About Governor Blanco

So after our discussion about Governor Blanco's speech yesterday, I have some thoughts about it... more about our reactions than her speech though.

I was a little upset when I found out that both classes had spent considerable time discussing the Governor's mistakes in her speech. I had thought, or maybe hoped, that by now we would be old enough to be able to focus on the message of her speech, rather than look for someone to entertain us for an hour. Yes, delivery is important, but on the whole, I though she was a very good speaker. I doubt any of us could talk that long without a few mistakes. Also, we should keep this speech in perspective from her point of view. It is unlikely that she spent months practicing this speech. Yes, she took it seriously, but she has a big job, and she probably spends most of her time on stuff that directly effects the people of Lousianna. At least, that's what I would ask of my governor.

Also, I didn't quite understand the comments about her not really speaking to us. As college freshmen, she said a lot of what we needed to hear. She discussed the importance of the opportunities we will have, then related that to her life. This helped make it it seem more real, and helped it feel less like she was preaching at us. She also talked about the inevitable setbacks we will encounter. We need to hear about this. It is important for us to know that they happen to everyone, not just to us. Again, by discussing some of her setbacks (Hurricane Katrina), it made it easier to listen to.

So basically, I enjoyed the speech, and I don't think all of understand how cool it was to have Governor Blanco visit us.