Politics

Looking Back on No Child Left Behind

December 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

During the time that President Bush was in office he made a lot of changes and did a lot of things that he thought was in the best interest of the country. There are thing he did, like invading Iraq or his handling of the Katrina disaster, that have been very polarizing to the rest of the country. It’s a strange thing being President and not everyone will like him or the things that he does, but there are usually those that will defend his moves. One move that never gets defense is the No Child Left Behind act passed very early in his presidency.

The act, which is good natured in the spirit of, is really about getting kids on through their education even if they are struggling just a little bit. The spirit of the idea is that no child can be kept back a grade. It stems from the idea that kids who are left behind will end up quitting their education if they are asked to repeat their grades. They also feel like that teachers and the school system should be doing their job in order to make sure that kids pass their classes and score up to grade level on the standard tests.

The problem is that this law is a completely impractical way to run the academic lives of kids. Kids are needed to be held back in some situations. What this law did was make it so that even if a kid is not ready to handle the next level of education that they had to go to the next grade. This makes a child over matched and won’t allow them to get to their full potential. It’s clear that there needs to be a certain and immediate reform to this law. If nothing happens then they will be forced to suffer the same fate. This is one thing Bush did that there is no defense for.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Barack Obama, George W. Bush, No Child Left Behind Act, President, United States

Presidents And The Charm It Takes

December 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr

Every presidential hopeful makes the case for themselves on their stance on issues. They might not say a whole lot but they do attempt to let their record and their in line fairness with other voters speak for themselves. Without it they feel as if they have no chance in winning the oval office but the truth is it isn’t what you say, but how you say it that seems to matter the most these days.

While it’s true that there have been many great presidents in the last 50 years, many of them might not have just been the best guy for the job, but also the most charming guy in office. Somewhere around the time of the great Kennedy vs. Nixon debates did the world start looking at a President not only for who he was but also “how” he was. The argument can be made that since that time the more charming, or charismatic, a president has been, the more likely he has been to win the White House.

This idea was in full effect in 1992. There an unknown governor from Arkansas that challenged the returning president George H. Bush. The governor was Bill Clinton. At the same time that he was making his push for the oval office was an independent candidate Ross Perot. The two men that were running against Bush were not of equal caliber. Clinton was an Oxford graduate and had the political pedigree. Perot was a self made billionaire. Clinton may have only been equipped to handle the office, but where both of them succeeded was being able to charm the American people more than Bush did.

It was Clinton that took office, much in part to the way he was able to dominate at the debates and show a little humor where Bush had been unable to do so. It’s a wonder if a President can win the office without being charming?

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Kennedy, Oval Office, President of the United States, White House

The Impact of the Nixon Kennedy Debate

December 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

In the quest to President there are more than a few things that you must be. You must be well educated. You have the backing of one of the two main political parties. You must have a good strategy to get into office, and up until the 1960′s that was it. However, the great debates of Nixon and Kennedy changed what it would take to win the oval office.

Nixon was the former vice president and one of the brightest political minds in the world. He was going against Kennedy who was much better known for his families name than he was for his political career. On paper there was really no reason to pick Kennedy over Nixon. Nixon seemed much more equipped to handle the needs of the Oval Office.

In was during the campaign that they decided to televise all the Presidential Debates. During the first debate Nixon had decided that he would wing it. He was on the campaign trail until hours before the debates. He had opted not to prep beforehand. He figured his innate knowledge of the American political system would be enough to get him into office.

Another thing that he decided to do was not wear make up. He was just getting over getting sick but he figured that make up wasn’t needed. The result was horrendous. While Nixon made excellent points, it was Kennedy who came off like a star and a leader. Nixon looked sick and his five o’clock shadow made him look a sinister human.

The result was that even Nixon’s mother was concerned that her soon had not gotten over his illness. This all led to a flurry about Nixon not being the right kind of person to handle the pressures of the Oval Office. It’s not clear that he would have won had the debate been different but it certainly didn’t help his chances. It was a lesson for all presidents to follow.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Kennedy, Oval Office, President, United States

The Outrage Over The Patriot Act

December 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The Bush administration was one of the most criticized of any presidency. It made some very bold, and some very unpopular decisions during their 8 years occupying the oval office, but there may have been no decision more unpopular than The USA Patriot Act. On October 26, 2001 this very polarizing law was put into place. In order to understand why it was such an unpopular law you must be aware of the back story involved with this serious law.

