I am discussing the need for a tax policy on the harvesting of Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania in my persuasive essay. One aspect of the need for compensation from the oil companies for drilling in Pennsylvania hits especially close to home for me. In fact it hits so close to home that it was the cover story 2 weeks ago for my home-town paper, the Scranton Times. The article was pathos driven, and it described an adverse side effect of oil drilling that is easily overlooked by companies and states concerned with the bottom line.
The article was a story of a retired couple from New York, Maurice and Anna Aubree, who bought a house in the Poconos to retire and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. I live in the Poconos, and it is a popular tourist location for couples looking for the serenity of nature...well at least it was until the oil drilling began. The Aubree's are now looking to sell their house and leave the Poconos because the 24 hour drilling is disrupting their sleeping and waking life.
The drill sites are not only a noise nuisance, but also an obstruction to the surrounding countryside. In the article as the Aubree's walked their property, a 150 ft. oil well could be seen through the blue spruce trees just 200 ft. away from their property. The drillers have extracted more than oil, they have extracted the appeal of living in the woods in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
I believe that if done properly, Marcellus Shale can be a great resource and source of economic development for our state's economy. However, without compensation for the negative externalities that oil drilling produces on the tourist industry, infrastructure, and local governments the oil companies are stripping Pennsylvania bare at no cost to the companies. The cost instead is transferred to citizens and taxpayers are paying to lose the pristine beauty of Pennsylvania. Taxes on oil drilling would place these costs back on the oil companies and provide some compensation for the extraction of a valuable resource.
It is sad to see a retired couple who enjoyed living in Northeastern Pennsylvania for 17 years leave because of oil drilling. It would soften the home-hitting blow to know that that state government was being directly compensated for the negative side-effects of a valuable mineral market.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Walk it Out Penn State
On Monday April 4th I had finished my morning classes starting at an unspeakable 8 AM and was looking forward to going back to my dorm to take a quick nap before my next class and a busy day of work. My friend reminded me on my walk back from class that there was going to be a rally at Old Main at 12PM for students to collectively assemble against the cuts in state appropriations in preparation for Capital Day in Harrisburg the following day.
When he reminded me of the rally I thought once more about my restful nap and then decided to support myself, the other students, and the future of Penn State by showing the administration and the local politicians that we are outraged at the cuts we are facing, and we as students will take collective action for our school and our education.
Though I was grumpy after all my morning classes, when I arrived at the rally I was rejuvenated by the energy of the crowd and happy I came. There were what seemed like a couple hundred students gathered, more students than I have ever seen at a Penn State rally for tuition. There we bongo drums and signs and plenty of media attention. Our voice was being heard on Monday even if it was only in the surrounding Penn State community.
Students, Union Leaders, administration, and local politicians all went to the podium to speak out against the budget cuts for education. Many students shared their personal tuition stories, and finally one junior came to the podium to close with her personal story. She began to speak of education as an emancipating force, like so many other speakers we had heard. After her intro though, her story became real. She told her audience how she dropped out of high school after having her second child, and then four children later she applied to Penn State. She was accepted and lives in town, and is now a junior about to obtain her degree. I stood in the audience dumbfounded. This is why we have to fight for the right to an affordable education. Because education is a second chance, it is a way for people stuck in poverty to make a stable lives for themselves. It is a way for a young mother of four to get the skills for a job that will be high paying enough to support her four children. This was a story of the power of education, but it carried a haunting tone. I could not stop thinking that success stories such as this will disappear with the rise in cost of higher education from lack of funding. If the state appropriation cuts stay the way they are, we will lose the dream of the middle class. A dream of making a name for yourself that is embedded in our country's history. On Monday Penn State Walked it Out and showed its commitment to making this dream live on.
When he reminded me of the rally I thought once more about my restful nap and then decided to support myself, the other students, and the future of Penn State by showing the administration and the local politicians that we are outraged at the cuts we are facing, and we as students will take collective action for our school and our education.
Though I was grumpy after all my morning classes, when I arrived at the rally I was rejuvenated by the energy of the crowd and happy I came. There were what seemed like a couple hundred students gathered, more students than I have ever seen at a Penn State rally for tuition. There we bongo drums and signs and plenty of media attention. Our voice was being heard on Monday even if it was only in the surrounding Penn State community.
Students, Union Leaders, administration, and local politicians all went to the podium to speak out against the budget cuts for education. Many students shared their personal tuition stories, and finally one junior came to the podium to close with her personal story. She began to speak of education as an emancipating force, like so many other speakers we had heard. After her intro though, her story became real. She told her audience how she dropped out of high school after having her second child, and then four children later she applied to Penn State. She was accepted and lives in town, and is now a junior about to obtain her degree. I stood in the audience dumbfounded. This is why we have to fight for the right to an affordable education. Because education is a second chance, it is a way for people stuck in poverty to make a stable lives for themselves. It is a way for a young mother of four to get the skills for a job that will be high paying enough to support her four children. This was a story of the power of education, but it carried a haunting tone. I could not stop thinking that success stories such as this will disappear with the rise in cost of higher education from lack of funding. If the state appropriation cuts stay the way they are, we will lose the dream of the middle class. A dream of making a name for yourself that is embedded in our country's history. On Monday Penn State Walked it Out and showed its commitment to making this dream live on.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Elections are Over and the Results are in!
Phew! Talk about a busy two weeks!! The UPUA elections are finally over and I am extraordinarily grateful for their success and my new position as UPUA On-Campus Representative!! Thank you to everyone who voted for me in this class!! And I'm sorry about spamming your inboxes with my Angel plea. haha.
Campaigning at a large-scale university was a great experience, and it was like nothing I have ever done before. It was also a very time consuming experience and I am looking forward to having a little more free time over the next few weeks, or at least some more time to study as we approach finals! Even though I spent many days in the last two weeks on little sleep, I loved campaigning because government and political action is something I am interested on all levels. However, it is not something that everyone is interested in, and I will do my best explaining my campaigning experience in a way that will interest people who have little interest in government.
The campaigning period lasted for two weeks. It started on the first Monday back from spring break until election day last Wednesday. The first week was very chill and my campaigning involved nothing more than a facebook group and constant work on revising my platform. However, being a freshman, I had no idea what lay in store for me in the upcoming weeks because the elections were more competitive this year than they have ever been.
I talked with alot of my friends who are upperclassmen and know how the UPUA elections are run. With their help, I made my first batch of fliers and then became subject to a slew of formalities and technicalities from the UPUA Elections Commission. The Election's Commission exists to prevent cheating, but mostly they just serve as an added pain to the candidates. I was expected to attend stamping sessions and stamp each of my hundreds of flies with an official UPUA elections stamp. Then I had to fill out endorement forms for anyone I wanted to support, and weekly financial statements for any money I spent. This aspect of my campaign was a time-gobbling chore.
