No Recovery in Sight

We are all aware of the ills of our current economic environment. There is no doubt right now that America is in a recession. Even in this bad situation, politicians tell us that the recession is going to end soon. Though these words serve to relieve our stresses, Bob Herbert takes us out of that fantasy and reveals the reality of the situation. Herbert claims that the economy is even worse than what it was forecasted to be; with the unemployment rate skyrocketing. He also claims that even if the economy is to recover, this recession has already left a permanent damage to our society by cutting employment to young Americans. In this article, Herbert argues that politicians are ignoring these daunting statistics and that these facts should be held with more importance.
Other than a few more fact to exploit the flaws of our economic structure, there is really not much I could say in response to Herbert’s argument. I agree with all of his negative remarks about our economy. Herbert uses qualified statistics and historical evidence to support his position. He also accompanies these facts with recent events and findings. I believe Herbert does a great job in affirming his point of view. I would suggest that he puts more statistic and facts to support his arguments. Our nations debt was over trillions back in 2008 before the recession. As our employment rate is decreasing, our wealth gap is increasing; more money is going towards those that are already rich and less is going to those that need it. Our middle class is diminishing meaning that even after the recession the poor does not have a bridge to obtain wealth. All these issues are challenges that are not explicitly addressed by the federal government that I believe could have made Herbert’s argument that much more effective.

Op-ed Article #4

This week’s article is about a boy who grew up without a dad. On a trip to India, he happened to see his father on TV and set up a meeting. After 27 years of life, he finally got to meet his father when they met in a hotel lobby. This was very interesting to read because a son usually benefits from having a father figure in his life. I am pleased to hear that the writer grew up successfully and has a great life but I know it must have been hard for him to do this. I know this when Jason, the columnist, states, “My mother struggled to raise my younger brother and me on her own; in one way or another we always got by without our father” (Burnett 1). It would be very interesting to witness a reunion of a father and son after 27 years of separation. There would be so many questions to be asked between them. It is a wonderful thing that Jason found his father but it would have been better if his father was in his life more often. He should have kept in touch and helped raise Jason instead of leaving it all up to Jason’s mother to handle it. On the other hand, since he had the inclination to run away, he might have been a terrible father and Jason may have actually turned out worse.

Jason uses a descriptive language to show his feelings. His feelings end up being completely different from what he expected. I found it interesting how he thought all the questions he had for his father from his childhood were no longer important because they had been answered for him. Jason realized that he was not searching for a father and did not have many expectations which were also interesting and unexpected. Rather, he wanted to know who this man really was rather than some mythical figure he had made up. He also realized that the closure he thought his father would provide already existed from his mother and brother. This was totally unexpected on my part.

He describes his feelings and thoughts clearly and descriptively for the reader. His writing provides an understanding of the emotions involved in his long quest to find his father and how this meeting relieves him from this burden allowing him to move on in his life. Over all, Jason wrote a very informative column about his dramatic and emotional experience meeting his father after growing up without him in his life.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/opinion/21jburnett.html

The Dirty War Against Clean Coal

The fight to end the usage of coal has been a long one. Tedious research and inventions have been made in search of clean burning fuel. Recently, the quest to find such resources has become necessary to our environment and health. Obama has been working to make his cap - and - trade proposal work, which would lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Bush administration had started a plan called FutureGen. FutureGen would eliminate greenhouse gases completely. However, this plan has been under construction since 2003 and citizens hopes are growing weary. Financial aid has been cancelled for the plan because it would have cost billions of dollars to carry out.

In the opinion of the author, FutureGen was better being cancelled. His article states his opinion that the government is good at brainstorming for ideas on a small scale but when it comes to big projects, such as FutureGen, they often have trouble. The FutureGen idea, according to the author and many others, is not a well thought out one. The nickname for the project has become "NeverGen" because it has taken so long and the creators are losing inspiration as well as finanicial aid. Also, the author feels because coal is used as half the fuel source of the world, an invention such as FutureGen is impossible because you can't simply rely on wind, solar, and water power when they only make up two percent of our fuel source.

The Dirty War Against Clean Coal

-Nick Jeon

3rd post

The White House is recycling one of their previous ideas: clean coal energy, a technology that has already been developed. The Bush Administration had canceled financing, but this month, the Energy Secretary Steven Chu brought this project back to life – though the cost might go into the billions. According to Mr. Easterbrook, FutureGen was better off canceled – he cites multiple examples of government failure at commercial-scale alternative energy, including The Synthetic Fuels Corporation and the MOD-5B. This technology would turn coal into a gas like natural gas, which would lead to almost zero emissions, require about a third of the coal, and produce the same amount of energy. General Electric for Duke Energy is being created in Indiana, but a lot of states are refusing to allow these plants to be built. Mr. Easterbrook speculates that the reason Virginia rejected the plant was due to the monetary reasons, but he claims that it will pay for itself as Obama’s cap-and-trade would tax carbon. According to the author, renewable energy cannot possibly grow enough for us to replace coal as it is too much of our power supply. So we should start building new and improved coal plants instead of doing nothing and waiting for FutureGen to figure it out.

