Trump Cabinet Picks- Izzy and Josh

Scott Pruitt- EPA Administrator

Trump’s pick for Administrator of the EPA is Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general. While Pruitt has dealt with environmental problems during his legal career, he was sometimes on the opposite side, or even fighting against, the organization he’s been chosen to run. Pruitt has fought mainly against policies that he says overreach and cost us too much unnecessary tax money, and has sued the EPA several times. Pruitt will most likely be confirmed by the new Congress, as his views on government interference with businesses sit in line with most of the Republicans.

Pruitt was quoted saying that he is trying to protect the environment while removing some the sanctions currently in place on businesses by the EPA. He is a suspect climate change denialist and is currently in a lawsuit with the EPA. A Pruitt EPA is one that has little sanctions on business and general disregard for the environment.

"We all understand the need for a healthy environment, but we represent a wide range of viewpoints regarding the extent to which man contributes to climate change and the costs and benefits of any proposed fix."

Ben Carson- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Ben Carson graduated from Yale University and went on to MD from the University of Michigan Health School.  Since then he was a Republican primary front-runner and a surgeon. He has written six bestselling books. Unfortunately, none of his credentials appear to make him qualified for his office. It would seem that Dr.Carson would be more qualified for a position in health and medicine, but it was not offered to him. On December 5th, 2016 Ben Carson accepted the appointment given by Mr.Trump to run the HUD.

A Carson controlled HUD will probably be much less active than previous administrations. This is because Carson has voiced disapproval towards social safety-net programs and housing programs, which are usually seen as core parts of the department. We can assume that the amount of major policy programs will be drawn back, and the department will take a different approach than it has in the past. Based on the quote below, we might, at the very most extreme level, see the disbandment of the HUD department.

“As you can well imagine, I did not want to be in charge of something that the Bible does not condone. But then I realized that perhaps the Lord wants me to take this job so that I can banish housing and urban development from the earth.”

Rex Tillerson- Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson is an American businessman and current CEO of Exxon Mobil the world's leading oil company. The company is the 8th largest grossing revenue company in the world, and Tillerson’s 27.2 million dollar salary suggests so. Tillerson is an active member of the Republican party and in the past has voiced strong in relation to political climate found today. Additionally, Tillerson involvement with Exxon Mobil has led to a healthy relationship with Russia and there for the Russian movement run by Vladimir Putin. Tillerson was award the Order of Friendship award.

One of Trump’s reasonings for picking Tillerson was his success in business and making good deals. A core piece of Trump’s campaign was that he would be renegotiating many of our deals with other countries. Because of those two facts, we can assume that Trump will have Tillerson meeting with many foreign leaders in order to get the deals he wants, and by a man they he trusts as a negotiator. From his appointment we can guess that a lot of countries will be getting calls about trade, among other types of deals. Tillerson is definitely not an uneducated person, but it will be interesting to see what he’ll be able to do in a completely different position.

“There are still hundreds of millions, billions of people living in abject poverty around the world. They need electricity. They need electricity they can count on, that they can afford. They need fuel to cook their food on that's not animal dung.”

President-Elect Donald Trump' Cabinet - Jacob Greifer & Ben Ellman

Ben Carson: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

1. Carson is a former neurosurgeon that ran for President this year. Earning a medical degree, Carson’s entire career has been dedicated to being a doctor. Of his medical accolades, one of his most well-known was his successes in separating twins. His short presidential campaign showed his inexperience in politics, and I don’t think he’s qualified to be in the cabinet.
2. I don’t think Carson will have a good likelihood for being confirmed to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. His presidential campaign showed the country how unknowledgeable he is politically, and I think people will remember that more than his doctoral successes when deciding.
3. Carson’s political commentary has shown him to be against Obama’s efforts to improve racial integration in housing. If elected, his policies may take a step backwards for integrating communities.

