free response #4-my favorite holiday

My favorite holiday is christmas.though i dont agree that it is exactly a religious holiday, it is a time to be greatful for your family and to enjoy all the things you have in life. it should be fun, full of family time and time spent with friends.it should also mean lots of food. no time to diet during the holidays! I enjoy it because it gives me a chance to spend time with the relatives that i love that i dont normally get to see during the rest of the year.I get to see my little cousins and how much theyve grown and spend time with them, playing board games or helping them set up mini bowling pins to play with. I also like the food, that i normally dont get to eat the rest of the year because some of it I only get on special occasions, especially the scandinavian foods, which being of all scandinavian decent(norwegian,swedish,danish) is a real treat(haha). I also love seeing my little cousins open up their presents on Christmas day and the pure joy they get from playing with their brand new toys.its not so much of a big deal what presents you get as you get older, its more fun watching the little kids enjoy theirs.I celebrate Christmas by getting together with my relatives,which usually includes flying out to North Dakota, where they all live, and having ALOT of good food, playing games, and just spending time with them. I really love my family so I am greatful for every moment I get to spend with them, especially around the holidays.

political cartoon #4-http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/dec/20/health-care-reform/?opinioncartoons

1. Clay Bennett drew this cartoon

2.It was published online in the Chatanooga Times Free Press(www.timesfreepress.com) on Sunday, December 20, 2009

3.This cartoon covers the health care reform

4.The insurance agencies(bear trap) are destroying any attempt to bring any sort of advancement in health care reform(the stockings)

5.I agree because the healthcare going through means less money for insuance agencies because it would be government run and not run by the agencies. they would be losing all this money because of all the money needed to keep up this reform, however poorly its being run

free response #3-religious symbols on public property

I feel that the display of religious symbols on public property during the holidays is a right that people have to express themselves. we have the freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. besides, religious symbols are displayed everywhere around us, not just during the holidays, "in god we trust" is on our coins and there are many references to god in our historical documents which are displayed all over america for the public to see, what would be the point in terminatiing the right to display other religious symbols, especially on a holiday where all types of religions are honored? to deny that right would mean changing everything america stands for, we'd have to pretty much take every religious reference out of everything,historical monuments,documents,money, even the pledge of allegiance. displays that include the menorah or manger,etc, should be on display because we, as americans have the right to display our religion.people have died to protect that right because it would be hypocritical for us to have religion displayed in one sense, but not in another, especially during the holidays when religion is most highly acknowledged.

political cartoon #3-http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/dec/05/recovery/?opinioncartoons

1. this cartoon was drawn by clay bennett

2. it was published in the Chattanooga Times free press on dec. 5, 2009

3.this cartoon deal with the economic recovery in the U.S.

4. the cartoons message is that the economic recovery is happening so slowly that there aren't enough jobs available in the U.S. the pine needs are all the job losses happening and the base of the tree represents economic recovery but its holding up an almost pine needle-less economy. the economic recovery is doing more harm than good, causing are economy to become withered and bare like a christmas tree

5.I agree with this message because obama's plan for economic recovery is causing more job losses, which makes times harder for everyone, especially over the holidays.

#2 question of the week

republicans and democrats are still debating the bill. apparently, everyone might be kept through christmas break to get to a solution. debate is going on about the costs of the bill, and whether to raise taxes in order to pay for the universal health care.democrats are all for it, yet republicans are against it because they think it will be more trouble than its worth because it is so costly.

I think that universal healthcare is a good thing, because people should have the right to good healthcare,especially if they cant afford it.though i don't think people who already have insurance should have to pay for it, it's a good idea and is worth the money.

political cartoon #2(http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/opinion/cartoons/)

1.)clay bennett drew this cartoon

2.)it was published by the Chatanooga Times free press on November 24,2009

3.) this cartoon deals with the healthcare reform

4.) its message is that congress isn't really doing everything they can to work on health care reform. congress is divided. one side of congress is working on the health care reform and the other side isn't.