The acts of September 11 shook the country to it’s core. Having an attack on American soil really made people rethink the measures that the country was taking to protect its people. For one thing there was a serious problem we had with no longer dealing with immoral characters to find out information. This practice was applauded up until that time. Once the attacks hit it became clear that you could not expect to learn information about bad people unless you were willing to deal with bad people.

The other issue that arose was the issue of whether or not we were being too lenient with everyon’s privacy. There was a camp of people who believed that we were acting correctly in not keeping a close tab on the private citizens. While the camp was divided there were many who were caught off guard when the Patriot act was put into law in October.

The law was met with a lot of criticism. People didn’t see the law as a necessary step to protecting the American people, but rather they saw the act as a way for the government to become too intrusive and used the tragedy of 9/11 as a way to muscle it through Congress. It was a decision that would label the Bush Administration as an Orwellian Big Brother organization and it would last throughout the eight years in the Oval Office.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Law, Oval Office, Presidency of George W. Bush, United States, United States Congress, USA PATRIOT Act

The Impact of the Patriot Act

December 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The aftermath of the events of September 11 were far reaching and had a profound impact on the way the country operates. It also drew a lot of controversy about invading Iraq, the persecution of Muslims, and the civil liberties of the American people. One such act that was passed during the aftermath, that was met with much scrutiny was the USA Patriot Act.

The Act was passed by the U.S Congress and was signed into law by George Bush on October 26, 2001. The title of the act itself is an acronym. It stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. The Act’s primary goal was to allow the government more access to do its job protecting the American people. The act gave law enforcement more access to tapping telephones, and searching through medical records in order to obtain information that might bring terrorists to justice.

In the past these restrictions were in place and had to be ok’d by a Federal judge in order for such information to be searched. However, with the Patriot Act in place there was little need for a judge. Now email and financial records could be searched. Of course there were some parameters that still had to be abided by. The law enforcement agencies couldn’t tap the phones without some form of probably cause and they had to be looking for specific things, but it still lent itself to a much more laxed system.

Another provision in the Patriot Act allowed the Secretary of the Treasury to regulate transactions in banks and other financial institutions. If the transaction involved foreign people or foreign companies than the Patriot Act allowed for a much more watchful eye. This was a measure to make sure that money wasn’t being passed to the wrong people. These provisions were a big part of the impact the Act had on American life.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: George W. Bush, United States, United States Congress, United States Secretary of the Treasury

The Partial Birth Abortion Ban

December 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The Bush administration was not very popular for a number of reasons. It’s nothing new for a President to make choices that are not well received, but President Bush and his camp had a knack for doing it. They were one of the most polarizing groups to ever operate the Oval Office. It’s through a series of decisions and laws that they backed that the United States well into a love affair with hating the President. One of the Presidents most controversial decisions was to sing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003.

On November 5th 2003 they signed the act into effect. This law prohibited later term abortion and that act refers to it as Partial Birth Abortion. The way partial birth is ruled within the act is anything that requires the act of intact dilation and extraction. The physician who performs the partial birth abortion will be subject to up to 2 years in prison.

The law says that partial birth abortion is anything that occurs during the second trimester. This means that a pregnancy from the 15th to the 26th week is outlawed and cannot be done regardless of the circumstances. The law has no provision in their for the gestation age of the fetus or if it matter whether or not the fetus could live outside of the womb. During those weeks a child cannot be aborted. The idea is that at that stage of the pregnancy a child is old enough to exist outside of the mother’s womb making it a life in itself, and therefore making the killing of that fetus akin to murder.

This act, just like any law or act that has to do with the life of a child, was met with some resistance. It’s not a popular topic where there is a deafening opinion. The truth is that the act was just another way to fuel the debate even further.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Law, Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, United States

The Outrage Over The Partial Birth Ban

December 12, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

President Bush was no stranger to being the odd man out and the man that people loved to hate. During his eight years in office he got himself into a number of problems and will go down as one of the most polarizing presidents in history. He always was willing to stand on his own, but sometimes that meant making a decision that was rather controversial. One such decision was to sign the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. He signed this law into effect that made it illegal for women to receive an abortion after the first trimester. The idea is that a child is able to live outside the womb at that time and therefore it would be murder to kill it.

This of course was firmly divided into two camps of people. There are those that believed that the act was good and that it did a great job of shedding light on the evils of killing babies. They believe that there should be no allowance for abortion and that all life is precious. Still, knowing that it hasn’t been outlawed completely they felt vindicated that there was yet another measure in place to ensure that there would be less babies that would die.

The other camp felt as if it was one more step in the direction of taking away a woman’s right to choose. It’s a woman’s own body and therefore what she decides to do with what is growing inside her own body is no one else’s decision to make. It’s only her decision to make.

