St. Louis City Caucus

Branden Swyers | Staff Reporter

Presidential hopeful Ron Paul’s faction came out in large numbers at the St. Louis City Caucus held on March 24 at St. Louis Community College Forest Part where a total of 219 caucus goers were in attendance.

The caucus went relatively smooth as compared to the debacle one week earlier at the caucus in St. Charles County. The elected caucus chair, John Payne a campaign manager for Show Me Cannabis, ran the caucus after winning the majority vote against the other nominee Sharon Barnes, chairman of the Republican Committee for St. Louis City.

“It was rougher than I would have liked it to be,” Payne said. “But it was far better than other caucuses held around the state.”

After Payne was elected as chair, the caucus process began. The rules committee was chosen followed by the secretary and parliamentarian. Caucus goers used green cards to cast their votes as issues arose.

After the rules committee presented the rules, three slates where presented for deliberation. Although the slates had “no presidential preference” it was fairly obvious to see which slates were in favor of a particular candidate.

The slates were voted on with little problems other than a few points of order for clarification. Using slates meant it was a “winner take all vote.” The St. Louis City Republicans Slate won the majority vote with 158 votes. This particular slate was in favor of Ron Paul.

David Wilkins, a Mitt Romney supporter, expressed his displeasure with the caucus.

“I feel that this was ramrodded through by the Ron Paul people,” Wilkins said.

It is completely legal to dominate a caucus according to Roberts’s Rules of Order.

As Mark Ogier, a Ron Paul supporter said. “To the people that were that were upset by the result. I would hope that they take more interest in learning Robert’s Rules of Order.”

The caucus started at ten and lasted less than two hours. The St. Louis City Republican Central Committee only reserved the cafeteria until noon, to the displeasure of some caucus goers.

“They packed the room with their supporters and they rushed through the meeting,” Wilkins said. “They did not even talk about the candidates.”

St. Louis will send 36 delegates to the state and congressional conventions. The only delegates left to be selected in Missouri are for the St. Charles County re-do which will be held on April 10. Brent Stafford, a nominee for caucus chair in St. Charles County, where he was arrested after a dispute with the St. Charles County Republican leaders was in attendance.

“This was run by the rules,” Stafford said. “Everybody had their say at the microphone and this is how it should be run.”

My First Event Tweeted

On the way to the St. Louis City caucus last Saturday I started tweeting. When I made it to the caucus, which was held at St.Louis Community College Forest Park, I seen many people filtering  into the cafeteria. I went around and observed what was going on. I also interviewed people for the story that I was writing. I was also taking pictures. I was practicing being a well rounded journalist during the caucus.

Once the caucus began I continued taking pictures and notes. It was different for me to also be tweeting the event. It was a normal thing for me to write a story on an event as well as take photos. I had never tweeted a live event. I must admit it was a challenge to keep up with all three tasks.

I was trying to be short in my tweets, but I also wanted to provide good information. If I could go back and do it again, I would change a few things. I would be more well schooled in the art of tweeting for sure. I would use more hash tags and use them properly. I think my tweets went unnoticed because of my lack of proper hash tags. I would also mention more names. After this event I learned some valuable lessons about tweeting. I will make sure to focus on those things in the future.

Ron Paul Visits Lindenwood

Branden Swyers | Staff Reporter

 

Ron Paul speaks

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul walked toward the podium in Hyland Area to the tune of loud applause from a crowd that looked to be about 2,500.When the crowd silenced, Paul acknowledged them by first saying that he appreciated them coming to the speech indoors, when it was so nice outside. He then stated that “we’re going to talk about something very serious, and that is the future of our country and what we can do about it.”

He then stated that he would be spending most of the time talking about what he stands for. But first, he wanted to reiterate what he was not for.

“I am not the candidate for the military industrial complex,” he said. “And I am not the first choice of Ben Bernanke or the Federal Reserve System.”

“And I am certainly not the first choice of those social and economic authorities who want to run our lives and run the economy,” he said.

He then went on to say that he simply wanted to be known as the candidate who is promoting the cause of liberty.

“It’s liberty that we need in this country, and that liberty can be restored if we send only individuals to Washington who’ve actually read the constitution,” he said.

He emphasized how we went from having the largest and wealthiest middle class 100 years ago to a lower number today.

“Today the middle class is shrinking,” he said. “The middle class is getting poorer, the poor are getting more numbers and the rich are getting richer under this system.”

He also put heavy emphasis on getting the nation out of debt.

“What we have to do is once again re instill in the hearts and minds of the American people the love of liberty and the love of producing wealth again and not the dependency on borrowing and spending and printing press money,” he said.