However, I loved interacting with the other candidates, students, and student-leaders on campus during my campaign. I broadened my network looking for support from many groups across campus such as the music majors and business majors in North Halls, traveling from my home in Pollock up to the rest of the freshman in East, the Panhellenic and IFC coucils, and support from many of the current members of UPUA.
The day of elections became colder and colder as the day went on, but my friends would stop by to help pass out flyers, and keep my attention off of the winter-like conditions. Finally, after a day of campaigning, I decided that I was finished and I went to the Lil Wayne Concert. The election results were announced at the HUB so I had no idea I had won until one of my friends in UPUA texted me and told me that I had gotten the spot as 1-of-7 On-Campus Reps, and that I had received the most votes in my category!! I was shocked to hear that I won and that my campaigning style of "figure it out as you go" had got me 1,473 votes!!
That number is small compared to all the students that attend U-Park, but most students do not care to vote in the elections. UPUA is going to work to increase voter participation each year, but every vote really did count on this small scale, and again thank you for anyone who voted for me and your support! It meant alot and I am excited to serve you as On-Campus Rep next semester!! Thanks!!:)
Campaigning at a large-scale university was a great experience, and it was like nothing I have ever done before. It was also a very time consuming experience and I am looking forward to having a little more free time over the next few weeks, or at least some more time to study as we approach finals! Even though I spent many days in the last two weeks on little sleep, I loved campaigning because government and political action is something I am interested on all levels. However, it is not something that everyone is interested in, and I will do my best explaining my campaigning experience in a way that will interest people who have little interest in government.
The campaigning period lasted for two weeks. It started on the first Monday back from spring break until election day last Wednesday. The first week was very chill and my campaigning involved nothing more than a facebook group and constant work on revising my platform. However, being a freshman, I had no idea what lay in store for me in the upcoming weeks because the elections were more competitive this year than they have ever been.
I talked with alot of my friends who are upperclassmen and know how the UPUA elections are run. With their help, I made my first batch of fliers and then became subject to a slew of formalities and technicalities from the UPUA Elections Commission. The Election's Commission exists to prevent cheating, but mostly they just serve as an added pain to the candidates. I was expected to attend stamping sessions and stamp each of my hundreds of flies with an official UPUA elections stamp. Then I had to fill out endorement forms for anyone I wanted to support, and weekly financial statements for any money I spent. This aspect of my campaign was a time-gobbling chore.
However, I loved interacting with the other candidates, students, and student-leaders on campus during my campaign. I broadened my network looking for support from many groups across campus such as the music majors and business majors in North Halls, traveling from my home in Pollock up to the rest of the freshman in East, the Panhellenic and IFC coucils, and support from many of the current members of UPUA.
The day of elections became colder and colder as the day went on, but my friends would stop by to help pass out flyers, and keep my attention off of the winter-like conditions. Finally, after a day of campaigning, I decided that I was finished and I went to the Lil Wayne Concert. The election results were announced at the HUB so I had no idea I had won until one of my friends in UPUA texted me and told me that I had gotten the spot as 1-of-7 On-Campus Reps, and that I had received the most votes in my category!! I was shocked to hear that I won and that my campaigning style of "figure it out as you go" had got me 1,473 votes!!
That number is small compared to all the students that attend U-Park, but most students do not care to vote in the elections. UPUA is going to work to increase voter participation each year, but every vote really did count on this small scale, and again thank you for anyone who voted for me and your support! It meant alot and I am excited to serve you as On-Campus Rep next semester!! Thanks!!:)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Katie Quinn for UPUA On-Campus Representative!!
Many of you in the class know, because you helped me by signing my signature sheet a few weeks ago, but for those of you that don't know, I am running to be an On-Campus Representative on the UPUA assembly! UPUA is your student government, and many students are campaigning for positions now anticipating the elections that will be held next week on Wednesday the 30th. On this day the students decide who their student representatives will be..as long as they vote!
I am becoming increasingly busy with my campaign, and am hectically trying to balance it with my schoolwork. However, I am enjoying the experience because I have an interest in the way government and politics works and think its even cooler at the University level. One reason I think its cooler is because the students that are running honestly have and interest in making the lives of Penn State students better. Few of them are running for a power climb, and most of them are running with the students interests at heart. Many times in politics voters have to deal with corrupt politicians, but not in student government, and I think that makes the races more exciting.
Yesterday, I started my first round around campus flyering, and trying to get the word out to vote for me! Let me know if you've seen any of these flyers, I would love to hear that you did!
I am running for an On-Campus Rep spot and I have formed my platform around my desired position. I am still in the process of perfecting my platform, and I would love to hear any suggestions or things you would like to see changed at Penn State in your comments. The only way student government can effectively represent the students is with student input, and I will be very receptive to your ideas. For now here's a general outline of my platform:
Residence Life: - make recycling easier for students and dorms more eco-friendly by ensuring recycling bins on each floor of EVERY residence hall. (this is inconsistent now).
- increase the community of residence life by facilitating the means of finding friends with similar interests, and hosting more events to increase communication between on-campus students, celebrate diversity and foster closer relationships between students.
- address the issue of dorm security and take steps to increase security in areas where students feel unsafe.
Student Health: - increase the number of vegetarian options in the dining halls and increase the variety of healthy choices for non-vegetarians.
-increase the accessibility to healthy food by keeping healthy (i.e salad) vendors open later.
-make gym hours more flexible, and cater to student's schedules
-make gym more accessible to students by decreasing its cost for membership
Student Voice in Government: -expand our relationships with other Pennsylvania universities to place united pressure on our State Representatives.
-initiate more constant contact with our State Representatives throughout the year.
-increase voter awareness and involvement on campus because voting is our strongest means available to promote our interests as students.
I hope you liked my platform and if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions email me at kmq106@psu.edu, or just comment on my blog! I want to hear your ideas, and would love to represent you next year as an On-Campus Representative. If your living on campus next year please vote for me on March 30th!! Thanks and if you'd like to join my face book group here it is: Vote for Katie Quinn!
Anyway, thanks for reading my blog and let me know what you think! :)
I am becoming increasingly busy with my campaign, and am hectically trying to balance it with my schoolwork. However, I am enjoying the experience because I have an interest in the way government and politics works and think its even cooler at the University level. One reason I think its cooler is because the students that are running honestly have and interest in making the lives of Penn State students better. Few of them are running for a power climb, and most of them are running with the students interests at heart. Many times in politics voters have to deal with corrupt politicians, but not in student government, and I think that makes the races more exciting.
Yesterday, I started my first round around campus flyering, and trying to get the word out to vote for me! Let me know if you've seen any of these flyers, I would love to hear that you did!
