President Barack Obama will emphasize gun control, immigration and gay rights during his State of the Union address.
The Feb 12 address will be his fourth State of the Union. Obama will give his constitutionally required report on how the country is doing and the direction in which he wants to take the nation.
The recent events involving gun violence in the United States makes the discussion of gun control and regulation to be a virtual certainty.
The tragedy of the events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is still fresh in the minds of Americans and with the recent passage of gun control laws in New York, the president should be expected to make a proposal of his own on the federal level.
This will be the first State of the Union delivered by President Obama when gun control is a primary issue.
Another issue in this year’s address is the topic of immigration.
The president has said now’s the time to overhaul immigration laws in the United States.
The news from Washington appears to dictate there is a consensus among both Democratic and Republican leaders to get the ball on immigration reform rolling.
President Obama has discussed the issue of immigration consistently throughout his time in the White House.
The enthusiasm to get immigration reform passed will undoubtedly have an impact on this year’s State of the Union.
A social issue the president will address during the State of the Union is the treatment and rights of gay people. In his 2010 address, the president called for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
As recently as his inaugural speech the president said, “our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law.”
The prediction the president will discuss gay rights is a safe bet. The bigger prediction is whether the president will come out and endorse marriage equality and rights for gay couples or not.
This will be a different Obama delivered State of the Union when compared with previous addresses because the economy will not be on the forefront. When Obama gave his first State of the Union in 2010, the country was in the midst of one of the most damaging recessions since the Great Depression. The economy had to be the key focus of the president at that time. He also had to worry about re-election.
An issue the president has touched on in every one of the three previous State of the Union addresses is the environment. One of President Obama’s main positions over the past four years has been the research and development of clean energy sources.
The president’s focus has been to become self-sufficient when it comes to energy in this country.
Whether it was exploring offshore areas for oil and gas in 2010, pledging to have 80 percent of the country’s electricity come from clean energy sources in 2011 or pursuing natural gas through fracking in 2012, Obama has placed a priority on the environment.
There will not be a change in 2013.
The first State of the Union of Barack Obama’s second term comes under a different set of issues and circumstances than any of the previous three.
The country is moving forward from the shadow of economic recession and approaching more social issues like gun control, immigration and gay rights reform. These topics make the content of the speech predictable, but to what detail the president discusses them will be ultimate prediction.
In winning a second term, President Obama has also won the ability to establish his viewpoints without the pressing of a coming election. This new freedom sets the stage for a historic speech on Feb. 12.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Deja Vu on Pennsylvania Avenue Revised
Thousands of Americans packed the streets of Washington D.C. and millions of Americans sat glued to their television screens on Inauguration Day 2013.
All to watch an event they had already seen before.
We, the people, were in this same position just four years ago. A nation so captivated by the 2009 Presidential Election that we came out in droves to watch Barack Obama become the first African-American president in this country’s history.
So this time, we, the people, watched the presidential motorcade make its way to the United States Capitol Building. Again.
We watched Joe Biden and Barack Obama take their oaths of office. Again.
We watched the president deliver a speech so revered that our children’s children will probably see it in a history textbook someday. Again.
And as we watched the prayers, parades and pageantry a question slowly began creeping into my mind.
Why are we doing this? Again.
The theme of the 2013 inaugural ceremony was “Faith in America’s Future.” If that’s true, then why are we so willing to party like it’s 2009.
An article by Slate said the amount of official inaugural balls was cut down from ten in 2009 to just two in 2013 and while the price tag of this year’s inauguration ceremonies is being held close to the vest, one number is important to remember.
$170 million.
That isn’t the cost of the latest long term N.B.A. contract, or the amount of money that Taylor Swift’s latest album made (although it’s probably pretty close).
It’s the amount that was spent on the Inauguration in 2009, $50 million of which came out the federal government’s pocket, and when I say federal government’s pocket, I’m basically referring to your pocket.
Fun fact about the 2009 inauguration ceremony: Former president George W. Bush declared a state of emergency so additional funds and assistance could also be provided by F.E.M.A.
The cost of the inauguration in 2009 must be mentioned because fundraising was said to be down for this year’s ceremony by comparison, meaning the federal government had to reach deeper into its pocket.
And really Mr. President, a cash bar? If tickets for the inaugural ball were priced between $500-$1,000 shouldn’t the people at least be able to drink for free?
