Once again, I have an assignment to comment on 3 blogs.  I am suppose to follow these guidelines:

• Design - The first thing that you see when looking at a website is its design. Is the design pleasing to the eye? Is the site cluttered or difficult to navigate? Are there any glaring design flaws or glitches, or is the site a work of art?
• Focus – What is the focus of the site? If you can’t figure it out, then the author is doing something wrong. Focus should be apparent without hunting around too much. Typically by using design elements, or simple headlines or sub-headlines a site must convey its focus.
• Content – The most obvious element to cover in your review is the site’s content. Does the content of the site match its focus? If not, there is a problem! Is the content easily readable? Does it make sense? What are some of the highlights? Is there a page, article or section of the site that really stands out as being fantastic?
• Writing Style – Writing style is one element that many people often ignore. Does the author share his/her voice? Do you find yourself relating to what you read? Is the style professional or does the author blab on about their dying goldfish in every post?
• Grammar and Punctuation – Does the site use proper grammatical elements? Are there spelling mistakes and punctuation errors all over the place?
• Message Effectiveness – Overall, do you find that the site is effective in putting out its message?
• Website Audience – Who is the intended audience for this site or blog? Are the intended and actual audiences different?
• Info about the author – Is there anything interesting to note about the author? e.g. I was watching the news last night and they were talking about a blog written by a boy with cancer. Is the author an expert or do they have no idea what they are talking about? Do they have any qualifications to write what they are writing?
• Anything else you think is important – Of course, there are other elements that you can discuss as well. Anything about the site that stands out, good or bad, should always be covered in a review.

Alright, so first, I will comment on this blog: 

http://to-the-editor.livejournal.com/

The design is lacking, but that is why I like it.  The focus is strong and consistent.  The content is also lacking, but in a good way.  Its short, sweet, and to the point.  There really isn't a "writing style", its just information with a short justification to that point.  Grammar is fine.  The message gets across, its not confusing, and it leaves a lot up to your own opinion.  I know nothing about the author, and there really isn't much important information in regards to this blog.   

The second blog:

http://newdemocrat.blogdrive.com/

This is a terrible blog... Its not kept well, there is only one post, and even the one post it does have, its about leaving the U.S. rather then fixing it.  I don't like it... It should be erased.

Last blog:

http://nobulletin.blogspot.com/

Alright, I like this blog.  I don't agree with all that it says, but it is put together well, and looks decent.  The only downside is that it has not been updated since 2009.  This is another blog that is short and sweet.  It gets to the point, without skewing too much information.  

This will be taken down as soon as this post is graded.  

Tyler

A blog that is similar to mine:


http://newliberaldemocrat.blogspot.com/



A blog that is very dissimilar to mine: 


http://dcalswritting-jordan.blogspot.com/


*A blog that I think is neat:
http://lamontmicksbroadcast.blogspot.com/


I think this blog is organized very well and looks great.  I listen to a lot of hip-hop, although I don't follow the artists as much as I should.  I think this will peak my interest in these artists.


A blog that has all the tasks completed: 


http://sarahnicole13.blogspot.com/


A blog that includes an embedded video:


http://fpsgaming11.blogspot.com/


*A post that I agree with:


http://newliberaldemocrat.blogspot.com/


This one is more liberal leaning then anything I post but it also points out things that most people over look...  I agree with the majority of his posts though.


*A post that I disagree with:


http://rantburger.blogspot.com/


This is ranting about Obama's golfing trips, and how bad they are... I disagree with this.  Obama can golf, I don't know why everyone gets up in arms over this.  Is forming friendships with other political figures a problem these days?


An image I like:


http://dcalswritting.blogspot.com/


*A post with info that I'd use:
http://streetracing11.blogspot.com/


I know enough about cars to get by in a time of need but I know little about street racing.  I think this blog contains the information (and hopefully will in the future) that will help me maintain a "healthy" car.










Okay, now I'm sure the majority of you guys are wondering why I'm posting this.  The reason why is because I am doing this blog for a High school class.  It doesn't follow my typical style, but I have to do it for my grade.  This blog will be taken down as soon as it gets graded.


Thanks for understanding,
Tyler

So called "Job Creators"

So we all have heard by now what the Republicans are calling the rich, "Job Creators".  To some extent, this is true, obviously, the business owners hire people, but how many jobs were created recently by these "Job Creators"?  The Republicans are saying themselves that Obama has not created any jobs... I'm sorry, I thought the rich were suppose to be the ones creating the jobs in America?  By saying Obama has not created any jobs is also saying your beloved Job Creators are not creating any jobs.  Also, Obama's plan will raise taxes on the rich to Clinton like levels...  Do you remember what happened under Clinton's administration?  The economy thrived and we ended up with a SURPLUS!  Granted, spending has greatly increased since the Clinton Administration, but was that Obama?  I think not.  So far, the Bush tax cuts totaled roughly 2.8 trillion dollars, this is a large sum of money lost due to the Bush tax cuts.  On top of cutting taxes, Bush brought us into 2 very costly wars, which are still dragging on.  Now I am not saying the hole we are in today is all or mostly Bush's fault, but you have to admit Obama was giving a massive problem to fix, and later received a Republican majority in the House that is unwilling to compromise. 