5.) I agree with the cartoon's message because i think that the new health care reform is a good idea but all congress is doing is arguing about it, not really taking any action and doing enough to get it through.

question of the week #1 what type of person is the right fit for herndon

I think that the type of person that should be a principal should be dedicated and active in the school.they should get to know the staff and students and actually see whats going on in the school and not sit at a desk the whole time talking about wanting to get involved but never doing anything about it. They should have herndon pride and actually enjoy being around young people. They should also be somewhat social and friendly,but still authoratative. a principle at herndon should actually care about the students and faculty here and be involved in school activities like pep rallies,sporting events, etc. I liked mister cooper as the temp because i actually saw him around school and he was friendly and talkative and interested in what the teachers were doing because he would stop by every now and then in some of the classrooms to see what the classes were doing/what was going on.he seemed actually interested in our school and being a personable principal,even if he was just a temp. a principal for herndon should be committed to our school as well and be willing to work hard.being a principal in a highschool full of hundreds of teenagers can't be an easy job.

political cartoon #1

this cartoon was drawn by Eric Allie and published by caglecartoons."Job Numbers Thanksgiving" 11/20/2009

This political cartoon deals with the jobs that are supposed to have been produced by the stimulus package.

The cartoon's message is that no one knows how many jobs will result from the stimulus package, so alot of people wont have money for the holidays because they are unemployed.

I agree with the cartoon's message because no one knows if this stimulus package is a good thing because it hasn't been determined how many jobs will be available, causing people to suffer during the holidays because they can't find jobs to obtain any money.

free response

well, im not really sure what to write about in this free response.i guess i can start with the voting that was going on this week.i forgot to register so i couldnt vote though i'm not sure if i would have anyways.i have a feeling that mcdonnel is going to win. i am still contemplating on how interested i really am in politics but up until this year, i didnt even really know or pay attention to the views of any of the parties, or politics at all for that matter. this class has helped me so far in understanding political parties and finding which political party i am most closely affiliated with.as i had guessed in the begining, i am a liberal, though i probably wouldn't have voted for obama, ironically. I feel like he has too many ill conceived ideas,most of which he has no control over anyways so why even talk about those.I feel like someone with more experience should have one.though i do not make these comments to upset anyone because i hate getting into arguments with people about political affiliations.these are just my opinions doesnt mean theyre the right ones though.well, im not really sure what else to talk about because i really don't want to keep going on about my political views, so i will just end this now.

current event #6 Obama is going to give money to schools http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33608269/ns/us_news-education/

as everyone knows many county's in many states have had to create budget cuts for their school systems.our county especially has made many budget cuts on account of our county not having enough money to fund the things that it used to.

Obama is persuading states to rewrite education laws and cut deals with unions to compete for $5 billion in school reform grants. states have even started to lift certain bans.but apparently only 10 to 20 states will get any money. Obama wants to use test score data and charter schools as a solution to the problems of public education. however, the teacher's union is against using charter schools. the main forcus of student success is based on standardized test scores and the teacher's union disagress and thinks that charter schools are not the awnser to our problems.there are also debates on whether test scores whould be used to judge a teacher's performance.Obama wants to boost academic performance and in order for states to qualify to get any money, they have to reach certain requirements.

I think that Obama trying to reform schools is a good thing. though not all schools will get the grants i think its a good opportunity for schools to lift the budget cuts so they can have everything available to their students. i also agree with the teacher's union about not basing student performance on test scores.its very biased and general.there are so many students with excellent grades on everything except tests because they may just not be good test takers. its rediculous to base how good of a student someone is based on a standardized test.especially timed ones. even the SAT or ACT is a little rediculous to have, considering theres lots of people who dont do well on standardized tests but are good students. also, colleges look at SAT's for deciding which students to accept and sometimes its the deciding factor. i feel it is an unfair factor however, because it shouldnt be used to judge how smart someone is or how good a student. there could be two students who have equally great grades but only one of them gets in because of their higher score. so the other student suffers because they may not have had a good testing day.i do agree though, that they should judge a teacher based on student's performance because it shows if the teacher is doing their job properly.

finally there's going to be money going to schools and hopefully these budget cuts will end.

who will win and why?

