Pete Wilson: Political Maverick, Californian Saint Courage comes in all forms. Some men show their valor on the battlefield. Others champion a cause they believe in. Still others are forced to make a decision that will earn them condemnation, even when they are in the right. Such was the case with Pete Wilson, the governor of California who made an enemy out of his own party over his unpopular solution to an economic crisis. When Wilson came into office in 1991, he was welcomed not by a cheering crowd but by a state in crisis. California had been hit hard by numerous calamities at the beginning of the decade. Numerous natural disasters struck, including some of the worst fires in the state’s history (Western Regional Climate Center). Riots …show more content…
The new governor was branded as a traitor early in his time in office, and had to fight tooth and nail to get the policy into effect. At one conference in Green Valley he boldly declared that rejecting the increases would make everyone there "f**cking irrelevant"; soon delegates began to show up on the Assembly floor wearing buttons with the letters "FI" as a badge of honor. When asked if he would twist arms in order to get votes, Wilson stated that he would "break arms" if need be; soon after politicians began to show up with their arms in slings …show more content…
At a party convention in Anaheim, conservatives arrived bearing tea bags, an explicit callback to the Boston Tea Party, framing Wilson as a thieving Great Britain. There was even talk among the more extreme members of the right-wing of bringing in a doll representing Wilson to be hung or tarred and feathered-punishments typically enacted on tax collectors- to further paint Wilson's image in a negative light (Stall and Decker). Though nowhere near as fervent in their opposition as his fellow politicians, Wilson found little support for his spending cuts and tax increases among the citizens of California themselves. Most people were unconcerned with the looming budget deficit, and opposed the raise of income taxes by four to one and sales taxes by three to one. In the end, only two of his proposed changes were approved by the public, and of those only an increase on alcohol taxes received widespread support. Objections to spending cuts were just as high, especially in the realms of social welfare
Appeal can go a long way in shaping the century. A thing that Wilson was good at was not actually saying he is in control but instead, stating his opinions as facts, thus subtly establishing himself as the authority in that single moment (Wilson). Wilson presented that he was capable of showing and understanding emotions and emotional appeals as he unleashed unrelenting barrage of well worded, powerful, touching emotional appeals to draw Congress in and to lean them towards his opinions (Wilson). One of my own personal favorite phrases like “Laws of humanity” describes the atrocities committed by the German commanders (Wilson). Using his appeals Wilson lead Congress to think about and envision a family, possibly their own, enjoying the company of one another, then tragedy strikes when they hear and see giant explosions near them. Wilsons speech was not really the most effective at accomplishing the goals set fourth but it does show how idealistic the future could really end up
The Wilson Administration.? 2002. The 'Secondary' of the U.S. History. - U.S. History. 22 November 2004.
Courage is an act of sacrifice that allows you to face danger without showing fear. A time he showed courage was when he threw the first punch at the rumble between the Greasers and Socs. He threw the first punch for pride, he threw it for loyalty, but he was courageous while doing so. As Ponyboy stated on page 142, "... He was ashamed to be on our side..." It took a lot of courage to throw the first punch being on a side you were ashamed of being on. He was ashamed because the person he punched was what he could've been and that crushed Darry. It would take a lot of courage to look after two adolescent boys while they are growing up. Darry could've gone to college, become a national football player and have a better life than what he had. Darry instead sacrificed that to keep his brothers together after the death of their parents. If Sodapop and Ponyboy could stay together, Darry would've gone to college. Darry was incredibly courageous to give that up for his brothers.
California's Proposition 13 had a big impact on American government and public policy because it put to vote the reduction of property taxes. This Proposition had a great impact as it swept the county and made headlines in newspapers around the world. People used this initiative process to gain a greater control over their lives. The California taxpayers stood up and said no more to excessive taxes because they were tired of out of control property taxes and losing their homes because they could not pay property taxes while the government did nothing to help them. This in turn hurt the schools, cities, counties and special districts. From this proposition, we have a few others like proposition 218 and proposition 37.
