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englishteacher24/7

United States

November 9, 2010

Greetings Everyone!

This blog is written to introduce you to the culture and daily life of the United States.

Because the American society is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural one,  I will focus on the common items that transcend the many cultures and the experiences that Americans encounter in everyday life.  The society is very diverse, therefore, the blogs I write will not apply to every person, but in a general sense.  Hopefully enough information will be provided to help you imagine that "You Are There!"

 

More entries: You Are There! A Day In The Life In The United States (333)

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06:24 AM Apr 22 2019

englishteacher24/7
United States

The Mueller Report of the Special Counsel Investigation of another country's involvement in the 2016 US Presidential Election has been released and there is much discussion about the contents of it and the fact that some things were omitted from the report. 

This activity will be discussed right up into the 2020 Presidential Election season that could affect the re-election of President Trump. Stay tuned.

08:24 AM Mar 09 2019

englishteacher24/7
United States

Many people from the Democratic Party have decided to run for president of the U.S. in the 2020 presidential election. Only one will be selected as the nominee to represent the Democratic Party. 

There's a lot of talk against President Trump declaring a state of emergency in dealing with illegal immigrants from the U.S. southern border. Under this declaration, money can be taken from the budgets of some government departments to build the wall President Trump wants. It is likely to be challenged.

09:57 AM Feb 01 2019

englishteacher24/7
United States

The US government's partial shutdown has temporarily ended to give some politicians until February 15, 2019 to negotiate a solution that includes President Trumps' demand for 5.7 million dollars for a wall on the border of Mexico. It doesn't look like it's going to happen.

06:54 AM Jan 20 2019

englishteacher24/7
United States

The shutdown hasn't affected me directly or indirectly (by God's grace), other than my empathy for those who it has affected.

I'm glad it's likewise for you. Since personalities and ideologies are in the way of a compromise, economics will take over and force the re-opening of the government.

02:50 PM Jan 16 2019

WobblyJoe

WobblyJoe
United States

The shutdown still isn't affecting me directly yet, but it has started to effect some of my  relatives. One side is holding it's breath until it turns blue while the other side is hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn't an onrushing train.  There is no end in sight, but another caravan has started so there's not likely to be one anytime soon. 

I looked it up but have no idea if I used affect/effect correctly. That's a hard one to get right, even for people who speak English. 

05:16 AM Jan 01 2019

englishteacher24/7
United States

WobblyJoe, thanks for your input.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

08:02 PM Dec 29 2018

WobblyJoe

WobblyJoe
United States

I, for one, join you in wondering if this will allow Trump to achieve his goals. I too wonder how this will turn out.  I do not believe this is healthy for the Republic.

I also agree with Mr. Alston in that this has little effect on ordinary people. 

08:52 AM Dec 28 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Hi Fatemeh. Actually, it's not very bad for the American citizens, because all of the government is not shut down, only those agencies that need funding every fiscal year.

Some parts of the government are classified as "essential," therefore; they are funded even if the annual budget isn't approved on time. Nevertheless, it's still an inconvenience, and for some workers, costly. 

Good comment.

10:20 AM Dec 23 2018

inventive2

inventive2
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Hello Mr. Alston. Thank you very much for your comment on this blog 🙏 This event is very bad for the people of the United States. Can president Trump achieve his goal with this event?

06:29 PM Dec 22 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

The U.S. government is partially shut down which means Federal government employees will not be paid until the shutdown is over. In addition, many government agencies will not be open, and national parks will be closed.

The reason is because President Trump and the Democratic Party cannot agree on funding for a wall that President Trump promised during the 2016 presidential campaign. Hopefully,  it won't be a long-term shutdown.

05:37 AM Dec 14 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

The convictions of people who were once close to President Trump have been dominating the news. The President has threatened to shut down the government if Congress doesn't give him the money to build a wall on the US/Mexican border.

Most Americans are against allowing the government to shut down; stay tuned to what happens next.

08:40 AM Dec 07 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Fatemeh, you're welcome.

06:02 PM Nov 30 2018

inventive2

inventive2
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Yes my professor. Thank you so much 🙏

08:54 AM Nov 29 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Hello Fateheh, the results of the mid-term elections will not directly affect other countries but may affect other countries indirectly according to which legislation is passed that affects other countries.

09:35 AM Nov 27 2018

inventive2

inventive2
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Hello Mr. Alston. Excuse me, Will the results of this election affect other countries?

07:40 AM Nov 26 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

The US mid-term elections were held and the Democratic Party now has a majority in the House of Representatives in Congress. This means the Republican Party will not be able to easily pass legislation without votes from the Democratic Party. 

2019 will be an interesting year in politics in the US, stay tuned.

06:25 PM Oct 05 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

The current most controversial issue in the U.S. is the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The main objection is that he is thought to be a conservative judge whom President Trump vowed to nominate conservative judges.

10:11 PM Aug 17 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

WobblyJoe, I want take this opportunity to thank you for contributing your knowledge on Presidential Executive Orders, and other insights that you provide.

