Obama Now Wants to Control Education - Turn Schools into Taxpayer Funded Daycare Centers

Obama has decided that America would benefit from longer school days and longer school years.  I'm not in complete disagreement.  However, it's not my place to decide, just as it's not his place to decide.  Obama seems to consistantly ignore the issue of State Sovereignty, the rights guaranteed to the states under the 10th Amendment of the Consistution.  That Amendment basically says that unless the Constitution says otherwise all rights are to be granted to the States.  This is meant to limit the Federal Government. 

Obama seems to operate under the theory that his powers are limitless and he is all knowing, rather like a God.  The Constitution is written to prevent this type of thing.  The Democrats tend to ignore the Constitution.  Obama reportedly "wants schools to add time to classes, to stay open late and to let kids in on weekends so they have a safe place to go."  So, he is basically asking for a taxpayer funded daycare for school aged children.  It has always been the case, apart from a few progams for the poor, that people pay for their own aftercare for their children. 

For years, parents who both work have been picking children up at Kindercare and the like, or hiring nannies or teenaged neighbors to fill the gap between the end of the school day and when the parent arrives home.  It's just part of being a working parent.  It's part of the concept of personal responsiblity.  It seems our society is going more and more this way.  People want "free" everything (read, taxpayer funded). 

This is Socialism and it doesn't work.  If the Government takes more and more from the high earners they are eventually going to start refusing to work extraordinarily hard just to give their money away to those that chose not to.  The lazy will get lazier and the pool of funds to draw from will shrink.  Then we will end up with crappy, underfunded, mismanaged federal programs and no alternatives to choose from.  We are not going to be able to borrow money forever to fund loser programs.  I hope America wakes up while America is still America.

Paul Kirk Quietly Sworn into Kennedy's Seat

Paul Kirk became a senator yesterday.  He will be one for four months as he has been appointed in the interim between the vacancy created by Ted Kennedy's death and the special election on January 19th, 2010 which will elect his successor.  It seems the Democrats have played it dirty and won again.  There has been not a mention of the hypocricy or fastracking of this bill on CNN.  They are too busy rerunning clips of Obama on David Letterman.  He was sworn in just before 4 pm yesterday.  Often things that are believed to be controversial are announced late on a Friday in an attempt to bury them over the weekend.  It's a long weekend for many with schools closed in several areas for Yom Kippur. 

Paul Kirk was sworn in by Joe Biden, with John Kerry, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi looking on.  What a group.  Paul Kirk is the critical 40th Democratic Senator, which makes the Senate fillibuster proof.  He is 71 years old.  He is a former DNC party chairman who once suggested means based testing for social security.  He served as a super-delegate in 2008 and pledged his vote to Barack Obama.  Super-delegates are unique to the Democratic Party and are controversial because are not elected but rather seated automatically by the Democratic Party, they are free to vote for whomever they wish for the Presidential Nomination.

Watch the Video and Be Terrified - This is Our School System - New Jersey

How many schools are doing this type of Obama hero worship?  It's scary, and it's what he wants.  Complete indoctrination.  Please spread this far and wide.  It's important that people see this video.  I know it starts off slow but continue watching to see just how creepy it can get!

Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat about to be Filled

As I previously reported, the Massachusetts House voted to give the governor the right to appoint someone to fill Ted Kennedy's senate seat, well, now the Massachusetts Senate has voted the same way, clearing the way for Governor Deval Patrick to make an appointment. 

This is why people hate politicians.  This kind of dirty, corrupt, crap that Ted Kennedy endorsed in life.  For a bit more history on this law, look here.  Basically, Ted Kennedy had the law changed 5 years ago to help the Democratic Party, and now it's being changed back for the same reason.  Ted Kennedy had been fighting to change the law back before he died, in anticipation of his empty senate seat causing a change in the current fillibuster proof majority.

Bills without a 2/3 majority reportedly take 90 days to go into effect under Massachusetts Law.  Massachusetts has found a work around and the seat is expected to be filled by the end of the week.  Apparantly Democrats can have it both ways. 