I am running for an On-Campus Rep spot and I have formed my platform around my desired position. I am still in the process of perfecting my platform, and I would love to hear any suggestions or things you would like to see changed at Penn State in your comments. The only way student government can effectively represent the students is with student input, and I will be very receptive to your ideas. For now here's a general outline of my platform:
Residence Life: - make recycling easier for students and dorms more eco-friendly by ensuring recycling bins on each floor of EVERY residence hall. (this is inconsistent now).
- increase the community of residence life by facilitating the means of finding friends with similar interests, and hosting more events to increase communication between on-campus students, celebrate diversity and foster closer relationships between students.
- address the issue of dorm security and take steps to increase security in areas where students feel unsafe.
Student Health: - increase the number of vegetarian options in the dining halls and increase the variety of healthy choices for non-vegetarians.
-increase the accessibility to healthy food by keeping healthy (i.e salad) vendors open later.
-make gym hours more flexible, and cater to student's schedules
-make gym more accessible to students by decreasing its cost for membership
Student Voice in Government: -expand our relationships with other Pennsylvania universities to place united pressure on our State Representatives.
-initiate more constant contact with our State Representatives throughout the year.
-increase voter awareness and involvement on campus because voting is our strongest means available to promote our interests as students.
I hope you liked my platform and if you have any questions, ideas or suggestions email me at kmq106@psu.edu, or just comment on my blog! I want to hear your ideas, and would love to represent you next year as an On-Campus Representative. If your living on campus next year please vote for me on March 30th!! Thanks and if you'd like to join my face book group here it is: Vote for Katie Quinn!
Anyway, thanks for reading my blog and let me know what you think! :)
Friday, March 18, 2011
My letter in Response to Governor Corbett
Hey guys, so my blog post is a little different today. In response to the massive proposed budget cuts to higher education in Pennsylvania, especially the 52.4% cut in Penn State's appropriation, I have written a letter to my state representatives. My letter is long..but I am mad. I encourage all of you to read my letter, and send out mine or a similar one to your state representatives. If you are not sure who your state representatives type in your address to this website :
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/
Our voice needs to be heard now more than ever! This is the most drastic state appropriations cuts Penn State has ever faced, it could change the university as we know and love it, and it will no longer be affordable to many students! So please, write to your legislator, send this letter, or sign a petition. They need to know that we are angry at the cuts and that we do not approve! Thanks guys!
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/
Our voice needs to be heard now more than ever! This is the most drastic state appropriations cuts Penn State has ever faced, it could change the university as we know and love it, and it will no longer be affordable to many students! So please, write to your legislator, send this letter, or sign a petition. They need to know that we are angry at the cuts and that we do not approve! Thanks guys!
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to you as one voice representing 96,000 students, 47,000 employees living in each of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania who are outraged at the recent budget proposing a $625 million cut in state appropriations for higher education. The numbers above represent only the students and staff of Pennsylvania State University, and do not include the hundreds of thousands of students and employees within the Pennsylvania higher education system that will be negatively affected by the current budget proposal. As a Pennsylvania registered voter, who voted you into office last fall, I would like to express my wholehearted disappointment in and disapproval of the proposed halving of the state appropriations for higher education. I would like to serve as a representative voice of your constituents, the students and employees who receive innumerable benefits from higher education in Pennsylvania. The budget proposal will hurt these constituents, and their communities will also suffer. Education is one of the best services our state government provides, it positively affects the lives of students and provides many quality jobs for citizens across the state. I will fight to continue funding higher education because the current and future benefits are apparent and important, and I hope you will understand the reasons for my passion and urgency through my letter.
I am lucky enough to be a freshman at Penn State main campus, and experience a prestigious education at an affordable cost. Penn State is one of the top student-research institutions in the country, and employers respect a Penn State degree. In fact, employers love hiring Penn State students as reflected in the school’s #1 rank in job recruitment in the country recorded in a study completed by the Wall Street Journal in September 2010. Penn State is unique because its state appropriations provide the school with the funds necessary to provide a reduced in-state tuition for Pennsylvania residents. This gives the land-grant university a special connection to the state of Pennsylvania, and students the incentive to study, research, and eventually work in Pennsylvania and give back to the state. However, this year the state appropriations have been reduced by $182 million and this 52.4% reduction of state appropriated funds for Penn State will effectively change the face of the university and destroy its land-grant legacy. If my family is able to make the sacrifices for me to continue to be able to attend Penn State, I will be one of the fortunate ones. Many students here struggle to pay in-state tuition now, and if the state appropriations are cut by another 52% the inevitable and drastic tuition hike that follows will deny many bright Pennsylvanian students the ability to receive a high-quality education from our state. Governor Corbett’s budget cut will drastically change the quality and composition of the Pennsylvania State University. Bright students will be denied a college education in Pennsylvania because they cannot afford it, and Pennsylvania lose students to other states where the student will research, innovate, work in and give back to other states.
The hundreds of thousands of voting students are not the only group of your constituents that are affected by the drastic state appropriation cuts. Quality teachers and employees are also forced to carry the burden of Governor Corbett’s poor decision making. Penn State’s President Graham Spanier said that to avoid placing the entire weight of the budget cuts on the students, programs would be cut, teachers and staffs’ salaries would be frozen, employees would be laid off, staff would not be replaced, and many people who enjoyed quality jobs provided through higher education would become unemployed. Penn State hires 47,000 Pennsylvania residents as employees and is considered one of the largest single employers in Pennsylvania. This number accounts for only a fraction of the amount of possible unemployment from cutting the appropriations to higher education. Other state schools rely more heavily on appropriations than state-related schools such as Penn State to fund their staff and programs. Therefore the budget cuts in higher education affect more than just students and student votes.
Finally, a $625 million cut in state appropriations to higher education would have a negative effect on the state of Pennsylvania as a whole. In Obama’s State of the Union address he stressed the importance to “win the future” through education, innovation, and research. What kind of backwards thinking is taking place in Pennsylvania state government for a governor to propose to effectively break down the type of capital good that will help us become profitable and successful in the future? According to President Spanier, Penn State alone generates over $17 billon in direct and indirect economic impact in the state of Pennsylvania. Penn State only accounts for one large university in the Pennsylvania higher education system pumping huge amounts money into Pennsylvania’s economy. However Penn State is just one of 14 state schools receiving these cuts. By cutting the current appropriations for higher education Pennsylvania is choosing not to invest in a capital good that can increase the possible profits of their markets in the future. While Governor Corbett stand by and lets the gas companies drill for Marcellus Shale in our backyards, the gas companies get off easy with minimal taxes while the voting citizens bear the weight of Pennsylvania’s destructive budget. As a Pennsylvania student and citizen I fear for Pennsylvania’s future, as the state government chooses to cut an invaluable good for the future welfare of the state.
