Thank you for writting this, President Obama is a very smart man and I don't understand why for every good thing that Our President has done that they have to tare it apart!!  For example, he went to the store! You know dam well that he went to the wrong store!  Still President!!!!!!!!!
Memphis Dawn
 

please tell me what he has done good, cause I am still trying to get a second job. There still are not any to be found cause the economy is still crap.
 

He has stopped the economy from total collapse so that you can still have that one job.  The Republican greed caused that near collapse, by the way.  I have a college degree and I'm working part-time at Wal-Mart, but that's not Obama's fault.  You can't fix problems caused by YEARS of greed in a few months.  You can blame the banks, you can blame the American ego, but don't blame the guy who's doing his best to save us from the mess they created.
 

The economy was on its way to crap before Mr. Obama was elected.  Can we blame a Republican president for that?  As for jobs - there are many, many people looking for jobs and I am fairly sure many of them would be delighted with ONE. . . .You keep saying, repeatedly, that you are not stupid.  I went back and reread the other comments and I did not see where anyone said you were stupid.  Everyone is ENTITLED to have their own opinions - even our young people.  Has everyone raised such weak minded children that they are afraid of what someone else says to them?  Surely these students, especially the straight A students, can listen and disseminate what they hear.  On the other hand, if the children don't listen or pay attention to their parents, what makes you think they are going to listen to the President?  I'm sorry, I don't mean this to sound rude.  I just think we should all be open to new ideas and thoughts.
 

my children are not weak minded and I know that they can handle themselves and make smart choices, so tell me why none of you are open to new ideas and thoughts, I am only hearing your way or no way, I am waiting to hear a good idea. have not heard one yet. I am not blinded by the dramatics of the speeches or the fact that he is black, makes no difference to me, I just want to hear something good that will benefit all. You said that you think we should all be open to new ideas and thoughts, does that mean that you will listen to mine? That is why we are here, not just to push yours down the children's throats right. My girls can listen to the speech if they want, I trust them to be smart about it and not feel pressured into thinking a certain way just because it is the president. My girls are smart. As for the economy, yes it has been crap but even before Bush was president so you can't just blame him. When I am defending myself about being called stupid, I am referring to not just me but the people in whole that don't agree with Obama's plan. Read the liberals messages and you will see what I mean.
 

I have read the Liberals messages - Have you?  As for NEW ideas and thoughts - I have yet to hear any from you.  I, personally, don't care if your children listen to the Presidential speech.  I don't even care if they go to school.  There is an old saying -  "Better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt."
 

Well, I can see that you are not one of the mature liberals to talk to so I am done with you
 

Well . . . . . . . .This is just too funny!!!!
 

Why not go ahead and let them opt out of math and English too.  If you into any store around here, the teenagers that are working as cashiers cannot count.  If you give them bills and coins it just totally blows their minds.  How bad could it be for kids to listen to someone tell them to stay in school?

 

They hear that all day long, His speech is not going to fix the problems that the kids have at home, It is not going to make if easy for them. We need jobs for the parents that are being evicted from their homes because they are losing their jobs. The government is taking away programs from the schools that would normally inspire the kids like music. I work at a High School and see and hear about the funds that are being taken away. So really this speech is not going to fix anything, the kids have heard it before, it is not new.
 

the question is not whether our President's speech to the students of this country is going to fix our problems...the question is why in the hell shouldn't our children be REQUIRED, by the various school systems, to listen to the President of the United States give a speech directed to them?  Presidents have spoken in like manner before and I dare say it was probably required that they listen.  i'm sure as recently as our last sitting president it would have been considered an outrage and unpatriotic had a child's parent requested he or she allowed to opt out of listening to a speech from their president.  but as the blind right would have it, the dumbing down of our children and of this country goes on unchecked!

 

this is from my husband, Paul, who had a Republican for a mother and a democrat for a father, he is an independent. We both will say that our problem with Obama is not that he is a democrat or black. I would vote for a black woman if she was right. We both think that Condoleezza Rice would make a wonderful president. Yea I know that I will get hell for that one but I am sure I am not alone on that one.


first of all, it was never in my husband or my life required to listen to the president. Why do you not have this same information, you did go to school here in the United States, right? you should know this. Freedom of choice is as it says. It is the backbone of FREE AMERICA. The day one political party can control this, we would have lost our freedoms that our founding fathers have worked for. As we speak, some of our kids over fighting for the rights and freedom of another country. We were born free Americans, and I will fight for that right, there will be no man and not woman that will be giving away my freedom and my child's freedom without fighting. A lot of unfair things have been caused by crocked politicians who have tore away at our freedoms, our founding fathers did not mean for this to happen. I do not know your nationality and I don't really care, but if you have any of what our founding fathers had in them you would know that this is wrong, what they fought for should never be taken away. In these years, don't let your eyes be blind to what is right and what is wrong, as the Bible years are at its end, lets all try to make America Free and God loving.

