Government Meeting 3/3: Huntington City Council Meeting

Huntington City Council honored a Huntington resident and also voted on various topics such as junk removal, a skate park and a Second Chance Prom during Monday’s meeting.

Mayor Steve Williams spoke on the behalf of Huntington High School senior Kelsi Burns for her achievements in both academics and sports. Burns has been accepted to the United States Military Academy in West Point on a soccer scholarship.

An ordinance that will require Huntington residents to remove junk from their yards and porches was approved by all present council members. This ordinance is a portion of Mayor Steve Williams’ beautification plan. The plan was laid out in his State of the City address.

The ordinance will go into full effect July 1. Williams spoke on behalf of the ordinance and stated that residents will have enough time to remove unwanted furniture and junk from their porches and yards. If residents do not comply with the ordinance, they will face up to $500 fines or even time in jail.

The council also approved a resolution that will allow Williams to apply for a federal justice grant of $28,000 to hire a compliance officer to work within the Huntington Police Department. 

The council voted and agreed to a second reading of an ordinance that would fund a skate park. The park would be located in the western end of Harris Riverfront Park. The plans for the park would be divided into three phases, the first one costing a little over $65,000.  Council members expressed concerns about liability issues for the park, but still agreed the park would benefit the city’s youth.

The meeting concluded with final approval of a Second Chance Prom was also granted by council members. The prom will from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in the Conference Room. All council members in attendance voted in favor of the resolution, and many spoke about the importance of the event.

City Council Meeting tomorrow (3/25/13

I will be attending the Huntington City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. on March 25, 2013 as my third and final government meeting requirement for this semester.

Government Meeting 2/3: Marshall University Faculty Senate

The Marshall University faculty senate meeting focused on information from an annual report by University President Stephen Kopp, including employee compensation within the university budget and education reform within the state government Thursday afternoon.

Dr. Stephen Kopp, president of the university, showcased a powerpoint that displayed Marshall’s operating expenditures and the amount of the money that goes to the university's employees for salary and benefits. The report showed that 62 percent of the operating expenditures goes to this cause. 

The report also showed that Marshall employs more full professor ranked positions than most or all of the other universities accounted for by the SREB. Other positions include associate professors and assistant professors. These positions are typically divided into thirds in other institutions. 

Another important issue Kopp discussed was possible solutions for budget cuts Marshall will be directly effected by included in a education bill currently being edited in the House of Representatives. 

This bill would account for a 8.94 percent reduction in funding for 4-year institutions, such as Marshall, which would effect things such as scholarships, grants and tuition cost for future and current students. The budget cut would account for a $6.5 million loss for Marshall, and $1.2 for the medical school alone.

A solution Kopp brought up was a tax increase on pop and alcohol. Currently, the state of W.Va. imposes a 1 cent tax on every container of pop sold in the state. The tax brings in close to $16 million for just one university in the state, which does not include Marshall. Kopp stated his advocacy for a bipartisan bill that would increase this tax on pop and perhaps even include alcohol to generate revenue for the state and to benefit all of W.Va.’s higher education institutions. 

Kopp also stated his distress that a consequence of budget cuts would unfortunately be a raise in tuition. A $730 raise in tuition would be the smallest amount necessary to compensate for the loss in funding.

Kopp concluded his presentation with a call to action to senate members to help him in his efforts to find a solution to the budget cut that would not impose a raise in tuition.

The meeting concluded after some questions and comments from the audience and senate members and some summary reports from the AFC, Library Commitee and Dean Steve Hensley. The faculty senate will meet again on Thursday April, 25.

Faculty Senate Meeting tomorrow (3/14/13)

I will be attending the Marshall University Faculty Senate meeting at 4 p.m. on March 14, 2013 as my second government meeting requirement for this semester. 

Government Meeting 1/3: State of the City address

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams delivered his first State of City address  Friday at city hall.

Williams laid out his plan for improving Huntington and discussed what the new budget would cover.