Rex Tillerson: Secretary of State

1. Tillerson has no experience for his position of Secretary of State. He has been a businessman, a successful one, for his entire career. Tillerson has dealt with foreign countries before, but this was only for business deals, not political agreements or decisions. These are two very different things, so it remains to be seen whether or not Tillerson’s business experience will translate into political success. Tillerson rose the ranks of Exxon and is now the CEO.
2. Tillerson has a good likelihood for being confirmed to be Secretary of State. He has been a lifelong Republican, and is a very successful businessman. Given that Congress has a Republican majority, who supported Trump, then Tillerson will most likely be confirmed.
3. Tillerson is known to be very close with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and as CEO of Exxon has made many deals with them. Considering Trump also has a relationship with Putin, Tillerson will likely implement deals with Russia, and attempt to be friends with them. I think that this plan will hurt the US, since Russia has always been an enemy of the US, and with their recent actions in Crimea and Syria, and possible involvement in meddling in the Presidential Election, I don’t think it is a good idea to be friendly with a country that does these unacceptable actions.

Betsy DeVos: Secretary of Education

1. Betsy DeVos has very little experience in regards to her position as Secretary of Education. She has limited political experience, and no educational experience. DeVos attended private, Christian schools her entire life. She has participated political fundraising and has some experience as being a local delegate in Michigan.
2. Betsy DeVos will most likely be confirmed for Secretary of Education due to her Republican views. She is for school choice and competition between schools. She also holds traditional Christian values, something many Republicans, especially those in Congress, like.
3. DeVos is an opponent of public schools, so will most likely try and implement policies for charter schools. She will also most likely try to implement competition in public schools in order to try and make them more successful. DeVos is an extremely rich Republican, and will probably not support Teacher unions. Her policies will lend more favorably towards richer people, since she supports private and charter institutions. Additionally, poorer public schools will not receive additional funding either, meaning many will most likely close down.

Eyes on the Prize-Ayoub El Ashmawi

The part of eyes on the prize that affected me the most was the attempts to move blacks into white public schools. The reason this affected me so much is how much the whites really seemed to hate the students they were attempting to put in the school. They had riots and protests, and tried to beat the students up. It's unbelievable to me how someone can hate another so much because of the color of their skin, to the point where they are willing to riot just to stop desegregation. I can't believe it got to the point where the NATIONAL GUARD had to come in just to protect these students. This part was more shocking to me than anything, as again, I'm not sure what drives this intense hatred.

Trump's Cabinet Nominees - Ben Sollinger and Jake Urdangen

Secretary of Homeland Security - Gen. John Kelly

Gen. John Kelly seems to have the experience in this field to be nominated. He attended University of Massachusetts Boston. He now is a veteran of both Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. He is highly respected by both Washington politicians and soldiers alike. He served as the head of the United States Southern Command for 4 years. He is likely to be confirmed because of his conservative viewpoints on immigration and war. Kelly is very much so against loose immigration policy, stating that it will bring “tens of thousands of people….to our nation’s doorstep”. He also sees it as a place where “Terrorist organizations could seek to leverage those same smuggling routes to move operatives with intent to cause grave harm to our citizens or even bring weapons of mass destruction into the United States,”. I think that General John Kelly will bring the border control that Trump promised. I think that Kelly will end up being the enforcer of border control, deportation, and eventually, the wall. This will destroy all previous efforts to fix the immigration problem peacefully, and create a space where everyone can live in peace.

Secretary of the Treasury- Steven Mnuchin. He is a former investment banker. After he graduated from Yale University, he worked at Goldman Sachs, and reached its management committee. He rebuilt a bank called OneWest, and was the CEO in the subsequent years. This bank received criticism for “aggressive” foreclosures. After he left Goldman Sachs in 2002, Mnuchin briefly worked as vice-chairman of hedge fund ESL Investments, that was owned by his Yale roommate.I personally think that Steven Mnuchin is qualified for the cabinet position as secretary of treasury, because he has a history of dealing with lots of money. He went to a very elite college, worked at one of the biggest investment firms in the world with Goldman Sachs, and then was trusted by his roommate from Yale to help co run his company. If confirmed, Mnuchin would play a critical role in carrying Trump’s promised economic policy changes, and a large packet of tax cuts. I personally still do not support the president elect Trump, but after doing some research on this guy Mnuchin, I have faith that he will do a good job of keeping our money in an organized fashion.