Governor Corbett’s recent budget proposal has devastated my future as a student in Pennsylvania. I have taken the time to write this letter because I am passionate about my education, my future and the future of my classmates, and the future of Pennsylvania. Students, employees and the future economy of Pennsylvania would be drastically and negatively affected by the cuts to state appropriations. If your concern for the people who elected you to represent them and the welfare of Pennsylvania is not enough for you to vote against Governor Corbett’s budget cuts to higher education, then recall the number of voters that are as passionately against the cuts as I am, but frankly too busy to write a letter. Penn State is comprised of 96,000 student voters, 47,000 employee voters, along with passionate, successful, and powerful alumni of 514,000 Pennsylvania voters. We are Penn State and we are proud of our educational experience, and will fight to defend its quality. However, we are not alone, there are 13 other state schools who are equally passionate about their education. Now is the time to respond to your voters who supported you, and vote against the devastating budget cuts on Pennsylvania higher education. Please listen to our voice now, or you will hear our widespread disapproval at the polls when it is time for reelection. Please help the students, employees and future of the state of Pennsylvania by refusing to pass Governor Corbett’s budget cuts to higher education.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Quinn
Thursday, March 3, 2011
War On Women
This year as Congress prepares it annual budget, most Americans are expecting cuts in many of the programs that serve some of the greatest good for our country. Some of you, like me, may have only recently heard that Planned Parenthood is one organization that on the chopping block for budget cuts. While some trimming of their public funding is unfortunate but understandable, conservatives in the House of Representatives have recently taken up an initiative to cut all of the $371 million dollars of federal aid for family planning (nytimes.com). This course of action will put millions of low-income women at risk.
If you didn't already decipher my political leanings from my previous blogs when I mentioned my involvement in the College of Democrats.. you guessed it I'm a Democrat. However, I was also raised Roman Catholic and am ProLife when matters of abortion are discussed. I wanted to make this clear because true debate on an issue is often avoided with the use of these tags. In fact it is similar to the situation taking place in Congress as our representatives immediately tag Planned Parenthood with abortion.
I am strongly opposed to cutting out the family planning budget, or making large cuts that will defeat its purpose. I will start by saying that none of the public funding for Planned Parenthood goes towards abortion. It is currently restricted by the government. However it does go towards contraceptives, family planning, H.I.V counseling, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screening and other services. These services are especially utilized by low-income women who cannot afford reproductive health care on their own. The Conservative members of the House of Representatives have initiated a war on these women by moving to cut the entire family planning budget.
Most of us, luckily, are able to afford this type of care, and if we are unable to, our parents can. However, each of us can think of a friend, or even themselves, that has used Planned Parenthood as a minor in order to receive discounted contraceptives to avoid an accidental pregnancy. That is one reason why the conservative's movement should alarm and bring us into action. Why else should it matter to us? Well, if over five-million unprotected and uncared-for women is not enough to move you to act, consider what Susan Cohen from the Guttmacher Institute, a research institute said, "For every dollar spent on contraception for low-income women, the government saves four dollars in medical costs within the next year by averting unwanted pregnancies"
Seems like the conservatives in Congress are thinking a little backward to me...Save one dollar now to spend four later doesn't sound like a sound economic plan. Their thinking is short-sighted and extremely dangerous for women. If you feel strongly like I do about this event help raise public awareness of it, and let your Congressmen know that you do not support these type of cuts. The public voice can make a difference and the College of Democrats will be hosting an event soon to raise awareness of the growing War on Women.
If you didn't already decipher my political leanings from my previous blogs when I mentioned my involvement in the College of Democrats.. you guessed it I'm a Democrat. However, I was also raised Roman Catholic and am ProLife when matters of abortion are discussed. I wanted to make this clear because true debate on an issue is often avoided with the use of these tags. In fact it is similar to the situation taking place in Congress as our representatives immediately tag Planned Parenthood with abortion.
I am strongly opposed to cutting out the family planning budget, or making large cuts that will defeat its purpose. I will start by saying that none of the public funding for Planned Parenthood goes towards abortion. It is currently restricted by the government. However it does go towards contraceptives, family planning, H.I.V counseling, treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, cancer screening and other services. These services are especially utilized by low-income women who cannot afford reproductive health care on their own. The Conservative members of the House of Representatives have initiated a war on these women by moving to cut the entire family planning budget.
Most of us, luckily, are able to afford this type of care, and if we are unable to, our parents can. However, each of us can think of a friend, or even themselves, that has used Planned Parenthood as a minor in order to receive discounted contraceptives to avoid an accidental pregnancy. That is one reason why the conservative's movement should alarm and bring us into action. Why else should it matter to us? Well, if over five-million unprotected and uncared-for women is not enough to move you to act, consider what Susan Cohen from the Guttmacher Institute, a research institute said, "For every dollar spent on contraception for low-income women, the government saves four dollars in medical costs within the next year by averting unwanted pregnancies"
Seems like the conservatives in Congress are thinking a little backward to me...Save one dollar now to spend four later doesn't sound like a sound economic plan. Their thinking is short-sighted and extremely dangerous for women. If you feel strongly like I do about this event help raise public awareness of it, and let your Congressmen know that you do not support these type of cuts. The public voice can make a difference and the College of Democrats will be hosting an event soon to raise awareness of the growing War on Women.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Life advice from Russ Rose
On Thursday night I attended the Women's Symposium honor all women leaders at Penn State. It was a fun night with a great program, and the all-woman singing group Savoir Faire showcased a small fraction of the great amount of female talent at Penn State. There were just as many men in attendance as well (which I thought was really cool). One of the most important men in attendance was Russ Rose, the Penn State Women's Volleyball coach. He led his team to their 4th national championship this year and spoke about the 10 keys to success at the symposium. Though this does not completely align with my political blog, I see this as a current event relating to our campus, a way to honor all women leaders, and a great source of encouragement as we reach the halfway point of our semester.
Russ took the mic and began to speak in a confident and relate-able manner, and I began to feel like I was being transported to the Women's Volleyball team's locker room. He clearly outlined ten keys to success, gave some comment on each point, and left his audience feeling uplifted, motivated and happy.
Here are Russ Rose's 10 keys to success:
1. Dare to Dream.
- No dream is ever out of your reach. He said jokingly, that out of his 36 years coaching, the girls on his volleyball team have had higher SAT scores than him for about the last 35 years, but he still got to where he is because of hard work and a dream to follow.
2. Confidence is contagious.
- He continued by saying that insecurities are contagious as well and that you must project yourself the way you want your peers to see you and behave.
3. Set a lot of goals.
- In order to reach your dream in life you must set a lot of short term and long term goals along the way to stay on track to success.