The Republicans want nothing but spending cuts, whereas the Democrats want a more balanced approach to lower the deficit.  The Republicans have a valid point though, we do need to drastically cut spending in some areas.  We cannot sustain borrowing 40 cents per dollar, this makes us weak, and a strong military can do nothing when we cannot afford to move them.  I am still against all cuts and no new taxes though.  Republicans like to say "We don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem" and this is true but we have spent ourselves into a very large hole.  The only way to get out is to pay it off.  It would be much quicker if we raised taxes slightly to pay this off.  Although, if we are going to raise taxes, it should be followed by major spending cuts too.  Things like the Military, Medicare,and foreign aid (to other hostile governments, not people in need).

Please comment your ideas.  Whether you agree or disagree, I would like to know your view.

Anyway, that's all I have to say.

Obama's Debt Reduction Plan

We all have known for a long time now that America has a debt problem.  Our debt has gotten so large it's going to be a daunting task to rid ourselves of it, especially when members of congress are not willing to discuss many ideas.  President Obama proposed 3 trillion dollars in spending cuts, and 1.5 trillion in new revenue over the next decade.  Obama's plan will cut $248 billion on Medicare and Medicade, cut some spending on the two wars we are currently involved, along with spending cuts in other areas.  This should satisfy Republicans.  The plan also proposes raising taxes on people making more then a million dollars a year, repealing the Bush era tax cuts, and closing corporate loopholes in the tax code.

Obama said that he will veto any bill that comes before him that cuts spending on Medicare without reforming the tax code, along with tax increases on the wealthiest Americans.  He also said that "This is not class warfare- its' math".

Now I understand why Republicans will not raise taxes.  They think that raising taxes will stunt an already stagnate economy, but would raising taxes on the the wealthiest Americans PERSONAL income adversely affect the economy?  I don't think so, the majority of that money isn't being spent, its being saved.  A recent poll from CBS says that 78% of Americans are in favor of taxing people who make more then a million dollars a year; why aren't the Republicans listening?  I think this shows that the majority of Republicans are not representing their constituents, but rather large corporations, or they're just not willing to vote for anything Obama puts before them.

There was a study that came out a few months ago that showed that the wealthiest 1% of Americans control 42% of the U.S.'s wealth (if you would like to see it, click here.).  That is a MASSIVE amount of money!  And the bottom 20% of Americans control around 17%.  This is a ridiculous wealth gap.  When this country has been so generous to you, there is no reason we can't ask for you to help out the ones struggling the most.

Now I feel like I should get something straight, I know our government is spending way more then it needs to, and I am in favor of these spending cuts, in-fact, I think we should try to cut more.  Our defense budget is very large (more then countries 2-10 combined, $698,105,000,000 just last year), why cant we cut that down a little bit?  You rarely hear anyone in congress suggesting that.  But at the same time, we have to get out of this debt, and we have to increase revenue.  Taxing the middle class more would be devastating, they are already struggling as it is.  So that leaves two options, sit on our debt and increase it, or start generating more money then we spend to pay it off.  Either way, Obama is sure to get criticism for his choice, but something needs to happen in a positive direction if Obama wants to be reelected.

Anyway, I will surely have more on this topic later, but as of now, that's all I have to say.

Tyler,

9/11, a day that will never be forgotten.

Wow, ten years ago, America was attacked.  Thousands of innocent American lives were taken at the hands of insane cowards, launching us into two wars and killing thousands more on both sides.  Its sad that I have only a very few memories of pre-9/11.  Does anyone remember where they were when the first heard the news?  The world changed that day, security was heightened, lives were lost, and no one could forget.  I just ask all of you guys to take a second to remember, and vow to never forget.

To the men and women serving in the armed services, you have my support and my full respect.  

To the cowardly scum that was in any way responsible for the attack, I hope you die the most painful of deaths, just as you inflicted on my innocent countrymen.  

To the Firefighters, Police, EMT, and everyday people that helped in the rescue of your fellow man, I applaud you.

To the families of the victims of this horrendous attack, you have my greatest sympathies, and you can sleep soundly knowing that America has not forgotten.  

9/11, a day in which I vow never to forget.

Bless America.

Land of the free, and home of the BRAVE.

Obama's "Jobs for America"

Thursday September 8th, Obama gave his "Jobs for America" speech, in which, he proposed a new stimulus package along with various tax cuts.  If you are unfamiliar with his plan, you can click here.