Special interest groups have been bailed out by the government, and he expressed how that was a big problem.

“Who had to pay for the bail out?” he said. “You, the middle class, had to pay for it. They took that bad debt and dumped it on the American people, and that’s why the middle class is smaller and less rich and losing ground.”

“What we need to do is cut spending. That is why the first year in office I plan to cut a trillion dollars,” he said.

Throughout this 45 minute speech, liberty was the main concept.

“We have a right to our life, we have a right to our liberty, we have the right to own our property, we have the right to keep the government out,” he said.

Change in foreign policy was also on Paul’s mind.

“Just think if we would have not fought one war since World War II. Since that was the last time we declared war, how much wealthier this country would be,” he said.

He expanded on his views of the recent wars as well.

“I can make one guarantee, one promise to you,” he said. “If I can be your president, I will not be fighting any unconstitutional, undeclared wars that we don’t need to be involved in.”

After his speech he answered a few questions from the crowd, including those from Lindenwood students. He then left the stage and held a short press conference for the media.

St.Louis City Caucus Preview

Swyers/St. Louis City Caucus

The St. Louis City Republican Central Committee is preparing for a high turnout at their caucus on March 24. Due to the anticipation of a high turnout and sound constraints the Committee has changed the location of the caucus. The caucus location has changed from Machacek Library to Forest Park Community College according to Sharon Barnes, chairman of the republican committee for St. Louis City.

“You must be a registered voter in the city of St. Louis and must sign a form saying that you are a loyal and strong Republican,” said Barnes.

The caucus date also changed from March19 to March 24 due to St. Patricks day. Any registered voter in the city of St. Louis can participate as long as they are a Republican.

Citizens have been misinformed about the caucus because it is not a new process. It happens every four years. The only difference this year is that the caucus will actually determine the delegates. Those delegates will choose the Republican candidate to run against Obama.

“The city is allocated 36 delegates and 36 alternates,” Barnes said. “Seventy two people are elected and then they move on to the congressional and state conventions.”

Candidates were not aggressive on the campaign trail in Missouri for the primary because of the notion that it did not count. Candidates were more interested in the caucus because that is where the delegates are awarded this year.

“You’ve got 50 states to compete in and no one candidate can be everywhere,” said Jesse Erwin, 10th ward Republican Committeeman. “The campaigns are trying to get delegates.”

Some citizens had the notion that the primary vote was completely meaningless. If a rule is made during the caucus that the primary vote is the deciding factor, then Rick Santorum would win in the city because he won the primary. Each county caucus sets its own rules for choosing delegates.

“I am thinking that he must have some kind of an organization together here,” Erwin said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see some new faces at the caucus.”

The doors will open to voters at 9:00 a.m. and will close at 10 a.m. to start the meeting. Any person who wants to participate in the meeting and is not in line by 10 a.m. will not be admitted.

Barnes will call the caucus to session. She will then ask for nominations from the floor for a participant to be caucus chair. A majority vote will determine the chair. The chair will then appoint the secretary, followed by the rules committee. The rules committee decides what type of rules the caucus will follow. After that, delegates will be elected.

In theory a candidates supporters could very well try to dominate the caucus because there are no rules against it. As long as they are registered voters, and have declared they are Republicans.

“If a candidate is more organized or has more people at the caucus, then that’s fine,” Barnes said. “It’s however it works out, this is an open republic, it’s just like any other election the candidate that turns out the most supports wins.”

For more information citizens can contact Barnes at 314-645-1841.

 

 

 

Facebook to Become a News Giant?

Swyers/ Facebook Toys with New Idea

Recently Facebook has purchased three new URL’S with the name Facebook Newsroom incorporated in them, according to mediabistro.com. Many people have speculated about the possibility of Facebook entering the online news world. Facebook is already a valuable branding tool for many business’s and journalist alike.  Journalist have used Facebook for branding purposes for years now, but have never been able to use the social media platform for news gathering or delivery on a large scale. This new feature that Facebook could possibly institute has the potential to turn into one of the best news delivery sources for journalists moving forward.

How It Pertains to Class and Student Journalist

                In “Journalism 2.0” the author talks about how social networking is the future for journalist. No one could have imagined the effects that Facebook has had on society when it first started. After applying some concepts that I have learned in class I believe that the Facebook as news median could be a giant. Google reader sends news to the people who do not want to go to many different sites to find news. The readers have become very successful because people want to go to one site to get there news.  Facebook could deliver news to people in one place as well as provide the same benefit s to people that it already has for years. It could become an all in one shot.

Surprising? I think not?

