The Royal Wedding of William and Kate

This morning on April 29, 2011 Prince William married Kate Middleton, his college sweetheart. This wedding is expected to cost as much as 80 million pounds and security is costing 20 million pounds alone. This wedding will be the one in which all other weddings are judged and was the highlighted event of this generation.Prince william and Kate shared two kisses on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as the British people cheered. The prince kissed Kate quickly at first and the crowed cheered "kiss her again." So the couple shared another intimate kiss. Then the newly married Kate Middleton and Prince William rode through the streets from Westminister Abbey waving the to the British people as the bells played throughout London. Kate was turned from a commoner to rayalty after the exchanging of vows as millions around the world watched.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Royal_Wedding/royal-wedding-2011-prince-william-kate-middleton-kiss/story?id=13485553

Preparing for the Repeal of the Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy

Military told the House committee that plans to ban the don't ask don't tell policy are going better than planned. Military forces do not seem to be too concerned about the repeal. Gen. James Amos, the US Marine Corps commandant asked combat forces what their stance was on the repeal of the policy and the majority of the men were focused more on their enemy rather than the policy as opposed to his survey last year where 60% of the military forces expressed concerns. The same results were taken from the Army troops. There is still a long way to go. Chiarelli and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz expressed that it will take time for the training and preparations to implement the repeal. The policy can only be implemented if President Barack Obama, the defense secretary, and the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff feel that this will not deplete the power of our military. Once certified, it will take 60 days to be implemented. However, several leaders feel that the troops are not ready for this kind of change and need more time to figure out if this will have a negative impact on the military.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/07/military.dadt/index.html#

Arizona's New Abortion Law

Arizona has become the first state in the United States to make abortion illegal for doctors to do based on the sex and race of the fetus. Some say that this is a rediculous law because there is not proof that this these abortions are even occurring. Abortion is legal and this law only adds to the senstive topic that is still highly debated by some whether or not it should be legal at all. "We can all agree that the idea of having "sex-based or race-based abortions is bad," says Jeanne Sager at The Stir. Sager feels politicians are trying to police womens thoughts which can't be done in a free country. This law came about because some believe that parents are getting abortions once they find out the sex if the baby and especially if it is a girl. I am not sure if this is occurring or not. Evidence is still unclear because I am sure many girls do not reveal the real reason they are interested in abortion. But I am very conservative when it comes to abortion and feel that it should not be permitted. There are other options like adoption. The unexpected life is still a life no matter what sex or race.
http://theweek.com/article/briefing_blog/77/the-abortion-battle

Mechele Bachmann: Possible Presidential Candidate

Recent clues have hinted that Michele Bachmann is considering entering the race for candidacy for the next presidentail term. Bachmann will be forming a presidential exploratory committee, which shows that she is interested in taking the 2012 White House bid. She plans on setting a stroung foundation for the race by participating in several public debates and her political director hopes to have teams set in the dominant states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina as early as a week from now. What does this information mean? I think it is too early to tell but there are several possibilities. While it is a long shot for Bachmann to actually win the race, she could still potentially spoil the chances for Sarah Palin. This would work in favor for Mitt Romney to now be up against Bachmann, Palin, Huchabee, and Santorum, leaving he evangelicals divided between several candidates. Obama and the democrats will also be grinning about the idea of Bachmann entering the race since, like Palin, she has also had a few blonde moments. I am sure we will be able to predict much more in the near future.
http://theweek.com/article/index/213503/will-michele-bachmann-wreak-havoc-on-the-2012-presidential-race

Obama Claims US bond with Japan is 'Unshakeable'

Japan has recently suffered from an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude, and has been greatly devastated. President Obama sent his condolences especially to those who lost loved ones, and said the US was ready to help aid Japan because of the strong bond between our two countries. Obama also instructed the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to be ready to assist Hawaii and the rest U.S. states and territories that could be affected" by tsunamis. The president has visited Japan twice since he has been in presidency and said, "The friendship and alliance between our two nations is unshakeable, and only strengthens our resolve to stand with the people of Japan as they overcome this tragedy." He also instructs citizens of Hawaii and other areas that have the potential of being affected by a tsunami to listen to their local officials as they prepare for possible tsunamis and even the aftermath. I am inspired that thepresident is showing his willingness to help Japan because even though events such as these are so devastating, times like these are when countries need the most help and support. Times like these are when countries form close and meaningful bonds.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/03/11/obama.quake/index.html

