Critical Reading about Government Shutdown - Essay Example

Stein, Sam. Government Shutdowns Impact Detailed In New Report, Huffington Post, November 7, 5. Print. “Government Shutdowns Impact Detailed InNew Report.” This is a news article written by Sam Stein of the Huffington Post. The article is available online at Huffingtonpost.com. I picked this news articles because it highlights the consequences of the recent government shutdown that affected most Americans. The article provides a detailed analysis of the impact of the shutdown on the country’s economy, which is worth understanding. Even though the articles is presented as a news article, its main purpose was to give the American people and the government the true picture of the impact of the shutdown on the country’s economy. The first few paragraphs of the article highlight the cost of the recent government shutdown to the U.S. economy. For instance, the author notes that America lost between $2 billion to $6 billion during the 16 days period of the shutdown. Midway through the article, the author begins to give a detailed analysis of the impact of the shutdown on each sector of the economy. Unlike the previous news articles that have centered on criticizing the government and the Congress for failing to avoid the shutdown, this article takes a different angle. Instead of criticizing, its main aim is to highlight the impacts, which can be used as a lesson to avoid future shutdown from occurring. However, the article concludes by praising the government for what it did to end the shutdown. In general, the author should be lauded for his candid presentation of the impact of government shutdown. This is because understanding the impacts that the shutdown had on the economy of the country will be used as a lesson to prevent such shutdowns from taking place in the future. In fact, it is possible that were the government and the congress new of the impact of the shutdown as highlighted in this article, they might not have taken the country into this direction. Miklaszewski, Jim, Courtney Kube, and Erin McClam. U.S. military options in Syria: A briefing, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2013: 4. Print. Title: “U.S. military options in Syria: A briefing.” This is a news article NBC News reporter Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube and Erin McClam. The article is available at nbcnews.com. I picked this article because it touches on the security of millions of Syrian people. Currently, many Syrian people have died from the raging conflict between the opposition forces and Assad government forces. The article gives an analysis of the options that the U.S. is considering for intervention in the Syrian situation. The article begins by noting that, as the security situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, the use of military action against Assad government is soon becoming a reality. Nevertheless, the authors are doubtful of whether the U.S. will be able to proceed with the military action. They are skeptical of the move citing the fact that Russia, which has had a longstanding relationship with Assad government, has veto powers. Even though this article is presented as a news article, its main purpose is to highlight the challenges that the U.S. is likely to face in its planned move to use military action against Syria. In fact, the authors appear to support the use of military intervention against Damascus. However, their concern is that the U.S. might not be able to get the go ahead to use military action due to the veto powers of Russia in the U.N. Security Council. Therefore, according to the article, the U.S. might only have to work through NETO. Midway through the article, the authors turn to highlighting how the U.S. might carry out strike in case it goes ahead with its planned military action. In general, the authors have done a laudable job in highlighting the security situation in Syria. The security situation in Syria has deteriorated to an unacceptable level. As such, as the authors note, world leaders need to act fast to save the Syrian people from the oppressive and undemocratic government led by President Assad. Henneberg, Molly. Married couples at disadvantage under ObamaCare, FoxNews, November 21, 2013: 12. Print. “Married couples at disadvantage under ObamaCare.” This is a news article written by the Fox News correspondent Molly Henneberg. The article is available on foxnews.com. The Obamacare Act is one of the laws in recent history that has attracted outrage from different quarters of the country. The outrage has, particularly come from married couple who have voiced their displeasure with the bill. However, most Americans have not understood why such a dissent voice has been coming from married couple. As such, I chose this article since it unearths the hidden issues regarding Obamacre Act that married couples need to know. Even though this article is written as a news article, the writer appears to criticize the bill. Based on the manner in which she presents her arguments, one is able to conclude that she is among the married couples who are not happy with the Obamacare. The article begins by stating that married couples are some of the most disadvantaged based on the contents of the bill. According to Henneberg, Obamacare discriminates against American married couples by making it difficult for couples to obtain subsidies. She backs up her claim by stating that American couples will be forced to pay at least $10,000 more that what the unmarried people pay based on the way subsidies are calculated. The article proceeds to highlight various ways in which the bill will disadvantage married couples. This article needs to be lauded since it reveals to most Americans who still do not understand how the bill will affect them. This is important for Americans in making critical decisions affecting their lives. Saul, Michael. Its only a cartoon! But Obama adds that New Yorker cover insults Muslims, Daily News, July 15, 2008: 2. Print. “Its only a cartoon! But Obama adds that New Yorker cover insults Muslims.” This is a news article written by Michael Saul of the Daily News. This article is found at nydailynews.com. I chose this article because it has a cartoon that portrays the nature of American politics. Normally, in the wake up to the political campaigns, the republicans and democrats normally use political satire, including portraying insulting cartoons to depict their rivals. For instance, the article contains one of the cartoons that portrayed Obama and his wife first lady Michele as terrorists. Even though the article is presented as a news article, its main purpose is to criticize negative stereotypes based one once religion, race, color, or ethnicity. According to the article, even though the aim of the cartoonist may have been to influence Americans not to vote for Obama, the cartoon was an insult to the American Muslim community. The cartoon portrays Obama and his wife Michel, with Obama wearing Islamic attire whiles his wife Michele appearing to play extremist duties. According to the article, Obama is a Christian and not a Muslim as people are made to believe. The author of the article did an exceptional job by dispelling the notion that Muslims are terrorists, this should be praised. The author made it clear that, the fact that a Muslim masterminded the 9/11 attacks does not necessarily mean that all Muslims are terrorists. In addition, even if Obama were to be a Muslim, which he happened not to be, he deserves a chance to seek for a leadership position like people from other religions. Works Cited Henneberg, Molly. Married couples at disadvantage under ObamaCare, FoxNews, November 21, 2013. Print. Miklaszewski, Jim, Courtney Kube, and Erin McClam. U.S. military options in Syria: A briefing, NBC News, 26 Aug. 2013. Print. Saul, Michael. Its only a cartoon! But Obama adds that New Yorker cover insults Muslims, Daily News, July 15, 2008. Print. Stein, Sam. Government Shutdowns Impact Detailed In New Report, Huffington Post, November 7, 2013. Print. Read More