It’s not like I’m against freedom or democracy or any other American ideal that was mentioned during the minute-by-minute play-by-play of the inauguration. It’s just hard to get behind an event where the First Lady is wearing a dress that costs more than how much money is in the majority of college student’s bank accounts.
Before of all of the aforementioned night-time activity, there was a get together held early that morning between the Obamas, the Bidens and congressional leaders of both parties that was called the pre-inaugural coffee.
Over the past four years, the American people have been led to believe members of both parties, democrat and republican, have a hard time agreeing on anything. But when I turned on my television on inauguration morning, I learned people like House speaker John Boehner and Senate majority leader Harry Reid were sitting down in a room to have coffee. A cup of joe with Joe if you will.
These leaders of Congress, who less than a week earlier couldn’t decide if the Northeast portion of the country that was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy should get relief money, were now being asked to decide between regular or decaf.
A bad coffee joke aside, the overall pageantry of the inauguration ceremony was truly something to behold. All the musical performances were uplifting and inspirational. Correction: all the musical performances that were honestly performed and not pre-recorded were uplifting and inspirational.
Those performances weren’t the reason attendance was down in the hundreds of thousands, instead of the over one million people who were in the same position four years ago. This was a story we had seen before and the attendance numbers along with television ratings suggest Americans didn’t believe this event was as can’t miss as the first. The New York Times reported that ratings among all television stations went down compared with 2009.
The sequel can never match the original. It’s a phrase commonly used in Hollywood, but on Inauguration Day 2013, it applied just as much.
Now is as good of a time as any to reevaluate the purpose of having a lavish ceremony to commemorate something that really doesn’t change. Inauguration Day fell on January 21, but how was it any different than January 20 or January 22. Barack Obama was and still is the president. A party with a multi-million dollar tab doesn’t change that reality.
In today’s America, where nearly eight percent of the country remains unemployed and the national debt has risen by millions of dollars just in the time it takes to read this article, is having another inauguration ceremony for somebody who is already the president the right thing for we, the people?
The truth is, these are extremely trying times in this country’s history. What better way for the candidate that ran under the banners of hope and change, who then became the president that ran for reelection inviting us to move forward, to set a new precedent.
It was an opportunity missed. A moment not seized.
Four years from now, Americans will line the streets of our nation’s capital and sit in front of their television screens to hear an oath and a speech from a brand new president.
There will be inaugural balls to attend and dresses with insanely large price tags. We will get caught up in it all again.
Maybe the United States will be in a completely different and better situation than it is in right now. Maybe price tags won’t quite matter as much.
Maybe the individual who wins the election in 2017 will go on and win again in 2021.
And the challenge to that person would simply be this: On a day when the whole world’s attention will be squarely on you, will you have the ability to do what needs to be done?
President Obama said it best, “We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself Mr. President.
All to watch an event they had already seen before.
We, the people, were in this same position just four years ago. A nation so captivated by the 2009 Presidential Election that we came out in droves to watch Barack Obama become the first African-American president in this country’s history.
So this time, we, the people, watched the presidential motorcade make its way to the United States Capitol Building. Again.
We watched Joe Biden and Barack Obama take their oaths of office. Again.
We watched the president deliver a speech so revered that our children’s children will probably see it in a history textbook someday. Again.
And as we watched the prayers, parades and pageantry a question slowly began creeping into my mind.
Why are we doing this? Again.
The theme of the 2013 inaugural ceremony was “Faith in America’s Future.” If that’s true, then why are we so willing to party like it’s 2009.
An article by Slate said the amount of official inaugural balls was cut down from ten in 2009 to just two in 2013 and while the price tag of this year’s inauguration ceremonies is being held close to the vest, one number is important to remember.
$170 million.
That isn’t the cost of the latest long term N.B.A. contract, or the amount of money that Taylor Swift’s latest album made (although it’s probably pretty close).
It’s the amount that was spent on the Inauguration in 2009, $50 million of which came out the federal government’s pocket, and when I say federal government’s pocket, I’m basically referring to your pocket.
Fun fact about the 2009 inauguration ceremony: Former president George W. Bush declared a state of emergency so additional funds and assistance could also be provided by F.E.M.A.
