CARS Going Green

Dianne posted a great blog entry detailing how President Obama's new CARS program will help our environment and in particular global warming. The program known as CARS, or car allowance rebate system will benefit our country and hopefully will catch on for countries throughout the world. Dianne points out in her blog that "Today, cars in America contribute to 33% of carbon dioxide emissions, the primary contributor to global warming." With the new plan, automakers are going to be required to manufacture cars that produce at least 35.5 miles per gallon. More money will be required for the research of the vehicles and because of this President Obama has granted millions of dollars to help aid the advances.

I believe this program is a wonderful way to help our economy and help prevent global warming. By pouring more money into research for these new vehicles, Americans will want to buy new cars because they will save them money in the long run by not having to spend so much on fuel. Car buyers will also be helping the environment by purchasing these new vehicles because they will be distributing less carbon dioxide emissions. This plan goes great right along with the Cash for Clunkers program that is currently going on in America.

It is nearly impossible these days to not be in a car at least once every single day. Alternative transportation is not always an option for many Americans. Our Government is doing a fabulous job of thinking about the economic situation for Americans as well as the environment with the new CARS program. Dianne has done a terrific job of explaining both parts of the new program.

The Beginning of the End

The economic recession is a subject most Americans don't like to talk about because it has either affected their family immediately from a job loss or they are afraid that it will in the near future. This may not be the case for much longer thanks to President Obama and his administration. In a recent New York Times article President Obama stated "We’re losing jobs at less than half the rate we were when I took office” This comes after the month of July produced the smallest monthly drop in employment since last August.

I believe that President Obama and is administration are handling our recession with care and are doing everything in their power to try and bring our economy back to where it was many years ago. The recent Cash for Clunkers plan has been such a success, the Government had to commit 2 billion more dollars to help cover the demand for cars being purchased. This program is helping the auto industry sell vehicles, the people by saving them gas money, and the environment by not polluting as much and saving our oil. This type of program is another great step that is being used to try and help in this time of recession.

In conclusion, I believe our Government is doing a wonderful job in attempting to bring back our economy. This is definitely a process that can not happen overnight. The President has many concerns that he is currently dealing with, however I believe the economy should be one of the top priorities on his list. I believe within a year our economy will be back to where it was a few years ago and America will realize that our President understands and has what it takes to lead our nation.

One Nation, UNITED

This blog is in response to Shelby’s Blog entitled Beer Summit: A promising day for American race relations.

After I read Shelby's blog about the meeting President Obama had with St. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates I could not help but smile. Shelby did an extraordinary job of explaining an area that our country is lacking in. The first part of the article is well put together as it gives a brief background of the definitions of racial diversity in different countries. I was very unaware of how other countries define races by eye color and hair color. I mistakenly assumed that the rest of the world groups races together by the color of their skin and where you are from. I also did not know brothers and sisters can be classified as different races in certain cultures.

I believe that Shelby makes a point that should be heard by citizens throughout our country and the world for that matter. President Bush sat down for a beer and peanuts with members of different races at the White House just a few days ago. Shelby states "This is something that was not even imaginable just decades ago." Unfortunately, she is absolutely correct in her statement. I also would argue that this sort of event does not occur today as often as it should. Races should interact in more ways than just being in the same line at a grocery store or being placed in the same class together. We as Americans should want to learn more about the different races that are a part of this nation. Personally, I enjoy hanging out with all different races and cultures. I have close friends who are Hispanic, Asian, African America, Jewish, and White. Race is one thing I could care less about in a person. Unfortunately, this is not the same way all Americans feel.

America is all about freedom and opportunity. Both of these words should go into the mindset of Americans when it comes to meeting new people. We are lucky that our country does not discriminate against other races. However, millions of Americans are still afraid to approach a person of a different race then their own. We are one of the most diverse countries in the world and we should take advantage of this by getting to know others around us. We have the chance to work, play, and live with hundreds of different cultures and we should embrace the opportunity, not run from it.