                I was not surprised when I heard that Facebook could be entering the online news world. They had already scratched the surface with people posting their own unique content in news worthy situations, but they have not been major player in news delivery yet. Journalism students should keep an eye on this because they may be able start using Facebook as a news gathering tool in the future. The same website that students got yelled at for being on in class could potentially be the site teacher’s reference news from.

Facebook’s Influence

Credit: cambodia4kidsorg

Let’s think of how many people visit Facebook every day to check or update their status. The numbers are astounding. Facebook is everywhere, on people’s phone, their computer and even their game systems. No matter what type of person, it seems everyone has Facebook or has at least heard of it.  A site with so many followers is a great place to put news. Everyone needs to follow the news because it is important for people to be aware of their surroundings.  Facebook could reach a wider variety of people that any other news site ever could.

People that do not even search for news online would see news and people would also see news that they were not searching for. No one knows that exact format or what the newsroom would be like, but with Facebook’s popularity it is sure to be a success. This new chapter of Facebook could also create many more jobs for journalism students in the future. People can visit allfacebook.com or investorplace.com to read more.

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Why Blogging Is Important?

Blogging is an important part of every online medium today. A site without a blog is like a site selling something with no pay now button. If you want your site to reach its maximum potential then blogging is essential. It is essential for news sites, a site selling something, or even the average person sitting at home right now thinking of going to look for a new job.

The point of blogging is to develop a  following of people who like the topics that you write about or find the information on your site useful.  Blogging for news sites makes it easier for it’s reporters to cover a topic in depth that they never could before due to space constraints. It also gives the writers at the site the chance to get a specific readership and will in turn drive traffic back to the news site. It creates credibility for the writers if it is well done and it also lets the followers of the blog know that you are constantly covering your topic like a journalist should do.

Sites that are selling a product or service also need to place an importance on blogging. When the site blogs about concerns with their product or service or keeps the customers up to date on what is going on in the industry it helps them make the choice to choose you over the competition.  The customer knows you are well informed and have the ability to provide the best product or service to them possible. Also, on a side note, blogging will help with your sites rank and increase SEO. The more viewers the more sales!

I know people are sitting at home right now wondering why do I need a blog. How will it help me in the future? The answer is simple, by creating a blog and posting your work on it, you get yourself out there. You have a digital copy of your hard work. You are branding yourself. It shows that you as the blogger are technically inclined and are motivated to make an online portfolio of your work. The more places you are the more potential employers you reach.

buysomebacklinks.com

 

 

St.Louis City Primary Coverage

Swyers/ Primary Election St. Louis City

Tuesday’s primary elections in St. Louis City came with many interesting people around the polls at Julius Davis Library located at 4413 Natural Bridge between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Many of them did not vote. An estimated 10 voters came during that time.

Michelle Harvey a Republican Poll Manager said, “It hasn’t been a good turnout I guess because the media says it doesn’t matter and it’s really discouraging.”

One of the few citizens walking in the polls remarked about the lack of turnout by saying, “If you don’t vote that’s a vote.”

“Why would they have it if it doesn’t count? It does count for the Democrats,” Harvey said.

Harvey has worked with the St. Louis City Election Commission for 23 years and was disappointed by the lack in turnout and voter knowledge of the election.

“A lot of people didn’t know what election it was, Harvey said. “And they thought it was the presidential election.”

According to Harvey, the poll workers came in to work at 5 a.m. on Tuesday and probably wouldn’t be through until 8:30 p.m. Dedication is a strong trait for poll workers in this year’s primary with all the negativity surrounding it.

“Some people might think it doesn’t matter because they don’t see campaign workers or signs,” Harvey said.

Some citizens walking by the library like Dennis Butler did not vote because they are not interested in a preliminary vote. Butler said that he will be at the polls in November to vote for President Barack Obama.

“It takes four years for anyone (Obama) to straighten out a calamity before they can get any chance to change anything,” Butler said.

As for Harvey she also attributed the lack of turnout to re-districting and not getting the word out about the elections soon enough.  Re-districting meant that the polling place that was right up the road from someone’s house may not be have been their polling place this year.

“It could have been better organized,” Harvey said. “Because of the re-districting it has discouraged people who want to vote.”

Harvey has been adamant in years past and in this year’s election about making sure people can vote even if for some odd reason they were not in the system. If that happens, Harvey has them fill out a certified verification application (CVA) to prove that they are registered.

“It’s their right to vote,” Harvey said. “We don’t turn people away.

St. Louis City Primary Preview

Swyers/Primary

St.Louis City election workers are once again hard at work in anticipation of Tuesday’s presidential primary. With changes on Republican side of things some may ask what motivates the election workers to be at the polls.

Mary Wheeler-Jones, Democratic Director of Elections said, “We have a dedicated group of poll workers who are happy to serve at the polls regardless of the type of election being conducted.”