Obama Birth Certificate Lawsuit - Discovery Delayed by Stay of Court

The citizenship eligibility lawsuit that has been making the news lately is not the one that I had spoke of before in this blog, just to erase any confusion that might understandably arise.  There is an issue with a birth certificate lawsuit in the District Court in Columbus, Ohio.  It has been thrown out of court.  The judge, Clay Land, called the case frivolous.  Another federal judge threw out a similar case because the issue had been blogged, texted, twittered, and massaged to death and therefore it was frivolous.  I missed when public opinion and blogging became the equivalent of legal opinion...Federal District Court judges are appointed for life and can only be involuntarily removed under the impeachment process.  This explains their behavior in these cases.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.  In the Judge Land case there was also an apparent breakdown in the attorney/client relationship as well as the attorney/judge relationship.  Read about it here.

The case that I had spoke about before, in the District Court in California, is still on.  It's the only case to have a trial date set.  There is another hearing on October 5 regarding discovery and a motion to dismiss.  Recently the judge in that case reportedly told lawyers challenging Obama's citizenship and thus eligibility to be President that they cannot start the discovery process yet, responding to a stay requested by the government.  In case it wasn't clear before, the government is defending Mr. Obama's decision not to produce his records, so we are paying for this, as taxpayers.  If Congress had insisted on verifying Obama's citizenship status before the election it would not have fallen on our shoulders.

The Judge in this trial, Judge Carter, has decided to grant a temporary stay in the production of discovery and has told lawyers that the court, not the defendants, will determine what evidence would be pertinent to the case and if the plaintiffs are hampered by the time frame imposed by the court, he will hear "any proposed new trial dates" during the Oct. 5 hearing.

Obama's Marathon of Speeches - Creating A Deeper Division

President Obama said today that he is not breaking through in his many, many speeches on health care.  Breaking through what?  A communication barrier?  I don't think that could be it, because we understand exactly what he's selling and we're not buying.  Just because there is opposition doesn't mean that we don't understand.  That's condescending.

He then says that the opposition to his plan is caused by a fear of big changes.  This imply's an idea of conservatives stuck in the past.  Conservatives don't fear change, even big change, they fear negative change.  Change that is going to hurt me is something to fear.  When he says that people that oppose him fear change it makes us look like irrational ninnys who don't care what the issue is they just want the status quo.  This is also unfair. 

Something has been bothering me for quite some time.  Obama talks constantly about his "inherited" problems, even though he has expanded them exponentially, just to take a jab at Bush and Republicans.  In his address to Congress he said that Republicans were telling "scary stories" and "tall tales".  Add in the implications that conservatives are fearful and stupid today by Obama and I'm getting pretty sick of it.  The President is insulting half of the country on a near constant basis.  He's advancing the us against them mentality.  Why?

Healthcare Bill Won't Cover Illegal Aliens Because Obama Wants to Legalize the Illegals

At a speech this week Obama spoke about health care for illegal aliens.  He said, "If anything, this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this country once and for all." How do you resolve the issue of 12 million illegals?  By deporting them?  I sincerely doubt it.  He's talking about amnesty. 

Obama wants to convert the illegals to legal status and add them onto the health care plan.  So, basically, people break our laws, sneak into our country, take advantage of our services, pay no taxes, send their earnings back to their home countries and now we are going to reward them with citizenship?  Seriously??  Who elected this clown?

Ted Kennedy's Last Act of Hypocrisy - Gubernatorial Appointment Gets Through Massachusetts House

In the months before Ted Kennedy died he was busy making preparations for the future of his senate seat.  The idea was to make sure that the seat wasn't vacant for any appreciable amount of time and to make sure it was filled by a Democrat.  He had an obstacle in his way though, there was already a law preventing the Governor of Massachusetts from making an appointment.  Instead, a special election was required.  This would cause a five month delay in filling his seat.  This seat being filled with a Democrat would maintain a majority which is filibuster proof.

So, what makes this hypocrisy?  The fact that Ted Kennedy was the one who created the law requiring the special election back in 2004 to prevent a Republican from being appointed to a Massachusetts seat by then Governor Mitt Romney in anticipation of John Kerry becoming President.  Clearly, that eventuality never happened, but the law was set into place.  