This year's budget is a $1 million increase from last year's, making it $43 million, but will not include extra taxing or fees for residents.

The budget will help with Williams' main goal of making Huntington a better place in all aspects.

Some of Williams' plans include beautification of Huntington, adding art and gardens in various places, adding more business and revenue opportunities, and increasing tourism to the area.

Williams also appointed new people and organizations within the city. Two new organizations are the Mayor's Council for the Arts and an office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting. New positions in each department amounted to a total of 11.

Although Williams strayed from his prepared speech, he was able to present his plans for the city efficiently and with personality.

The mayor also recognized the city's employees for the work they do for the city. Organizations that received a special mention included the fire department and the Huntington Police Department.

With 46 percent of the Huntington community being renters, Williams said he will meet with landlords in the city to make sure all rental properties are safe for renters.

He also stressed the significance of his new beautification plan. Within this plan, the city will be cracking down on shabby or junky residents in Huntington. Williams said that residents must take responsibility of their homes.

"Indoor furniture doesn't belong outside, junk cars don't belong in the front yard," Williams said.

With Huntington being one of the most unfit and obese cities in the country, Williams said that it is important to focus on physical fitness in the city.

He will be taking an active role in this by having "Mayor's Walks," which will encourage residents to take action in becoming more healthy.

Williams said this, along with his other plans, can help Huntington go from the bottom to the top.

Huntington State of the City address- Extra Credit

Mayor Steve Williams gave his first State of the City address Friday at Huntington City Hall.

Williams spoke about several topics such as the city budget, instilling art into the Huntington community and a beautification plan. 

At the beginning of the address, Williams seemed to stick to his prepared speech pretty well, but about midway through he began straying quite a bit. By the end, it was as if he threw the prepared speech out the window.

The address lasted about 49 minutes.

Mayor Steve Williams gives his State of the City address Friday at City Hall.

State of the Union prediction results: Mostly correct, with a fewsurprises (Assignment #9)

In his fourth State of the Union address, President Barak Obama mentioned several of the things I predicted he would in my previous blog and gave Americans a speech that was both what was expected and full of surprises.

Topics I predicted he would bring up included: American unity, the economy, the deficit and fiscal cliff, ending of George W. Bush’s tax breaks, health care, gay rights, immigration reform and gun rights.

Obama mentioned all but one of these topics in some way. The topic Obama did not discuss was Bush’s tax breaks coming to an end. Although, taxing was a topic he did speak about.

The economy was the most prevalent topic of the address. Obama spoke about the country’s deficit and his ideas of how to fix it. These were the topics Americans wanted to hear about the most according to NBC News. 

Education was a major topic Obama discussed. His ideas ranged all the way from pre-school to higher education.

He stated that all American children should have the same opportunities to be successful, and it starts with pre-school. Another plan relating to education Obama discussed was altering the high school curriculum to better prepare students for higher education. Finally, he proposed the idea of making higher education more affordable so more Americans can take advantage of schooling and be more successful in life. 

Health care and immigration reform combined took up a large chunk of Obama’s address. He elaborated his ideas for both topics, and urged Congress to follow behind him to make these ideas reality.

There was a small mention of gay rights and equality, but Obama did not spend time sharing details of his ideas concerning this. The mention was tied to women and gay military personnel. 

Obama kept his theme of American unity from his inauguration speech from January 21, 2013. The theme was present in most of the topics Obama spoke about.

Finally, Obama closed with the topic of gun control. Because this is such a controversial topic right now, it made sense that he would leave this for the end, and leave his audience with an emotional reaction. 

As I predicted, there were some surprises in Obama’s address. 

One of of these included climate change. Obama stated that Americans should believe what science shows us, and live in a more efficient way that will help decrease destruction of the planet. He cited natural disasters, fires and other tragedies in the last 15 years and related them directly to climate change. 

A second surprising topic was Obama's proposal to raise minimum wage amounts to $9.00 an hour. 

Cyber attacks was another topic that surprisingly came up. Although, with the recent hacking of The New York Times, it may not have been quite as big of a shock for others as I personally thought it was.