National Security Advisor - Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn

Before Michael Flynn was nominated, he was a retired US Army lieutenant general, serving in Intelligence. He also served on various committees, such as the Military Intelligence Board. Before the army, Flynn graduated from University of Rhode Island. In the army, he controlled various companies at different times throughout Afghanistan and Iraq. After the army, he was nominated by Obama as chairman of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Flynn has recently known for his criticism of the Obama administration, along with criticizing radical Islam. He even wrote a book on “Defeating ‘Radical Islam’”, and once stated that he was “at war with Islam”. Overall, I think Flynn has the correct background for this job, but an Islamophobic in charge of our troops doesn’t sit well. He could, possibly, use his position to finish his “war with Islam”, and I find that to be a little scary. But, he is still likely to be elected due to the fact that he is a run-of-the-mill republican facing a red house. If confirmed, Flynn would most likely start to use troops to carry out his anti-Islamic ideas, which will completely ruin all the connection that we had to rebuild after 9/11. Our country will be reverted to an Islamophobic nation.

Trump's Cabinet - Michael Schroeder & Kathryn Campbell

Scott Pruitt: Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

1. Scott Pruitt has never had any experience working in anything related to the environment. He has probably been outside before, which would give him some experience with the environment. He has also most likely seen photos of nature at some point in his life. That is his extent of seeing and dealing with the environment. He has had a history of political offices, from the Oklahoma Attorney General to a Senator. He has sued the EPA before, trying to loosen their restrictions that were put in place to stop the US being the number one greenhouse gas emitter. He has sued California for them passing a law that made egg-laying chickens like in humane environments.
2. It is most likely that Scott Pruitt will be confirmed in the current congressional makeup. He is very republican, and there are more republicans in the House and Senate. There is also a strong possibility that congress will not approve him. That is because he does not believe in global warming, and he believes in many practices that have been proven the detrimentally harm the environment. If a fair number of republicans band together and don’t vote for him, it is very possible that he will not be voted into office.
3. Scott Pruitt will bring unprecedented changes to the Environmental Protection Agency. He will loosen the restrictions that have been placed on industries across America. He will give favor to big businesses and their interest, and not give as much protection to the environment. He will hurt the progress that the EPA has been making. They have been finally reaching deals that help our environment, and slow our impact on climate change. He vows to undo almost all of this.

Ben Carson

1. Ben Carson in a neurosurgeon and the former director of pediatric neuroscience at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. He attended Yale undergraduate and majored in psychology then went to University of Michigan medical school. His experience is solely in the field of neuroscience. He does not have any experience in urban planning or development, let alone any experience holding a position in political office. Former Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development have studied and had experience in many applicable fields such as political science. Ben Carson is not only unexperienced, but has experience in a vastly different field with arguably no relation to Housing and Urban Development.
2. Looking at the numbers, Ben Carson is likely to be approved by The Senate, but because Republicans only hold ten more seats than the Democrats, it is not inevitable. I think that it is actually quite likely for some republicans not to vote to approve Carson, due to his lack of experience. Just because the Senate is controlled by the Republicans, does not not mean that they are all Trump supporters who will approve anyone he nominates. In fact, I think enough of them are able to apply simple logic to determine that a neurosurgeon is not fit to be Secretary of HUD.
3. At least for the first year or two I don’t think there will be any new policies invented or proposed by Carson. Other members of the Department of Housing and Urban Development could direct Carson and tell him which policies to officially propose, but I do not think he has the experience or knowledge to confidently propose policies. Assuming that the other members of the Department of HUD are qualified for and knowledgeable on their job, the possible policies could help the country progress in this field. If Carson were to come up with policies based on his own knowledge, I do not think they would help the country make progress simply because he doesn’t know enough about housing and/or urban development.