Today, it was reported that the Massachusetts House voted to change the law and allow gubernatorial appointments for Massachusetts senate seats.  Now it has to get through the State Senate and be signed by Democratic Governor Deval Patrick.  So, if it's a Republican Governor, the law gets changed to strip him of power, if it's a Democratic Governor, the law gets changed to give him power.  Typical Democratic behavior.  What a note to go out on, Ted.

Former President Carter Calls Joe Wilson a Racist

This morning on the news I saw Jimmy Carter saying that Joe Wilson's comment was racially motivated and that much of the Obama opposition is because he's a black man.  I take great offense to that.  My opposition to Obama is because of his policies, not his race.  Joe Wilson's comments had nothing to do with race either.  It's unfair that everytime anyone disagrees with Obama they are immediately labeled a racist.  Jimmy Carter also said racism is bubbling to the surface in that people don't think that a black man is qualified to run the country.  Excuse me?  Maybe it's his complete and utter lack of qualificiations that convince people that he's not qualified, as well as his actions over the past nine months. 

It is completely insulting to insinuate that half of the country cannot look beyond race and see the issues.  Obama's political stances are offensive enough, regardless of what he looks like.  I do not believe that Joe Wilson is a racist.  I believe that the forum he chose was unfortunate, but I also believe that he brought attention to a very important issue and for that I'm greatful.  President Obama stood on that stage and claimed that Republicans were telling 'scary stories' and 'tall tales.'  Was he not calling Republicans liars as well?  I understand how that could be frustrating to Joe Wilson, I do.  I know I would be squirming in my seat wanting to say something. 

Now that 'the Great Leader' is in power and he has race on his side I guess there's nothing he can't do.  Any opposition is discrimination and inherently irrational.  What a sad state we are in. 

Obama Loves the Sound of His Own Voice

Obama has decided that we need to see even more of him.  So, in addition to the speeches he is giving this week he has also decided to grace us with his presence on the television once more by doing 5 interviews on Sunday.  That's right, 5.  The list is: This Week with George Stephanopoulos on ABC,  Meet the Press on NBC, and Face the Nation on CBS.  In between, he is going to sit down for interviews on CNN and Univision.  This is a Presidential record.

Please stop being so damn pushy, Mr. President.  We don't want your plan.  We are not a Socialist Country and we don't want to be one.  We are tired of seeing your face and hearing your voice.  You are not the sole source of power in the United States and your arrogance is quite frankly, annoying. 

In case five Obama interviews on Sunday aren't enough he is also booked to be on David Letterman on Monday.  David Letterman, is of course, a late night talk show featuring celebrities not politicians.  Obama will be the only guest, which is only fitting because he won't shut up and let anyone else speak anyway.  Are the liberals getting oversaturated yet, or are they immune?

Obama On Health Care - "They Can't Stop Us. Let's Go and Get This Done"

Obama held a rally today to support his number one issue, socialized medicine, in liberal Minnesota today. In that rally he basically repeated the same things he said on Wednesday, some of it verbatim. He accused the insurance companies and the right of spreading rumors to scare and intimidate the people.

There is no need for rumors, the truth is scary enough. It's simple to see what would happen under Obama's plan. It leads to a single payer system, he is attempting to drive the insurance companies out of business. Then, when the government is paying we get crap healthcare. Low budget healthcare that no doctor in his right mind will want to work under, so then we get crap doctors as well. We only have to look to the UK and Canada to see where we will land under this plan. It's not good. All of our choices will be gone and so will a good chunk of our paychecks.

While Obama was out having a rally in a liberal area (basically preaching to the choir, he does love to be stroked) a very sizeable protest formed in Washington D.C. against the huge amount of government spending and againt government healthcare. Obama doesn't care what the people of the country think though. In his own words, as he left the stage: "They can't stop us. Let's go and get this done." He is taking the stance of a spoiled child. Whatever Obama wants Obama gets, at any cost. He's taking us down a bad path that may be irreversible. Congressman John Kline (R) of Minessota says that Obama does not have the votes and the bill won't pass either chamber of Congress. Here's hoping he's right.