Gadhafi's Shocking Amount of Wealth

Moammar Gadhafi and his family have accumulated several billions of dollars in wealth while ruling Libya, which is known for it's oil content. The family has used their money to contribute towards Italian soccer teams and private performances by American pop stars. The worth of Gadhafi and his family is unknown exactly but are definitely worth a great amount. However, much of Gudhafi's wealth will be taken from him by the UN. A few of their assets the family has already seized to own include $32 billion in liquid assets worldwide, $300-$500 million in regime funds managed by several US banks, $1.7 billion in Australian investments, $455 million in properties located in London, and several other assets, Gadhafi and his family are rapidly spiraling downhill.
http://theweek.com/article/index/212750/gadhafis-astonishing-wealth-by-the-numbers

Republican Bil Passed by the Sate of Wisconsin

This past Friday the Wisconsin State Assemply passed a Republican bill to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights. The people of Wisconsin have not lost their rights yet. The bill still has to pass the state Senate. Since news of the bill passing by the Assembly, 14 Democratic senators have feld the state to Illinois to prevent from voting on the bill. This bill has been protested by thousands and many have urged the 14 senators to come back and debate the issue. Republican Governor Scott Walker said that if Wisconsin legislature does not pass his bill, state aid could be cut by $1 billion. Walker said, " Wisconsin State employees have the strongest civil protections in the country, That's not going to change in this bill. It's not about the union boss coming in from other parts of the country. It's about whether we protect the taxpayers and the workers." However, Walker was recorded during a prank call discussing the idea of luring the Democrats away to talk to the assembly while the 19 Republicans settle the bill. Wisconsin faces a $137 million budget shortfall by June 30 and a $3.6 billion gap by 2013.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/25/wisconsin.budget.bill/index.html#

Democrats try to Cut Nascar

Everyone knows that the government is starting to cut back on funds that are unnecessary. Democrat Betty McCollum proposed cutting the Pentagon's sponsorship of Nascar and is supported by at least one more house democrat even though this move would break a ten year relationship between the US military and Nascar. In 2010 the US gave $7 million to Nascar in sponsorship and $11.6 million in 2009, which is a lot of money to spend on cars racing around in a circle. I am not a Nascar fan and also feel like this is a waste of money. If the US military decides to no longer sponsor Nascar then Nascar will find other sponsors instead. Nascar is not going to disappear. However, some feel like Nascar is good recruitment for the military since 1 in 3 people in the military are Nascar fans, but I agree with the opinion of those who feel that Nascar did not help them decide to join the military as they watched the go army car drive around the track. These people in the military are just fans, and I think that declining further sponsorship of Nascar would be a wise decision.
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/212262/democrats-vs-nascar

Mubarak's Surprising Choice Not to Resign

Hosni Mubarak, the President of Egypt, has deceived everyone from Egypt's military to President Obama. Mubarak gave a highly anticipated speach Thursday evening through which he implied he was going to step down from office. In this speech he claimed that he was not stepping down but simply giving more power to his vice president Omar Suleiman. Officials were atonished, claiming that this is not what they were told. The officials were not the only ones who were told President Mubarak was going to resign. Obama was expecting this as well and was probably left feeling confused and embarrassed. Obama was left disrespected and looking like a fool, which shows the US is no longer as strong of a country as we once were.  Protesters reacted violently, and his speach can only lead to more violence in Cairo. History could be in the making but not smooth peaceful history, history of violence and anger against a power hungry dictator. Nothing positive can come from this decision.
  http://theweek.com/article/index/212017/mubaraks-refusal-to-resign-did-he-just-make-things-worse

Obama and Russia Create a New Nuclear Arms Treaty

Many people are scared of the idea of more and more countries possessing nuclear arms. Nuclear arms are powerful and not only need to be handled responsibly but there also needs to be knowledge and an agreement between countries about how many each can possess. Wednesday, Obama signed documents for America's new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia. This consensus is known as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty ( New START) and is replacing START 1, which expired in December 2009. The treaty is meant to lower the large amounts of strategic nuclear weapons in both countries from the current capacity of 2,200 warheads and 700 launchers to 1,550 warheads. This agreement also requires the resumption of inspecetion of nuclear weapons. Obama said this is, " The most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades." I think this is a good move because both the US and Russia have a large amount of nuclear weapons, which can be threatening to other countries, increasing their chances of competing. We should have enough to defend our country if we ever needed to, which I hope so much is never the case. But we do not need such a large amount that other countries are uneasy about it.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/02/obama.start/index.html#