 

I am learning more about liberals then I ever knew, one thing that I have learned it that they will take one statement or word even if is just a persons opinion (which I guess we are not allowed to have anymore in this country) and twist it around to mean something totally different. I love God, I would never say that the only way to live here is if you do. I never said that. Those are my opinions and the way I will be. You can be whatever you want. I don't care, I never did but don't force your view down my throat either. We can debate and have a difference of opinion but I have never said you have to do anything or be a certain way. I also don't twist other peoples words around. With all that was said, you only focus on the last two words and distort them, bravo.
 

you must be responding to someone else because none of what you have said relates to my comment.  have a good day.

 

nope, replying to you, you are the one that said that it should be required, that is a socialist view
 

but the truth is that there would have been many who said that they would not allow their kids to listen to Bush. The same ones that want God out of our Pledge. The same ones that demanded that God cant be in the schools, they have all gotten their way or are still fighting for it. But I would still want to know what Bush would have to say to my kids before I allowed them to listen. All the democrats and liberals would say no to Bush speaking, why? because you tend to not want other views to be introduced to your children. It is a human act, as parents we want to protect our children from the lies of the government the same way we want to protect them from cults and drugs and kids that you know will lead them in the wrong direction. I am not saying that Obama's speech will do this because what I read would not. The kids are going to be bored because really, they have heard it before, yet they don't see anything changing in their lives. Their parents still have no jobs and the schools are still having money taken away from them. I am glad that the president put the speech online, I am also sure that many parents will be attending their children's schools to hear it also. I read it and see nothing wrong with the speech itself, it is a "been there, done that speech", they have heard it all their lives so I don't see why now is going to make a difference when there still are budget cuts in the schools and the kids are not driven by their teachers. Sorry, there are a handful of good teachers but most are focused on themselves and actually say that they cannot be there for every student. This mentality needs to change. I am tired of seeing the ones that run the school districts giving themselves raises while there are cuts. I want to see less money going to very expensive office furniture for the VP and above. They should have a limit to spend of stuff like that, and yes I am talking about facts here. Kids are not the top priority in the school districts, only the money that they get for that child's but sitting in the seat.
 

number one, George Bush started out by disappointing me greatly, a few years into his administration I didn't trust a thing he had to say yet, never would have i called the school in order that my children not listen to a speech of his.  i'm not foolish enough to think that one speech is going to corrupt my children whom I HAVE TAUGHT what I believe to be right or wrong.

number two, who cares if a kid is going to be bored by the speech?!  geez, i'm sure it's not the first time they've been bored at school, nor will it be the last!

number three, you continue to mention that regardless of President Obama's speech we still have problems regarding the jobless rate, etc.  well, that's just the point.  we've got REAL problems that need to be attended to in this country and i'd be willing to bet my last dollar that the overwhelming majority of these people calling the schools protesting our President's speech to the student haven't bothered to pick up the phone over any of the problems that REALLY MATTER!  these kinds of people only know how to say no...they don't know how to say "let's see what we can do to put our petty differences aside and get some REAL work done".

 

Mimi...believe it or not, I agree with most of what you said(I know, it was an ugly shock to me too ....Nanny joke there).
1) I've said it a lot in this blog, it wasn't the speech, it was the (illegal) curriculum that focused on Obama instead of staying in school. Had it not been for the curriculum, I think most parents(there are always fringe extremes on both sides) would never have given a thought to the speech. BUT, because there was a problem with the lessons, it made us question what the speech was about. I'm not sure if that point is getting through. If Bush43 were going to do the same, and it was announced that there were curriculum questions about helping him fight the war in Iraq, wouldn't you wonder what that had to do with "the price of eggs in China"(as my Nana always said). He sort of invited scrutiny of the speech with that mixup.
2) Boredom...yeah, my first thought was "the kindergarten teachers are going to be breaking out the crayons after 2 paragraphs", but I also would never expect ANY politician to keep it short and sweet(heck, I can't even do that here on the blog!!). Too long and too wordy was just a given.
3) I can't speak for all...but in the conservative communities in which I participate(both in real life and online), people are VERY active. They flooded Washington with protest emails/calls/faxes about the first stimulus, the Omnibus, Cap and Trade, Van Jones and now this. I don't think it's true that the parents who would be calling their schools are apathetic elsewhere. If the curriculum problems hadn't been released, yes..there would be parents calling who just don't like Obama, but no where near the number we saw. Perhaps it's just that my friends either homeschool or are active in their kids' education. I'd hope there were just as many parents calling to make SURE that their kids would see the speech.
  And yes, we have much bigger fish to fry in this country, and WE THE PEOPLE need to band together and discuss and compromise and hammer it out. The politicians have lost our respect and our trust that they will do that for us. Even when it 'looks like' it's good for the people, a little research shows how many lobbyists and big businesses had their palms greased(and politicians' palms out)...or the poop hits the fan and we find out it was all smoke and mirrors and we have to pick up the pieces while they go on as normal. I think we all have more in common than we have different...we agree on the problems, just not the solutions(but might learn something we hadn't thought of before), and we all love this country and want our children to have a good future. I'm a health care provider...and I want this fixed, but I want it fixed RIGHT with no special interests mucking it up and good for THE PEOPLE. Sermon over ;o)

