We Got Bars and I Ain’t Talking 16

Anybody watch President Obama’s speech on education and No Child Left Behind?

In a nutshell, President Obama said that since Congress couldn’t make moves, he had to. The president turned some (but not all) of the power to reform education back to the states by inviting them to create their own accountability and advancement systems.

Ten years ago, a bipartisan rewrite of No Child Left Behind was signed by President George W. Bush. The 2002 law required all schools to administer reading and math standardized tests each year, and to increase the proportion of students passing them until reaching 100 percent in 2014.

Did NCLB reinforce the school to prison pipeline?

Posted by:

CJ

Political Quick Hits: December 16th Edition

Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:

• The House of Representatives passed a Republican payroll tax plan on Tuesday that would extend the payroll tax cut and speed the process for government approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The plan now goes to the Senate where it is unlikely to pass, due to strong Democratic opposition. President Obama also said he would veto the bill should it arrive on his desk.  President Obama has said that Congress must not go home for the holidays without extending the payroll tax cut, something that saves a working American an average of $1,000 a year. Yesterday, the White House and Congress were reported to be discussing ways to resolve their differences over the payroll tax cut, which is set to expire at the end of the year. (CNN)

The Iraq War is over and unemployment is down…

Posted by:

Justin Burkhardt

Herman Cain vs. Barack Obama in 2012? Doubtful

Could we see a Barack Obama vs. Herman Cain 2012 presidential election? In 2008, we elected our first African-American president. In 2012. could we have an all African American ballot? According to a new Wall Street Journal poll, Herman Cain, former Godfather’s Pizza CEO, now leads the race for the GOP nomination among likely Republican primary voters. Cain now sits at 27 percent, which is a 22 percent increase from six weeks ago. Mitt Romney is second at 23 percent. So could we really see Cain vs. Obama? I say absolutely no chance, and it has nothing to do with race. It simply has to do with the race itself.

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Posted by:

Justin Burkhardt

Obama Drama: Finding the Politics in the Politician

The other day, I got to see the president of the United States of America in person. Like, he was actually a ten-minute walk from my house. I must admit, when I first heard the President would be in town, I had illusions of us having an exclusive picture taken together (Go Christina). It is undeniable that Barack Obama is a charismatic man whose intelligence propelled him to America’s Top Spot. However, I find it necessary to always remember that he has a job to do… and his main job (in his mind) from now until November 2012 is probably to get himself re-elected.

The question I pondered, as I heard the crowd roar, was how much will he be working for you if he thinks he does not have to work for your vote?

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Posted by:

Kwesi Low

[VIDEO] President Obama’s Jobs Speech:

Tweet @TheLeague99 and let us know what you thought of Obama’s proposal.

Posted by:

The Editor