State of the Union outlines presidential plans

By Mary Whitfill Features Editor On Jan. 24 President Obama’s annual State of the Union address outlined what Obama considers to be the most pressing issues for his coming year in office. For those of you who missed out on the speech, that lasted over one hour, the following will serve as your guide to the 2012 State of the Union. Obama discussed how to creature more jobs and rolled out a specific “economic blueprint” as his proposed plan of action for 2012.  In addition to his economic plan, the President also went over his plan for defense spending, his support of free trade and the opposition he will face from the Republican-led house of…

State of the Union to launch Obama campaign

By Mary Whitfill Features Editor As President Barack Obama gears up for his election-year State of the Union Address, many are wondering if he will use the annual speech as a Launchpad for his 2012 presidential campaign. Last year’s State of the Union saw 43 million viewers, which makes it an ideal platform to begin a national campaign. After the Tuesday nigh speech, Obama is scheduled to visit five swing states (Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan and Iowa) where he will have the opportunity to restate the themes of his address In a video e-mailed to millions of supporters on Jan. 21, Obama promised to deliver a “blueprint for an American economy that’s built to last,”…

Keep government, tax away from religion, Hair says

By Thomas Hair Online Copy Editor Whether you are a devout Catholic or an adamant Atheist, it is an undeniable historical fact that the Christian church played a large role in the shaping of the United States and its principles. To this day, centuries later, Christianity’s presence and influence in America remains. The Christian church reaches every corner of America.  Every Sunday, millions of Americans funnel into one of over 400,000 Christian churches across the United States. When coupled with institutions of countless other faiths that have flourished here, churches hold great influence on the masses of followers and represent significant monetary value. Imagine the how much the federal government would profit from levying taxes…

GOP candidate shows presidential possibility

By Mary Whitfill Features Editor This article will not make Jon Huntsman win the Republican Nomination. In all honesty, it probably won’t even help. And that’s a shame. Before I begin, I want to get one thing straight: I have been a supporter of Barack Obama since he first started his presidential campaign. I have been behind Obama since I first saw his 2004 Democratic National Convention speech and heard him remind me that “there is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America.” What attracted me to Obama was his message of “hope” and “change.” Not only was he eloquent and exciting, but he was telling…

Editorial: Students urged to cast vote in upcoming election

The United States of America is in the midst of precarious times. Unemployment is rampant and the economy is little more than a shriveled remnant of what it once was. The wealthy are getting wealthier, and the poor are getting poorer. It is in tremulous times such as these that the nation is truly in need of a strong leader to take command, to assuage the uneasy populace. Without bold and decisive individuals fronting America’s government, the future of the nation is an uncertain one. America needs Presidents who are painstaking in representing the wishes of the majority. However, it is the responsibility of American voters to select such a worthy candidate, someone we can…

We The People ensures voices will be heard

By Ben Cowlishaw Online Copy Editor The voting age for Americans is 18, and for most students at Coppell High School, that means for the time being they can’t have much of a say in our government. However, a movement by the Obama Administration ensures that everyone in America can let their voice be heard. We The People, a subset of whitehouse.gov, is a site where anyone can create and sign petitions by simply creating an account with their name, email address and city. Any petition that gathers at least 25,000 signatures within a month is promised to be reviewed and a response be made by the White House. For example, a petition for the…

The Next Few Four Years

By: Chris Cummins Staff Writer With the news of Osama bin Laden’s death and the celebrations that soon swept the nation, it’s inevitable that Obama’s presidency will be reevaluated in light of the death of one of this nation’s infamous enemies. Where before Obama was criticized for his supposed ‘weakness’ on foreign policy, the most recent being his reticence in supporting the Libyan rebels, he is now being praised by individuals as disparate as Karl Rove and Sarah Palin, with even former Vice President Cheney admitting that Obama deserved credit for the raid. It seems clear that the death of Al Qaeda’s figurehead will give Obama even more leverage as the next Presidential Election approaches….

Osama bin Laden killed in CIA operation

Mary Whitfill Features Editor Osama bin Laden, perpetrator of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, was announced dead Sunday night. Bin Laden was killed by a CIA-led operation. The United States has announced that they have the body of the terrorist leader and DNA testing confirmed his identity. Bin Laden was killed in a ground attack by Joint Special Operations Command forces working with the Central Intelligence Agency. Leon Panetta, CIA director, called members of Congress to describe the killing and President Obama has made the announcement on national TV. “Tonight I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation…

On the road to reform

In clicking around news sites, the only stories available were ones associated with Egypt and it’s reform. No shocker there. Today, on Friday 11, Egypt’s military has taken over the country. As Cairo protesters gathered in Tahrir square, Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement of Mubarak’s resignation. Yes, the people are now free, but I am wondering how the U.S. will step in to mend the damage and prepare what will soon be a democracy. Now that Mubarak has left the stand, Washington has publicly called for an “Egyptian transition to democracy.” Of course, another dictatorial rule would lead the country into another ambiguous future. After going through a rigorous course of World History…

A lack of business

Chris Cummins Staff Writer In another pro-business move, President Obama has appointed Jeffrey Immelt, a former GE Executive, as his chief Outside Economic Advisor. Intended eradicate the anti-business reputation he has gained throughout the years. In recent years, the President has become somewhat of a boogeyman for business groups, and been tagged as someone who “hates” business, due to the tone and stance he displayed towards some of America’s most esteemed companies. Among his other moves intended to allay the reputation he has made include scheduling a major address to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and appointing a former JP Morgan Chase Executive, William Daley, as chief of staff. In recent years, the president has…