California in search for a brighter, economic future. The name Joad and the exodus to
2. To calm his own uncertainty about his decision. The need for Wilson’s speech and the current mindset of the American public were a direct result of a succession of antagonistic events.... ... middle of paper ... ...
that decision was an act of bravery. The book shows different people have different ideas of bravery
California water war has been an great example of different cities fighting against each other since they all share the common characteristics of greed, and selfish. Back in the 1800’s, Los Angeles grew largely in populations when finally it outgr...
But this isn’t the definition of courage. Courage is being able to act in the face of danger or in an uncomfortable state. Being stubborn and brash is the exact opposite, as someone acting as such may danger others and/or may be comfortable by standing alone. A prime example is shown in 12 Angry Men, as Juror 8 and Juror 3 represent courage and arrogance. At one time in the film, they both stand alone against a room full of people thinking against them, but how they act to it makes them who they are. Unlike how Juror 8 sways others individually, Juror 3 refused to act politely and focuses on himself, making others not appreciate him and seeing him as a barrier to
...essives, they still recognized the utility of local government. In that sense, the Wilsonian system was the most integrated. The political parties were broad organizations, spanning from local to national politics and hopefully fostering some sort of interconnectivity. Wilson acknowledged the danger and rigidity of a two-party system, but also realized that parties would balance a government's tendency to accumulate excessive amounts of power. The individual was able to engage himself in politics, but the functionality of the Federal Government was never impeded upon. Somehow, Wilson had nearly resolved the differences that had been plaguing American politics for the preceding century. He was the first president to recognize that he possessed two responsibilities as a party leader and policy-maker and that is why his system was so admirable, enduring and emulated.
...luded his attitude towards blacks. He appointed whites to offices reserved for blacks, segregated the navy, and threw African American leaders out of his office. Of course, textbooks omit these facts about Wilson because his behavior was disgraceful and offensive. If these facts were known, Loewen feels “No black person could ever consider Woodrow Wilson a hero” (Loewen 20). I personally have not studied Wilson in-depth, but did realize he fell into the category of a racist. I also believe that “Americans need to learn from the Wilson era, that there is a connection between racist presidential leadership and like-minded public response” (Loewen 21). I think this an important factor when considering who to vote for at the polls.
Courage can be described as the ability to do something fearful or going against the majority. Abraham Lincoln showed courage throughout his presidency. Lincoln was famous for standing up for people who were repressed; “It took courage to stand up for what he believed in, and make no mistake that what he believed was on target
Leaders are criticized every day for the things they say or do, also for what they haven’t said or done. Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficult, dangerous, and painful situations without fear. It takes a special person to be a leader and Theodore Roosevelt was a person of courage he had thick skin in more ways than one. On October 12, 1912 Roosevelt was campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin a man standing in the crowd aiming a gun to his head, pulled the trigger hitting Roosevelt in the right chest. At first he didn’t realize he had been shot until noticing a hole in his overcoat. He checked under his coat his fingers were covered in blood. Fortunately, the bullet struck his case for his glasses and the copy of his speech, he refused to go to the hospital until he was done giving an 80 minute speech. As he was finishing up told the crowd, “It takes more than one bullet to kill a Bull Moose”. Theodore Roosevelt stood the test of courage that day in
The tea party movement began as the result of conservative discontent after the presidential election in 2008. Before President Barack Obama took office, many conservatives went on online chat boards and expressed anger over the banks being bailed out and billions of their tax money being spent on government programs. As a form of protest, one individual suggested that everyone mail tea bags to their elected representative in Congress. The concept behind this idea was that what was happening to America at the time was like what had occurred in America during the colonial era. Revolutionaries had organized the Boston Tea Party because of the British policy of “taxation without representation”, and many conservatives felt as if this phrase described what the government was doing again. This was the birth of the tea party movement, and it has only greatly expanded since then. (Ed Pikington; Oct 5, 2010)
Wilson makes a comparison between the government systems of America and Europe and his intentions were not necessarily for America to do the same as Europe, but for us to explore and research other governments and public administrations, so that we can analyze and master our own. It is questionable why other governments have been more successful with certain matters than our own here in America. Wilson expresses relevant concerns and arguments that government systems should be further studied and improved as, it is crucial and ultimately beneficial to the nation and it’s