming outspokenness of the youth. The voters who were just eligible, and the first time voters. Saturday Night Live, a late night sketch comedy show, depicted Governor Palin as someone who should be on the vice-presidential ballot. They showed her as someone who could not cover the topics and was often off task. Meanwhile, every time Senator Biden was shown, he was shown as someone who was aggressive and spoke aggressively. As a show aimed at the 18-40 year old age group, the youth was greatly affected by such "accidental propaganda".

The Democratic Party has won the presidential election, giving congress a sizable Democrat majority. What does this mean for the Republican Party? Well it's a start that Obama is taking after Lincoln and stacking his cabinet with people who have different views. He has already appointed to an Israeli, Rahm Emanuel, to the Chief of Staff position. This will add some hope to Israel who probably got a little scared when Obama said he would talk to Iran. 

Another main factor was the global perception of the United States. It would be nothing new for other countries to hear we voted another old, white man into office. But right now, the country is about change. The economy is going down the drain, and we need a change. Obama represented that change. As a McCain supporter, I respected Obama highly. The hope he gave the youth, one of the main voting groups in the nation, was immense. In fact, Kenya called a national holiday: the day Obama was elected. The nation of Kenya took off from work because they saw hope only because of the fact that Obama's dad is from Kenya. They saw hope, and they weren't the only one. To think the top two candidates for the Democrats were Obama, an African American, and Clinton, a woman and wife of ex-President Clinton. With the election of the first black President, the world's perception of the United States has changed, and most likely for the better. It is an ever changing world, and the 2008 Presidential election showed it. 

College Lacrosse Divisions Shifting

A Big East conference has been made for mens lacrosse. Recently joining Towson, Drexel, Delaware, and Hofstra are Penn State and U Mass for the 2010 season. The conference will have an automatic qualifier for the championship tournament. Drexel has risen as a top team in the nation as well as U Mass. It will be interesting to see how the fire power of these schools will work out when they play each other. Towson, Delaware, Hofstra, and Penn State all have solid programs and can compete for a spot in the tournament. Penn State and U Mass will help fill the hole that was made by the departure of Villanova, Sacred Heart, and Robert Morris. Loyola is on the edge waiting to hear a decision about where they will be placed for the upcoming and 2010 season. The Big East just upgraded its level of competition and it should be an interesting season. 

Senator Harkin's Re-election

It is getting closer to re-election time for Senator Harkin. He is searching for supporters and has found veterans of foreign wars in his favor. Harkin recently launched his first television ad of the campaign. As a strong supporter of the veterans and armed forces, it is no surprise that the VFW-PAC (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Political Action Committee) have chosen to support Harkin in the upcoming election. A jet pilot for five years in the 1960's, Harkin says he is "honored to receive the endorsement". With a very short time before the election, it will be interesting to see how this support helps Harkin and if re-election is evident. 

Tom Harken on McCain Visit

The McCain administration visited Iowa, home of Senator Tom Harken (D). Senator Harken was outraged when McCain and Palin chose to talk about the economy. Iowa's biofuel production is the fastest growing sector in the state and revitalizing rural communities. McCain missed an important topic to the state of Iowa, and could prove to be an issue later in the election. When you read the article, you have to imagine if Harken would have said this if he was a Republican, or rather if Obama was there talking about the same topics. Does the fact that he's a Democrat override some of the statements? Is there some bias in this? I say so, and think there is too many biased remarks in politics. Was it this wrong of McCain to talk about our struggling economy instead of Iowa's biofuels? Although it was a small mistake by McCain, did Senator Harken make it bigger than it should have been?

Are We The Dumbest Generation?

I believe we are not the dumbest generation. However, I do believe we are the laziest generation, by far. This is what has led to us being called the dumbest. It's hard to not be lazy in a world like today. Everything that Americans previously had to go out for can all be accessed from the house. Food delivery to shopping online. Almost everything you need can be delivered right to your house. Life is overall easier. One reason we've been called the dumbest generation is because we don't read. This is mainly because we have tools that can summarize for us. You have to think of what is available. Can we confidently say that students in the 50's and 60's would have read the books if they had access to "sparknotes" or any summary site. 

This generation also possesses skills that older generations do not. Put almost any baby-boomer in front of a computer and tell them to make the projects we do in school and they will think you're speaking a different language. It's not that the work we do is easier or of less quality, we are just so far ahead of previous generations technology wise. 

Another reason we've been called "dumb" is because of our addiction to video games. This is just another unfair accusation. It's safe to say kids and young adults were the same way when Atari and proceeding video game consoles were released. 

Mark Bauerlein, author of "The Dumbest Generation", says another reason for our stupidity is that we can't spell. This is just our version of slang. When talking to friends, it is unnecessary to talk with perfect grammar, and since we are the laziest generation, imperfect grammar includes imperfect spelling. 

It is unfair to call us the dumbest generation without considering the differences in the world today, and the world for previous generations. The resources are so far advanced from even 10 years ago. We are the laziest generation and it's easy to see why. Everything can be brought right to you. But we are not the dumbest generation. .