Obama also unveiled his “Fix it First” plan to Congress and the country. Obama stressed the idea of fixing the country in all aspects possible. 

Overall, I think Obama gave Americans the address they wanted to hear. He laid out his plan for the year clearly for Congress and the citizens of the United States.  He also gave Americans new topics  to think about as the new year pans out before us.

As a percentage, Obama spoke about 95 percent of the topics I guessed he would. However, I was only able to guess an estimate of 70 percent of his topics. There were some topics I did not see coming or I simply overlooked. 

Obama's fourth State of the Union address was successful and gave Congress and American citizens much to anticipate this year.

State of the Union Predictions (Assignment #6)

Assignment #6: Predicting the Address

In his first State of the Union address, in 2009, President Barak Obama focused his attention on the war he inherited when he stepped into office. Obama talked about his visitation with military families and to military bases, the importance of schooling and the economic status of the county. 

When Obama delivers his first State of the Union address since being elected for a second term on Feb. 12, I predict the report will include commentary on certain “hot-button” topics such as the economy, equal rights, Obamacare, gun control and other plans he has for the year.

The State of the Union address is used as a communication device between the president, Congress and the rest of the country. It is an update of the president’s vision for the following year. This is important because it informs citizens and legislators of the country’s current standing, and where the president of the time plans to take it. 

One topic Obama will mention is the debt ceiling and fiscal cliff. After a decision was made to raise the country’s debt ceiling until March 2013, it seems like an important topic that Obama would want to update the country on this. 

Obama will explain his plan for pulling America out of debt, and pulling the nation back to its feet. 

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt also faced an economic crisis when he took office. The Great Depression had destroyed the country, and Roosevelt was elected on promises that he would improve the country’s economy. 

Obama stated in his 2009 State of the Union address that the economy was in an unacceptable place, and since there has not been significant improvement, he will address this issue again.

A similar topic Obama may speak about is the tax break former president George W. Bush’s had in tact coming to an end.

Because Obama is a Democrat and Bush is a Republican, the two have conflicting views on taxation policies.

A former president that Obama shares similar taxation ideas with is Bill Clinton. Both share the label of Democrat, and tend to believe in taxing similar ways.  

Clinton has supported Obama throughout his presidential term, and continues to back Obama’s policy plans. 

Another similarity the two share is the fact that they were both elected to a second presidential term. Twenty-one presidents have been elected to serve second terms, four of whom were passed the torch, but later elected to remain in office, according to CNN.com. 

Another topic Obama may speak about is a change that will take place later. Some of the aspects of his previously passed health care plan will go into effect. He has spent much of his time in the White House fighting for this legislation.

A major topic that Obama has brought up on occasions such as presidential candidate debates and his inauguration speech is immigration policies. 

Obama has stated that he believes immigrants deserve to be welcomed into the United States, and that he intends to try and insure their rights.

A similar topic that Obama will bring up will include civil rights, especially those of the LBGT communities. 

The topic of gay rights came up in Obama’s inauguration speech. 

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like everyone else under the law - for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said.

The idea of unity is popular among presidents, and Obama shares the support of this with former president John F. Kennedy.

In his first State of the Union addresses, Kennedy said he wanted the county to come together and work together to be part of a successful, modern country. 

When Kennedy entered into his second term, during his State of the Union address he reiterated on these topics and on the progress the country had made. 

The fight for more gun regulations will be mentioned during the address. Obama will mention the legislation he has proposed concerning weapons.

Since the country entered what has been labeled by news organizations such as WNBC and Fox News as the post Sandy Hook Era, Obama has stressed his concern about the availability of guns, especially assault weapons. 

After the nation’s outcry for harsher gun regulations, Obama announced that he and Vice President Joe Biden would start pushing for some regulations. 

I definitely believe this will be talked about, due to the controversy that has been surrounding it. I think he will ask the nation to get behind him and support his ideals concerning gun rights.

