The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Page: 2 of 6
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January 27, 2010
Pr i
Opinion
The Rambier I www.therambler.org
Still hopeful that Obama brings change
Suhasini Yeeda
Contributing Writer
syeeda@txwes. edu
Although many have criticized
President Obama's integrity saying
he's nothing more than a socialist
trying to ruin what America stands
for, I disagree. I believe that although
some issues have yet to be dealt with,
he is doing the best anyone could this
soon into his term.
Some issues such as regulation
of big business, environmental
advocacy and gay rights are yet
to be tackled. But the media has
presented these issues as if they have
quick, inexpensive solutions. But he
never said it would happen quickly.
In his inauguration speech lastjanu-
ary, he clearly stated, "They will not
be met easily or in a short span of
time. But know this, America —
they will be met."
Obama set forth concrete solu-
tions to our looming problems. For
example, he proposed a universal
healthcare package appropriated
at $19 billion. Obama's Treasury
Department has set out both quali-
tative and quantitative plans for
debt-stricken families. There is $9
billion currently distributed to more
than five million families in the
United States.
He has managed to increase
employment rates by 10 percent in
just one year. These are the highest
percentages recorded since December
2007. Hiring has picked up, while
worker hours have dropped.
Obama's major legislative struggle
concerns the nations healthcare.
A great deal of money is allocated
for healthcare reform, and though
many have said this will bankrupt
us, the amount is only a small per-
centage of the nation's budget.
True, Obama has consistently
been hypocritical about expendi-
tures with the healthcare bill, which
he continuously said would further
our debt. Transparency is a must,
especially in such sensitive areas as
healthcare and the economy.
I think the main problem with the
overall acceptance of this reform in
our country is the cost. This goes to
show that there are conflicts of in-
terests between the values of money
and health.
Concerning education, Obama has
supplied $2,500 in tax credit to help
those families in need to help receive
tuition for higher education. He has
continued efforts to make education
affordable and equal.
Historically, those schools that
need help the least get it the most.
There needs to be equality in our
educational system for students to
receive the right opportunities to
help the future of this country.
With regard to the Muslim world,
political analysts accuse Obama
of aligning himself with Islamic
radicals. As many have a distorted
view of creating peace with these
nations, his speech in Turkey last
year was one of great importance to
the future of America. Setting aside
wrong acts and coming to a state of
peace with the Muslim world will
prove to be a great stepping stone.
Many solutions are proposed.
Many problems are still at hand.
dreamstime.com
Obama has already accomplished
some great things, but in order to
really make the American people
happy, he has to continue to keep
his straightforwardness intact so
that it will not be all talk, but rather
action.
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The Rambler
Founded in 1917 as The Handout
Publisher Harold G. Jeffcoat
Jonathan Resendez, editor-in-chief
Chuck Fain, opinion editor,
arts & entertainment editor
Conner Howell, college life editor,
special projects editor
Joakim Soderbaum, sports editor
Rebecca Moore, photo editor
Rachel Horton, multimedia editor
Kelii Lamers, faculty adviser
Dr. Kay Colley, faculty liaison
Member of the Texas Intercollegiate Press As-
sociation, Associated Collegiate Press, Student
Press Law Center, College Media Advisers and
College Newspaper Business and Advertising
Managers.
Opinions expressed in The Rambier are those of
the individual authors only and do not neces-
sarily reflect the views of the Texas Wesleyan
community as a whole.
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Guide to the governors:
A closer look
at Rick Perry
Conner Howell
chowell@mail. txwes.edu
When you receive your
voter registration card in the
mail requesting a response,
are you sure you know which
candidate to choose? After
watching the gubernatorial
debate on Jan. 14,1 couldn't
help but feel a little dissatis-
fied with the performance
put on by each of the Repub-
lican candidates during the
presentation.
This will be the first of
three articles taking a look at
an individual candidate and
providing you with some use-
ful insight to make your deci-
sion. First up is the current
Texas governor, Rick Perry.
If you take a look at his
Web site, you can tell Perry
came to play. His most effec-
tive rhetorical strategy is his
comparison of the policies
and legislation he has enacted
in Texas with the policies and
legislation in Washington.
One major comparison he
makes is in economic devel-
opment.
Perry has stated that the
state of Texas leads the nation
in the development of jobs
and considers creating an
environment for job devel-
opment the "single most
important thing a governor
can do."
On his Web site, it states
that in October and Novem-
ber of 2009, Texas brought in
70,000 jobs while the na-
tion as a whole lost 122,000
jobs. In order to back up his
statistical information, under
each issue are links to vari-
ous press releases and news
articles that can account, for
the most part, for his claim to
fame.
But during the debate,
Perry stated that from 2007
to 2008 Texas brought in
100,000 jobs during that year.
When confronted with the
fact that Texas had also lost
beyond that amount of jobs,
he didn't provide a satisfac-
tory answer. His challenger,
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison,
stated that Texas lost 300,000
jobs this year alone.
Yet Perry has brought
growth to Texas. People are
coming to live and work in
the state, there's no doubt of
that. But from my own re-
search it seems that the most
encouraging aspect of Perry's
governance is his tort reform.
By placing caps on lawsuits,
businesses and medical prac-
titioners have started coming
to the state due to reduced
liability premiums.
From a healthcare standpoint,
tort reform has its advantages
and disadvantages. In 2008,
more than 3,500 licensed physi-
cians came to Texas to practice.
Since placing a $250,000
cap on non-economic dam-
ages like pain and suffering,
it has encouraged doctors
to come practice in state
because it discourages what
Perry refers to as "frivolous
lawsuits."
However, there is the mat-
* Conner Howell
r Campus Life Editor
chowell@tmailxwes.edu
ter of the potential neglect
the patients will receive from
legal representation when a
lawsuit does occur.
Another argument against
the caps is that quality of care
could begin to slip as less
cautious practitioners, who
would normally be weeded
out by higher damage awards,
practice medicine without
much pressure from the legal
consequences of malpractice.
But the strongest argu-
ment is that tort reform really
does nothing else but benefit
insurance companies, not the
patients. Healthcare costs are
still high despite the litiga-
tion reform, mostly because
torts are just a part of the big
picture.
Yet Perry is a big propo-
nent of tort reform and rest
assured that any piece of
legislation that would set
back such reform will, in his
words, "meet my veto pen."
Perry will no doubt make
a strong showing. But I can't
help but feel he's just a part of
that "good ol' boy" system that
has been established for so
long in Texas. He might have
tenure, but what have his poli-
cies really achieved? He just
perpetuates the same rather
than making genuine changes.
If all he's got say in the
gubernatorial debate is that
Texas is the best state in the
nation without really citing
anything specific from his
eight years as governor, that
doesn't really inspire much
confidence in me.
How would you rate Obama's
first year in office?
Lindsay Smith
Nurse Anesthesia
"Ineffective. And he lost a seat
in Congress. That says a lot"
■ ' >
4*
Hector Mukweyi
Senior Liberal Arts
"He's been taking it a step
slower than he said he
was going to do."
Heather Pagano
Junior Education
"I guess...decent?"
Beatrice High
Housing
"He's done what he can with
what he's had to deal with and
the time constraints he has had
to do it."
Kesha Carter
Freshman Sociology
"He's the coolest! He could
come up with healthcare a
little faster though, cause
insulin ain't cheap."
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Resendez, Jonathan. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 93, No. 2, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 27, 2010, newspaper, January 27, 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253455/m1/2/: accessed May 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.