 

I think it means that he lost his glowing touch on the masses. There are alot of adults that dont want to listen to him, because most of what he says are lies. So why would they want their children to listen to him....
Its possible that whatever he was going to say to the kids wasn't going to be a big deal. But what you are seeing is alot of buyers remorse. People that voted for him without thinking of how he would run the show.. There are people *I've been told* that have gone to confession to say, I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing when I voted for him.
That's why there is an uproar from the crowd... The sleeping giant has woken up..
 

your entire comment sounds EXACTLY like what 100's of 1000's of people felt about George Bush!  How uncanny and quite amusing?!

 

I suppose your right about GW. I voted for him twice and I ended up not trusting him either. But I still wouldn't have wanted Kerry, or whoever the first guy was that ran against him in 2000.
Is it even possible to get an honest guy or gal in that job? I have my doubts.
 

If they have made it as far as running for president then they have had a lot of practice in lies and being corrupt. They have also learned that the mighty dollar buys you your way to the presidency. They all have their feel good speeches, they have practiced all their lives how to write, they make many promises that they know the people want, even if you know that they can't fulfill any of them. Yet people still will listen with awe at what they say, I for one never did. Yes I vote when the time comes and read about each candidate but my choice is more of who didn't make the most outlandish promises. I think that the only honest politicians were a couple hundred years ago. Someone is always paying them now to say what they want them to say. Kind off like the highest bidder.
A president works for us, so no matter what party he is he still has to listen to all the people and take advice from both sides and then weigh out what is right for all. I am not seeing this happening again. People keep saying that he has not had enough time to make a difference, well how long are you going to keep saying that. Unemployment keeps going higher and prices keep going up. Pay stays the same unless you are rich, their's it is going up.
 Why do the harder working people in this country get paid less then those that sit on their asses doing nothing but taking away from us. They sit in their offices and try to figure out how to tax us more so that they can have a bigger paycheck. I am not wrong. That is my opinion. Ohhh, and I am not just talking about Obama for those who want to say this is directed at just him, it is all politicians.
 

I have sadfully come to that same point in my life. I am not sure if its all politians, but it sure is, most of them. From both sides. Funny though, when Bush was being boo'ed when he spoke infront of the same group afew years ago, there was no outrage at whoever was doing the boo'ing.. Didn't make it on MSNBC, or CNN, or any other news channel. Almost like it was alright to behave in such a mannor. But for BO, its not ok to boo. He's like the china doll that's going to brake if you squeeze him to hard. But everyone else is fair game.
If he's being questioned by the press, he gets the easy questions, nothing hard for him... Might stress his brain or something. I am sick to death of the lies, and fraud we get with whoever calls himself "The king, The ruler, The almighty, The big kauna.. The pres"...
Where are all the hero's?? All the White knights, on their horses?? We sure could use one now.
...... 


 

Bravo Charlie. I totally agree with you. I have had the feeling and also commented recently that  the US again, has to get used  to an intelligent President and wife who is well educated and not just a puppet by his side!  Of course the new President and his administration get "verbally bashed" which is normal , but I have never seen or heard so much hate being spread  during the Townhall meetings as this time.Also I was appalled by one picture depicting him as Hitler!! In fact as a non American I fear for his life, by all the hate that is being generated.
Also I don..t quite get it why some people feel that their kids will be forced to listen to the President. At least HE will take time for them and not visit Wall Street as an alternative.Seeing all those newsreels etc , Charlie one gets the opinion America has nothing but dunderheads at present, but of course I know that it isn..t the case.
Also as an outsider I can..t quite get the fact that so many people are against his health plans . I understand it is to be an alternative  for people with low income. I was appalled to hear that around 40,00000 citizens have no insurance because most can..t or will insure themselves.I know there is this phobia in the US about Democracy and each one is left to their own plight, but these days where full employment is rare  and often not permanent , it would at least give basic health care to the not so affluent. Most of my US friends from both Democrat and Republican parties , say it is again the US Insurance lobby which behind a lot of the misinformation that is being generated.
Now sadly that Obamas most valued  friend and defender for rights Sen Kennedy has passed away, he will have a harder time to have his issues pass Congress.
Finally I think the President at least deserves respect if not support and I that should be one message American parents should pass on to their children instead of getting hyped because their kids may miss on free time!
Thanks Charlie for posting this!