It looks like republican Bob McDonnell is going to win the election.frankly I've been seeing McDonnell on the tv and he is really the only candidate I personally was aware of. However I have recently learned the other candidate is the democratic nominee creigh Deeds. My lack of knowledge of the other candidate is most likely due to his lack of campaigning. I feel like he is hardly putting up a fight at all and therefore McDonnell will win purely on the basis that people know more of him and have heard and seen more of him than Deeds. this is sad that our election turnout will be based on this mostly and not on actual matters and views of the candidates. why is Deeds even running if he's not making much of an effort that is showing us he wants to be governor?This is rediculous

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33459423/ns/health-cold_and_flu/page/2/

this is the link for the article for my current event #5.i forgot to post it in the post below

current event #5-Obama declares swine flu national emergency

As everyone knows, swine flu is becoming an epidemic. kids in schools all over the nation are getting it and becoming severely ill and out of school for a week or more, effecting their education.people have been encouraged to take precautions such as washing their hands thouroughly and using hand sanitizer or not sharing food or drink with anyone. many people are not really listening however and taking this seriously.when it spreads around so quickly to the point where lots of kids are out of school because of it, its not something to be taken lightly.

this article talks about how Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency. This order has given the health chief the power to let hospitals move emergency rooms offsite to protect noninfected patients and speed treatment for those infected so it doesn't get worse. the chief is now able to bypass rules for opening alternative care centers at schools or community centers. Hospitals have now started to open up drive-thrus and drive up tent clinics to screen and treat patients with swine flu. theyre trying to keep swine flu patients out of regular ER's and hospitals so as to not affect the patients with other illnessess. hospitals are now allowed to modify patient rules so as to get to treatment more quickly. though there are regulations still that if not followed, could mean the federal government won't fund the treatment, it is not stopping hospitals from doing as much as they can.

Swine flu is speading so fast and has already cost more than 1000 deaths in the U.S. so far. there have also been more than 20,000 hospitalizations for it. I am completely for the hospitals doing all that they can to treat as many as possible while trying to prevent more infections.we need to fight this as much as possible before it gets worse.hoever, even with the deaths and so many home sick, people still are not taking this as seriously as it needs to be taken. there are probably still kids who are infected but have not been tested yet that are walking in our schools, unknowingly spreading the virus. people need to be taking precautions.while the H1N1 vaccine is not available to everyone yet, there is the recent flu shot that while it will not prevent you from catching the virus, it will help if you do catch the flu because it may help to reduce the symptoms. In the past, many people have never paid much attention to getting their seasonal flu shots but beacuse of the H1N1 epidemic, they are becoming more aware of taking precautions.even the seasonal flu causes deaths every year.many americans are not hygeinic enough when it comes to washing their hands after using the bathroom.it takes like 2 mins to wash your hands thouroughly so I'd say it's not a big sacrifice to spend 2 mins of your time.

I feel terrible for the young children in america right now whos parents wont immunize them. now with the H1N1 epidemic going through schools, its even more of a problem especially with young children who are more likely to catch it.

What is the biggest political issue facing the state of virginia?

I think the biggest poilitical issue facing virginia is the lack of funding for transportation.traffic is so congested and overcrowded and we need more roads but none can be built because there is no money for it.because of the recent economic problems that countys in va have had to dealt with, there is hardly any money for anything right now.in order to be able to fund construction for new roads, taxes would have to be risen significantly. though there should be more available transportation in order for commuters and every other virginian to get where they need to go, is higher taxes really a fair price to pay? the metro already costs enough as it is to maintain without having to try to pay for more roads.

current event #4: Obama takes aim at deceptive health ads-http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33354780/ns/politics-health_care_reform/

Since Obama's election into presidency, he has promised a health care reform that will give citizens who were not able to have health insurance before because they coud'nt afford it, more affordable health insurance.many americans go through their daily lives uninsured because of the high costs of coverage and it isn't fair that they should be denied coverage because of their economic problems.