Obama Must Hate Joe Wilson

A momentary rude interruption to a speech has taken all focus off the speech itself. Obama's great plan, to take over Primetime TV and somehow convince all of us that socialized medicine was the way to go, has been foiled. No one is talking about the content of the speech, except, perhaps to ask if he really did lie. The contents were old hat anyway, nothing persuasive there. If you were on one side of the aisle before the speech you were still there when it ended.

When Obama decided to bully members of Congress who disagreed with him it was almost comical. If you don't want the bill don't waste my time, I'll call you out. Who are you, Tony Soprano? Is this really our President? Newsflash, Mr. Obama, Congress doesn't have to do what you say, they're not even supposed to. They are supposed to represent the nation, not just some spoiled brat who needs to have everything his way all the time. These people have their jobs to protect, jobs they will have long after you leave office if they play their cards right.

A Quick Note on Joe Wilson

Joe Wilson, to yell, "you lie" when the President is speaking is horribly disrespectful and childish. Obama was lying, but really, the lack of dignity there was painful. We all know he's lying, no need to yell it out like that. I watched the speech and somehow missed that moment until it was brought up later. Maybe I was typing, maybe I mistook it for one of the 47 applause interruptions. We are all frustrated but we have to remember time and place. If Rep. Wilson had made commentary later in front of a camera in a calm and rational way it would have been fine. I saw a freeze frame of that moment somewhere on the internet today and Nancy Pelosi looked like she was going to kill him with her death stare. Joe Biden attempted a similar look but just appeared as if he was trying to fart. Obama looked confused and eventually said, that's not true. The teleprompter apparently didn't have a good comeback ready.

The Obama Speech on Universal Health Care - My Analysis Minute by Minute

I see all of the attention whores are in red tonight. Obama, has on a bold red tie, Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi are in red power suits. Michelle Obama is in a pinkish color, actually looking quite appropriate tonight, her shoulders are covered and she's not stealing too much of the limelight. Nancy Pelosi is like a Jack-In-The-Box jumping up and down to clap like a performing seal every time Obama finishes a sentence. Joe Biden looks quite bored and is slouching in his seat, he does take Nancy's cues and gets up almost everytime she does.

Now is the time to deliver on health care! Now is the season of change! Nothing in our plan requires you to change anything you have. Huh? Why does he keep talking about pre-existing conditions? HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) reduced this issue to nearly nothing. That was 13 years ago. This is not an issue in employer issued healthcare and is limited to six months of non-coverage in all other types, excluding urgent medical conditions, like pregnancy which have no wait at all. Also, no one is ever turned down for employer based care, so the issue of not being able to get insurance is remedied by getting a job with benefits as opposed to being self employed.

He says no one should go broke because of a medical issue. The problem with that is that we are America. What he's talking about is cost sharing, Universal Healthcare, socialized medicine. It just doesn't work. The Canadian system and the U.K. system are shameful. The waiting list is long and people die. Care is bad and outdated. He is speaking about providing a choice, providing competition, when at the begining of the speech he said that the very best system is single payor. This is clearly a gateway into that system that involves no choice or competition whatsoever.

He has now claimed that he will not sign a plan that adds one dime to the deficit now or in the future, so I guess the health care plan is dead!!!! Ohhh, a jab at Bush, that makes the clapping very loud, something about inherited debt, to the tune of 3 trillion dollars. We got into a war, we couldn't pay for, apparantly. War is funny like that, tough to budget for. He just said that this program would eliminate the waste and fraud in insurance companies. That's because there is never any waste or fraud in the federal government, right Obama?

Now he's saying that people are telling scary stories and tall tales about his plan. Kind of like when he was talking about people dying without it in the begining of his speech? So he's going to nail the insurance companies with fees for expensive policies? That's how you foster competition and choice? No, that's how you drive people out of the market. He threw the Republicans a bone by saying that we might be able to slip in some tort reform somewhere.

Here's used car salesman Obama, my door is open, come to me with reasonable offers. I will not waste my time on people who wants to kill the bill.

Did he just say he would call people out who disagreed? Seriously the President says he's going to call people out?

Here's the emotional plea, Ted Kennedy sent me a letter, to be delivered after his death, supporting health care and talking about how it's a moral issue. Sorry, but I'm not really taking moral advice from Ted Kennedy, dead or alive.

In the last few moments of this speech I think I got what Obama wants most of all. A legacy. How sad is that?

