If I were President and I had the power to pardon....

If I were President and I had the power to pardon I would have to say that I wouldn't use it. Although, yes I would I'm sure be sympathetic to many cases - I don't believe it's my "job" has President to look at all these letters and decided who can get out. There are just way to many factors that should be considered when making this decision. Some factors include: criminal history, background, reasoning for their action....and many small details that should be factored in. The President has other issues to be concerned with rather then investigating. Personally, I think there should be a designated committee that goes through a process and come out with a selected set number in which they cannot exceed and THEN it should go to the President to review and sign.

Most Important Helper

The President has quite a few important helper's - it just depends on the time and situation. There is no way that any ONE person can stay up to date on everything or know about every topic or policy. That being said, there are many important ones for each group. At this point in time I believe the most important should be the Economic and Security advisers. Right now that is a major issue - the economy. We need to address and fix the damage - there IS a light at the end of the tunnel we just have to strategize and prioritize. Obama really needs to be meeting with the economic advisor. Once this begins to get resolved we can move on to another topic or situation.

Post Election Reaction

Although I was leaning more towards McCain to win, congratulations to Obama! This election is definately a major change in history, being the first African American president. It was a long, difficult race and I am sure both candidates are relieved that it is over. This election is definately a major "milestone" in history and the entire world knows that. The day after the election (along with the rest of the world) went out and bought 3 different newspapers to have as a keepsake in my scrapbook, along with other memorabilia that I collected during the election from various rallies I attended. According to a CNN.com article, "Newspapers were flying off the rack" the day after the big news. Newspapers were rushed to print thousands of extra copies to meet the high demand.
I kind of was expecting Obama to win, however I kind of wasn't. Yes, if you watched the polls of course you would think that Obama was going to win. Then I started thinking maybe this is just what the media wants us to think...there's no doubt that our media has more of a democratic view - I mean this is what allows them to do what they do, not having to be conservative allows for more stories, for opinions, etc.
No matter who won I will stand behind them and support them. I am not mad nor am I against Obama - and I wish everyone in the world had this attitude. Even my parents said, "Yes we wanted McCain to win but the fact is, is that Obama won. He is our new president. We will stand behind him and support him." There's no use in bashing him. Will that get us anywhere in life? No. It won't help things get better, it's not going to change things. People on both sides need to be wise with their reactions to this situation. Republicans don't need to "hide under the covers" for the next 4 years, they don't need to go against Obama and bash his thoughts. That's immature and not respectable. Democrats don't need to be in Republican's faces rubbing it in, we're not in 3rd grade anymore guys...- also, democrats don't need to be bashing McCain. Again, that would be immature and not respectable. We all need to unite and support each other, if we don't do that then how will we move forward and accomplish great things? That being said, it was a long campaign, a long 20 month process that both candidates dedicated so much to. It was a race well fought.

The speeches that night were both well done, after hearing them I feel as though both were genuine. McCain's speech was good and did a good job in having faith in Obama. However, when McCain mentioned Obama the crowd would "boo" - this I thought was very rude. McCain then tried to hush the crowd by saying "please please...".
Obama's speech was excellent as well. There were two parts of his speech that really stood out to me. "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America -- I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -- we as a people will get there..." This stood out to me because it shows that he recognizes that he has to deal with some serious issues, he has his work cut out for him and alot to prove. It also shows his enthusiasm to tackle these problems. Which is a characteristic that everyone looks for in a president. Another part of his speech that stood out to me was, "To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn -- I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too." I thought this was a very good thing to say - he was addressing the Republicans and telling them that they still matter and he will try his best to represent them and their opinions as well....he just asks that they support him.

America Votes for Change

I didn't fall asleep! Yes, I was able to stay awake and monitor the polls. It was exciting going back and forth seeing who was winning what state.
And the winner is.... Barack Obama! Poor McCain/Palin. :(

Guess What Today Is.....?!

NOVEMBER 4th - ELECTION DAY
If you can vote, then you really should get out there - every vote counts!


Even here at Fredericksburg Academy, we are holding "mock" elections!

Should the voting age be lowered?

As much as I would like to say "yes" for my own benefit - I am going to say "no", I don't believe the voting age should be lowered. 18 years old is an agreeable age. Any younger, and you will have teens voting - but probably not for all the right reasons. Also, I don't think people under 18 are involved with/care enough about Politics to form their own beliefs concerning our futures. I know that I never cared enough nor did I want to learn about Government until JUST this year, in my government class. Now I really enjoy learning about Government and everything that falls under that. I'm always trying to follow what's happening by watching speeches, watching CNN/fox, the newspaper, Cnn.com, going to rallies, etc. Although I have been really into this election, I still don't feel like I have enough knowledge about everything that I should to make the most practical decision.

People shouldn't be allowed to vote until they are an adult, which is legally 18 years old. By this time hopefully they have gained a solid understanding and education before they mark the box next to who they believe should be the next president.

Electoral College

I know we talked about what the Electoral College was - but just in case ... I came across this link that lays it all out in a more understandable way. The article is called Electoral College 101.

Click Here if you want to clarify what the EC is.