Balancing the Ticket

I believe that balancing the ticket is a very useful and successful tactic used in elections. This allows the president to have a running mate that could make up for one of their weaknesses. In many cases this tactic has had a strong influence on the results of elections. In McCains situation this had backfired due to a poor choice of asking Sarah Palin to be his running mate, but Obama used this to his best advantage. His choice to run with Biden helped make up for his lack of experience. Also Biden is known for being very up front so he can be used to be more aggressive as Obama can remain more composed.

Extension of Bush-Era Tax Cuts

Obama agreed to extend Bush-era tax cuts for 2 years and unemployment benefits for 13 months. "As outlined by Obama and sources, the deal would add up to hundreds of billions of dollars in more federal spending or lower revenue in coming years at a time when the president, Republican leaders and a federal deficit commission appointed by the president all say that the growing federal debt must be brought under control"(http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/06/obama.taxes.debates/index.html?hpt=C1). Although this may be bad for federal spending I believe this was completely necessary. As the American people struggle and unemployment is at around 10%, many cannot afford for these tax cuts to expire.

Prop 25

As California's economic state continues to struggle, the passing of prop 25 was completely necessary. The ridiculous 2/3 needed to pass anything allowed no room for change. I am now more hopeful for California's future now that this has been passed and now that a much need budget can be passed. This will allow for less arguing and more progress to be made. Especially since party lines are drawn, a 2/3 majority is too much to ask for parties that struggle to come to agreements in the first place.

Airports Beef Up Security

     New technology allows us as a country to protect ourselves better, but at what cost? The newest piece of equipment has become highly controversial, the body scanner. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t be a little uncomfortable going through one, but for my safety I will risk it. Saying it is an extreme invasion of privacy is a completely relevant argument, but there are people out there trying to hurt us and I believe this scanner might be necessary. As terrorists advance and come up with new ideas, we too must also evolve our means of defending ourselves from attacks.

Eminent Domain

Eminent Domain gives the government the power to seize private property in the name of public use. These public uses include hospitals and schools, but the government has been abusing this privilege. Based off of ones agenda this right has been interpreted in different ways. The government has torn down neighborhoods in order to build something that would bring in more tax dollars. This helps the economy which helps the public, but was this intended when the law was written? Many may say this type of use helps the public by stimulating the economy, but what would you say when your property was a target? The house you have grown up in and created memories in. I believe the way eminent domain is being used is ridiculous and shows how out of control our federal government really is.

Obama on The Daily Show

Obama gained much of his power by inspiring the youth, but how inspired are they now? With many expectations of change not met, a decline in support has been made apparent. When Obama ran for office in 2008 he ran on change and brought out an enormous amount of young people to vote, but the decline in support can be seen through the recent midterm election. Before the election Obama appeared on the Daily Show to make a last attempt to rally votes for the election, but the election has revealed his success rate was far lower than in is campaign ( This is made obvious by the loss of majority in the House and the republicans gaining seats in the Senate). Obama states that "change does not happen over night", but how much longer are people willing to wait?

The Filibuster

 In America we pride ourselves on democracy, but I believe the ability to filibuster should be limited. Even if there maybe a majority, a minority in Congress has the power to delay or even prevent voting. Now that doesn't sound very democratic. The longest filibuster record remains at forty three and a half hours. This is beyond ridiculous and a waste of time. Yes, a group gets to voice their opinion, but this leaves the rest of Congress helpless. Also passing proposals through Congress has become increasingly difficult and slow, which doesn't allow for change. All in all I believe this poses a hinderance rather than a helpful tool.