One thing to remember is that the United States is a place of many medical advances, we have some of the most advanced technology on this earth. Many vaccines and new drugs come out of this country. The reason? The dreaded pharmaceutical companies fund that very expensive research and the best minds come together to accomplish amazing things. People send their very complicated medical cases here to be treated. I'm sorry, but that system is unique and won't be able to be duplicated once Obama takes away their ability to make a profit on prescriptions.

Obama Birth Certificate Lawsuit Trial Date Set

There are been several lawsuits filed in an attempt to get President Obama to prove that the is a Natural Born Citizen - a Constitutional requirement to be President. Up until now they have all been dismissed before a trial date was even set because no one who had brought a lawsuit was found by the courts to have legal standing. Basically, the plaintiff must be able to prove that they are (or imminently will be) harmed to prove standing. Although I believe that all the citizens are being harmed by this man being in office the court has not seen it this way. Now, with a different combination of plaintiffs, including former Presidential candidate Alan Keyes standing appears to be within their grasp.

There is a lawsuit in the district court in California challenging the President's citizenship. A copy of a Kenyan Birth Certificate, proported to be Obama's, has been submitted to the court as evidence. Judge Carter has ruled that a trial on the merits is set to begin January 26, 2010. This is the first time in any of these lawsuits that a date has been set to hear the merits of the case. This is a major legal victory. Plaintiff's attorney is Dr. Orly Taitz.

There is another motion to dismiss set to be ruled upon on October 5th, along with discovery motions. If the motion to dismiss is denied we should see a trial in the new year. No wonder Obama is trying to hurry along the Universal Health Care vote. His time in office may be quite limited.

If Obama was born in the US and has nothing to hide then why is he wasting taxpayer money by having the Department of Justice defend him in these lawsuits instead of paying $12 for the long form birth certificate? It doesn't make sense.

It Must be Hard for Obama to Sit Down with the Media's Lips Implanted Firmly on his Ass

I am watching some pre-coverage of Obama's speech tonight. Obama is taking over Primetime once again to speak to us on a non-urgent matter, health care. Much to the chagrin of the liberals, Fox is rebelling, showing "So you Think You Can Dance." Good for them, make some money. They will be showing the speech on Fox News though, which seems like a more appropriate venue anyway. Showing it on CSPAN seems like the most appropriate option while allowing people to chose other programming. Sadly, Obama is not happy unless he is on ALL the channels, so, per his request NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News will be covering the President pushing his plan on an increasingly unsure Congress. Their seats are on the line here and with angry constituants and an election coming up in a years time there is an air of reluctance to blatently ignore the people that congress represents, as well there should be. The media, of course, is running hype over the speech and 'The Great Leader' and Universal Health Care.

In addition to "So You Think You Can Dance" on Fox, there are other alternatives during Obama's Speech:

1. America's Next Top Model - CW
2. Dog The Bounty Hunter - A&E
3. Top Chef: Las Vegas - Bravo
4. Lottery Changed My Life - TLC

So, if you like reality shows, you're all set. If not, watch the speech. It's about as far from reality as you can get.

Yet Another Attempt to Nationalize - National Soda Tax

The tenth amendment of the Constitution states that powers not expressly granted to the Federal Government are to be reserved to the states. This is one of the basic foundation of America. Obama, with his need to control everything, doesn't like sharing power. He wants to be a dictator, he wants to be the great ruler.

Recently New York attempted to enact a "sin tax" on Soda. The 18% tax proposal was dropped after public outcry. The president has reportedly said that he thinks a tax on soda and other sugary drinks is worth putting on the table as congress debates health care. So now we are looking at a national tax on soda? When will the states be left alone to regulate anything? As he reaches out and grabs onto more and more power and puts it into the government realm he brings us closer and closer to socialism, and thus capitalism.

The Promised Analysis of the School Address Speech

The speech is not as bad as it could have been, and I believe would have been, had there not been a public outcry. The speech is an 18 minute pat on the back for President Obama, which is expected, the man has taken self-aggrandizing to new levels. It also doesn't seem to be written for the average child. It is for the downtrodden and the children of extreme circumstances. The examples he gives of a child who was unable to speak english, the child with brain cancer, and the child in foster care don't seem like children that the average child would be able to identify with at all.