The cost of the inauguration in 2009 must be mentioned because fundraising was said to be down for this year’s ceremony by comparison, meaning the federal government had to reach deeper into its pocket.
And really Mr. President, a cash bar? If tickets for the inaugural ball were priced between $500-$1,000 shouldn’t the people at least be able to drink for free?
It’s not like I’m against freedom or democracy or any other American ideal that was mentioned during the minute-by-minute play-by-play of the inauguration. It’s just hard to get behind an event where the First Lady is wearing a dress that costs more than how much money is in the majority of college student’s bank accounts.
Before of all of the aforementioned night-time activity, there was a get together held early that morning between the Obamas, the Bidens and congressional leaders of both parties that was called the pre-inaugural coffee.
Over the past four years, the American people have been led to believe members of both parties, democrat and republican, have a hard time agreeing on anything. But when I turned on my television on inauguration morning, I learned people like House speaker John Boehner and Senate majority leader Harry Reid were sitting down in a room to have coffee. A cup of joe with Joe if you will.
These leaders of Congress, who less than a week earlier couldn’t decide if the Northeast portion of the country that was ravaged by Hurricane Sandy should get relief money, were now being asked to decide between regular or decaf.
A bad coffee joke aside, the overall pageantry of the inauguration ceremony was truly something to behold. All the musical performances were uplifting and inspirational. Correction: all the musical performances that were honestly performed and not pre-recorded were uplifting and inspirational.
Those performances weren’t the reason attendance was down in the hundreds of thousands, instead of the over one million people who were in the same position four years ago. This was a story we had seen before and the attendance numbers along with television ratings suggest Americans didn’t believe this event was as can’t miss as the first. The New York Times reported that ratings among all television stations went down compared with 2009.
The sequel can never match the original. It’s a phrase commonly used in Hollywood, but on Inauguration Day 2013, it applied just as much.
Now is as good of a time as any to reevaluate the purpose of having a lavish ceremony to commemorate something that really doesn’t change. Inauguration Day fell on January 21, but how was it any different than January 20 or January 22. Barack Obama was and still is the president. A party with a multi-million dollar tab doesn’t change that reality.
In today’s America, where nearly eight percent of the country remains unemployed and the national debt has risen by millions of dollars just in the time it takes to read this article, is having another inauguration ceremony for somebody who is already the president the right thing for we, the people?
The truth is, these are extremely trying times in this country’s history. What better way for the candidate that ran under the banners of hope and change, who then became the president that ran for reelection inviting us to move forward, to set a new precedent.
It was an opportunity missed. A moment not seized.
Four years from now, Americans will line the streets of our nation’s capital and sit in front of their television screens to hear an oath and a speech from a brand new president.
There will be inaugural balls to attend and dresses with insanely large price tags. We will get caught up in it all again.
Maybe the United States will be in a completely different and better situation than it is in right now. Maybe price tags won’t quite matter as much.
Maybe the individual who wins the election in 2017 will go on and win again in 2021.
And the challenge to that person would simply be this: On a day when the whole world’s attention will be squarely on you, will you have the ability to do what needs to be done?
President Obama said it best, “We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself Mr. President.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Deja Vu on Pennsylvania Avenue
On Inauguration Day 2013, thousands of Americans packed the streets of Washington D.C. and millions of Americans sat glued to their television screens.
All to watch an event they had already seen before.
We, the people, were in this same position just four years ago. A nation so captivated by the 2009 Presidential Election that we came out in droves to watch Barack Obama become the first African-American president in this country’s history.
So this time, we, the people, watched the presidential motorcade make its way to the United States Capitol Building. Again.
We watched Joe Biden and Barack Obama take their oaths of office. Again.
We watched the president deliver a speech so revered that our children’s children will probably see it in a history textbook someday. Again.
And as we watched the prayers, parades and pageantry a question slowly began creeping into my mind.
Why are we doing this? Again.
The theme of the 2013 inaugural ceremony was “Faith in America’s Future.” If that’s true, then why are we so willing to party like it’s 2009.
I know the amount of official inaugural balls was cut down from ten in 2009 to just two in 2013 and while the price tag of this year’s inauguration ceremonies is being held close to the vest, one number is important to remember.
$170 million.
That isn’t the cost of the latest long term N.B.A. contract, or the amount of money that Taylor Swift’s latest album made (although it’s probably pretty close).