4. Work the hardest you can.
- He explained that at the end of your life you wont be remembered for how well you did for yourself, but how many people you helped. You'll be remembered for how hard you worked for others.
5. Don't be afraid of failure.
- He said he doesn't think about the 5 times they have won the national championship. He doesn't focus on whether they failed or not, but instead focuses on always getting better and performing stronger than they did the previous year.
6. Don't procrastinate, and don't blame others
- This is the one that hit home for me the most, and that I need the most work on:) I find myself always procrastinating and doing work at the last minute, and as Coach Rose said, this can be an impediment to success. Blaming others is just excusing yourself for not working as hard as you can.
7. Have a game-plan each day.
- This is another one of his points that deals with time management. He says it's important to have a plan for each day so you know what you need to do and so that you can get as much done as you possibly can.
8. Read, listen and learn.
- Greater knowledge comes from both reading and listening and both are important for becoming a well-rounded person.
9. Surround yourself with quality people.
- Here he gave an example of a trip he took to a coaching conference in which he was stuck in the Denver airport for seven hours and was forced to stay in a bad hotel. When he got to the conference he was happy when people asked him how his trip was. He jokingly told them fine, and explained his journey. He said that you want to be the person that people are happy to see enter a room, instead of being the person who creates groans of agony on their arrival.
10. Be positive and enthusiastic.
-He closed his speech by addressing his audience saying that they are seeking a positive and enthusiastic change for Penn State. He said that he was proud of all the woman leaders and all the leaders at Penn State who could effectively bring positive change to the school.
The program ended with an inspiring speech by the Panhellenic Council President, Paige Rothaus. Each speaker gave motivating speeches on hard work and success, and I think Russ Rose is a great example of the success you can reach with hard work. Whether its advice from a locker room or at a symposium, these are great keys to success, which can be helpful as we get deeper into the semester.
Russ took the mic and began to speak in a confident and relate-able manner, and I began to feel like I was being transported to the Women's Volleyball team's locker room. He clearly outlined ten keys to success, gave some comment on each point, and left his audience feeling uplifted, motivated and happy.
Here are Russ Rose's 10 keys to success:
1. Dare to Dream.
- No dream is ever out of your reach. He said jokingly, that out of his 36 years coaching, the girls on his volleyball team have had higher SAT scores than him for about the last 35 years, but he still got to where he is because of hard work and a dream to follow.
2. Confidence is contagious.
- He continued by saying that insecurities are contagious as well and that you must project yourself the way you want your peers to see you and behave.
3. Set a lot of goals.
- In order to reach your dream in life you must set a lot of short term and long term goals along the way to stay on track to success.
4. Work the hardest you can.
- He explained that at the end of your life you wont be remembered for how well you did for yourself, but how many people you helped. You'll be remembered for how hard you worked for others.
5. Don't be afraid of failure.
- He said he doesn't think about the 5 times they have won the national championship. He doesn't focus on whether they failed or not, but instead focuses on always getting better and performing stronger than they did the previous year.
6. Don't procrastinate, and don't blame others
- This is the one that hit home for me the most, and that I need the most work on:) I find myself always procrastinating and doing work at the last minute, and as Coach Rose said, this can be an impediment to success. Blaming others is just excusing yourself for not working as hard as you can.
7. Have a game-plan each day.
- This is another one of his points that deals with time management. He says it's important to have a plan for each day so you know what you need to do and so that you can get as much done as you possibly can.
8. Read, listen and learn.
- Greater knowledge comes from both reading and listening and both are important for becoming a well-rounded person.
9. Surround yourself with quality people.
- Here he gave an example of a trip he took to a coaching conference in which he was stuck in the Denver airport for seven hours and was forced to stay in a bad hotel. When he got to the conference he was happy when people asked him how his trip was. He jokingly told them fine, and explained his journey. He said that you want to be the person that people are happy to see enter a room, instead of being the person who creates groans of agony on their arrival.
10. Be positive and enthusiastic.
-He closed his speech by addressing his audience saying that they are seeking a positive and enthusiastic change for Penn State. He said that he was proud of all the woman leaders and all the leaders at Penn State who could effectively bring positive change to the school.
The program ended with an inspiring speech by the Panhellenic Council President, Paige Rothaus. Each speaker gave motivating speeches on hard work and success, and I think Russ Rose is a great example of the success you can reach with hard work. Whether its advice from a locker room or at a symposium, these are great keys to success, which can be helpful as we get deeper into the semester.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Revolution in Egypt: Onions, King, and Soccer fans
Though the Revolution in Egypt has been going on for weeks and probably seems like old news to all of you I would like to devote my blog this week to their extremely organized, militant, and creative efforts which have successfully ousted their leader, Hosni Mubarak, and sparked a pro-democracy revolution in bordering countries with oppressive regimes. I am FASCINATED by their movement, and it has sparked my interest for the three reasons I listed in my title namely: onions, King, and soccer fans.
We've all gotten facebook invites to events like parties, community events, and recently for many of us..State Patty's day. The Egyptians utilized this medium in a different way; they created a group and invited people to join a revolution. A government overthrow was organized from a facebook group. As Wael Ghonim said in the New York Times, "I have never seen a revolution that was preannounced before". Over 100,000 citizens signed up for the event. However this was not a spur of the moment revolution, but a plan that had been developing for the past two years.
The core of the protest movement in Egypt came from a group of college students who were young, smart, and well-off. Many of their parents were supporters of Mubarak, and the protesters knew that if they didn't succeed they would be tortured and killed by the government. So they had an incentive to succeed and a passion for change in their government. These tech-savvy college students knew that good organization would be key their movement and collaborated over facebook with the protesters in Tunisia. Their counterparts had recently experienced success in revolting against their government and provided the Egyptians with tips on how to organize and survive protests and police violence. They told the to bring "lemons, onions and vinegar to sniff for relief from tear gas, and soda or milk to pour into their eyes" (New York Times). Some people created makeshift bulletproof vests out of cardboard or plastic bottles to protect from the riot police. All of these tips were transferred between the protesters through a facebook group, and the sharing of information proved invaluable to their success in Egypt.
Police violence and riot control created problems for the protesters. They created a cycle of protesters and as the injured recovered the recovered went back out into the streets. As the violence against the protesters increased two groups came to their aid, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the soccer fans. The Muslim Brotherhood was a secret, illegal organization that operated with a very disciplined hierarchy and were able to organize the protesters into disciplined groups to fend off the riot police and Mubarak supporters. The soccer fans of the two Egyptian teams, who were normally bitter rivals, also joined the effort to protect the protesters because they were used to confronting the police at the stadiums.
