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Obama’s Second
Term Promises
“More Than Indi
vidual Ambitions”
Jessica Feltner, staff writer
President Obama already has
accomplished many achievements
during his first term, such as the Lilly
Ledbetter Act that requires equal
pay for women in the work place, the
Dodd-Frank Act which allowed more ^
regulation on Wall Street and most
notably the Affordable Care Act. What
will the future bring?
In his victory speech Obama
emphasizes the importance of coop
eration between the Republicans and
Democrats, a must for the government
to efficiently produce helpful policy
and legislation. Obama reiterates the
promises of his campaign saying^ “I
am looking forward to reaching out
and working with leaders of both par
ties to meet the challenges we can only
solve together. Reducing our deficit.
Reforming our tax code. Fixing our
immigration system. Freeing ourselves
from foreign oil. We’ve got more work
to do.”
Obama lays out additional goals
for his second term, such as address
ing climate change, an issue on the
forefront of the nation’s mind after
* Hurricane Sandy and the resulting
damage to the East Coast. He plans on
improving the immigration system,
starting with helping immigrants af
ford education with legislation like the
Dream Act. The president also plans
on reforming the voting system that
left many Americans waiting in polling
places for as long as eight hours on
Nov.r 6. Inevitably Obama will have
to deal with Iran and the ominous
shadow of the nuclear program in the
Middle East. The re-elected president
plans on further pushing reforms in
the healthcare system by providing
new funding that will allow states to
improve the quality of care for Medic
aid and Medicare.
If any of these reforms are to take
place, Obama will need to finally attain
some sort of bipartisan cooperation
that has not been seen since he took
office in 2008. The exasperating grid
lock in the House of Representatives
has been identified as a top priority for
fixing. Obama has made it clear during
his campaign that he plans to fore
stall any tax increases on the middle
class or families that make less than
$250,000 a year. Among Republican
representatives, John Boehner, the
speaker of the house, still insists on
following Romney’s tax agenda of low
ing rates, but also cutting government
spending and —cont. on page 2
Winter Season
Promises Fun
Events in Raleigh
compiled by Shanna Alley, staff writer
A previous year’s tree-lighting at the
N.C, State Capitol
Image via news.ncdr.gov
Even though students tend to head
home as soon as exams end, Raleigh
offers plenty of fun for anyone in the
area throughout Winter Break!
Raleigh Winterfest
Dec. 1, 2012-Jan. 26, 2013
City Plaza—Downtown Raleigh
Raleigh’s premier winter event is back
featuring an outdoor skating rink with
natural ice. Admission including skate
rental is $8 for both adults and chil
dren. On Tuesdays receive two for one
admission to the rink, which includes
skate rental. There will be free carriage
rides on Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
with a skating wristband.
Annual NC State Capitol Christ
mas Tree Lighting
Dec. 6
Union Square—Downtown Raleigh
Eveiy year the Governor lights the
State Christmas Tree on Union
Square. This event is carried live on
television across the state.
The Gathering: A Holiday Con
cert
Dec. 15 8 to 10 p.m.
Fletcher Opera Theater at Progress
Energy Center
According to visitraleigh.com, the con
cert is centered around The Gathering:
A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs, an Ap
palachian song cycle by Dossett. Other
highlights include Compton singing
his --cont on page 3
Hurricane Sandy
Relief Efforts
Monique Kreisman, staff writer
Hurricane Sandy hit the northeast
coast a month ago, but recovery is still
slow. On Oct. 29, thousands of homes
were destroyed by wind, flood and fire.
New Jersey and New York suffered
billions of dollars in damage. In New
York City, the subway system and the
stock exchange were closed for several
days, and in some areas, 90% of homes
and businesses were vwthout power.
Meredith College will collect funds for
the Red Cross at several locations on
campus to support hurricane victims
until Nov. 30. Donations can be given
to the Office of College Programs in
Johnson Hall, the Office of the Dean of
Students in the Park Center, the Oftice
of Student Leadership and Service,
residence hall directors and the apart
ment manager of the Oaks.
ACLU Takes Legal
Action Against
Military Gender-
Based Policy
Jessica Feltner, staff writer
As of Tuesday, the military policy of
excluding women from ground combat
is being challenged by the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the
Christian Science Monitor reports. In
support of four Iraq and Afghanistan
women veterans, the ACLU filed a
legal complaint that argues this policy
has limited career opportunities for
U.S. women, leaving them in a con
tinuous subordinate position. The
ACLU argues that women continue to
be excluded from more than 280,000
jobs, despite reforms on gender-based
policies in the military. Women in Iraq
and Afghanistan, the ACLU argues,
are not always bound to these policies,
having seen combat anyway.
Freedom of Press
Threatened in U.K.
Cody Jeffrey, staff writer
After the British newspaper. News
of the World, admitted to a seven-year
long phone-hacking scandal, the depth
of journalistic libel was revealed as
well. British authorities are now con
sidering implementing new restrictive
legislation that poses a threat to the
freedom of the nation’s press.
One powerful argument against
state-sponsored regulation of the press
is that appropriate regulations and
penalties already exist. Tim Luckhurst
of CNN specials vwote in a Nov. 27,
2012 article, “Why the UK should
avoid muzzling its free press,” “Jour
nalism is subject to more than 50 laws
ranging from the Official Secrets Act
(1911) to the Bribery Act (2010) and
including libel laws that have made
this country destination of choice for
“libel tourists.’”
Fortunately for Britain’s newspa
pers, Lord Justice Leveson (English
judge. Lord Justice of Appeal of
England emd Wales) has not released
a mandate to impose state-sanctioned
regulation. Government and parlia
ment must decide what the future of
their nation’s freedom of speech and of
the press will be.
Many government officials are also
weighing the effects of their legisla
tive decision riot only domestically,
but internationally. Some believe that
if Britain censors their press. Au
thoritative rulers vyill exploit the state
involvement of a democratic country,
or as Luckhurst puts it, “‘Look,’ they
would gloat, ‘The mother of democracy
understands the need for the state to
ensure that journalists behave. We
agree.’”
Apple Continues
Sacking Spree
After Maps App
Affront
Shea Pierson, staff writer
duplicated Diaoyu Islands on Apple
' maps
Apple has been criticized for its new
maps application since its debut. Com
pany officials have already fired soft
ware leader Scott Forstall and retail
head John Browett over the map sys
tem release fiasco. Yesterday the maps
project’s overseer, manager Richard
Williamson lost his job as well. Bloom
berg broke the story, reporting that
Senior Vice President Eddy Cue fired
Williamson and is “seeking to build
confidence in the program amid a
growing battle with Google Inc.” by
configuring a new leadership team.
A replacement for Williamson is yet
unknown.