All American people are trying to figure out what are the clear differences between the candidates in this campaign. I think one of the clearest differences is in their economic philosophies.
McCain, as many neoconservative Republicans do and some neoliberal Democrats, supports an economic theory which gives tax breaks to companies and wealth members of our communities without market regulation and oversight. This "trickle down" theory is clearly not working though.
If we didn't see it before, this economic crisis on Wall Street clearly shows that when given power and money people and companies do not share their wealth, nor do they regulate themselves, they become corrupt and buy luxury goods. This is discussed by NY Times financial reporter Gretchen Morgenson on NPR, Fresh Air, September 23, 2008 and addressed in the book American Social Welfare Policy by H. J. Karger and D. Stoesz.
On the other side, there is a theory of bottom up or grassroots economics. This theory espouses that when people in lower and middle income brackets are given more access to services, education, and money they will pursue higher education, invest, and acquire assets. These actions will benefit the individual but also stabilize the economy and the country as a whole. I think this approach is ideal for our economy because it does not contradict our independent American ideals nor human nature. This approach provides average American families the opportunity to better themselves and their families. Isn't that what we all want to do?
This 'grassroots economics' is what Obama has described on the campaign trail. Obama was quoted on NPR, All Things Considered, September 15, 2008 · "Today offers more evidence, Colorado, that too many folks in Washington and on Wall Street weren't minding the store," Obama said. "For eight years we've had policies that have shredded consumer protections, loosened oversight and regulation and encouraged outsized bonuses to CEOs while ignoring middle-class Americans." Obama says he doesn't blame McCain for these problems, but he does blame the economic philosophy that he says McCain subscribes to. "It's the same philosophy we've had for the last eight years — one that says we should give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else," Obama said. (To hear the full commentary click the NPR link.)
It seems clear that the outdated economic theories and out-of-touch candidates, as well as their advisers, stand to irreparably damage the American public and middle America. 1% of the wealthiest Americans own over 50% of the nations wealth. Our wage gap is increasing every day between CEOs and the people 'in the trenches.' When are we going to put an end to this abuse and create a nation where the American dream is alive and well again?!
I want the American people's constitutional rights honored. It seems that the systems we live with fuzz the lines between church and state, give more power to private companies than the American people, and protects an economic model designed to raise a minority to the lap of luxury while the majority pays the price. I'm sick of it!!
I want a president in office who's going to protect the Average American. If someone thinks the high prices of gas, the massive numbers for foreclosures, and the outrageous cost of health care is 'all in my head' or not too big a deal, they're not the President for me. If someone thinks that the economic philosophies that have been at the root of our economy for the past 8 years should continue, then they're not the President for me. I want real change. Change I will see on Main Street.
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Feeling full of Joy
This is AMAZING. It has always been my dream to work at a science museum. If I ever get to work a one, I want it to be just like this!!! Green roof, open to the outdoors, full of human and animal life, inspiring in its design and as an educational tool . . . thank you architect Renzo Piano, this museum looks like a real gift! I can't WAIT until I get to see it myself!!! Want to know more? Visit the NPR link to hear more about it, see more photos, and take a virtual tour.
NPR, All Things Considered, September 25, 2008 · A building heralded as the greenest museum in the world opens Saturday in San Francisco. The California Academy of Sciences features a living green roof with native plants, insulation made from recycled blue jeans and a large canopy of solar energy panels.
Italian architect Renzo Piano tucked the building into the hills of Golden Gate Park — in both form and function, the museum fits into the natural world surrounding it.
Teeming With Life
The California Academy of Sciences is not your typical museum experience, says Chris Andrews, who runs the academy's public programs. There are no dark halls or long corridors here; its walls are made almost entirely of glass, and it's possible to see from one side of the building to the other from almost any point on the museum's first floor. Even the aquariums in the coral reef exhibition on the lower level are illuminated by sunlight.
"When natural sunlight hits an exhibit of living animals, it brings a tank alive in the way nothing else can," Andrews says.
The building is teeming with life, from the aquarium exhibits below to the green roof above. Standing on the only square of the living roof that isn't covered with plants, Andrews says the sloped design plays off the seven hills of San Francisco.
When Golden Gate Park was developed some 125 years ago, the city covered sand dunes with plants not native to San Francisco. Ironically, the academy's roof is the one spot in the park that has 100 percent native plants; it is already becoming a research center for local universities . . .
Standing before a re-created Pacific Ocean tide pool at the academy, Chris Andrews says this museum — with its environmentally green building and its living creatures — is meant to encourage people to take care of the Earth.
A visit to the museum is not a "strictly didactic learning experience," he says, it's "a more emotional experience."
Thanks NPR!
NPR, All Things Considered, September 25, 2008 · A building heralded as the greenest museum in the world opens Saturday in San Francisco. The California Academy of Sciences features a living green roof with native plants, insulation made from recycled blue jeans and a large canopy of solar energy panels.Italian architect Renzo Piano tucked the building into the hills of Golden Gate Park — in both form and function, the museum fits into the natural world surrounding it.
