Obama’s first 100 days as President

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for Mr. President Barack Obama as he completed his first 100 days in the oval office yesterday. It surely has not been easy, and no one suggested that it was going to be; but regardless, Barack Obama—our 44th President of the United States—has certainly come a long way from his days as Senator.
Allan Lichtman, Presidential Historian said, "It's been one of the most active and productive first one hundred days in the history of the country. It is an extraordinary record of getting things done. You can judge his policies according to your values, but I don't think you can really make the argument any longer that he's not prepared for the job."

Well, with an economic crisis that is considered to be even bigger than the great depression of the 30's and not to mention numerous other political and human conflicts, Obama's tasks and the country’s overall expectations were nothing short of a challenge. I think that regardless of if you identify yourself as a conservative or progressive, one aspect of the Obama presidency seems to stand true: only 100 days into office and a lot has been accomplished. In his first 100 days in office, the President has announced a $787 billion stimulus package to rescue banks and automakers and $275 billion plan to halt home foreclosures. Also, he ordered closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison and revised U.S. interrogation policies for terror suspects. Not only this, he also announced plans to end the combat mission in Iraq by 2010.

As you can see, from the new approaches to war to more than a trillion dollars in government stimulus spending; from pirate attacks to swine flu epidemics; from controversial cartoons to Senatorial defections, this administration has certainly seen its fair share of difficult decisions and has kept it interesting along the way. As Obama still remains a favorite amongst U.S. citizens and his Obama-crazed fans, we can only hope and pray that his success and approval rate in office will be infinite.

To quote Mr. Obama himself, "Now is the time to act boldly and wisely, to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity."

Senator Arlen Specter opts to switch over party lines

In a stunning political move today, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter has decided to leave the Republican Party to join the Democratic Party. As a “moderate” Republican, Specter has long been at odds with mainstream red-blooded Republicans on spending and life issues. Apparently, Specter has concluded there is “no way he can win” a contested run for re-election in 2010 under the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. Specter’s decision would give Democrats a 60 seat filibuster proof majority in the Senate assuming Democrat Al Franken is eventually sworn in as the next Senator from Minnesota.
Here, take a look for yourself—

"OMAMA-nation" on UT's campus

The Young Conservatives of Texas will be hosting an event at UT’s West Mall today (Tuesday April 28, 2009) that I find is both offensive and disrespectful to our President. The event is being called “OBAMA-nation” which is obviously a play on the word "abomination". According to the Young Conservatives of Texas the play on words is supposed “to point out just what Obama is turning this country into.” The Young Conservatives of Texas participating in the event plan to: throw tea bags at a poster of President Obama as part of a “tea bagging” campaign; pass out free sweat tea and lemons to anyone who would like some and as a part of their theme of “Obama’s economic policy is a lemon”; and lastly they will have a U.S. border replica and distribute “Free Green Cards” and “Free Government Entities” as individuals “cross the border”.

To add to the annoyance of this whole situation the Young Conservatives urge people to come out and support the event if for any other reason than to “hear Rush Limbaugh over the P.A. system.” I don’t know about you, but that would only deter me from attending even more.

Some students on the opposing side have decided to stand as a community and do a peaceful counter demonstration. The students will be wearing white to show solidarity and will pass out information about immigrants in Texas. Students interested in participating are asked to show up at the MIC at 10:30 am; the group will walk over to the West Mall at 10:45am. The entire event is scheduled to last from 11 am to about 3 pm so if you can’t make it that early in the morning just show up anytime between 11 am and 3 pm for however long you can.

Meghan McCain: "You had your 8 years, now go away” Well, Meghan I personally couldn’t agree more.

I must admit, I’m an avid fan of The View. I watch it as much as my class schedule permits. The other day when I happened to flip on The View before I headed off to class I noticed that Meghan McCain, the daughter of defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain, was co-hosting with the other women and said something about former White House political guru Karl Rove and Vice-President Dick Cheney that caught my attention… why don’t you take a look for yourself to get the full effect:


It’s nice to see a Republican finally share my same point of view.

Meghan has been portraying herself as a new and modernizing face for the Republicans, offering support for issues such as gay marriage, and is writing a book outlining her views about the party's future—coming from a bi-partisan perspective, I think Meghan can do a lot of good for the Republican party.

Swine Flu Epidemic?

For the past couple of years now people have been up and arms about contracting the bird flu, but the concern seem to have shifted to another strain of virus—the swine flu. Just yesterday, Sunday April 26, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared a public health emergency due to the swine flu. As many of you have probably heard already, there are now 2 confirmed cases of swine flu in Texas as well as cases in Mexico, California, Kansas, and New York. The World Health Organization confirmed a worldwide total of 75 cases of swine flu today—40 confirmed cases in the United States, 26 in Mexico, 6 in Canada, 1 in Spain and 2 in Scotland.

To make matters worse, Health officials suspect hundreds more cases worldwide. As far as some good news, out of the 40 cases reported in the U.S., only one has been hospitalized, and all have recovered. So far the cases seen in the U.S. have been milder than those in Mexico, where at least 20 people have died from this new strain of the swine flu virus.

In attempts to keep a possible health emergency at bay, the government is asking everyone’s corporation in this. Please, if you are sick stay home, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough and of course always wash your hands; you can never be too careful with these kinds of things.Here is a video from the White House briefing explaining the issue a bit more:

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!