State of the Union Address

My Predictions:

All of my predictions into the 2013 State of the Union Address were correct. President Obama spoke about all of the things I predicted in my column. He talked about healthcare and bringing the troops home. He mentioned gay and straight equality and he ended his speech with gun control. These were all of the things that I predicted he would speak about. In my column, I also had a quote from President Kennedy's 1951 State of the Union Address as did Obama.

Other Topics Discussed:

There were some suprising topics Obama mentioned in his address. He talked about Cyber hacking. This topic shocked me the most because it is the one topic I never imagined to be disdomestic cussed. He also mentioned deadbeat dads. This surprised me because I don't know what Obama think he can do to help a man be a better father to his child.

Another topic Obama discussed that I did not mention in my column was a better climate and creating a more sustainable source of energy. This topic lead to his fix-it first program. Two topics that Obama discussed that I did not mention in my column was women's equality in pay and domestic violence. The domestic viloence topic arose because Vice President Joe Biden just created a bill to help domestic violent victims.

Obama also spoke about education and getting a higher and better education for children of all ages. He discussed imigration and the Bill created by Gabby Giffords.

The thing that I found most intriguing out of the topics he discussed that I did not mention in column was how manufactuers like Apple are working to make their products in the United States instead of overseas. While this would be good for our economy, it is not something that I see happening anytime soon.

I liked watching the State of the Union. I thought Obama did a good job of getting his points across and I believe he surprised a lot of people with some of the topics he discussed.

What will Obama speak about in the State of the Union Address?

State of the Union
By: Brittini Brooks

 

I will admit that I was not interested in politics when I was younger. However, when I decided to become a journalist a few years ago, I thought it was time to start paying attention. I will also admit that I am one of the few journalists who is not glued to what is going on in the world seven days a week, 24 hours of the day. But one thing I always enjoy watching is the State of the Union address given by our nation’s president whoever he is at the time. I find them enjoyable because I believe you get a sense of the personality and the passion our leader has.

 President Barack Obama will give his first State of the Union address next week since taking the oath for his second term. I took a look at his last state address and compared it to speeches made by America’s former presidents. After reviewing President Obama’s, Abraham Lincoln’s, Dwight Eisenhower’s and John F. Kennedy’s former state addresses, I believe Obama will speak about the following subjects: gay rights, the unemployment rate, health care system, the war in Iraq, taxes and gun control.

Like President Lincoln, one of the big policies that Obama has stressed is equality. Lincoln wanted freedom for slaves and succeeded. Lincoln’s idea has lived on and President Obama is hoping to make his own history by creating equality for gay rights. I believe President Obama will speak about gay rights in his upcoming speech because it was a major topic at this year’s inauguration. President Obama stated in his inauguration speech that he wanted “equality for all.” In this statement he clarified that equality for all meant white, black, Latino, gay and straight. He was also the first president0 to have a gay Latino poet at the inauguration. It is with all of these things that I believe he will mention gay rights in his address.

In his State of the Union address in 1963, President John F. Kennedy stated America has enjoyed 22 months of uninterrupted economic recovery. But recovery is not enough. If we are to prevail in the long run, we must expand the long-run strength of our economy. We must move along the path to a higher rate of growth and full employment.

This has been one of the issues Obama has faced. Since the war in Iraq started, our economy has been on the downhill slide concerning employment. Before Obama took office, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent. Today that number is 7.8 percent. There are people still unhappy with this number and that is why I believe Obama will address this issue in his upcoming speech.

Health care will forever be a problem in our country. I believe this will always be a subject that a new president addresses in any speech he makes. I believe Obama will mention it because part of his new health care plan has taken effect and people still have concerns about it and the other parts still to take effect.

President Eisenhower and President Obama both inherited wars that were not started by them and both men have ended these wars. Since troops are supposed to come home in 2014, I believe President Obama will make a small statement about the troops homecoming.

 Taxes, like healthcare, will always be a concern in our country. President Obama will most likely talk about taxes and any upcoming changes or bills that are to be passed or in consideration of being passed.

Gun control has been a big controversy in our country since the Newtown, Conn., shootings. Everyone has had an opinion on it. It has become a huge debate on social networks and the news. I believe Obama will talk about gun control and the tragedy that happened. He may even implement a plan that he plans to put into effect.

I believe it is these issues that Obama will talk about because they are of high priority to our society. I believe this because all Americans deserve equal rights, safer schools, jobs, better health care and for the war to end so we can see they can see their loved ones again.

 

 

Inauguration 2013

History was made this week as the nation watched our 44th president take an oath to continue to leading our nation. 

Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 became a day to be remembered in our nation’s history as President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as our nation’s leader. I admit that in my 27 years, this was my first time watching the inauguration of our nation’s leader. I as did some of my co-workers, found this event to be an excellent tribute to American history. 

