Obama's Time is Now

Over the past several days, President Obama, Vice President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Reid, and House Speaker Boehner have been negotiating the budget for the next fiscal year.  So far nothing has been accomplished.  While government disagreements are far from unusual, there could be rather unsettling consequences if a budget fails to pass this Friday.  Without a new budget, there is the possibility of a partial government shutdown.  While law enforcement and other essential services will continue to go about business as usual, around 800,000 government workers will be furloughed until further notice.  Both sides of the aisle are blaming each other for not cooperating on drafting the budget or showing any unwillingness to compromise.

As the President of the United States, Mr Obama is put in a very precarious position.  He must not only appease his Democratic base but he must reach out to his Republican counterparts.  In other words, President Obama must transcend party lines to help decide what is in the country's best interests.  Having fantastic communication skills and an air of authority have helped him remain relatively popular in despite the economic woes of the nation.  But President Obama has not yet distinguished himself in his presidency in either a extremely positive or negative way.  He has chipped away at fulfilling his agenda but many Americans are still calling for opportunities to work.  What is a President to do?

This budget dispute is a perfect time for President Obama to appeal to the sensibilities and sensitivities of the American people.  It is well known that the United States must curb its tremendous debt to avoid dumping it on future generations.  But we should not forsake noble social institutions entirely in order to ease our fiscal woes.  The obvious solution is the middle ground.  But at the same time it is the most difficult.  President Obama must look the budget from a logical standpoint.  Programs that do not have any obvious function should be cut entirely or at the very least restructured in such a way that they are more sustainable like the Department of Defense.  But at the same time, President Obama needs to have a heart when drafting his spending plan.  Programs that tend to the sick and the elderly should not be cut coldly.  Reorganization of these institutions may be much more ardous but in the end, it is much more humane.  Some areas such as education and clean, renewable energy should actually receive more spending.  These options are the key to a better future.  Too long have we as Americans been content with the present.  It is now time to live up to our potential and look at the possibilities.  So when President Obama finally agrees on his budget, I hope that it contains a mixture of reason to solve our problems and passion to fuel our dreams.

Depressed? Get a Kangaroo!

At the advice of her depression therapist, Oklahoma native, Christie Carr began volunteering at a local animal sanctuary.  Within a week, she began to nurse Irwin, a partially paralyzed kangaroo, back to health after an accident that had left the young animal with a fractured neck and severe brain trauma.  As Carr slowly Irwin gain mobility, she developed a bond with the little animal and has now requested to keep him.   The kangaroo's vet, Dr. Lesleigh Cash Warren, supports Carr caring for the animal especially since "he will require a lifetime of care and concern for his welfare.  While local county officials are concerned with the possibility of the marsupial regaining full mobility which could be dangerous due the size of full grown kangaroos, many people in the community don't understand the reason for worry.  Broken Arrow Nursing Home owner Joanna Cooper states that Carr has brought Irwin to visit the residents before and doesn't understand "people giving her problems when people have tiger and pit bulls."

After reading this article, I immediately wanted to throw my support behind Carr and Irwin.  To me, it seemed alright for her to care for the animal since it was paralyzed and couldn't live without constant care.  But the way this article is presented demonstrates interesting media trends.  There is a definite bias to supporting Carr and virtually no report on the perspective of the opposing party.  So I immediately feel inclined to sympathize with Carr because I don't know the other side of the story.  I'm not necessarily saying that my mind has changed on supporting Carr and Irwin.  Instead, I believe the media needs to present both sides of an argument fairly and without bias.  And if the media is still unwilling to do, then people need to seek reports from the opposing views so they can better formulate their own opinions rather than be fed the media's bias.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42371459/ns/us_news-wonderful_world/