Initiative- Give the people a voice, and the governemnt ears fall off

   The initiative was created to give voters a direct voice in lawmaking. Well, it should give voters a direct voice in lawmaking. Whether it works is questionable. For example, in the whole health care debate, where many wanted a public option, we did not get a public option. Hmmm... so where exactly is this voice? Well, I don't know but it should be there. In order to perform an initiative a citizen has to collect a certain number of signatures on a petition. That sounds like a lot of work for a citizen who just wants something done.
   The initiative represents the theme "Power comes from the bottom up." This theme says that power comes form the people. With the initiative, it gives people the power to put a bill into Congress. Well, as stated before, it should.

Boos Tweed- The man who shows what fabric is on top.

   William Tweed, the man better know as Boss Tweed, was a man who showed how extreme corruption could go. He managed to cheat New York out of over 100 million dollars. Really how low can you get, cheating innocent, hardworking people out of their hard earned cash. This man is like a modern day Rod Blagojevich. That is not a good thing. Journalists exposed his crimes and he was arrested. Funnily enough, the same thing happened to Blago. It's like history repeating itself. After Boss Tweed was arrested he fled to Spain. Where he was caught and put in jail. He later died in 1878 and was mourned greatly.

   Tweed represents the theme "To the victor belongs the spoils." This is due to the fact that he believed since he was this big, tough industrialist he deserved the money of the city. I think that just because you win something, does not give you the excuse to take everything.

Teddy Roosevelt, Father of the Modern Day Stuffed Toy

 Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt  was born to a wealthy New York family. He was a sickly child and lifted weights in order to make himself stronger. Being the iconic good citizen that he was, Roosevelt then wanted to serve the public. So, at the age of 23, he got elected to the New York legislature. He went on to serve on as the head of the New York Police Department (a department made famous because of the popular television show NYPD Blue).
   Roosevelt ran for president in 1904. His campaign was based on the square deal. Where everyone would have the same chance to succeed.  Roosevelt took time during his presidency to help preserve the natural areas. He did not run for reelection in 1908.

   The theme that Teddy Roosevelt represents is "Power comes from the top down." He believed that the government can do good things for the American population. For example, he believed that the government should take control of the bad trusts (trusts that took advantage of workers) or get rid of them all together.   Another example of him representing this theme is when he publicized the unhealthy conditions in meat packing factories. Roosevelt is the positive spin on the power from the top idea.
Picture of Roosevelt: http://theamalgam.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/teddy-roosevelt1.jpg
Picture of the national park: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/theodore-roosevelt-national-park-ga-258.jpg

Another fun fact: The teddy bear was named for Theodore Roosevelt

The Keyboard is Mightier than the Pen (and Paper)

Edward Bulwer- Lytton once wrote "the pen is mightier than the sword." Well I say that the keyboard is mightier than the pen. First, whenever I go to write something with a pen it takes me five minutes to find a pen. It also takes me five to ten minutes to walk all the way around my house to find a piece of paper. Of course, after that I then realize that I have paper in my backpack. Then, I feel dumb. See, writing with a paper and pen makes people feel bad about themselves. Whereas, with a keyboard I can just pull up my blog and start typing. No need to climb stairs or get frustrated, just sit and type. A keyboard also makes for faster writing, or in this case blogging. I know for a fact that I type faster than I write. Typing is also neater than writing because whenever I write something there a bunch of scratch outs, smudges, and doodles. Not the prettiest paper in the world.   In the end, let us remember than the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

Blogging vs Writing

   Writing. That is what teachers tell me to do. They tell me to write a story, a poem, an essay. Then, the teacher judges my writing. Judges it on a rubric against the standard student. Writing also does not allow me to open up. It does not allow people to tell people my story. Writing does not allow show a window into my life. Writing is like hiding behind what you know people want to hear.

   Blogging. That is what I choose to do. Blogging lets me show a more creative edge to my work. Yes, it is still text on a page, but to me it is a friendlier format. Blogging provides an easy way to show visuals and link to movies. Blogging allows me to put my feelings out there more. I know when people read it they will judge me, but they probably won't point out all my flaws. And if they do, they won't say them to my face (except for you Mr. Kannan).

   Blogging is more like a journal that opens a window into my life for everyone else to look in through. Writing is like a closed door.