Pulling The Curtain on Political Advertising

 

I came across an editorial in The New York Times written earlier this week entitled, The Secret Election. Ironically, the editorial had no named author which is mainly the idea of the entire piece, leaving me with no credibility to base the author off of. While the editorial had no author named, it was clear that the anonymous author strongly favored the passing of the Disclosure Act. The Disclosure Act, is an act being held up in the Senate right now by a strong Republican blockade. It would make anonymous campaign donors, who contribute millions of dollars for advertisements in support of a political party, attach their names to those donations. With this being said, the author is obviously voicing his frustrations and rallying fellow Democrats in favor of the act, while stating his case to Republican readers as well. The author is making an argument that these anonymous contributors are creating "secret elections," which are not good for Democracy, because the money being donated is usually going to one party. This creates a lopsided election in which the voters are seeing an overwhelming number of smear campaigns in favor of the Republican party. It is no secret that people such as Karl Rove are embracing this loophole in the law, even going as far as creating tax exempt organizations which help funnel the money funding these campaigns. With people hiding behind the first amendment, they are basically "buying" an election. This is the complete opposite idea of democracy, where the vote is in the hands of the  people and not a few wealthy individuals. The author states at the end of his editorial, that it's crucial for this type of election to end and that it's necessary for the Disclosure Act to pass so that we can have fair elections from this point on.

I agree with this editorial and the argument that the author makes. If people were to see that a high percentage of the ads they were seeing on the television and in print were all funded by the same person, I think it would be less influential on them. I also believe that it's important for people to know the source of their information, especially when it comes down to an election where we are placing power into somebodies hands. An election is supposed to be a census of the people's honest ideas and beliefs, not ideas swayed by smear campaigns and bitter political rivalries.

Back To Basics With Obama

A recent CNN article entitled Obama pushes kids to work hard in back-to-school speech, talks about the Presidents speech encouraging American students to work for the life that they want. He spoke honestly about the need for education being more important than ever right now, and told students that only they can create the life they want. He said that it wouldn't be easy, and that at times they will feel like giving up, but hard work and dedication pays off in the end. I liked the part of his speech where he spoke about the time he was slacking in school and had to be reprimanded by his mother to get back into motion and try harder. It helped students see him as an actual human and not some perfect person just because he is the President. But don't think that a simple do-good message would always go without controversy. Before last years speech, conservatives complained the President would try to force his political agenda on students, and also criticized a lesson plan that included writing letters about how students could help the president. While this years speech went almost unnoticed, there was still some speculation about whether teachers should show it in class, which many did around the nation.
I think that this is a good article to read because it seems like we are all wrapped up in political controversy and drama right now. This article is the opposite of all that, simply taking it back to basics. The President is admitting to students that in hard times, such as these, we need to work a little harder and stay focused on the life that we want for ourselves. Also, I like that he told students, that most of the jobs they want require an education, and they can't just "drop out and drop into a good job." I think a lot of people today have forgotten about this simple message, finding it too easy to roll over and blame others for their problems (mainly the President).  

"The story of America," Obama said, "isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best."