Political cartoon #6

This cartoon was published in The Arizona Star by David Fitzsimmons on January 18, 2010.
It brings up the issue of bank executives recieving large bonuses. The cartoon has a negative view of the situation, portraying the executives as stealing money from US banks. I completely agree with the message of this cartoon. It is rediculous that these executives, who are already extremely wealthy to begin with, are now recieving bonus checks, when so many Americans are living below the poverty line. The money should be spent on helping Americans during this tough economic time.

Personal Response - Crisis in Haiti

For my personal response I have decided to write about the crisis happening in Haiti. After an earthquake that measured 7.0 on the richter scale hit Haiti, it is feared that as many as 200,000 people may be dead. The rest of the world is rushing in aid, but it's difficult to get it out to the people who need it. There is also fear that there will be looting and violence, as people desperately try to obtain supplies. In my attempt to help, I donated twenty dollars to the Red Cross earthquake relief effort. It is not a lot, but if many people do the same, it could help significantly. I think that because so many of us live such comfortable and fortunate lives, we don't necessarily connect with what the Haitians are going through. We need to reach out and help those who are less fortunate. Until the crisis is over, the people of Haiti will be in my thoughts.

Political Cartoon # 5

This cartoon was posted by Monte Wolverton to Cagle Cartoons on January 10,2010. It brings up the issue of National Security. The cartoon's message is that the government is not doing enough to protect the country from terrorism, and that it is to easy for terrorists to sneak past the security measures that have been put into place so far. I agree with the message of this cartoon and I think that more security measures need to be enacted to prevent more acts of terrorism from taking place in the United States. Airport Security in particular has been a topic of discussion, since the attempted Christmas Day bombing aboard a Northwest Airlines flight. Since then there have been new proposals for security screenings in airports. Many people are against these new screening methods because it could compromise their privacy. In my opinion, I'd rather have to go through extra security screening at an airport than risk dieing because a terrorist got onto my plane.

Week 4: New Year - Obama Administration

It is the start of a new year, and according to many economists, the economic recession is ending as measured by an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, even though we are undergoing economic recovery, the job market is still grim. There was a loss of 85,000 jobs last month, although that's not as bad as in past months. There is still at least half of the original stimulus money to be spent so it is likely that job growth will increase over the coming year. The job market will still not be as good as in past years prior to the recession, but the trends will be positive for job and business growth. Hopefully, the job growth can be in new green industries that will also help address climate change.