The current behavior of this White House Administration will give plenty of opportunities to test our Constitution and political system.

Once again, thanks for your input as a native-speaking U.S. citizen.

01:27 AM Aug 16 2018

WobblyJoe

WobblyJoe
United States

Presidential Executive Orders have been used by every President except one (Harrison- who died within a month of taking office). Some have signed thousands of Presidential Executive Orders during their tenure. 

President Obama signed more than 275 Presidential Executive Orders including the "Deal with Iran", President Trump has signed over 80 Presidential Executive Orders so far. 

Other nations must understand that Presidential Executive Orders only bind the USA while that person is our president.  Only a Treaty which is voted on and ratified by the Senate is an actual agreement between the USA and other nations. No new President is bound by the former President, only the Senate can do that. 

There are two more years until our next Presidential election, so we are almost half way there. So far so good; if the USA survives this it will show the world that our Constitution really does govern our government, and not the strangely orange man who is running that government for us.

02:09 AM Aug 14 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Fatemeh, you're welcome, and thanks for your feedback. I'll try to live up to your humbling compliment.

02:39 PM Aug 12 2018

inventive2

inventive2
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Hello Mr. Alston Your topic is very interesting for me and I learn new things. Thank you so much 🙏 You are a great professor.

07:50 AM Aug 11 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Multiple dramas are playing out in court and the court of public opinion concerning people who were close to the president.

Almost everyone has an opinion about the current White House Administration that results in being for or against the President. The majority of Americans are against the President, and the decisions he has made. People who support President Trump are referred to as "The Base" or "His Base" which is about 30-40% of voters.

President Trump belongs to the Republican Party, but the Republican Party is uneasy right now because they are losing some support in their previously strong Republican areas of the country.

The 2018 Mid-term elections are coming in November with the possibility of the Democratic Party winning enough seats in the House of Representatives that will take away the majority votes and make it harder for the Republican Party to pass legislation.

Immigration continues to be a hot topic as well as the investigation by a Special Council of the President for possible collusion.

In the U.S., a president has a 4 year term with a maximum of 8 years if re-elected. Therefore, the US Constitution does not allow any person to be the president of the country indefinitely. As a result, the next president can do a lot to change the Executive Orders of a previous president.

The President does not make any laws, the Congress makes the laws, and the President either signs the law or vetoes the law. However, the president can give an Executive Order which has the force of law depending on the constitutionality of the Executive Order.

Some of the Executive Orders of President Obama have been over-ruled by President Trump, but some Executive Orders are challenged in the courts, such as was the ban on travel from certain countries.

Time will tell how effective the US Constitution is when difficult matters have to be resolved.

11:35 PM Jun 18 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

Controversial issues in the U.S. have continued to be at the forefront of news every day. Currently, there is discontent and some anger among some citizens concerning the breaking up of migrant families who come to the U.S./Mexican border to seek asylum from horrific and dangerous conditions in their homeland.

The topic of immigration has been a controversial issue for many years even though the U.S. has had liberal customs laws compared to some other countries.

Previously, President Trump met with the leader of North Korea to the surprise of many, but with the hope that nuclear tensions can be reduced or eliminated on the Korean peninsula.

After the meeting there is cautious optimism with some people and others feel that the president didn't receive anything in comparison to what the North Koreans received.

The jury is out on this one, and time will tell if the meeting will result in something positive for the long term. 

Finally, there are the trade issues that President Trump has with many countries that have restrictive import laws compared to the US. Many people are hoping that the trade issues will be resolved and not turn into a trade war where nobody wins.

That's it for now, stay tuned for more "Breaking News" in the future.

09:15 PM Apr 21 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

From my last blog to this one, Breaking News continues almost on a daily basis in the U.S. Officials in key positions in the current White House administration have either stepped down from their positions or have been fired by the president.

Many Americans disagree with many decisions and actions of the president and as a result the legal system has been initiated to challenge some of the executive orders.

The U.S. is governed by a constitution which has checks and balances on the office of the president so that any individual who is elected to the office of the President cannot govern as a King or Dictator.

However, some Americans are questioning whether or not the U.S. is entering into a "Constitutional Crisis" on the behavior of the president. This means a situation where there is a perception that the constitution is unable to resolve a problem or conflict between the president's behavior or action on a particular matter and the limit of authority of the president.

Nevertheless, the mid-term elections will be held in November of this year which the voters will vote on many members of Congress which is currently controlled by the Republican Party with a Republican President. If the Congress is no longer controlled by the Republican Party, it will not be easy for their agenda to prevail in the laws passed.

The difference between the Republican and Democratic Parties is this: The Republican Party is for laws that support business and supposed fiscal responsibility. The Democratic Party is for laws that supposedly support people through programs.

However, the Republican Party has been changed by the current White House Administration to the dismay of traditional republicans.

10:32 PM Feb 20 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

In the U.S. there is "Breaking News" on a daily basis mostly relating to what is happening in the Trump Administration or former people related to it. "Breaking News" means something is happening of importance; in other words, "News Alert."