Mr. Easterbrook makes a good analysis on the direction that we should take in alternative energy. Yet, he makes a mistake when declaring our addiction to coal unbreakable. He explains that solar and other sources of energy cannot replace out need of coal. Yet, there are other forms of alternative energy out there that are also sitting on the shelf. For example, NASA has developed a technology called space-based solar power. By shooting up satellites with huge arrays of solar panels into space, and beaming the energy back down to earth using microwave technology, we could solve the world’s global energy crisis. Some scientists believe that this technology can fuel the entirety of the US. Working to make coal a little cleaner is nice, but we should shoot for the stars.

Post #3

Road- Tripping on Father’s Day
By GARRISON KEILLOR

Father’s Day is a family’s chance to demonstrate their profound appreciation for the hard work and dedication of fathers. However, the line between gratitude for fathers and an excuse for sales on beer and power tools has long been crossed. In the article Road- Tripping on Father’s Day, Garrison Keillor rants about the hypocritical Father’s Day promises that spouses make with tacky Hallmark cards and cheap cologne. Keillor continues to challenge this so- called, “holiday," when he bluntly declares he never wanted to be a father- it just, happened. He then changes his focus from father’s day in general to the impossible task of being male. Keillor refers to this task as, “our dilemma.” The same dilemma that all men sign up for the day they read their wedding vows; the same dilemma that men put up with when their menopausal wife wants her husband to quit her job and move to Alaska to avoid hot flashes. Keillor’s droning complaints continue throughout the article, yet only one solution is offered- move away. Garrison Keillor is simply the voice of millions of hopeless fathers who do not dare to make these complaints in public, and it would not be a surprise if Keillor is currently under witness protection. However, these harmless rants were the source of new hope for fathers-- Keillor is not alone.
Road- Tripping on Father’s Day lacked any intellectual backing, yet Garrison Keillor’s rants were witty and entertaining. Keillor’s objective in writing this one-thousand word complaint was not to change Father’s Day or to provide a factual synopsis of a male’s response to an annoying wife. It was simply a mindless article for men to relate to. Keillor did, however, effectively use humor to portray his, “dilemma,” and as a result he made a personal connection with the reader. A male reader would feel a bond with Keillor because they are fighting the same battle. Contrarily, a female reader would be aggravated by the claims made in the article, and as a result take it out on the closest male—her husband. The ironic correlation between the male and female readers parallels with the argument presented in the article. Although there was no factual premise to the article, this article is unique in its ability to stir the reader’s emotions. Keillor’s humor was light and appropriate, and as a result the article was effective. This tirade about the hardships of fatherhood was refreshing, and his amusing prose is evidence of a man’s fight to survive another Father’s Day.

Glanville's Ultimate Home Run

Doug Glanville composed an inspiring opinion editorial for the newspaper in the spirit of Father's Day. A professional ballplayer turned columnist, Glanville wrote his article not only as a sentimental memoir, but rather as an illustration of the discovery of a new passion- writing. With the loss of his father, followed by that of his baseball career, he wandered blindly, trying to fill the void in his heart, eventually finding solace with a pen and blank sheet of paper. What he found in his previously-untapped talent for writing was peace in both regards; that of a postmortem bond with his father, a gifted poet, as well as a new profession.

As a result of the double subject matter, one being in honor of his father, the other a stirring bit of wisdom regarding the pains of life, Glanville was able to strike a chord in the hearts of many. He united these topics seamlessly by using a chronological storyline to introduce his theme, which he then enhanced with sparks of perception originating from a deeper personal level. As a result of this approach, a reader feels like the trusted apprentice of an older and wiser mentor. Glanville's writing doesn't just go in one ear and out the other, so to speak; rather, it was written with the purpose of touching hearts and deeply affecting those who come by it. Because this benevolent, advisory intention of the author is so clear, few can resist being touched by his carefully-chosen words.

My Trip

In recent news, Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina found himself in a lot of trouble and controversy surrounding his whereabouts this past Father’s Day weekend. This past weekend, the Governor was untraceable to the point where his wife, kids, and committee did not know where exactly he was. It was assumed that he was on the Appalachian Trail, but in reality, it was found that Mark Sanford was really in Argentina with a former mistress. Op-ed contributor of the New York Times, John Kenny, chose to make light and poke fun at Governor Sanford’s bizarre weekend and past lifestyle with an article written like a journal entry by the Governor himself. Though the intention of this article was to show how corrupt the Governor of South Carolina is, one cannot help but to laugh at the way John Kenny portrays Mark Sanford’s foolishness.

John Kenney’s humorous outlook on Governor Mark Sanford’s recent controversy allows the reader to make light of an uncomfortable situation. John Kenney wrote this article as a documentary of events from the Governor’s point of view which made the article very easy to read, and it felt more like a story rather than a news report. John Kenney made the Governor seem like a very unwise and irrational person with the way he handled certain situations. Kenney was able to make fun of the Governor’s reasoning by making all of his mistakes seem like something any person could make, but in reality no one would accidentally call “Escort” instead of “Ellen”. The use of humor and sarcasm was not only enjoyable to the reader, but it also helped show that even people held in high esteem fall short of perfect.