President Bush stood firmly behind his policies. In his heart and in his mind he was right and there was no way that anyone was going to tell him different. It was that kind of stand alone attitude that made him one of the most polarizing figures of the last century. This ban also led to that infamous reputation.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Pro-choice, Pro-life, United States

Overview of Horrific Bush Events

December 11, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

George W. Bush certainly had a presidency that could be deemed unforgettable. It seemed like the president had a knack for getting in himself into unpopular situations and creating controversy. It happens when a president is not afraid to take a stand and that stand tends to be on the unpopular point of view. There were those who worked tirelessly to have Bush thrown out of office, and breathed a sigh of relief when Bush finally left the White House. To understand why Bush was so disliked by so many, it’s important to have a firm grasp on what he did during his 8 years. Here is a look at his unpopular decisions during that time.

No Child Left Behind

This school law was one that Bush drew criticism for since the moment it was put into effect. The act stated that a child couldn’t be left behind due to poor test scores and that the child must be moved forward. Parents and educators were outraged that such a law would be put into place. This made people start teaching to the test and start moving kids up who should’ve been left behind.

Katrina

When a President sees national tragedy strike, he knows it’s his call to action. In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and left the city of New Orleans in ruins, Bush didn’t move for days. Waiting on the Governor to ask for assistance Bush waited for the call to action. It never came, and people suffered. There was a massive outrage as people started thinking that Bush couldn’t care less about the poor African American’s who made up such a huge portion of the affected population. His lack of movement, or his inability to do so, would haunt him for his last years in office. These are just a couple of the polarizing events that made Bush such a controversial figure in the White House.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: George W. Bush, White House

More Polarizing Bush Decisions

December 10, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

There are few presidents who have been as unpopular as President George Bush. During his time in the White House he was very active and made many decisions that impacted the American people. These decisions were met with a lot of anger and angst and the Bush administration tried their best to do what they thought was best. Big decisions always tend to be unpopular ones and these decisions started a ground swell movement to have Bush removed from office. To understand the decisions, you must understand the full scope of the Presidency. Let’s take a look at some very unpopular decisions made by President Bush.

Invading Iraq

The nation mourned the events of 9/11. The were behind the President when he made the decision to go into Afghanastan and they were behind him when he launched a world wide assault on terror. However, when he decided to invade Iraq and go after Saddam Hussein, the American people didn’t feel so good about that. They weren’t sure that the U.S had any reason to be sending soldiers overseas to fight a dictator who wasn’t part of the fight against terror. However, the administration declared that there were weapons of Mass Destruction and those weapons were in Iraq. The decision was met with serious conflict and the American people still stand at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Partial Birth Abortion Ban

This law was not so much unpopular as it was polarizing in what it meant for the rest of the United States. The country had been as divided on abortion as any place. This ban made it impossible for women to have abortions in the second trimester. This was seen by many as a way to take away a woman’s right to choose. Bush was thought of as too religious for the Oval Office. These decisions made him one of the most unpopular presidents in the United States history, but he won’t be soon forgotten.

Filed Under: Politics, Society Tagged With: Decision Points, George W. Bush, President, Saddam Hussein, United States, White House

Politics can Even Affect Renters Insurance

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

: Image via Wikipedia

When it comes to politics, many people are left scratching their heads. They don’t really have a complete understanding of how the system works. Others misunderstand the process, and still more people choose a side and stay with it, no matter what evidence they are provided with. Of course, there are also plenty of people who do understand politics and don’t have an agenda that’s tied to a political party. They just want what’s best for the country, no matter who will be doing it. The main reason that politics is so complicated is because it affects so many areas of life.

Everything from health care to taxes to renters insurance is affected or touched in some way by politics — either on a national scale, a more local scale, or both. If you’re interested in understanding politics and getting involved in what’s happening in your community and your country, the time to start learning about it is now. You’ll never get to the knowledge level you want if you don’t start working on it. If you aren’t sure where to get started, there are plenty of people and plenty of organizations that can help you.

Just remember that getting involved in politics can provide you with a lot of conflicting information. Automatically believing everything you hear or read isn’t such a good idea. Take the time to find out whether what was said is accurate, or whether it’s a twist on what’s really true and correct. It’s not a secret that politicians often try to make other politicians with different party affiliations look bad, so keep that in mind when you’re learning about the process. With some research, thought, and common sense, you’ll be better able to make the right political decisions for you.

Filed Under: Feminism, Politics, Society Tagged With: Apartment, Insurance, Landlord, Politics, Rahm Emanuel, Rent, United States, White House