I watched my first inauguration live on ABC while all of my co-workers watched it on NBC. To hear their feedback compared on what they saw compared to what I saw while watching the inauguration was interesting because both stations differed in a lot of ways. Both stations had their own highlights as to what was important. On NBC there seemed to be a personal connection with the reporters while on ABC there was a personal connection with the public. 

I enjoyed watching the ABC coverage of the inauguration because throughout the broadcast, they gave out trivia questions about past inaugurations and provided interesting facts about past and present information of previous inaugurations. One of the most interesting facts that I found interesting was that most presidents past who have won a second term had a better first term than they did when taking their second term. To name a couple of these would be former President Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky scandal and former President Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. A few other interesting facts shared on the ABC broadcast was that Lady Bird Johnson was the first “First Lady” to hold the bible while her husband took his oath and Chelsea Clinton was the first “First Daughter” to attend the event.

While what I found interesting seemed to be on the historical side, my co-workers found seemed to find the human element more interesting. By comparison, my co-workers found it interesting when Al Roker asked the president and the vice president to come over and give an interview. The president politely waved back to Mr. Roker and kept walking while the vice president waved and said while he would love to come over and talk with Mr. Roker, but said he was not allowed to do so for security purposes.  

Something both stations emphasized was the expense of the event. Some people on social media sites and in the news felt that the expense was too much for the event, but my co-workers and I disagree. This year the inauguration was funded by donations from President Obama's campaign. Do to the decrease in funding provided this year, cuts to the annual event had to be. This seemed to have been done by having two inaugural balls instead of having the usual twelve. My co-workers and I concluded that the expense was necessary because it is something that is a part of our history and people will remember it for a long time. 

Most people are publicly aware that two people who inspire President Obama are President Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.  I along with my co-workers thought the inauguration was successful incorporating these two historical figures in the 57th inauguration of President Obama. This was accomplished by quoting important speeches both gave and by having President Obama take the presidential oath on Lincoln and King’s bibles, one on Sunday and the other on Monday. 

My co-workers and I found the speeches and entertainment to be well presented. All speeches went along with this years’ inauguration theme  “Faith in America’s Future” which clearly represented equality to all. This was the first time a president has ever mentioned gay rights in his speech.  Which brings us to Poet Richard Blanco whom is the first Latino and gay poet to be invited to attend the inauguration. The poem he gave mentioned a lot of what has gone on in the last year including the Sandy Hook tragedy. Some of my co-workers found his speech to be good and interesting, others found it to be confusing and others found it to be too long. I was one of the few who found it a little long and confusing at the same time. His topic or topics of the poem were all over the place.

By popular demand, my co-workers and I agreed that Beyonce gave one of the best renditions of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Alicia Keys and James Taylor were among the favorite performances in the inauguration and of course the one thing every one of us noticed was the way former President Bill Clinton acknowledged Kelly Clarkson after her performance of “My Country Tis of Thee.” 

The luncheon and the parade were two events that seemed to be uneventful. I thought the luncheon was nice because everyone who attended got something. I thought the speeches for the luncheon were a little long. The most interesting thing about the parade to all my co-workers and myself was the interaction the president and vice president along with their families had with the crowd. They all acknowledged and embraced the huge crowd there to see them.

“ I believe that Barack Obama will eventually become one of the most historic presidents of all time, having stopped the war in Iraq, helping the country recover economically and providing health care for everyone,” Kevin Brady, executive director of The Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District and my boss said. “Admittedly, he can’t fix everything, no-one person could but when the smoke clears and the dust settles, in years to come, Obama will be one of the most notable Presidents in history,” Brady said. 

In deed, Obama will be remembered throughout history, not only because he was the first African American President, but also because he won a second term and accomplished many things that helped our nation.  He will also be remembered as the first president to mention gay rights in his speech.

As I stated before, this was the first inauguration I have ever watched. I found it to be an enjoyable experience. I learned quite a bit from watching this inauguration than I thought I did.

Inuaguration

Going to watch the inauguration on Monday. I am going to write about what I think compared to what my co-workers think about it.

Two Articles

Article One:

Writing About What Haunts Us: By Peter Orner

This article discusses an experience guest columnist Peter Orner had as a child. When reading this article you find out that Orner hid a pair of gloves his father just bought. After reading the article, it is still somewhat unclear why Orner felt the need to hide his fathers gloves. Maybe it was because he was jealous of the attention the gloves were getting from his father.

As you continue to read the article, you find out that Orner is ashamed of what he done so many years ago, and that it haunts him that he did indeed commit a criminal act within his own home.


Article Two:

The Women Are Watching: By Linda D. Hallman

Ms. Hallman wrote into the NYTimes to inform the NY Times readers that women are pleased by the growing number of women in Congress. In this letter, she explains how surprised she by President Obamas support of this. This article shows that women certainly have some a long way in the world of politics and society is paying attention.

I updated my Twitter account and created this blog for JMC 414. For the remainder of this semester, I will be following the Huntington Municipal Parking Board.