The basic theme Obama will be for Americans to come together and operate as a unit. He stressed this idea during his Jan. 21 inauguration speech.

There is always the possibility that we will be surprised. Obama may come straight out of left field with fresh topics that Americans are not familiar with. 

Inauguration Day: Invoking a feeling of Pride (Assignment #4)

People all over the country delayed their everyday routines on Monday to witness history. The day was devoted to not only welcoming president Barack Obama to his second four year term, but to honor civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.

This was the 57th Presidential Inauguration. The Inauguration Ceremony is a historic event in which the newly elected president and vice president of the United States are ceremonially sworn into office and begin their next four year term. In this case, that rang true as Obama and Joe Biden signed on to represent the country for a second term.

Inauguration Day is a day of celebration and recognition for elected officials. A day that demonstrates the country’s beautiful foundation of democracy and allows American citizens to take part in welcoming these officials to a new term serving and directing the country.

Americans flocked to Washington, D.C. or to their television sets, like I did, to witness the $13 million inauguration ceremony, themed “Faith in America’s Future,” take place and to hear the president’s words.

King’s words and principles were incorporated into various speeches throughout the ceremony, including Obama’s.

According to an article by Darlene Superville, a writer for The Associated Press, the president previously stated that King is someone he admires.

“King is one of two people he admires ‘more than anybody in American history.’ President Abraham Lincoln is the other,” Superville wrote.

In an additional nod to that admiration, Obama took his oath using bibles previously owned by Lincoln and King. Obama also used Lincoln’s Bible in his 2009 ceremonial oath.

Obama addressed the country in way that was meant to not only inspire, but inform citizens of what they are to expect from his second four year term as President of the United States.

Topics in the speech included his determination to achieve equal rights for the gay community, immigrants and other minority groups.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like everyone else under the law - for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” Obama said.

Obama made history today, being the first to ever mention gay rights within his inaugural address.
Equality was a theme carried out through the duration of the president’s speech, which was all too fitting.

“That is our generation’s task - to make these words, these rights, these values- of Life and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness - real for every American,” Obama said.

The talk of the town, television broadcasts and social media was not only centered around the ceremony, and Obama, but also the first family.

Many were concerned with what First Lady Michelle Obama was wearing, and what the couples two daughters were wearing.

Many praised Michelle Obama’s designer choice. The first lady went with designer Thom Browne for her dress and coat, and donned a belt by J. Crew.

According to CBS News, Thom Browne was “proud and humbled” that the first lady chose him to design her wardrobe for the day.

And then there were the bangs. The first lady also donned her new hairstyle for the day’s ceremonies. Although this was not the first word of the hairdo, it was still very talked about.

The crowd was certainly massive, but the turn out was not quite as large as Obama’s first inauguration, which brought the biggest crowd to Washington, D.C. during inauguratorial events in history.
Many have said that second presidential terms tend to go sour for presidents, but Obama did not seem to be worried for this terms future. His words reflected confidence and determination for his plans for the next four years.

This is something that is nothing short of admirable, and could invoke a feeling of pride from Americans.

Watching the president being read his oath, and swearing to it, has to be one of the most inspiring and prideful experiences.

As an American citizen, there are many things that can be taken from Inauguration Day.
First and foremost, it gives citizens a feeling a pride. Pride to live a country that allows them freedoms that other countries do not supply. Pride to take part in democratic discourse. Pride to see The President of the United States take an oath to serve this country the best he or she can.

It’s a historical event that continues to be tradition in our country, and has given Americans a sense of pride for years.

The tradition began with the first President of the United States, George Washington, taking his oath of office on April 30, 1789 in New York City.

Some things have changed throughout the years, for example: the inaugural speech. Washington’s second speech is still known as the shortest in history, coming to just 135 words.

Throughout history, the speech has become an important part of the ceremony.

Some speeches have highlighted great times in history, while some have called the country’s attention to how low American had sunk.

However, looking backward and forward, allows Americans to see the country’s potential to make it through tough times, and celebrate what the future has in store.