Betsy DeVos

1. Betsy DeVos has never actually worked within education, but she has been an education activist, meaning she fights for her views on education. She and her husband founded the Windquest group which deals with technology and clean energy. She has also worked for her non-profit family foundation which partially deals with education. DeVos has a bachelor's degree in political science and business. Her credentials do not directly correlate to education or the job of the Secretary of Education, but they are not far enough from the field to say that she is completely unqualified. She has minimal experience.
2. I think it is very likely that she will be approved by the Senate. Because of the Republican majority and the fact that her experience and degrees don’t put her completely out of the ball park, it is very possible she will be confirmed. In addition, she is very christian and since many republicans also identify with the Christian religion, she might appeal more to religious people in the Senate.
3. DeVos is a large advocate for public vouchers for private schools including Christian-affiliated schools. Because of her extreme support of this idea, and the role of the Secretary of Education, it is more than likely that she will propose such a policy. I think that this will hurt the progress made by the administration because it will cause conflict and regression in the area of the separation of church and state. Because states are responsible for public education, and are forbidden from identifying with or supporting a religion. Vouchers for Christian schools paid for with public federal funds would violate this separation, and cause regression.

“With the president-elect flouting a 40-year bipartisan tradition of disclosure and transparency, we think it’s more important than ever to ensure that senior officials across government aren’t operating under a different tax code than everyone else”

Because President-Elect Trump is nominating many unqualified people for cabinet positions, there must be another reason as to why he is appointing them -- probably his bias nature. If the people he is appointing are more like him, they might not want to release their tax returns which is necessary for potential cabinet members.

Eyes on the Prize- Jake Urdangen

This film spoke to me in many ways. It is a film that was from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life. Eyes on the Prize recounts the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It is the story of the people -- young and old, male and female, northern and southern, who are trying to make a difference in the world. Whites and blacks in the 1960’s were not able to eat in the same places, drink out of the same water fountains, and sit together on the same bus. What moved me about this movie in particular, was probably the murder of Emmett Till. This innocent, black 14 year old kid was caught flirting with a white waitress. Four days later, two white men kidnapped Till, beat him and shot him in the head. The men were tried for murder, but an all-white, male jury acquitted them. This made an impact on America, and still does today. It was so awful that of course, it was a white jury. I could not imagine being black living in the south back then. The amount of racial slurs thrown around, and horrific actions happening to blacks makes me cringe to live in this world today. The Emmett Till murder trial brought to light the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South and was an early impetus of the African American civil rights movement. This movie brought to my attention how much privilege I really do have.

Trump's Cabinet Nominations - Josh O'Steen and Deb Keme - 12/15/16

Ben Carson is one of Trump’s cabinet nominees and, like the rest of the recent cabinet nominees, has been seen as a controversial pick. Ben Carson has been selected as Donald Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, essentially meaning that Ben Carson will be in charge of the entire department. He is nowhere near qualified to hold the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development as he has practically no experience in the housing market, the economy, city management, urban planning, and all the other experience that makes a good secretary of that department. He’s only ever been a neurosurgeon which is a profession in the medical field. Furthermore, he has never managed a large organization or institution and it is worrying about how he will manage an entire federal agency in which he has no qualifications to lead.

Jeff Sessions is another one of Trump’s cabinet nominees for the greatly respected position of Attorney General. To be frank, this nomination is an insult to justice. In 1986, President Reagan wanted to nominate Sessions to `be a federal judge in Alabama, but the Republican-controlled Senate rejected Sessions due to testimony from his colleagues that he was racist. In fact, Sessions has called the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a “piece of intrusive legislation”. Under him, the Department of Justice would most likely ignore minority voter suppression around the country. The department’s mission is to enforce the law everywhere, and under Jeff Sessions, we are worried that he will pick and chose the laws he wishes to enforce and ignore the others which would be a slap in the face to justice.

Rex Tillerson is one of the most recent nominees to Trump’s cabinet and has been arguably the most controversial of his nominees. Rex Tillerson is the CEO of ExxonMobil and is a multi-billionaire who has recently been chosen as Donald Trump’s Secretary of State. Tillerson does have some experience in dealing with foreign nations, but it’s only ever been for his own company's benefit. He is so controversial because of his strong ties to Russia and has been known to make deals with the anti-democratic President Vladimir Putin. We worry that Tillerson will not be able to work well with other world leaders and that he doesn’t have the best experience in foreign policy and politics in general.