I have a deep admiration for the civilized protesting methods used in Egypt modeled after Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Last semester I studied Martin Luther King's non-violent resistance extensively and Egypt and Tunisia are a great example of the force and power behind unified non-violence. The New York Times cited a group of men who "stood silent as rocks rained down on them. An older man told a younger one to put down his stick". This college age group of facebookers and bloggers can be seen as the Gandhis and Kings of our time.
I am fascinated by the revolution in Egypt because I think it is a cool story. It is a story of rich educated college kids who saw a problem with their government and designed a facebook group to fix it. It is a story of over 100,000 dissatisfied citizens responding to a facebook invite to protest in Tahrir Square. It is a story of collaboration and sharing of information and inside knowledge and tips between two countries with similar goals. Finally, it is a story of unified non-violent resistance, in which a country illegal groups and rival soccer teams included came together and fought for a common cause and succeed. Egypt's movement has proven to be a catalyzing source of inspiration for other oppressed countries in the Middle East such as Bahrain, and should be a source of inspiration for all of us as an example of the power of a unified people.
We've all gotten facebook invites to events like parties, community events, and recently for many of us..State Patty's day. The Egyptians utilized this medium in a different way; they created a group and invited people to join a revolution. A government overthrow was organized from a facebook group. As Wael Ghonim said in the New York Times, "I have never seen a revolution that was preannounced before". Over 100,000 citizens signed up for the event. However this was not a spur of the moment revolution, but a plan that had been developing for the past two years.
The core of the protest movement in Egypt came from a group of college students who were young, smart, and well-off. Many of their parents were supporters of Mubarak, and the protesters knew that if they didn't succeed they would be tortured and killed by the government. So they had an incentive to succeed and a passion for change in their government. These tech-savvy college students knew that good organization would be key their movement and collaborated over facebook with the protesters in Tunisia. Their counterparts had recently experienced success in revolting against their government and provided the Egyptians with tips on how to organize and survive protests and police violence. They told the to bring "lemons, onions and vinegar to sniff for relief from tear gas, and soda or milk to pour into their eyes" (New York Times). Some people created makeshift bulletproof vests out of cardboard or plastic bottles to protect from the riot police. All of these tips were transferred between the protesters through a facebook group, and the sharing of information proved invaluable to their success in Egypt.
Police violence and riot control created problems for the protesters. They created a cycle of protesters and as the injured recovered the recovered went back out into the streets. As the violence against the protesters increased two groups came to their aid, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the soccer fans. The Muslim Brotherhood was a secret, illegal organization that operated with a very disciplined hierarchy and were able to organize the protesters into disciplined groups to fend off the riot police and Mubarak supporters. The soccer fans of the two Egyptian teams, who were normally bitter rivals, also joined the effort to protect the protesters because they were used to confronting the police at the stadiums.
I have a deep admiration for the civilized protesting methods used in Egypt modeled after Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Last semester I studied Martin Luther King's non-violent resistance extensively and Egypt and Tunisia are a great example of the force and power behind unified non-violence. The New York Times cited a group of men who "stood silent as rocks rained down on them. An older man told a younger one to put down his stick". This college age group of facebookers and bloggers can be seen as the Gandhis and Kings of our time.
I am fascinated by the revolution in Egypt because I think it is a cool story. It is a story of rich educated college kids who saw a problem with their government and designed a facebook group to fix it. It is a story of over 100,000 dissatisfied citizens responding to a facebook invite to protest in Tahrir Square. It is a story of collaboration and sharing of information and inside knowledge and tips between two countries with similar goals. Finally, it is a story of unified non-violent resistance, in which a country illegal groups and rival soccer teams included came together and fought for a common cause and succeed. Egypt's movement has proven to be a catalyzing source of inspiration for other oppressed countries in the Middle East such as Bahrain, and should be a source of inspiration for all of us as an example of the power of a unified people.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Tution and State Representatives: Seeing the $ as Students
In 2009-10, the Huffington Post ranked Penn State as having the most expensive in-state tuition of any of the universities in the Big Ten Conference (www.huffingtonpost.com). Tuition costs continue to rise each year, and as they climb from affordable to outrageous, promising students lose their opportunity to earn a degree from a reputable school like Penn State. Tuition costs are a major concern for every student attending a major university, and even more so for their parents. Unfortunately as tuition costs rise, scholarships and financial aid are in higher demand, much harder to find, and often do not cover the high costs of attending college. As students each of us play a different role in financing our education, but we all feel the effects of the rising price tag on our degree. However, we all have power to influence our state legislators for larger appropriations for higher education. Many of us have the power to vote, and we all have the right to free speech. So why aren't we taking action on the problem of tuition?
The answer is we are. However, the students bringing this problem to the legislators are a small minority of our university's population, and most of the demonstration is concentrated to a one-day event called "Rally in the Rotunda". At this event students from all of Penn State's campuses and students from other state-funded universities rally at the Capitol building in Harrisburg and demand higher state appropriations for higher education before their state representatives vote on the annual budget. This is a dramatic annual showing of unity and concern for tuition costs, however, in order to influence real change students must make their interests and voting power known more than once a year.
Now we are experiencing the perfect opportunity to build this relationship. This year we elected a new Governor along with 29 new state representatives. The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) is using this opportunity to connect with our legislators in a new way. They are hosting a dinner, not to discuss tuition, but to introduce the new legislators to the students of Penn State.
For any of you who are not familiar with UPUA it is the student government at Main campus. This year I serve as Clerk, so I watched first-hand as the legislation to host this dinner was debated and passed. To many, it may seem counter-productive to spend money on a dinner for legislators and not discuss tuition, but after hearing all sides of the debate, I think it is a great idea. First, tuition cannot be discussed or the dinner would be considered a lobbying effort, which it is expressly not. Secondly and more importantly, it allows the legislators to see the achievements and endeavors of Penn State students in a friendly and stress free environment. This dinner is the first step in establishing an open relationship with our legislators, and through continued interaction, they will being to attach our faces with the dollar signs they see when voting on the budget.
We cannot reach our goal of higher state appropriations for our university education and lower tuition costs by uniting and speaking out once a year. The saying goes: "the squeaky wheel gets the oil", and our complaints about high tuition must be heard and heard often before our legislators allocate more money to students. This dinner is the first step in establishing an open relationship and constant conversation between the students and our legislators. College students make up a HUGE part of the voting block in Pennsylvania, we have so much power, but many of us are too busy to care.
We all care though, as we or our parents sign that tuition check and tighten the belt of the family's budget. We all make sacrifices for our education, and sacrificing some of your time to vote, contact your representative, or even attend a dinner like the one being sponsored could save us all money later. The voice of the college student on tuition must be loud, constant, and even annoying until our representatives understand our priorities and our resolve. This dinner is a great way to begin this conversation by seeing the students as students, and hopefully they will remember our interests when voting.
I would like to open this question up to you. What are your thoughts about the problem of college tuition? And what are some actions students could take to combat these problems? I'd love to hear any of your comments or questions.