There is a lot of doubt about whether this bill will pass, let alone pass the work, but personally, I think Obama is on the right track.  Obama's plan not only gets people to work, but it will also cut taxes.


The proposed plan is roughly around 447 Billion dollars.  A mix of $253 billion in tax cuts and $194 billion in new spending.  The tax plan will cut taxes for employees making less then $100,000.  Normally, these employees pay around 6.2%, but for this year, the taxes will only be 3.1%.  Obama is also asking for tax cuts on the payroll tax, essentially cutting them in half.  He is also proposing tax credits for employers that hire someone that has been unemployed for 6 months, or was a military veteran.  Also, if a business hires a new worker or gives an existing worker a raise, all payroll taxes will be waived.  

On the spending side of the plan, Obama wants extend unemployment benefits for people out of work, subsidized job training, modernize schools, build/repair freeways, rehire teachers and first responders.  He also wants an infrastructure bank.  


So, the plan sounds decent right?  It will at least give this stagnate economy a jolt, but the question is "how can we pay for this?".  Its a good question, and the answer Obama gave was we will NOT have to borrow for it.  Obama said this will be paid for by asking the super committee already charged with removing 1.2 trillion from the deficit, to asking them to now remove nearly 1.6 trillion dollars from the deficit, along with spending cuts elsewhere.  

Now that we have the money to do this, the next question should be will it work?  The answer for this will be debated, but the tax credits should defiantly get people back to work, along with infrastructure building.

The last question that should be asked is if it will even be passed, and this is where I have my doubts... The republican majority in congress will stall this for as long as possible, but Obama has given more tax cuts then spending.  Recently, the Republican party has tried to stop any new proposal given by Obama.  It seems like even if it was the best solution, the Republican party will shoot it down simply because it was Obama's idea.  Personally, I really hope this will bite the Republican party in the ass, congress is suppose to compromise, not wage war on their fellow members.  It also seems like the Republican party is the only party that is standing firm as to what they want.  I would like to see Obama stand up and say something along the lines of "I am the commander in chief, the American people elected me to this position, and you, the congress is stopping every piece of legislation I put forward.  I want to see this passed and passed now, for the sake of the American people, not for the sake of your political career."  I hope the American voting public realizes this.  Its not that Obama is a bad president, its that the Republican led congress is pulling everything it has to stop him from doing his job.  

Also, doesn't it seem undemocratic that super P.A.C.'s are able to give a congress member unlimited funding for their campaign?  Some super P.A.C.'s are making congress members sign a contract vowing to never raise taxes as long as they are in office?  Seems like total B.S. if you ask me... I guess it just shows the greed involved in congress these days.  They are not representing their people, they are representing the corporations funding their next election.  

Also, on a side note:  America is facing one hell of a debt problem, what is it now? 15 or so TRILLION dollars?  Now, if I was in that much debt, first off, I would stop spending so much of my money (spending cuts).  Secondly, I would GET ANOTHER JOB (raising taxes).  There is a problem with that second option, the republican party has been hijacked by the tea party, and the republican party has the majority in the House.  A lot of the republicans in office have accepted money from the super P.A.C.'s I talked about earlier and signed the "no new taxes" contracts.  Which means, unless the democrats can take back the house (which probably wont happen because the tea party has so much steam at the moment) we will never get that "second job", which also means we can never get our debt problem figured out.  

I guess if the American people don't realize this, and continue to vote for people who are basically selling their vote in congress for campaign money, then its sadly the government we deserve.  We have the ability to kick the corrupt members out of office, but if we choose not to, then its our fault.


That's all I have to say right now.
Tyler Anderson

First blog

So I'm Tyler Anderson.  In this blog, I will probably be going over big news stories.  Along with the link to the story, I will give a summery along with my opinion on the matter.  Sometimes, I will throw up some videos/pictures and comment on those as well.  It all depends on how I am feeling, or if a particular story affects me.


Alright, well you have to realize that I'm doing this for a class, and with this class, there are assignments.  So this first assignment consists of these 2 questions:
a. How do you connect to the world through the internet?
b. If you could take your blog in any direction, what would it be? Why? 


Okay, so for question 'a', I connect to the world via the internet many different ways.  I stay up to date on the news and trending topics from Youtube, yahoo news, BBC news, as well as a whole bunch of places I may stumble upon.  To keep in contact with my friends, I have a facebook, and every once in awhile, I jump on twitter.  


For question 'b', I believe I have already answered that in my first paragraph, but I guess I could add a little more.  So I am a pretty opinionated guy, I don't care for B.S. and I like to stay current with the things going on around me.  Politics and religion get me going on a rant.  Whether it be stupid stuff going on in D.C., or actions of extremists (from ALL religions, Tyler doesn't discriminate.  By the way, I am an atheist.)

So yeah, lets see how this goes.

Tyler Anderson