 

I really like to leave Michelle Obama out of my responses, I do not believe that woman deserves to step one foot in the White House, let alone live there.  Why? You ask. Because I don't believe a person that gets on national television and says "For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an American."  Her entire life she was apathetic to or ashamed of being an American until her husband was running for president.  Now what is odd is that she has apologized for all the other stupid things she has said, but not that one.
 

defenitally have the wrong idea of why we oppose this, I am all for part time employees getting some kind of benifits, but the program in whole is not good, some things are and some are not, We the people should have a say in what is right for us and our children and elderly. I have not once called the president Hitler or anyone else any name either, so why do you all think and say how much smarter you are because we don't agree, you all have a one idea of who are and what think, we are all different and don't think alike. I don't call people names, that is just an childish and imature thing to do, and not my style, I am not wrong in my thinking just because others don't agree and I am sure that everyone has their reasons for their views just like me. I am not uninformed or either. Obama is not the smartest president that we ever had and I don't think that this issue should be a Republican bash which it seems to be. We have had bad presidents and good on both sides. We have to look at the person not the party.
 

Face it. President Obama has done more for this country in one week than Mr. Bush did in eight years. The right wingers are so afraid that our President is actually slowly getting our country on the slow path to recovery. As slow as it may be happening, it had to start somewhere. I know one thing. It is pathetic that some parents have refused to give permission to teachers to air our President's speech. Are they that scared that their child just may have a mind of his or her own?

 

Mine do have a mind of their own and they don't want to see it. They are straight A Honor student and college bound, just because they don't want to see him does not make them bad or stupid. I raised them to make their own choices. So far I have seen nothing good happen in this country for a long time, with education cuts it is just sinking further. When I see him give back what was taken from the schools maybe then I will think differently. So far not a thing. I have daughters that tell me if they don't agree with me. They have that right and when they read what is going on they make up their own mind. I for one am not afraid of anything, I just don't agree with his health care agenda. It is wrong.
 

I don't understand what you mean by "education cuts." Education paid for by the government is Socialized Education isn't it? Surely, if we distrust government so much and are so worried by Obama's "socialist" agenda, we should really want ALL education cut shouldn't we?

 

The money that they keep taking money from our education, the teachers that they keep laying off. The government does not pay for our education, my tax dollars do. The money that I give to the government, which means that I should have a say. I know that not everyone pays taxes like the illegals, more tax dollars that we have to give up for them because I know that the government can't afford it. 

 If you are reading everything here that I wrote you will see that I actually said that I saw nothing wrong with Obama's speech, I read it yesterday. My daughters read it also. They said that they get that speech many times a year. I had a problem with parents not being informed about it at a late date, just days before it was happening. They say they want parents involved in their kids education but when they are you all say that we are stopping them from having a mind of their own, that is not true at all, it is hard to keep a kid from having a mind of their own. You all want to but us in a box and mark us all the same, we don't all think the same, just because I am a republican and you think that we all think the same, we don't, I have smart, bright and intelligent girls. What I see here is everyone thinking that the only intelligent people are the democrats and liberals. How is that supposed to make my girls feel coming from their president.
 

Okay, YOUR children choose not to watch President Obama's speech. That's their choice. I just hope it's an educated choice. But no one should tell them that they're not allowed to watch-because if they do, they are in turn telling them they CANNOT have a mind of their own.  Let them watch it, and ask them questions as to what they thought about it and why they think a certain way.

 

..actually my girls want to see it now because they want to see what he has to say, they also want to record it so that I can see exactly what he is saying also. My girls do have a mind of their own no matter what anyone says and no matter if they watch it or not. If they chose not to it is their choice. I just don't get why the government wants parents to be proactive in their child's education until it is something like this, they are being told that they have no right with their children, parents are the ones that are responsible for raising their children with morals and values, I know that I do. Yes there are parents that suck at that but the government up to date does not show any morals or values either. That is why some are weary. ..
 