As you may already know, there is an intensive on-going investigation to determine if there was tampering into the 2016 U.S. Presidential election by another country to influence the election result against candidate Hillary Clinton. In addition the investigation is determining if there was "collusion" (a secret agreement to do something illegal) between the current U.S. president and another country.

With the major tax revision bill that was passed by the Congress and signed by the President back in December 2017, the next major legislature action is an immigration bill to determine what to do about the children of immigrants who illegally entered into the U.S. with their parents. Their population is over 680,000 and unless there is an extension of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program enacted under the Obama administration, the children may be deported back to Mexico.

This group is known as "Dreamers" and 80% of Americans do not want them to be deported because they came to the U.S. with their parents and was no fault of their own. Nevertheless, other Americans believe that the children and their parents entered the U.S. illegally, therefore, they should be deported because it is not fair to those who abide by the legal method of entering the U.S. This is a very sensitive topic.

Congress has to act to address the DACA program by March 5, 2018 which is the expiration date.

There are more things that are emerging which I'll address in my next blog post.

12:49 AM Jan 06 2018

englishteacher24/7
United States

I hope that 2018 will be a good year that we will accomplish some things that we have been trying to accomplish in previous years. Let's just do it! 

11:01 PM Dec 21 2017

englishteacher24/7
United States

A lot has been happening on the political scene in the U.S. with a major tax bill that has been approved by the Congress today with the vote being right down party lines. Since the Republicans have a majority vote they were able to approve it without any votes from the Democratic Party.

The American public is deeply divided between being for or against the Trump Administration but the 2018 mid-term election will give the Democrats a chance to win some seats in Congress.

President Trump has received his first major legislative victory in the form of the tax code being modified to give corporations and high income people tax breaks with a few tax breaks for lower to middle income people. The belief is that this will be an incentive for companies to hire more people and increase their wages but many believe it will just give companies the opportunity to do other things with the reduced tax obligation.

Nevertheless, the US economy is doing well with low inflation and a low unemployment rate. Time will tell if the tax overhaul will do what the Republicans say it will do.

Pay close attention to the mid-term election results to be held November 6, 2018 which is the middle point of the president's term.

09:48 PM Oct 17 2017

englishteacher24/7
United States

Since my last blog post, there has been Hurricanes Irma, Jose, and Maria that has damaged parts of Florida and devastated Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands as well as other islands in the vicinity. Since the residents of these islands are US citizens, there has been a lot of criticism about the lack of help they have received.

Many people have expressed their displeasure with the current White House administration; nevertheless, daily life is basically the same although there are more protests in various locations. Protests are nothing new in the US to things that need to be changed for the betterment of society. 

I personally have lived through the Civil Rights era, the Vietnam War, and the Great Recession of 2008. There is no lack of areas that need urgent improvements but on the other side of the discussion, the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in years and it's evident by so many newer cars regular working people are driving.

Major American businesses are developing a corporate mindset to change their old habits in the treatment of people to include those who were formerly not included. The demographics are changing as American society is changing which can be upsetting to some of the status quo. 

Breaking News reports are a daily occurrence nowadays but time will tell how this period of time is recorded in history. In 2018 Americans will have the opportunity to vote to change the Congress and in 2020 to vote for the next president. One thing is for sure, people will remember the mistakes that are made now and will look for candidates they believe will not make the same mistakes. Stay tuned.

08:22 PM Sep 01 2017

englishteacher24/7
United States

Hurricane Harvey has been devastating to the people of Houston, Texas and the surrounding areas. Nevertheless, the people affected have been pulling together to help each other under trying conditions.

Once the water subsides, watch how swiftly the citizens and government will work to get things back to normal. However, some will not return to "normal" because they have lost everything but their lives and some lost their lives.

One of the cultural characteristics of Americans is tenacity, and severe conditions can bring out the best in them and weak points as well. Nevertheless, even the weak points are identified and addressed in subsequent events. Stay tuned and observe how things are played out.

10:23 PM Aug 05 2017

englishteacher24/7
United States

The political climate in the U.S. continues to revolve around the president with multiple investigations and the health care bill that was to replace Obamacare failing to be passed.

Numerous people in the Trump administration have either been fired or resigned. The American people are mostly divided right down the middle politically either supporting or against the president.

Nevertheless, the U.S. economy is doing well with companies hiring but many positions are not filled for lack of applicants.

In 2016 there was a presidential election in which President Trump was elected. He belongs to the Republican Party and his party controls the Congress which has the House of Representatives (The House) that has 435 seats and the (Senate) which has 100 seats.

However, in 2018 there will be a mid-term election to choose the members of the House and Senate. There is a possibility the voters will vote to change the makeup of Congress and the Republican Party could lose their majority in one or both houses of Congress.

In that case, it will be more difficult for one party to pass legislation in their favor.

Because the presidents' term of office is only 4 years, any undesirable legislation or executive orders from that administration is not necessarily permanent because the next President and Congress can change it.

Play close attention to the results of the mid-term election in November 2018.