Transparency. Participation. Collaboration.

President Obama, in an effort to make the government more transparent and accessible, has begun the Open Government Initiative. Vivek Kundra has been appointed as Chief Information Officer, a position that did not exist until this administration. The purpose for the Open Government Initiative is to make all those public records and data that the government collects more easily accessible. Previously, the way to access most of this information was to march down to Washington DC and view the data in person. For example, when the website is complete, you will be able to hop online and see all the data that the Health Department, has collected, everything from peanut allergies to flu deaths. And not only can you view the information, you can submit your own ideas and opinions about the data or the Initiative itself. Obama is attempting to bring the government to the people, let them voice their concerns directly. This is an amazing new step into the 21st century for our federal government. With a powerful tool such as the internet, we can now have the President's ear faster than ever. Information and feedback will flow easier, certainly a precedent for future administrations. As I see it, we will be closer to a republic form of government- placing power back to the people themselves, instead of solely relying on our representatives to voice our concerns, wants, and needs.

To learn more about the Open Government Initiative please visit the official site. You can also visit the Open Government Dialogue site to voice your new ideas, vote on current ones, and help shape how this initiative will take effect. And furthermore, you can listen to the piece on All Things Considered regarding this topic here. 

This is the PEOPLE's government, time for us to utilize the power we've always had!

When to Question "The Decider"

Obama is way smarter than me. He, his cabinet, and his team of advisors face issues far more grave than I will ever have to deal with. Watching the news about the ongoing "recession", the developing presence of the Taliban in Pakistan, among many other world crises, I don't know how the man does it. But more personally, I have a hard time discerning when he has made a good or bad decision right in the here in now. The world of finance is so far over my head. Believe me, I'm a sucker for all these sales and promotions. So when the government says we need to hand more money to the banks, then I say fine, because I don't have another solution. Just like when Bush said we needed to invade Iraq because we would find WMD's. Admittedly, I said OK, let's go. But we didn't find anything, and it was most likely a hunt for oil. And now we've realized in retrospect what a poor decision that was. Not to say that Obama is currently making poor decisions. I think only time will tell for our current President- he has so many curveballs thrown at him, he can only do what is humanly possible. So, without possessing expert knowledge about Wall Street, foreign relations, healthcare, world history, oil, the economy (both housing and business), religions, etc. how can we keep up? How can we not blindly follow the President's decisions? And do we trust our media to keep us not just updated, but explain the context behind the situations at hand? I read several online news sources a day (granted, most of the time only the front page, because I just can't handle any more Bailout or Swine Flu talk), including one and sometimes two foreign papers to find the most broad perspective. But, I still never seem to get the "how things work" answers I need most of the time. And that's probably due to the fact that there is a limited amount of space- both in airtime on tv/radio and in columns in print- and you're to be expected to already know these things. So, if you don't, where do you find out the basics? Wikipedia? Please. If you have all, or at least some, of the answers, please leave a comment!

PS. In the title I mention "The Decider" which is from HBO's You're Welcome, America with Will Ferrell. Ferrell, in character as "Dubbya", jokes that he became "The Decider" after 9-11 happened. If you haven't seen it, check it out- pretty funny (wait until the kids are in bed; bad language). 

Texas Tea Party: Are These People For Real?

Last Wednesday, Rick Perry made an appearance in Austin at one of the many "tea parties" held around the nation, protesting the current administration's spending policies. After his speech, he actually told reporters that Texans may get so fed up that they will want to secede from the Union! He must be joking! With the new rise to secession talk, which obviously will never happen in a million years, my boyfriend and I were curious as to what basis these people actually think they can legally break away. He found a website called TexasSecede.org. They are basing their entire argument on one paragraph from the 1876 Texas Constitution (our current document). Here is what they quote on their website:

"Texas is a free and independent State ... All political power is inherent in the people ... they have at all times the inalienable right to alter their government in such manner as they might think proper." 
— Texas Constitution (1876)

Please note the all important first ellipses. Because the line that that ellipses represents is the damning evidence that secession was no longer possible, once we joined the United States. Now, here is the original paragraph as it reads in the actual document:

"Sec.1 A FREEDOM AND SOVEREIGNTY OF STATE

Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States, and the maintenance of our free institutions and the perpetuity of the Union depend upon the preservation of the right of local self-government, unimpaired to all the States."

The words "All political power..." actually are the beginning of Section 2. Some may argue that it does not specifically state that we are subject to the President of the United States, but by saying we are subject to the Constitution, I think that argument would not stand up in court, as the Constitution covers the office of the President. And, to take it a step further, the Constitution of 1869, declared the Constitution of 1861, when we joined the Confederate States of America, null and void. It specifically denounces the power of secession. This was passage was required to appear in the new state constitutions by Andrew Johnson in order for the Southern states to re-enter the Union. Here is Article Twelve, Section Thirty-Three of the '69 Constitution:

"SECTION XXXIII. The ordinance of the Convention passed on the first day of February, A. D. 1861, commonly know as the Ordinance of Secession, was in contravention of the Constitution and laws of the United States, and therefore, null and void from the beginning; and all laws, and parts of laws, founded upon said ordinance, were also null and void from the date of their passage."

 

Granted, we no longer use this constitution, as a current one replaced it in 1876, however, it is clear that secession is not our sovereign right, nor is it legal to do so. For us to in fact withdraw from the United States, we would have to wage war. Do these people actually want that? They actually want to personally fight for their sovereignty? They have asked Obama to keep his hands out of their pockets and to re-read the US Constitution. Well, I think they need to take a good look at their own state constitution before speaking out of turn. Perry is clearly just trying to drum up voter support from the [very] right winged Texans, but I think he took it too far. No sense getting people so riled up, when seceding not even a possibility. Who actually still believes that secession is a good idea? Obviously the authors of TexasSecede.org do, because if you read their Q & A section, they have some very interesting answers to the common questions that are posed to their group. 

Personally, I don't think we've given Obama's new policies enough time to take effect. This nation is not a little tugboat, we are a giant freighter, and can't simply turn on a dime. It will be a long and painful recovery before substantial results are seen. This is major surgery we as a nation are undergoing- we can't be expected to be back on the playing field in full force in a couple of weeks And for that matter, I don't really have any better ideas, and it doesn't seem that anyone else does either, so until we do, let's keep the criticism to a dull roar. 

*PS. Thanks, Chad for the history lesson!

Obamanos!

I know this is a few days belated, but I am still basking in the sunlight of the inauguration! Obama's speech was absolutely spot on, and it seems to have been well received around the world. I was happy to hear President Obama say that we need to get to work and rise up above this crisis. I think he brought a lot of hope and inspiration to our citizens with his words. 

Kids in school across the country watched the inauguration live via streaming internet video. I can only hope and pray that Obama inspired them to rise up as well. To show them a new kind of role model. Instead of wanting to be the next Kanye or Jay-Z, continue their education and become Senator or even President. Instead of banking on playing in the NBA and out-dunking LeBron James, to get involved in the community and make their own neighborhood a better place. 

The excitement that our new President has brought to this country has spread all the way down to the youngest of her residents. So, here's hoping that Obama can make a difference with the future generations. 

In case you missed the speech, or you just want to relive the moment, here it is: Obama Inaugural Speech

And for more presidential action, check out Tuesday's NY Times crossword puzzle, it was some all-American fun!