Obama as tells how he made a lot of mistakes and got a lot of second chances. This isn't the smartest lesson for children. Sometimes the second chance isn't available. Not everyone can do drugs and still become President. Van Jones just learned that you can't publically admit you are a communist and then hold a public post. I teach my kids that mistakes can haunt you, they can affect college admissions and future opportunities. This doesn't mesh wish his everyone makes mistakes attitude. Just because he was forgiven for his doesn't mean that others will be forgiven for theirs. I'm not saying children must be perfect, just that they should strive towards that goal.

I still disagree with Obama even giving a speech, and especially with him issuing a lesson plan. I think that there are people more qualified to speak on the subject and a statement to kids released through the media could accomplish as much as this speech does. I have no idea why he is purposely picking a time where kids will be without parents, but I don't like it. As long as he doesn't wander away from the teleprompter, and let's face it, he seems to be incapable of doing so, I'm not overly concerned about the content, which has almost certainly been watered down from the original content, before parents suprised him by caring what was said to their kids.

It does feel as if he is trying to endear the children to him, which is rather creepy and reminicent of communist regimes. The speech itself doesn't seem like it will hurt the children, most will get bored and ignore him, it also doesn't seem like it be beneficial to them.

The address to the schoolchildren is just another Obama is Awesome event. He seems to like those and will break into programming to hold these Obamafests. I guess primetime tv wasn't enough for him, now he's breaking into the kids school day to hold another unbirthday party for himself. He obviously feels that what he has to say is more important than anything that the children were going to learn that day. I say that day, because with the lesson plans for before, during, and after the speech it will undoubtedly fill the whole day. In reality, the liberal teachers will likely discuss it for the whole week.

Text of Obama Address to Schoolchildren - Analysis Later, I Promise

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Lawmakers Should Realize that Their Jobs Are on the Line

Many lawmakers heard from their constituents over the August break. Many of those constituents were not pleased with the Health Care Bill. Their vocal objections are hard to ignore, and shouldn't be ignored. Seeing that November 2010 elections are really not very far away, it would be foolish not to listen. The incumbents seats are no longer looking like a sure thing. Especially those who blatantly disregard the wishes of those in their district.

Recent polls show that only about 1/3 of Americans actually approve of the performance of the lawmakers representing them. This is not good. It's especially not good for democrats, because they are in power. The general rule is that, in times of discontent, the party in power gets hit harder than the party that is not, in terms of retaining lawmaker seats. Statements by lawmakers that they are going to go with their opinion regardless of the opinion of the district (Massa) or that they haven't read the bill (too many to mention) are huge red flags to voters.

No one should ever sign anything they haven't read. It's true for citizens, it's true for lawmakers. Read the fine print, find out the details. You can't claim ignorance if you sign. It is their job to read everything before they sign it. Countless lawmakers claimed that they had not read the stimulus bill, and countless lawmakers have also claimed that they haven't read the health care bill, citing the length, it's over 1,000 pages! Sorry, it's your job. You have to do it, or your job can and will be given to someone else.

Green Czar, Van Jones Resigns

Van Jones, Obama's Green Czar, has resigned amongst recent controversy relating to his statements that 9/11 was an inside job and derogatory remarks about republicans. Van Jones is a communist who has done time. These Czar's, appointed by Obama, are numerous and cause issues in the governmental balance. Obama is able to appoint people like Van Jones who would never pass a background check, never be elected, never pass a senate confirmation, he's far too radical. The Czars are like an alternate government and not subject to congressional oversight. The Czar program is not new but Obama's seems to be appointing more and more Czars to make the program extremely vast.

At some point you have to judge a man based on the company that he keeps, the list of people that Obama chooses to associate with is full of radicals, many of whom hate white people, some of whom hate America. His connections with Bill Ayers, Acorn, Jeremiah Wright, and Van Jones should give people a very clear picture of where he stands, along with his own actions. Open your eyes liberals, look around. We are undergoing a transition to socialism, which will lead to communism in short order. This is not the America that I grew up with.