It’s the amount that was spent on the Inauguration in 2009, $50 million of which came out the federal government’s pocket, and when I say federal government’s pocket, I’m basically referring to your pocket.
Fun fact about the 2009 inauguration ceremony: Former president George W. Bush declared a state of emergency so additional funds and assistance could also be provided by F.E.M.A.
I mention the cost of the inauguration in 2009 because fundraising was said to be down for this year’s ceremony by comparison, meaning the federal government probably had to reach deeper into its pocket.
And really Mr. President, a cash bar? If tickets for the inaugural ball were priced between $500-$1,000 shouldn’t the people at least be able to drink for free?
It’s not like I’m against freedom or democracy or any other American ideal that was mentioned during the minute-by-minute play-by-play of the inauguration. It’s just hard for me to get behind an event where the First Lady is wearing a dress that costs more than what is in my entire bank account.
Before of all of the aforementioned night time activity, there was a get together held early that morning between the Obamas, the Bidens and congressional leaders of both parties that was called the pre-inaugural coffee.
Over the past four years, I’ve been led to believe members of both parties, democrat and republican, have a hard time agreeing on anything. But when I turned on my television on inauguration morning, I learned people like House speaker John Boehner and Senate majority leader Harry Reid were sitting down in a room to have coffee. A cup of joe with Joe if you will.
These leaders of Congress, who less than a week earlier couldn’t decide if the Northeast portion of the country that was ravaged by Superstorm Sandy should get relief money, were now being asked to decide between regular or decaf.
A bad coffee joke aside, the pageantry of the inauguration ceremony was truly something to behold. All the musical performances were uplifting and inspirational. Correction: all the musical performances that were honestly performed and not pre-recorded were uplifting and inspirational.
Those performances weren’t the reason attendance was down in the hundreds of thousands, instead of the over one million people who were in the same position four years ago. This was a story we had seen before and the attendance numbers suggest Americans didn’t believe this event was as can’t miss as the first.
The sequel can never match the original. It’s a phrase commonly used in Hollywood, but on Inauguration Day 2013, it applied just as much.
Now is as good of a time as any to reevaluate the purpose of having a lavish ceremony to commemorate something that really doesn’t change. Inauguration Day fell on January 21, but how was it any different then that January 20 or January 22. Barack Obama was and still is the president. A party with a multi-million dollar tab doesn’t change that reality.
In today’s America, where nearly eight percent of the country remains unemployed and the national debt has risen by millions of dollars just in the time it takes to read this article, is having another inauguration ceremony for somebody who is already the president the right thing for we, the people?
The truth is, these are extremely trying times in this country’s history. What better way for the candidate that ran under the banners of hope and change, who then became the president that ran for reelection inviting us to move forward, to set a new precedent.
It was an opportunity missed. A moment not seized.
Four years from now, Americans will line the streets of our nation’s capital and sit in front of their television screens to hear an oath and a speech from a brand new president.
There will be inaugural balls to attend and dresses with insanely large price tags. We will get caught up in it all again.
Maybe the United States will be in a completely different and better situation than it is in right now. Maybe price tags won’t quite matter as much.
Maybe the individual who wins the election in 2017 will go on and win again in 2021.
And the challenge to that person would simply be this: On a day when the whole world’s attention will be squarely on you, will you have the ability to do what needs to be done?
President Obama said it best, “We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself Mr. President.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Inauguration Assignment Prosposal
To: Burnis Morris
From: Dalton Hammonds
RE: Story Outline: “Déjà vu on Pennsylvania Avenue”
Subject: The benefits (or lack thereof) of having a presidential inauguration ceremony if the person that is being inaugurated is already in office.
Scope: I will research costs of past inauguration ceremonies and determine whether or not it is a monetarily responsible action in this tough economic climate.
Need: The public should know about how money is spent during inauguration ceremonies and how this inauguration ceremony in particular compares with other inaugurations throughout history.
Methods: This story can be documented by comparing numbers from previous inaugurations and relating them to the one happening on January 21. Other economic figures will also be called upon in order to tell a complete story and to ensure the reader other avenues are being explored.
Sources: Government databases (United State Senate website), Ebsco host for documents, records and other information will also be used to determine the costs of different events. I will also explore news stories written by credible sources and organizations that serve the purpose of checking facts. There is also an option of talking to somebody in the Marshall community about the cost of the event and its effects.
