Switched-On :: Blog

Depending on how in tune you are to the nation’s legislative branch, you may or may not know that the House of Representatives just passed a healthcare bill. Presumably, it’ll make some meaningful changes in our healthcare system. I say presumably because it’s 2,000 pages, and that’s a lot to print. Honestly though, it makes me skeptical that anything could take 2,000 pages to write out. Yeah, healthcare is complicated, but shouldn’t reform be about making it simpler? Plus, when something is longer than “War and Peace”, and probably harder to read, I don’t even expect lawmakers to be able to read it. That means that either they get unlucky aides to make them cliff notes, or they vote without reading the bill. Either way, one would think that’s not the optimal process for shaping one of the nation’s biggest bills. What’s more, it makes me cringe to think of the tree mutilation that resulted from distributing this massive brick of legislation to all the representatives.

- Will

After reading the transcript of the president’s recent back-to-school speech, I couldn’t find anything even remotely controversial in his words. I’m not sure what is so controversial about encouraging students to stay in school and to work hard in school so that they’ll find success later in life. Maybe to certain people, the very idea of a child raised in disadvantaged conditions growing up to be a successful lawyer, doctor, politician, and so on is frightening? I really am not sure. From my understanding, there has never been this much “controversy” surrounding a president’s address to students on their first day of school.

Are the people who are crying foul over the president’s words just trying to stir up something for attention? I’m still at a slight loss over this supposed “controversy”. I believe there was even a governor who criticized President Obama’s speech before he actually delivered it. Did he get an advanced copy? Did he travel through time? I’m sad that politics in the US has stooped to this level. I honestly thought the people who were “criticizing” Obama’s speech might actually articulate some of the criticisms some of us may have over his education plan, but no, it’s really just over his delivering the speech in the first place (the speech which really isn’t that “radical” or “socialist”!).  There is way too much anger in politics these days…

- Allyson

*The opinions of Switched-On bloggers are their own, and do not reflect the opinions of the staff, board, or volunteers of the National Runaway Switchboard.

As you may have all heard Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday.  He was caught for saying he might be willing to pay money to Obama to gain appointment to Obama’s vacant Senate seat. Federal prosecutors released a document that included excerpts of wiretapped conversations in which the governor allegedly by offered to sell Obama’s Senate seat for campaign cash. Blagojevich is charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit bribery. If punished he is most likely to serve up to 20 years in prison or 10 years minimum. To sum it up Blagojevich wanted to take Obama’s place in the Senate. He tried bribes to get it but was recorded and taken to prison. Now Blagojevich is debating whether he should resign or not.

Obama believes the Illinois General Assembly should consider how to fill the Senate seat and “put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the people of Illinois.”

If Blagojevich resigns which then will followed by an appointment of a new governor, would “be the most expeditious way for a new senator to be chosen and seated in a manner that would earn the confidence of the people of Illinois and all Americans,” wrote Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois. We will see what happens.

- Tatiana