Week 3 discussion question 1 and 2 - Personal Statement Example

1. After the oil embargo of 1973-74, the american middle started to see themselves oppressed and burdened by tax laws. This was a radical change from the postwar america, when those in the middle class saw themselves as among properous in the world. How did the embargo cause this change in american confidence? The reason that the oil embargo caused this kind of effect on the American confidence was because gasoline was being rationed, in some states Christmas was being cancelled, and some gas stations were refusing the sell gasoline altogether.

This situation was a far cry from the gas rationing of World War II which was done with pride by the American public in support of their military. In the case of the oil embargo, it was being done just because politicians were playing economic war games using the people as their pawns. 2. Nixon lied about his knowledge of the watergate break-in and then tried to cover it up. If he had been open and honest with the american people from the beginning of watergate, do you think that we would have a better view of Nixon today?

As part of his legacy, do you currently think that we can no longer trust our president and other politians? What makes you think so? The problem with President Nixon and Watergate is that he knowingly and willfully broke the law of the land in order to fulfill his selfish needs. It would not have mattered if he had come clean from the very beginning and confessed his activities to the people, he would have still violated the public trust. It is because of presidents like him that we have come to develop a distrust for the office of the president when it comes to certain issues.

The Nixon presidency showed us that the presidents office is the highest office in the land, and also the most graft and corruption prone. Therefore, it would take a different kind of president and transparency in the White House to bring back the blind faith that people once had in the Oval Office.