Teeming With Life
The California Academy of Sciences is not your typical museum experience, says Chris Andrews, who runs the academy's public programs. There are no dark halls or long corridors here; its walls are made almost entirely of glass, and it's possible to see from one side of the building to the other from almost any point on the museum's first floor. Even the aquariums in the coral reef exhibition on the lower level are illuminated by sunlight."When natural sunlight hits an exhibit of living animals, it brings a tank alive in the way nothing else can," Andrews says.
The building is teeming with life, from the aquarium exhibits below to the green roof above. Standing on the only square of the living roof that isn't covered with plants, Andrews says the sloped design plays off the seven hills of San Francisco.When Golden Gate Park was developed some 125 years ago, the city covered sand dunes with plants not native to San Francisco. Ironically, the academy's roof is the one spot in the park that has 100 percent native plants; it is already becoming a research center for local universities . . .
Standing before a re-created Pacific Ocean tide pool at the academy, Chris Andrews says this museum — with its environmentally green building and its living creatures — is meant to encourage people to take care of the Earth.
A visit to the museum is not a "strictly didactic learning experience," he says, it's "a more emotional experience."
Thanks NPR!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Disappointing . . .
I'm concerned about some parallels I can make between Sara Palin's inarticulate interviews and other people I would NOT want in my White House.
I'm clearly not alone, here's what Kathleen Parker, conservative columnist with the Washington Post, is saying about her discomfort with Palin representing the Republican party.
I'm clearly not alone, here's what Kathleen Parker, conservative columnist with the Washington Post, is saying about her discomfort with Palin representing the Republican party.
How do we know any of it is true?
My real concern as of late is ensuring that I have the best and most accurate information available to me. I've decided that the best approach to this is to do the following:
- Listen to multiple media sources, including international sources
- Check with non partisan sites which fact check and list public records such as:
- factcheck.org
- taxpolicycenter.org
- votesmart.org
- Read, read, read everything I can squeeze into a day, especially nonfiction texts by experts and peer reviewed research articles. Want to know what I'm reading right now?
- Understanding Social Welfare Policy by R. Dolgoff & D. Feldstein (2007)
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Tom Friedman (2008)
- American Social Welfare Policy (5th ed.) by H. Karger & D. Stoesz (2006)
After the first presidential debate I found this fact check breakdown really helpful. For comparison, here's another debate fact check from NPR.
I'll keep you up to date on what I'm learning!
- Listen to multiple media sources, including international sources
- Check with non partisan sites which fact check and list public records such as:
- factcheck.org
- taxpolicycenter.org
- votesmart.org
- Read, read, read everything I can squeeze into a day, especially nonfiction texts by experts and peer reviewed research articles. Want to know what I'm reading right now?
- Understanding Social Welfare Policy by R. Dolgoff & D. Feldstein (2007)
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Tom Friedman (2008)
- American Social Welfare Policy (5th ed.) by H. Karger & D. Stoesz (2006)
After the first presidential debate I found this fact check breakdown really helpful. For comparison, here's another debate fact check from NPR.
I'll keep you up to date on what I'm learning!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Understanding the $700 billion dollar Wall Street bailout
The issue of our current economic crisis is very complicated. I've attached several interviews from the NPR program Fresh Air, which helped to clarify the back ground and details of our current financial crisis for me.
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 17, 2008 - Was 'Adult Supervision' Needed On Wall Street? The bankruptcy of financial services giant Lehman Brothers and the 500-point drop in the stock market on Sept. 15 have sent shock waves through the financial community. Law professor Michael Greenberger discusses the potential ramifications of the recent turmoil.
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 23, 2008 - The Wall Street Bailout: A Conflict Of Interest? With the markets in flux and a massive government rescue package in the works, New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson looks into potential conflicts of interest in the nearly $700 billion deal.
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 11, 2008 · Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University and a retired Army colonel, discusses his new book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. He argues that pragmatic realism has always been the core of American foreign policy, and current politicians would do well to remember that. Andrew J. Bacevich rejects the notion that America possesses a unique tradition of 'liberation.'
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 17, 2008 - Was 'Adult Supervision' Needed On Wall Street? The bankruptcy of financial services giant Lehman Brothers and the 500-point drop in the stock market on Sept. 15 have sent shock waves through the financial community. Law professor Michael Greenberger discusses the potential ramifications of the recent turmoil.
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 23, 2008 - The Wall Street Bailout: A Conflict Of Interest? With the markets in flux and a massive government rescue package in the works, New York Times columnist Gretchen Morgenson looks into potential conflicts of interest in the nearly $700 billion deal.
Fresh Air from WHYY, September 11, 2008 · Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University and a retired Army colonel, discusses his new book, The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. He argues that pragmatic realism has always been the core of American foreign policy, and current politicians would do well to remember that. Andrew J. Bacevich rejects the notion that America possesses a unique tradition of 'liberation.'