The answer is we are. However, the students bringing this problem to the legislators are a small minority of our university's population, and most of the demonstration is concentrated to a one-day event called "Rally in the Rotunda". At this event students from all of Penn State's campuses and students from other state-funded universities rally at the Capitol building in Harrisburg and demand higher state appropriations for higher education before their state representatives vote on the annual budget. This is a dramatic annual showing of unity and concern for tuition costs, however, in order to influence real change students must make their interests and voting power known more than once a year.
Now we are experiencing the perfect opportunity to build this relationship. This year we elected a new Governor along with 29 new state representatives. The University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) is using this opportunity to connect with our legislators in a new way. They are hosting a dinner, not to discuss tuition, but to introduce the new legislators to the students of Penn State.
For any of you who are not familiar with UPUA it is the student government at Main campus. This year I serve as Clerk, so I watched first-hand as the legislation to host this dinner was debated and passed. To many, it may seem counter-productive to spend money on a dinner for legislators and not discuss tuition, but after hearing all sides of the debate, I think it is a great idea. First, tuition cannot be discussed or the dinner would be considered a lobbying effort, which it is expressly not. Secondly and more importantly, it allows the legislators to see the achievements and endeavors of Penn State students in a friendly and stress free environment. This dinner is the first step in establishing an open relationship with our legislators, and through continued interaction, they will being to attach our faces with the dollar signs they see when voting on the budget.
We cannot reach our goal of higher state appropriations for our university education and lower tuition costs by uniting and speaking out once a year. The saying goes: "the squeaky wheel gets the oil", and our complaints about high tuition must be heard and heard often before our legislators allocate more money to students. This dinner is the first step in establishing an open relationship and constant conversation between the students and our legislators. College students make up a HUGE part of the voting block in Pennsylvania, we have so much power, but many of us are too busy to care.
We all care though, as we or our parents sign that tuition check and tighten the belt of the family's budget. We all make sacrifices for our education, and sacrificing some of your time to vote, contact your representative, or even attend a dinner like the one being sponsored could save us all money later. The voice of the college student on tuition must be loud, constant, and even annoying until our representatives understand our priorities and our resolve. This dinner is a great way to begin this conversation by seeing the students as students, and hopefully they will remember our interests when voting.
I would like to open this question up to you. What are your thoughts about the problem of college tuition? And what are some actions students could take to combat these problems? I'd love to hear any of your comments or questions.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Obama at Penn State!!
The 44th President of the United States visited our campus today! President Obama visited our campus, toured our research labs, and spoke to our students about winning the future through innovation. Whether you agree with his policies or not, in the words of Joe Biden this is a "big f*ing deal". Our president selected our university as one of the few universities in the country to tour and use as an example for innovative research. I was lucky enough to volunteer for Obama and attend his speech, and I would like to tell you more about my experience:
I am a member of the College of Democrats, and we were offered the opportunity to volunteer to help out at Obama's speech. I readily accepted the chance to hear the President speak in person, and attended the necessary meetings leading up to his arrival day. I was assigned to overflow, and besides the 8:15 A.M. arrival time the job was pretty easy, because not many people knew the speech could be viewed on TVs set up in the South Gym of Rec Hall.
Time drew closer to Obama's arrival and excitement grew amongst the volunteers. We were guaranteed seats in Rec Hall and we were anxiously awaiting the phone call to be called into Rec Hall.
The phone call came around 11 AM, but it was nothing we expected. The head organizer notified us that the audience was larger than expected in Rec Hall, and they gave away our seats. We would have to watch the speech from the South Gym. We were now the overflow.
And we were crushed.
Fifteen minutes passed as I and the other volunteers tried to understand why they would sell us short and give away our seats after we sacrificed so much time for them. Just as some disappointed students were getting ready to head back to their shifts at work, we received another call. We were getting in, and we were getting in the VIP section!
Relieved and rejuvenated, we excitedly made our way through security and on the the floor of Rec Hall. It was amazing. The stands were packed and you could feel the excitement coursing through the audience. They were passing the time with the wave and "We are" cheer as they waited for Obama's late arrival.
Finally, around 12:15, Obama stepped onto the stage. The audience went crazy and applause filled Rec Hall. Obama made an address similar to his State of the Union address, but this time he solely focused on innovation. Obama cited Penn State as an example of innovative research and described plans for an Eco-hub campus being built in the Philadelphia Navy Yard in order to bring together the best minds and scientists to innovate for the future. Obama continued with his theme of "winning the future" by describing a competitive market for funding of research and ideas. He said, "if you show us the best ideas...we'll show you the money". The crowd was especially responsive to his references to Penn State University and Joe Paterno. I found it amazing that he was using no notes or a teleprompter, and he was very attentive to the audiences reactions.
Obama ended his speech with a challenge to Penn State students, and college students everywhere. He said, "We need you to act, we need you to act with a sense of urgency. To study and work and create as if the fate of the country depends on you, because it does". He left with a confidence that we had the means and energy necessary to "win the future" and brought the crowd to an uproarious applause. Though I was not lucky enough to meet Obama, I felt extraordinarily lucky to be able to hear him speak in person. My morning was full, and at times dramatic, but I left Obama's speech on a high note with a desire to work hard and help lead our country to a bright future.
I am a member of the College of Democrats, and we were offered the opportunity to volunteer to help out at Obama's speech. I readily accepted the chance to hear the President speak in person, and attended the necessary meetings leading up to his arrival day. I was assigned to overflow, and besides the 8:15 A.M. arrival time the job was pretty easy, because not many people knew the speech could be viewed on TVs set up in the South Gym of Rec Hall.
Time drew closer to Obama's arrival and excitement grew amongst the volunteers. We were guaranteed seats in Rec Hall and we were anxiously awaiting the phone call to be called into Rec Hall.
The phone call came around 11 AM, but it was nothing we expected. The head organizer notified us that the audience was larger than expected in Rec Hall, and they gave away our seats. We would have to watch the speech from the South Gym. We were now the overflow.
And we were crushed.
Fifteen minutes passed as I and the other volunteers tried to understand why they would sell us short and give away our seats after we sacrificed so much time for them. Just as some disappointed students were getting ready to head back to their shifts at work, we received another call. We were getting in, and we were getting in the VIP section!
Relieved and rejuvenated, we excitedly made our way through security and on the the floor of Rec Hall. It was amazing. The stands were packed and you could feel the excitement coursing through the audience. They were passing the time with the wave and "We are" cheer as they waited for Obama's late arrival.