Oh, my friend, you are becoming too predictable. I've been waiting the past few days wondering when  you were going to post about the Sept 8th speech to the schoolchildren!! Have you actually ASKED any conservatives what they think about this, or did you just listen to Rush and Beck(both histrionic entertainers who make money by pushing the envelope and thereby increasing their ratings)?
  If you'd actually read/listen to real-life conservatives, the problem is NOT Obama's speaking to schoolchildren about staying in school. That is a GREAT thing, especially for the inner city students who are at high risk and see him as a role model and "one of them". It probably should have been done in a 3 minute PSA, shown on television where the parents could watch too...but I can understand wanting to use the modern media and reach as many as possible.
   The PROBLEM is the accompanying curriculum, written in collaboration with the White House and the Dept of Education, passed on to the states. That, my friends, is against federal statutes. The problem is the "discussion questions" prepared for after the talk. "What does Pres. Obama want me to do?" "What is he saying to me?" "What were the 5 most important words in his speech?"...and the one that is the impetus behind the complaints "Write an essay on how you can help President Obama." This administration has a really bad habit of replacing the word "America" with "Obama". These are little children, 5-12 yrs old...being fed garbage that the President has ideas and we need to help him accomplish them. The government works for us, not the other way around. For many families, "helping America" means being patriotic dissenters of these policies(or at least it was that way when Hillary Clinton said it).
   If you really believe that Obama is bringing 'salvation', you may want to head over to Huffington Post and DemocraticUnderground, and read how angry the Progressives are with this President. He has backpedaled on or broken almost every campaign promise....why? Because he's in bed with the lobbyists he swore would not be part of his administration(yeah right), has made deals with insurance companies and big PhRMA to their benefit, and has broken his promise to have the health care debate bring "all facets" to the big round table and broadcast it on CSpan. There isn't much difference between the 2 parties...both are self-serving and bought and paid for by special interests. Now, the true conservative and the true progressives are finally waking up and saying "no more", and that is a good thing. Bush was corrupt, and so is Obama. They are two sides of the same coin...sometimes the same side. All of 'Bush's failed policies' which were so horrific in the election, have been kept and sometimes expanded. It needs to be "we the people" against these corrupt politicians. Can anyone say "Term Limits"?

 

1.) Thanks to the last POTUS, " America" has become a dirty word around the world. "Helping America" has been corrupted to mean "help us invade someone else!"
2.) Obama personifies the hopes and ideals of true Americans: that's why we elected him and not McCain/Palin. If he wants to "personalize" the message to make it easier to understand, then he should be encouraged. Don't worry, he's not going to ask them to help him score some weed ( which we all know he smoked, and, hey, he might even sell them some while he's at it!)
3.) He's losing the "progressives" because he's determined to make every effort to govern as bi-partisanly as possible. Unlike GW, he is willing to lose support among his extremists to chart a middle ground. You lot just can't be satisfied!

 

1) History did not start in 2001, Charlie. Nice justification, though...on WHY it's ok to talk about serving Obama instead of our country. Did you read my comment above, where we could see what the Dems had to say in 1991 when BushSr spoke to kids? I'm just saying the same thing applies here.
2) The hopes and ideals of TRUE AMERICANS??!! Are you kidding me here? His ideology is rejected by almost 1/2 the country, and it's going downhill. I seem to recall quite a vein bursting in your temple when Sarah Palin said something about "real Americans"(which was wrong of her). He is not "personalizing" a message, he is twisting a speech on education into a political message about service to the government. If you can't see that, I'm sorry. Again...read what the Dems said when it was Bush Sr. Do "True Americans" approve of the Dept of Education breaking federal law with this curriculum? Imagine if Bush Jr did it. The people who are scoffing at the complaints here are the same ones who won't allow a moment of silence in school because the kids are too young to understand and will be swayed by their teachers and peers..no?
3) You say tomato, I say tomahto...he's losing the progressives..get this..BECAUSE HE LIED. You may see it as trying to be bipartisan, I see it as being in so far over his head he doesn't know what to do. He made deals with PhRMA and the insurance lobby and promised his fellow lawyers no tort reform, and now he's made a mess. The progressives worked to get him elected because he said no lobbyist would work in his admin.(and they are), he said lobbies were evil and needed to be out of policy making(see Insurance and PhRMA), he said that the health care discussions would be comprehensive and on CSpan(I must have missed those broadcasts), and he is on record as saying he is a proponent of single payer health care and that public option is a Trojan horse to get single payer inside the gates(and now he won't give a straight answer about that). Now that he's mucking up health care legislation, yeah..it's because he's trying to be diplomatic and bipartisan. BS...and that's why 'my lot' isn't satisfied. We see a different picture. We see the corrupt, Chicago thug, typical bought-and-paid-for politician that we told you he was 2 years ago.
 Whatcha gonna do? Put rabbit ears behind my head or something ;)?