2010 Sinner and Winners Awards

This past year PR occupations have become more demanding of a professionals time and effort than ever before for both political and celebrity figures. Politicians and celebrities have been know to publicly skrew up, leaving a mess for their PR to clean up. When I read the results of the sinners and winners awards I first started laughing because I totally agreed with some of them, then I thought to myself how I would hate to be their publicist. One of the most deserved awards was the CEO of the Year Award given to Tony Hayward who said the BP situation was a little more than a "modest spill". Needless to say it was a little more, and BP stepped up, claimed the disaster as their fault, and offered to pay for damdges and cleanup. I love that they called Hayward's reaction to medication " foot in the mouth disease". This was very clever and sarcastic, which made it humorous. My other favorite award was the Not Knowing When to "Fold Em" Award, given to Bret Farve. He was a football icon and even a hero to some. Farve had the good family man image, and was a sponsor for many compnanies until he started testing his good reputation. He was on the top of football charts, and now he is only on the top of headlines. He should have stayed retired while he still had a respectable reputation. The sinners and winners awards are very pessimistic but entertaining and truthful. They sum up 2010 accurately.

The National Deficit raises to $1.5 trilion. How did this happen?

The Congressional Budget Office says that the national deficit will reach $1.5 trillion this year. Many people are already making accusations for who is to blame. Soon after Obama gave his State of the Union address, which was positively accepted, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cut short his moment of glory with information about the national deficit. The government says that we will soon reach $1.48 trillion, and US citizens are not only immensely worried about the future of our country but have much to say about who is to blame. The CBO says that it's the tax cuts made by Obama. Stepanie Stromberg at The Washington Post feels the GOP is to blame for the rise in deficits, and said that it's time to"be honest about the costs of that spending." Ed Morissey at Hot Air feels he tax- cut extension is not the problem but our out of control spending is. The federal budget has "increased 38percent on an annual basis over the last four years." due to increases in the defense budget and "unsustainable entitlement structures." Jon Healey at the Los Angeles Times thinks the deficit is due to burgeoning entitlement, particularly Medicare, while Megan McArdle at The Atlantic says the real issue is that, " short of a near- death experience, no one is going to do anything about this problem." Our national deficit is a real issue that needs a real solution now. People need to be willing to sacrifice a little in order to bail out our country from this large amount of debt. The only issue known for certain is that a plan needs to be made.
http://theweek.com/article/index/211483/the-15-trillion-deficit-whose-fault-is-it

States Don't Need a Bailout, Simply Lower Budget Deficits.

Republican Eric Cantor stated the the states do not need a bailout but need to lower our budget deficits instead. Obama is still overspending and contributing to our increasingly large amount of debt. Today, Obama is giving his State of the Union Adress where he is to address the economy. Obama fully supports lowering the deficit but will be asking people in his speech for more investment, which to Cantor is a better way of saying spend more. Cantor rejected any changes in the law that would allow state goverments struggling with their budget to restructure their debt, including declaring bankruptcy. He says we can handle this by lowering our budget deficits. There has been a new proposal on spending our budget on issues including infrastructure, education, and research. These are important issues but can be put on hold for a small period of time until we get a stonger hold on our federal debt. I feel like Obama has not come out and clearly addressed a good resolution for the US's federal debt and then acted upon it. He seems to tip toe around the topic and introducing ideas that clearly are not helping. We need him to take action, make cuts in budgets that we can, and put as much money towards lowering our national federal debt as possible. Not everyone can be pleased with the plan that Obama makes towards lowering the deficit but he needs to me careful with what he spends our tax dollars on and make sure than it is towards pulling our country out of this rut. I feel like tax cuts are not the solution, but rather keep taxes where they are so government can have a decent budget to work with in order to rise above the deficit. Then the US can continue to focus on issues that are also important to our country including competition, transportation, and education, helping our country excel above others.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/139739-cantor-warns-no-bailout-of-the-states

Sarah Palin's Increasing Unfavorable Rating

Sarah Palin was introduced to the public over night. One day no one knew who Palin was, and the next day she was running for Vice President alongside John McCain. Many people found McCain's ideas too similar to President Bush's and American's wanted a fresh face with fresh ideas. Americans wanted to bounce back from years of depression and job loss. Palin was a breath of fresh air for republicans. She was new and interesting to them and her popularity grew even after McCain lost the election. However, now her inexperience has more than shown in many of her speeches, like her response about her ties to the Tuscon event and her calling the accusations a "blood libel". She seems more interested in being popular than a successful politician because now she even has a reality tv show. Gloria Borger states, "In GOP circles, she's beginning to be seen as toxic in any presidential race". Even those who once supported her open up about the "public exhaustion" with Palin, and her unfavorable rating with women has gone up 10 points, which totals to 14 points in the past few months. A rating like this will be hard to recover from and win a presidential election.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/20/why-america-is-growing-tired-of-palin/?iref=allsearch