According to Jones, The Board of Election Commissioners (BOEC) has planned for a 20 percent turnout at Tuesday’s primary. Voters should not expect much of a wait either.

“Be sure to bring some form of identification.” Jones said.” And check the voter notification card that was mailed earlier this week to be sure that you are at the correct place.”

Republicans have decided to use only a caucus to determine the winner of their nomination, but Democrats are still using the primary to determine theirs. Many voters have questioned the purpose of the primary due to the circumstances this year.

“Although the primary is non-binding for the Republican Party because they will select their delegates at a caucus,” Jones said, “the primary election is an opportunity for the voters to let their parties know who they would like to see nominated for president.”

President Barack Obama will have history on his side when Tuesday’s vote comes around. History shows that the president has a distinct advantage of being nominated for the Democrats. Yet another reason why some think the primaries are virtually meaningless.

“The primary process, whether by voters in a jurisdiction or by means of a caucus, is the way in which parties select their candidate for president,” Jones said. “It’s part of our democratic process.”

The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and any registered voter can take part. After the vote is complete, election workers will go right to work on determining the winners.

“When the polls close, teams of roving deputies bring the memory cards from their voting machines down to the BOEC’S office.” Jones said. “And the data on the memory cards is downloaded onto a server and tabulated.”

If voters have any questions, they are encouraged to contact The St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners on their website at www.stlelections.com or by phone at 314-622-4336.

Missouri Caucus

The Missouri presidential election has traditionally been conducted through both the use of the primary and caucus system. In 2012 Missouri’s GOP has decided to select its delegates by the use of the caucus system to the dissatisfaction of some.

O’Fallon resident Brittany Klos said, “I think it takes away from the momentum of the voters. The people should have all the say. It’s a democracy right?”

Although the caucus system which is an out loud type vote is in place for the 2012 election, Missouri will still hold a primary. The primary which is a traditional closed booth vote will not count. Missouri will hold both the elections because state law requires that a primary is held, but Republicans wanted to hold a caucus because they did not meet their parties’ deadline to have a primary before March 6 and would have lost ½ of their votes according to KSGF.com.

“I think it is a waste of time and money,” Klos said. “What is the point of having an election that does not even matter? It they wanted a way to figure out what type of popularity a particular candidate has they could just use an internet poll.”

The caucus system may actually work well according to some Republicans.

Wentzville resident Nolan Savage said, “In having no primary this year democrats will not have hope of voting on the republican side of things in order to snake the vote. I don’t think it would actually make a huge difference even if democrats could do it.  But you know what they say: every vote counts.”

St. Louis City will hold its caucus by township while the rest of Missouri will hold them at the county level. In order to participate in the caucus people must be a registered voter and part of the Republican Party according to KSGF.com. Some think by using the caucus it makes it harder for the public to have their voice heard.

“I just really feel strongly that no matter what the election the popular vote should determine the winner. If more people like that particular candidate I think it is fair that they win,” Klos said.

The primary will be held on Feb. 7 and the caucus will be held on March 17 according to KSGF.com.

“We will see how it goes,” Savage said. “I think it will either be really bad or really good. It just depends on which candidate you like.”

Residents can get more information on how to participate by contacting their local township or county voting officials.

By Branden Swye…

By Branden Swyers

Bullying

                When we look at the classic bully, we normally think of people who physically abuse their victims. Although this is a common form of bullying, it also comes in the form of mental abuse.

                When people are under constant mental abuse, often it will take a bigger toll on their life in the long run. According to http://www.americanspcc.com, bullying can continue to affect a person all the way into adulthood.  Physical abuse is bad but it has a more short-term effect. No matter what the type of abuse, bullying is wrong and unacceptable.

                Contrary to the common belief about bullying, it does not stop at a certain age.  There will always be bullies. Bullies are cowards because they always target people who they think are weak or have low self-esteem.  A bully usually will never pick on people who will defend themselves. Bullies only pick on others because they themselves have low self-esteem.

                Many people do not realize part of the problem with bullying is that people who observe the bullying and do nothing are just as much to blame. When there is a chance to make a difference, people should seize the opportunity. According to http://www.americanspcc.com, 6 out of 10 American youths observe bullying once a day. Should anyone say something to a bully or just let the abuse go? Think about it.

                It is a shame that there are still bullies in college, as students are supposed to be developing into the future for our country. Is the future of our country really in the hands of a bunch of inconsiderate bullies? That’s not such a nice future if you think about it. The future of this country should be left in the hands of a difference maker, someone who would not stand for this bullying. So remember, the next time you see someone being bullied, do something about it; be a difference maker.