Finally, around 12:15, Obama stepped onto the stage. The audience went crazy and applause filled Rec Hall. Obama made an address similar to his State of the Union address, but this time he solely focused on innovation. Obama cited Penn State as an example of innovative research and described plans for an Eco-hub campus being built in the Philadelphia Navy Yard in order to bring together the best minds and scientists to innovate for the future. Obama continued with his theme of "winning the future" by describing a competitive market for funding of research and ideas. He said, "if you show us the best ideas...we'll show you the money". The crowd was especially responsive to his references to Penn State University and Joe Paterno. I found it amazing that he was using no notes or a teleprompter, and he was very attentive to the audiences reactions.
Obama ended his speech with a challenge to Penn State students, and college students everywhere. He said, "We need you to act, we need you to act with a sense of urgency. To study and work and create as if the fate of the country depends on you, because it does". He left with a confidence that we had the means and energy necessary to "win the future" and brought the crowd to an uproarious applause. Though I was not lucky enough to meet Obama, I felt extraordinarily lucky to be able to hear him speak in person. My morning was full, and at times dramatic, but I left Obama's speech on a high note with a desire to work hard and help lead our country to a bright future.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Our Sputnik Moment
On October 4, 1957 the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into the Earth's Orbit. This act ignited the Space Race. America, lacking the science and the head start, beat the Soviets to the moon twelve years later in 1969. Amidst a dismal and internationally competitive job market, rising international powers such as China, India, and Brazil, and a current energy problem looming as a crisis on the horizon, President Obama has labeled now as America's "Sputnik Moment". In Obama's pep-talk to Congress he stated the need to, "out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world". He said "the future is ours to win. But to get there we can't just stand still". Obama's speech was inspiring, but to Congress and the American people he was the coach speaking to an over-confident highly-ranked basketball team at half time as the lower-ranked team surpassed them. The score shows that America has fallen behind internationally, and if we want to "win the future" we need to work our way back into the game.
Innovation is what sent us to the moon, and Obama is proposing that we use the same innovation to lead us to a greener future. Energy independence will save us billions of dollars every year and is worth the investment. The president wants 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Is it worth the cost of research to create this innovation? Let's do the math. From statistics posted on whitehouse.gov, the average electric car save around $630 a year over a gas powered car. This would be a national savings of $6.3 billion a year after reaching the presidents goal by 2015. The science may not be there yet, and neither is the market, but NASA didn't exist when Sputnik was launched and we won that race. Commitment to innovation drives America into the future, but this innovation would not be possible without top-notch education.
Education is something Americans have always taken seriously, and 15 of the 20 best colleges in the world are located in the United States (whitehouse.gov). People come from all over the world to attend college in America, and similarly the job market has grown increasingly international and increasingly competitive. While our colleges are some of the best in the world, America is ranked 9th in the world for the percentage of people receiving college degrees. More than one-fourth of high school students do not receive a diploma, and the quality of our math and science education falls behind many other nations (whitehouse.gov). America cannot out-innovate or out-build without increasing our education standards. Obama's speech offered hope for our education dilemma. Unlike the from the top-down, unfunded education reform mandate "No Child Left Behind", instituted under President George Bush, governors from across the United States have worked together to develop rigorous standards that would promote student development and reward good teachers, all for about 1% of the total Education spending. In line with the theme running through the president's speech, the plan is called "Race to the Top". The reforms name itself has a positive connotation, a "race" to see the best we can perform, without slowing the most talented down waiting for everyone to catch up.
Finally, President Obama addressed our infrastructure. He cited the U.S. as the country who built the transcontinental railroad and the Interstate Highway system, but now, "our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, [and] they gave us a D". China and counties in Europe invest more in their infrastructure and as a result, "China is building faster trains, and newer airports" than the former top-dog, the United States. 95.9% of South Koreans have access to high-speed internet, whereas only 63.5% of Americans have the same access (whitehouse.gov). These are the Sputniks of today, and we can only win the future if we rejoin the race.
Obama challenged America with a quote from Bobby Kennedy, "The future is not a gift. It is an achievement". Obama's rhetoric conveyed a hopeful tone for America's future, but underneath lay the hard facts of our comparative advantage in the world. As we are reminded this week that being a superpower is not a birth-right, but a title to work for, I am confident we can do it. The winning team always comes out stronger after half-time, and its in the American spirit to love a challenge. The race is on, the new Sputniks have been launched into orbit, and now is America's chance to "win the future".
Innovation is what sent us to the moon, and Obama is proposing that we use the same innovation to lead us to a greener future. Energy independence will save us billions of dollars every year and is worth the investment. The president wants 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Is it worth the cost of research to create this innovation? Let's do the math. From statistics posted on whitehouse.gov, the average electric car save around $630 a year over a gas powered car. This would be a national savings of $6.3 billion a year after reaching the presidents goal by 2015. The science may not be there yet, and neither is the market, but NASA didn't exist when Sputnik was launched and we won that race. Commitment to innovation drives America into the future, but this innovation would not be possible without top-notch education.
Education is something Americans have always taken seriously, and 15 of the 20 best colleges in the world are located in the United States (whitehouse.gov). People come from all over the world to attend college in America, and similarly the job market has grown increasingly international and increasingly competitive. While our colleges are some of the best in the world, America is ranked 9th in the world for the percentage of people receiving college degrees. More than one-fourth of high school students do not receive a diploma, and the quality of our math and science education falls behind many other nations (whitehouse.gov). America cannot out-innovate or out-build without increasing our education standards. Obama's speech offered hope for our education dilemma. Unlike the from the top-down, unfunded education reform mandate "No Child Left Behind", instituted under President George Bush, governors from across the United States have worked together to develop rigorous standards that would promote student development and reward good teachers, all for about 1% of the total Education spending. In line with the theme running through the president's speech, the plan is called "Race to the Top". The reforms name itself has a positive connotation, a "race" to see the best we can perform, without slowing the most talented down waiting for everyone to catch up.
Finally, President Obama addressed our infrastructure. He cited the U.S. as the country who built the transcontinental railroad and the Interstate Highway system, but now, "our own engineers graded our nation's infrastructure, [and] they gave us a D". China and counties in Europe invest more in their infrastructure and as a result, "China is building faster trains, and newer airports" than the former top-dog, the United States. 95.9% of South Koreans have access to high-speed internet, whereas only 63.5% of Americans have the same access (whitehouse.gov). These are the Sputniks of today, and we can only win the future if we rejoin the race.
Obama challenged America with a quote from Bobby Kennedy, "The future is not a gift. It is an achievement". Obama's rhetoric conveyed a hopeful tone for America's future, but underneath lay the hard facts of our comparative advantage in the world. As we are reminded this week that being a superpower is not a birth-right, but a title to work for, I am confident we can do it. The winning team always comes out stronger after half-time, and its in the American spirit to love a challenge. The race is on, the new Sputniks have been launched into orbit, and now is America's chance to "win the future".
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