This article is about how Obama spoke out against critics of his health care plan by stating that without reform,costs will continue to rise and eventually devestate the U.S. economy. there is new legislation being considered that would extend healthcare to millions of people. The president said that rising health care costs have "unleashed havoc on families,businessess,and the economy" and he talked about how whenever they have tried to reform the system in the past, insurance companies try to stop it from happening, because lower health care costs means money loss for those companies.Though the health insurance industry has claimed that the finance committee bill would raise premiums for people who already have health coverage,causing them to be effected because of those who can't afford the current cost of insurance. But the president claims that the health insurance industry is misleading the american people.

Although this reform does mean people who are already covered have to pay more, I think it is a good idea because then people who couldn't afford the insurance will be able to. Though it will be a big price to pay for the billions of dollars being cut from future medicare payments to health care providers.This also means higher taxes, but without this reform, costs will rise and in the long run, this will mean lower salaries and a higher unemployment rate.It will also mean lower profits for businesses and an increase in the amount of people uninsured.

I think that in the end, this reform is a small price to pay considering how much the greater the cost will be if action is not taken soon.

I give Obama a C

Though alot of the decisions that have been made are not Obama's fault, actually atleast 50% of the time its congress's fault, but he is still not making much headway when it comes with dealing with issues.
He has yet to do much for dealing with the healthcare issue,so i give him a D. He has a good idea in expanding coverage but has yet to do anything about it
for dealing with the economic downturn i give him a c-it's true that wasn't completely his fault but he still has a say and that stimulus package was not necessary and our economic problems aren't totally gone yet.and all these ideas he has, like the one about making school all year round, there is just no money for it and while his intentions are good, theyre not really thought out very well when it comes to thinking about if we really have the money to fund all his ideas.
I do give the war on terror thing a B though, he is trying to doing something about the war, even though it means sending more troops to afghanistan,
so all in all he gets a C.his intentions are very good, though illconceived. He hasnt been in office long enough to really make a huge difference though. his grade may improve over time.we'll have to see how this year goes.

current event #3Obama see consensus on healthcarehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33252694/ns/politics-white_house/

there has always been talk about who should recieve good and affordable health coverage.Lots of people have been denied healthcare because they could afford it and have suffered because of it.Some have even become overly cautious in their everyday routines so as not to risk getting injured and getting a huge hospital bill they can't pay.

The president has made his opinions clear about overhauling healthcare. He beleives that health insurance reform isnt a specific democratic or republican issue, but an american one. however, there are still issues between the democrat's view and the republican's view on health insurance reform.The is a healthcare bill that's coming out soon and its the only one that meets obama's conditions for expanding insurance coverage without raising the federal deficit.It is also slowing the rise in medical costs.

I agree that this isn't a specific party issue and that all americans should have a right to affordable coverage. Though it may cost the government more money, I believe it is one of those things that is neccesary,because it effects americans lives and that is not somethng that should be dealt with carelessly. I do not, however, agree with the democrat's healthcare package as it would be very costly and add more to the taxes of those who don't buy health insurance. It'll also be forcing many people onto medicaid, and denying them the choice of what health plan best suits them and their needs and it will take about $5 billion out of medicare and cost trillions. More healthcare availabilitty should not have to cost a great deal of money, just enough to be able to provide for those who badly need the coverage.

the government needs to start spending less frugally and on more important issues such as healthcare.otherwise its risking the health of millions of americans.

what political issue are you most interested in?

I am most interested in the issue about health care. I think everycone should be able to have affordable health care. no one should be denied covereage, especially in an emergency. there are so many people who dont have healthcare because they can't afford it, and therefore, they are overly cautious and paranoid.people who are dieing shouldnt be denied care because they cant afford it. It's not humane to just let people die because of theyre economical problems. I know people who cant afford any right now and are doing recreational activities like martial arts or other sports or reckless behavior and its scary to think about because what if they got hurt? they wouldn't get any medical help and it would potentially be risking their health.I think Obamas reform would be a good idea because every american deserves to be able to afford health insurance. people shouldn't have to suffer in that way just because they're not as well off as others may be

current event #2:Obama's afghanistan decisionhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33161460/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/

There has always been conflicts regarding the war and debates on whether or not to take troops out of afghanistan or to send more in.there have been questions as to whether or not this would be effective, or just cause a greater loss of soldiers.