 

ZMT-would you be more open to this concept if instead of the word "Obama" the wording "any president who's in office" be used?  Wouldn't that signify that it was not the specific man, but the office which was being helped and even maybe respected.  This whole bruhaha just seems so petty. Do we not have anything more pressing to kvetch about--
 

Beverly, no  I wouldn't. This violates a myriad of federal laws...the White House in cahoots with the Education Dept, sending lesson plans to the states with no input/permission from the local superintendents and school boards. There are several of us here who are trying to get the point across, and it gets lost in translation when we all post a reply on the blog, then "wait" for all of the responses to appear at once(just a hazard of MySpace).
..THE PROBLEM ISN'T THE SPEECH...IT'S THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BEFORE AND AFTER. ..This is a motivational speech on staying in school and setting educational goals. And yet, the curric. says to read books about Presidents(be sure to include one about Obama), and afterwards, have the children write an essay about how they can help him. This is Obama, so you're all thrilled...imagine if it was Bush...there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth throughout the land. The curriculum has nothing to do with staying in school, and everything to do with teaching innocent minds that their job as citizens is to do what we can to help "the leader". I can think of several countries off the top of my head, that started out 'innocent' just like this. That's not how we do things in America.
  Yes, conservatives are upset. We were told during one of the debates to "See who I surround myself with as President, then you'll know who I am"(in response to his shady past connections). Yeah...we've seen Van Jones...a self-avowed communist racebaiter who reminds us of a young Jeremiah Wright. We don't trust him(or any politician) not to sneak in their agenda). I can't find it now, but the comments from Democrats when Bush I made a speech to ONE SCHOOL were telling...upset about the office of the White House spending tax dollars to push "his agenda", calling him an egomaniac for wanting exposure, concerned that schoolchildren would be taught to idolize him. Pot meet kettle.
   Let him give the speech about staying in school, and scrap the extra stuff that has nothing to do with it. The curriculum questions, IF they were on topic, would say 'write an essay on why school is important', or "What do I want to be when I grow up, and what kind of schooling will I need."...NOT 'how can I help Obama?". It sounds like "I'll talk to the kids about school, but before and after they can talk about ME"

 

Your last paragraph there is right on. He should stick to the topic of education and nothing else. It should not be about him or his agenda or helping him. He is not the country, we are. Yes, if they are to do an essay it should be about them and what they will do not about Obama and what they think of him. It should not be "what can you do to help me, it should be what he can do to help them". There should be no talk on the health care issue because it is not really clear to even the parents what it is all about, They should put the whole thing online and let us all see it for ourselves since we are being told that we are uniformed, so inform us with the truth, that would be the 1000 pages. All of it. Let us all make an informative choice and opinion on the whole thing. Like I said in another post. show it to me.
 