CNN Reports that Obama is Considering Writing His Own Health Care Bill

CNN has reported that Obama is considering writing his own health care bill. As of now, this is not something set in stone, but it is definitely being pondered. "The President has been reviewing all of the various legislative proposals, but no decision has been made about whether formal legislation will be presented," said Deputy Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer.

The Constitution of the United States spells out the three branches of government. They are the legislative, executive, and judicial. Put quite simply, the legislative branch writes the laws, the executive branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch interprets the laws. The President is in the executive branch of government. He is supposed to enforce the laws. The legislative branch is Congress, they write the laws. The judicial branch is, of course, the court system. The reason for the three branches is to create a system of checks and balances, so one branch cannot run away with absolute power.

Obama is once again trying to circumvent the limitations of his office to interfere and create a situation that benefits his ideals. He doesn't care what the country wants or who's toes he's stepping on. I hope Congress objects to him taking over, if he does decided to do this, and I hope they object loudly.

Indoctrination Day September 8 Has a Name - School Skip Day

Upon hearing about Obama's plan to indoctrinate the school children many parents reacted the same way I did. They decided to not let it happen to their kids. Thus the birth of the School Skip Day aka Parentally Approved School Skip Day (PASS). The more I think about this decision by the president to go into the schools, the more shocked I am at the audacity of Obama for even interferring with the school system, interrupting the school day, and filling the kids heads with whatever he likes, regardless of what their parents think. There are many people more qualified to speak on the value of education than Obama and his interference in yet another aspect of our society is grating on my nerves. The brainwashing of our youth should not be tolerated.

Before I decided to participate in the school skip day I called my children's schools to see if they were even participating. First the people at the front desk pretended they didn't know what I was talking about and tried to end the conversation right there. When I insisted they check with someone who does know they seemed resentful, but complied. I was then told that there would be a meeting later in the day and someone would call me back. I agreed but told them it was imperative that they did call because the children are off tomorrow for a teacher workday and with the holiday on Monday the next day of school is the day of the speech. I called back at the end of the school day, was told testily that the meeting was happening after school and that I would get a call back. Once again I expressed my concern about the timing. No one called back, despite assurances that they would.

They forced my hand, I have to assume that they will be participating and this is how they are dealing with people who object, by getting pissy with them and then not calling them back. I even called it the Obama Address to the Schoolchildren in my nice voice. Needless to say, my children are definitely participating in the Parentally Approved School Skip Day, and I refuse to pretend they were sick.

One site even went so far as to post an excuse note for parents to use. I think it's a little much for my tastes, as the school didn't ask for this to be dumped on them and didn't ask for my political opinion. On the other hand, the school did choose to show it.

To Whom it May Concern:

When it comes to teaching my child about personal responsibility and life goals, I have determined
that I am a far better teacher of those objectives than a President who has chosen to surround
himself with known anarchists and terrorists.

Therefore, (insert child's name)will be at home on Sept 8th in order not to be corrupted by the
propaganda that will be shown in his class room.

Respectfully Yours,

Obama Taking over Primetime - Again

President Obama is attempting to take over primetime television again. This time it's slated for Wednesday, September 9th. Why does he always need to be on television? Did he not get enough attention as a child? Maybe we should make an Obama channel. Of course, then people would just tune out. He jumps right in the middle of people's favorite shows, during a time during the day when people want to relax. Why is he not satisfied with being shown on news channels? I honestly think the man just really likes to hear the sound of his own voice.

When is Obama going to realize that the leader serves the country, not the other way around? I hope the networks deny him outright, they have to make their money and his demands are unreasonable. It would be one thing if there was a major event which needed immediate attention but he does this for rather routine things. It's a misuse of power, he just has to have his fingers in everything, reminding us constantly of his presence. What happened to just releasing a statement if you have something to say? It's undignified to be an attention whore. I'm just saying.

September 8 Sounds Like a Good Day to Play Hooky

Obama is planning to brainwash the children of America on September 8th. He is addressing them from the White House via live feed to all the public schools in the nation. My children will not be in attendance at school that day. They will be off at the beach, enjoying the day, blissfully unaware. I know that the Obamafest is likely to continue on the days following the 8th, but I think they may be able to avoid a great deal of it by simply not coming to school on that day. They are not going to be learning anything educational on that day anyway.