Presentation: This will be a one-part opposite-editorial piece that will provide a different perspective to the traditional inauguration experience.
Follow-up: There may be some public outcry in regards to the cost of the ceremony, which could provide other story angles and topics.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Public Meeting Story
Hammonds1212010450pm
Public Meeting Report
12-1-2010
By Dalton Hammonds
The Executive Committee of the Marshall University Faculty Senate Monday sent a revised incomplete grade policy back to a standing committee and approved a new section of the student handbook for discussion at the next faculty senate meeting.
The new incomplete grade policy grants individual instructors the ability to give eye grades and set parameters for course completion. It is being sent back to the Budget and Academic Policy committee for revision.
An addition to the student handbook regarding the grievance procedure for acts of discrimination and/or harassment was passed without opposition.
Summer sessions were a cause for debate among the committee members.
“The summer sessions aren’t considered a semester when a student is attempting to improve on an incomplete,” Senate chair Camilla Brammer said.
Faculty Senate members determined academic good standing to be when a student has a 2.0 grade point average or better.
Clinical courses have a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grading system, which complicates the process.
“The professor determines what is satisfactory and what is not. There is no letter grade to go by,” Executive Committee Recording Secretary Sandra Prunty said.
The final act of the meeting was to approve the agenda for the next Faculty Senate meeting that will take place on December 9.
University President Dr. Stephen Kopp and Provost Gayle Ormiston are scheduled to speak.
--30--
Public Meeting Report
12-1-2010
By Dalton Hammonds
The Executive Committee of the Marshall University Faculty Senate Monday sent a revised incomplete grade policy back to a standing committee and approved a new section of the student handbook for discussion at the next faculty senate meeting.
The new incomplete grade policy grants individual instructors the ability to give eye grades and set parameters for course completion. It is being sent back to the Budget and Academic Policy committee for revision.
An addition to the student handbook regarding the grievance procedure for acts of discrimination and/or harassment was passed without opposition.
Summer sessions were a cause for debate among the committee members.
“The summer sessions aren’t considered a semester when a student is attempting to improve on an incomplete,” Senate chair Camilla Brammer said.
Faculty Senate members determined academic good standing to be when a student has a 2.0 grade point average or better.
Clinical courses have a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grading system, which complicates the process.
“The professor determines what is satisfactory and what is not. There is no letter grade to go by,” Executive Committee Recording Secretary Sandra Prunty said.
The final act of the meeting was to approve the agenda for the next Faculty Senate meeting that will take place on December 9.
University President Dr. Stephen Kopp and Provost Gayle Ormiston are scheduled to speak.
--30--
Meeting Questions
1. Describe the experience of a meeting: It was an enlightening experience since I had never covered one before. I felt out of the loop at times and I need to improve how I go about covering a meeting.
2. When did you attend this meeting? November 29, 2010 at Noon in the John Spotts Room of the Marshall University Student Center
3. Name of the governmental unit you covered: Executive Committee of the Facutly Senate
4. Number of members of the body you covered: 9 voting members present along with some other non-voting members
5. Number of other members of the audience in attendance: 14
6. Were there any votes? Yes
7. 2 Major issues: Incomplete grade policy was sent back to a committee to be revised. Student handbook addition was voted to be discussed at the next Faculty Senate meeting.
8. Lead Paragraph:
The Executive Committee of the Marshall University Faculty Senate Monday sent a revised incomplete grade policy back to a standing committee and approved a new section of the student handbook for discussion at the next faculty senate meeting.
2. When did you attend this meeting? November 29, 2010 at Noon in the John Spotts Room of the Marshall University Student Center
3. Name of the governmental unit you covered: Executive Committee of the Facutly Senate
4. Number of members of the body you covered: 9 voting members present along with some other non-voting members
5. Number of other members of the audience in attendance: 14
6. Were there any votes? Yes
7. 2 Major issues: Incomplete grade policy was sent back to a committee to be revised. Student handbook addition was voted to be discussed at the next Faculty Senate meeting.
8. Lead Paragraph:
The Executive Committee of the Marshall University Faculty Senate Monday sent a revised incomplete grade policy back to a standing committee and approved a new section of the student handbook for discussion at the next faculty senate meeting.
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