Found the Democrat comments, from 1991, when George HW Bush gave a speech at a school that was taped to show to schools.
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..House Democrats criticized President Bush yesterday for using Education Department funds to produce and broadcast a speech that he made Tuesday at a Northwest Washington junior high school.....The Democratic critics accused Bush of turning government money for education to his own political use, namely, an ongoing effort to inoculate himself against their charges of inattention to domestic issues. The speech at Alice Deal Junior High School, broadcast live on radio and television, urged students to study hard, avoid drugs and turn in troublemakers....."The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students," House Majority Leader ........Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said. "And the president should be doing more about education than saying, 'Lights, camera, action.' "..Two House committees demanded that the department explain the use of its funds for the speech, an explanation that Deputy Secretary David T. Kearns provided late in the day in a letter to Rep. William D. Ford (D-Mich.), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. Education Secretary Lamar Alexander was out of town.  [...]..Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.), chairwoman of the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families, said it was outrageous for the White House to "start using precious dollars for campaigns" when "we are struggling for every silly dime we can get" for education programs.....Rep. Martin Frost (D-Tex.) said that if Bush feels obliged to use government funds to hire outside consultants "to make him look good," then he should fire some of the public relations experts on the White House payroll. "Then the president might be more sympathetic to unemployment benefits," Frost said, referring to Bush's threat to veto legislation to extend benefits. ]]]..
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....Enough said? What a bunch of dunderheads those Dems were back then.
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It is OK to have a different opinion then the president and the fact that he made it to office is not proof that he is more intelligent then the rest of us.  I don't think he will send a commie, racist message, I just don't agree with his health care program. I scares me to grow old now, I read some of his ideas in his health care program and the elderly are pretty much, in his eyes it seems, a waste of life cause they are not productive. That is what I am reading in between the lines. I will let my kids hear his speech at home where I can hear what he is wanting to say to them. I am active in my children's education, I have two daughter that are seniors in high school. one is already in college also and the other is a straight A honor student, I have already heard enough Pro Obama people tell me that I am hurting my children by not letting them listen to his speech, my daughters have listened to him and they choose not to listen to this. They were smart before he became president and it won't hurt them if they don't hear this. My girls have worked hard to be where they are and they have goals that they are working hard to achieve. They got this from me and their father, both Republicans. They believe that you have to work for what you get and want. They know that they have to have goals and strive to reach them on their own hard work, and guess what. Obama is not the first one with these ideas. He is just the pop star that is speaking and taking credit for them. I am a smart woman who naturally has these values given to me by God. I will not worship a man, I will not sing a song made in his honor. I also don't like that we are all put in the same stereotype when we disagree with him. We are made out to be stupid because we don't see his way. That is UN American.
From Dad now, my girls will not be seeing this and trust me, no kids that are opt out of seeing it are not idiots that will be acting like fools just because they don't watch it. My daughters school is not playing it anyways so I don't have to worry but if they were, they would be learning something that is necessary for them to graduate from school. I have read some of what his speech is, see I don't do this blindly, I researched it and nothing he has to say to my girls is anything that they don't know already.
 

Now you've gotten me started. People today are too caught up in always having to be right. Everything they say or do has to emphasize whatever BS they "believe in." Then they teach their children to be like that, which makes my generation a group of druggie, immoral neer-do-wells that will soon be running this country. It's a scary thought, having spent a year and a half in high school exposed to those things. In middle school, I had absolutely no clue there were people who didn't care about school, got knocked up in school bathrooms while smoking a joint. The class of 2013 is the worst. 15 have been arrested for drugs in these three weeks school has been in session. It's scary the way they live. I just tell myself, "Whatever, they can live their life however they want, just like I can," but one way or another, they end up affecting me. It may not be now, but it will happen, and that is what I fear most.

So I got a bit off topic, but still relevant I guess. No one's really going to pay attention to a 15 year old, considering most of this is blog is about our ignorance. That's perfectly okay with me, though.
 

Alex, Class of '13, I saw this and am encouraged by the awareness you show regarding your peer group, I have just written a paper on this very topic and will be posting it very soon... ..www.myspace.com/jamdeeder..- please check it out!  STAY smart, stay in school! :D
 

Well, I'm certainly paying attention! Thanks for your comments..and please keep them coming. You're right, we talk as if we know what's going on with a 15 yr. old, so YOU tell US. I have as many talks with my 14 and 19 yr. olds as I can. They are very depressed by the mess we are leaving them and they do see "business as usual." BUT no child is automatically doomed to be as short-sighted and corrupt as their parent. I DO bel;ieve that this President cares more about the future than most and that he will listen to the upcoming generation. Most of his staff are in their 20's !!! Look forward to hearing more from you.

 

See here, now you write this as if all parents who don't see it Obama's way is short-sighted and corrupt, why? I am not. I didn't agree with everything my parents believed in and still don't and they were not short sighted or corrupt either. I think for myself and encourage my daughter's to do the same, one of my daughters even picked Obama in a mock election they had in school before the real election, I asked her what they showed and talked about, (mainly because I like to be pro-active in my child's education which is the key to our children's success), she said they just showed the speeches that he had done and they talked mainly about all the promises that he gave. She told me that he sounded like a great guy. I was proud of her for taking part of it and then I asked if they said anything about McCain and she said "not much". Hmmmmm. Well, she is now thinking differently because she is not seeing anything positive with him. I am not putting him down to her or bashing the democrats, we just talk about the things that are going on in the world, she is proud of our military that are fighting and is embarrassed about the way that they are treated by Obama and his followers. We have friends over there that we worry about, my girls care about people that are under any kind of oppression, they know that we sometimes have to fight for what is right because they know that you can't just go over and say "lets be friends" to people that want us dead no matter how we treat them. It is a religious fight for them, they don't care if we leave or not, they will attack us no matter what we do. This has been going on for centuries not just recently.
 

funny, I don't watch or listen to any of them.   I am not stupid for having my opinions that are different from the liberals. Why do you all say that parents are corrupt if they don't think like you. How do we know who is lieing, we don't. We have to use common sense. I think for myself and so do my children. Vivian above said that we are afraid of our children having a mind of their own....No I want them to. You all are saying "think like us or else you are stupid". How is that letting them have a mind of their own, What you mean to say is, "have a mind of your own as long as it is what we put in it".
 

please give me a link to the real document then, because I would like to see them myself and make an educated opinion on the whole thing. I have yet to find the actual document online. If anyone knows where it is then I would be grateful. Otherwise we all are assuming that we know what it says. You cannot prove that it doesn't say these thing, I am challenging anyone to show me proof. I am also sure it will take a while to go through 1000 pages.
 