It gives the president a chance to speak straight to the people who elected him, and them a chance to hear what he plans to do for them.

Typically, Inauguration Day takes place on January 20, but whenever the specific date falls on a Sunday, the ceremony is moved to the Monday following, with a private oath swearing on Saturday or Sunday.

Historically, inauguration ceremonies took place on March 4, allowing enough time for votes to be hand tallied from elections, but as tallying became easier, the date was pushed up to January 20. The legislation for this can be found in the 20th Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the last president to be inaugurated on March 4, and the first to be inaugurated on January 20 when he took office for his second term.

No matter what date The Presidential Inauguration falls on, it gives every American no matter what social standing, origin or hometown a chance to feel apart of this amazing and unique country.

As we head into the future of America, we can only sit back and see what future inaugurations have in store for us.

Inauguration Story Proposal (Assignment #3)

To: Dr. Morris
From: Nikki Dotson

Subject: The Presidential Inauguration and what it means to Americans. In other words, what can be taken from it.

Scope: By doing this column, I would include a brief history about inauguration day, cite specific inauguration days using past articles, and convey what the day means to Americans and on a personal level.

Need: To show how important and insightful this day is to Americans and to bring attention to the progression of it by highlighting President Obama.

Methods: I will start by giving the readers a trip back in time and highlight other inauguration days by pulling certain details from them that makes them stand out. After doing this, I will showcase what Americans can take from this day using articles and columns and what I myself take from it. I will also mention the unique attributes of President Obama in regard to this inauguration day. I will be viewing this on television.

Sources: The main sources I intend to use are past articles from major newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, etc. pulled from databases. I will also find scholarly sources that provide information about past presidential inaugurations. I also hope to find columns that reflect opinions on past inaugurations and this one from newspapers.

Presentation: This would be a 1,000 column that would include historical facts about inauguration day, journalistic opinions and articles on the day, and finally how the day effects me on a personal level.

Follow-up: If needed, I would write a follow-up piece reflecting opinions on the inauguration of President Obama on January 21, 2013.

NYT op-Ed articles (Assignment #2)

Assignment #2 Analyzing NYT Articles

1. Another Boom Year- Gail Collins

The first thing I notice about about Collin's piece is that she instantly pulls readers in with an off the wall lead. It's not boring or typical, and as a reader it makes me want to continue reading. The second thing that gets my attention is her use of humor in the second paragraph. Collins writes a lot of political pieces so by acting like she is going to start another similar piece in a joking way, it makes her likable as a writer. It shows her personality within her writing.

As the piece progresses, it is written in a style that keeps the reader intrigued, but is also filled with factual information. Instead of just naming fact after fact, Collins presents them in a fresh and interesting way. Collins attributes creditable websites and organizations within her piece, while still letting her personality shine through. In her final paragraph, she directly addresses the people in which she believes should hear what she has to say, scientists. It's a version of a call to action, but about something that doesn't technically need to be done, just what she feels.

Throughout the article, it is very obvious that the writer has done research to enhance her article. She cites sources and topics that are relevant to the piece.

2. Going Home Again- David Brooks

Brooks' lead is less attention catching than Collins', but starts a story. Instead of using typical news style, Brooks uses more of a story telling technique. The story proceeds in chronological order after the first paragraph or lead is used to introduce the "main character" of the story. Instead of using humor to keep readers interested throughout, Brooks plays on the readers' emotions.

Brooks' tone is an emotional one as he progresses through the story. There are sad parts and happy ones. It's more of a feel good piece than an informational one. The research conducted in this piece is different from the previous one because there are facts, but not statistical facts. They come straight from the stories of the people involved in the story.

The technique used in the final paragraph is to conclude the story and tie everything together. It also states wheat the "meaning" or "purpose" the reader is supposed to take from the story. Brooks did not include his own personality in this piece.

First Post (Assignment #1)

Nikki Dotson:

This is my blog for JMC 414!

My government beat is Huntington Police!

My twitter account for the class is https://twitter.com/dotson_nikki4