Obama has to decide on whether he'll send up to 40,000 more troops to afghanistan. he is calling the war a "war of necessity" and that is would be fundamental to defending our country .however, there is critism about if this war really is a necessity or if it would just be making things worse to put in more troops

There has been so many problems regarding troops in afghanistan and the war hasn't stopped so far and doesn't seem like it will anytime soon. there is that saying "fight fire with fire" but we're not really extinguishing it, just making the flames bigger. sending more troops will just add to the problem, and possibly make it worse.we need to think about how we can get our troops our, not how we can put more in, risking more lives and not really accomplishing anything. there should be other ways to resolve this instead of risking more lives.using force is not neccesarily the only way to win.

right now, this war is causing way more problems than it is fixing them

What political party are you most closely aligned with and why?

While in the past I havn't given much thought to political parties, or politics in general, for that matter. If I had to choose a political party, However, I suppose Id most closely align myself to the democratic side as I tend to have more liberal opinions and I agree with more of their views than those of the republican party

though many of my beleifs are the same as the democratic platform many of them are also the same as the republican platform.for example I go with the republican belief of pro choice. While I still juggle with the morality of abortion and I am not neccesarily for it, I do think that it should be a choice for every citizen whether or not they abort, otherwise It goes against certain rights that citizens have been given. However I do agree with the democratic viewpoint that same sex couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples. afterall, despite the sex of your partner, you are a citizen and should be entitled to all your rights, no matter what orientation you are.

based on these points, I am not all for nor am i against any certain political party. people should pay more attention to each single-issue rather then associate themselves more with one political party over another. I will support any Idea that I believe to be more effecient or moral, regardless of what political party it is.

Obama thinks American children don't spend enough time in schoolhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33044676/ns/us_news-education/#storyContinued

• Most american schools have a fairly flexable amount of hours thats children are required to spend each day in school.There is also a fair amount of vacation time during which students can relax and do recreational things, or partake in extra studies of their choosing.basically a break from whatever they have to do during the school year.This has seemed to be working so far and seems to be a reasonable balance between leisure and educucation for most american children.

• Obama thinks american children don't spend enough time in school. This realization is based on the fact that children in other countries have more school days and less vacation time. He wants to increase school days and decrease vacation time. While children in other countries have less school hours, they have more school days than american children.an advantage is higher test scores and grade improvements.

• While I think it would be beneficial to have higher test scores and grade improvements, I think this idea is very il conceived. One point is that summer vacation gives children time to take a break from their hectic school schedule and relax and do more things they enjoy that they normally don't have time to do during the school year. while we have weekends and the occasional teacher work days and thanksgiving,easter, and winter breaks, those small breaks are also frequently used to do homework,catch up on work, and to do extra studying. Teachers more frequently then not, give students assignments to do over these breaks as well. another point is that making school days longer will give students less time to do homework, chores, family responsibilities, internships, sports activities,leisure activities, and paying jobs which many american teenagers depend on for their own source of income. a third point is the amount it would cost to have longer school days. As the nation is just starting to come out of economic turmoil, public school county's are still going through budget problems and are being forced to cut back on certain costs. An example of this is the fact that our principle is not letting any student at herndon highschool switch out of any class as they have been able to in previous years during the first quarter because of the amount of students in our school, not having enough room if there become a greater increase of students in certain classes and a decrease of students in other classes, and not being able to afford more teachers or more space for this to happen. county's are already having enough trouble as it is being able to keep sports funded and providing teachers with the neccesary supplies that they need for classes. Though the economy is starting to return to normal, it is still not a good idea for now because it is too soon to start being optimistic. Our nation could go right back to where it started.

• There are too many controversaries that would have to be dealt with for this idea to even be considered a possible option. As we have clearly just experienced economic problems, it is not a good idea to start taking advantage of this economic improvement.If the government learns to use it's money more wisely,then maybe we'll have more money for educational purposes in the future, but right now that seems unlikely. After all, history does tend to repeat itself.