Deidre, Both sides have been guilty of exaggerating things in this bill. The dissenters(who are of every persuasion, including some liberals) take one sentence and extrapolate an idea, the supporters roll their eyes and say "it is not, that's a lie'. Problem is, no one knows what the heck is in there, and what we do see, we don't like. There is a lot of anger at the town halls(and they should be more civil), but dissenters have often read VERBATIM from the bill, only to have their Congresscritter say "that's not true". I'm reading it from the actual bill buddy!! No one seems to be able to answer questions that aren't "in the script"(both sides). These town halls have become a chance to get on tv...and you know there's a problem when a senior citizen is carrying a sign that says "Keep the government away from my Medicare"(LOL) and a supporter is screaming "health care now" at the top of her lungs while carrying a sign that says "Yelling never accomplishes anything". You can't make this stuff up.
  May I say though...the government DOES dictate treatment in the plans they already run. I have spent almost 30 yrs providing dental care to children and the handicapped(work and volunteer), and therefore have lots of experience with Medicaid. My medical friends tell me that it's even WORSE in medicine, where the consequences are so much more severe and the ailments life threatening. I get a pre-made list of procedures to perform...based only on the patient's age. A 6 yo kid with a healthy mouth gets the same thing as a 6 yo with "baby bottle decay" and toothaches. If they DO have cavities(usually they do), they are treated with techniques that are 30 yrs. behind the times and more palliative than curative. Often, we end up doing the RIGHT thing and taking the loss. The govt. plans do it now, the insurance cos do it now, so why would we assume that it's going to change now?
   "Death panels" is hyperbole and while it got attention(I'm sure that was the purpose), it was stretching the truth. However, Obama has reinstated the VA System's "Death Book", where brave veterans(already known to be self-sacrificing) are asked leading, emotionally manipulative questions like "Do you think your illness will be an emotional or financial burden to your family?(sic)" How would YOU feel if your dr. asked you that about your kids?
     The Medicare issue is confusing..when asked how he would pay for this, Obama said 'with cuts in Medicare"! What were the seniors supposed to think? He may have meant cutting the pork and waste out of Medicare and using the monies more wisely....but he's not making himself clear on this whole issue.
    HR3200 was written behind closed doors(see campaign promises), with the lobbyists drooling on the paper seeing what they could get. It was also written by a Congress that already has a very, very low approval rating...the people didn't trust them before this. Perhaps it's time to shred this mess and start over. Something needs to be done, and done CORRECTLY. The government works for the people, not the lobbies and special interests. Amen.
 

I agree with the shredding it and starting over and being a little more clear on some subjects.
 

There was a time when young people went to school with books, paper & pencils.  We actually had to learn history, math, science and English.  We could count change back to customers w/o a computerized cash register telling us how much to give. We would have been proud if the President of the United States talked directly to us (and so would our paremts).. . .Todays students have very little respect for education.  I know there are young people who really do want to learn but there are so many that attend school and let their computers do the work for them.  These students have very little  respect for education, teachers, their parents or the President of the United States.  Even if they do sit there during the Presidents speech their thoughts will be on their text messages, that Cheese Whiz or the paint ball guns.  This is a shame but we only have ourselves to blame.  We have allowed these changes to happen.  We have, through our democratic system, let many of these changes come about, a little at a time. . . .I'm sorry this is so long but when I get on my soap box I don't seem to know when to shut up!!!
 

some of this stuff should also be taught at home, like the money issue, I taught my girls the value of money when they would go to the store with me. They could make change and we played board games that had to do with making money and change. Unfortunatly not all parents take that time to do this. Then I look at what the kids are learning in school and these things are not really taught, I also have seen teachers that don't want to be bothered by a student that needs help, they say that they have too many kids in the class to focus on one, what kind of crap is that. It is not the kids fault. Teachers are frustrated here in California because they are having to focus on the Cal High School Exit Exam, they can't even teach the way they would like. We just had over 200 layoffs in our district alone, that with rising numbers in the classrooms, how is this supposed to help our children learn?