President Obama is adressing the children of our nation during school hours, with no parents in attendance to explain or correct misconceptions or biases he may bring up. He is making sure his message is reinforced by the liberal teaching staff at the school by making sure that the children have his "message" drilled into their heads with learning material suggestions. One such question is "Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?"

He is asking them to tell their parents to do something? Here's an idea, I listen to what the President says and then decide which parts of his message, if any, would be beneficial to my children, like a parent, rather than the other way around. These are the days when I wish that my children were in private school.

This overexposure of Obama, down to the level of the children, reminds me of the atmosphere that was present when Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq. The ever-present great and powerful leader... I find it terrifying. Please, Mr. President, leave my children alone, you are overstepping.

Harry Reid Only Speaks to Those who Agree with Him

Senate majority leader Harry Reid recently held an invitation only town hall to push health care. He clearly had no interest in hearing the views of his constituents who did not agree with him. This is only interested in the views of those that do. This is a growing problem, senators are supposed to represent the people and they get such an ego that they start believing that their judgment is better than the people they represent. He has no interest in what anyone thinks, this session was just a circle jerk. It's really quite ugly. Who is he to take away the voice of those that disagree with him?

This is the same man who declared, days ago, that Ted Kennedy's death was really going to help the democratic party in the health care movement. A lot of people have exploited Senator Kennedy's death lately, but that blatancy of that statement just shows that this man is so power drunk that he no longer has a filter. Historically speaking, the power drunk are a dangerous breed.

Could the Public Option be Dead?

According to this article, Obama is willing to let it die. I guess showing him how much half the country absolutely hated the idea was effective. We can't stop now. Even though Obama may be willing to let it go, other democrats like Pelosi are unlikely to give it up.

Interesting quote from the above mentioned article "White House officials say they are looking forward to "a break from the August break" -- a chance to take back control of the debate after a grim month where news coverage of the issue was dominated by vocal, emotional opponents at lawmakers’ town meetings, railing against the cost and complexity of the plans being debated."

Obama wants control over the debate, he wants the people to shut up basically and do what he demands. We won't. With all this talk of healthcare choice and competition Obama ignores one thing. Not everyone has the purest of intentions. I've personally known people who prioritize lots of things over purchasing health insurance. They want two new cars, with two large payments, a big house with a big mortgage, that Prada bag. They are willing to play the odds, that their healthcare costs will be less than the cost of a premium, and if not, then bankruptcy.

The cold reality is that the people that can't afford healthcare have often made choices that lead them to that end. They are paying a for a bigger house/apartment then they need, a better car, a fun vacation, daily starbucks, they don't budget for it on purpose. Then they say they can't afford it when they have allocated the money to other things.

The truly poor do have options. There are state run programs for the poor as well as federal programs for the elderly and disabled. The emergency rooms turn away no one. The reason costs are so high are the deadbeats who don't chose to have healthcare and use the emergency room as a doctors office. Also, there are people who are not citizens who are similarly using these services, it's quite a drain on the system.

I say instead of a healthcare reform we should reform the people. Teach them what shame and pride are and stop promoting a culture which completely disregards personal responsibility. When my mother was growing up and times got tough my grandfather got a second and third job to take care of the family responsibilities. Where has that mentality gone?
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Representative Diane Watson Cries Racism

Once again with the racism. Diane Watson claims the the republicans want Obama to fail because he's black. Never mind his asinine ideas. Where do these people come from? Who elects them? Truthfully, I don't want Obama to fail, when a President fails there are consequences to all of us. However, since his ideas are destined to fail I do feel compelled to talk about it. It has nothing to do with the color of his skin.

I don't care what the president looks like. I do care about experience and rational thinking. Obama seems to be severely lacking in both areas. Is it because he's black? Of course not. It's because he's trying to make the United States into a socialist country, and he's trying to do it very, very quickly. This push, push, push strategy reminds me of a used car salesman and the republicans have walked away from the table. The idea that bills should be passed before they are read in the name of haste gives me chills and I'm glad that the people of the House and Senate have rebelled against it. Perhaps if Ms. Watson could look beyond race she would see that the rest of us have as well.