Numerous comments have come through this blog alone stating that Obama's speech to the children is such a wonderful idea, that he should be the one the children look up to and follow, and that Obama should be the one to motivate the youth concerning government issues. I have seen comments that state Obama represents the nation as a whole (he does not) and alleged confusion about the fuss over the presidential address to the army of youth standing by in the public schools, waiting to be lavished with the attention of our president extraordinaire, complete with lesson plans that have students writing letters to themselves explaining how they will serve their master....I mean president. The column written by Owen Robinson (Boots and Sabers) in today's West Bend News clears this issue up for those who just don't seem to get it. Parents who are questioning, refusing and chastising this move on Hitl...er, Obama's part are wise, indeed.
The entire column can be read here, but these are a few of the insightful paragraphs lent by Robinson:
The reasons behind the reaction reveal the level of unease about President Obama and his actions. Given Obama’s track record so far in office, perhaps that unease isn’t unjustified.
Since taking office, President Obama has signed massive increases in spending including the failed stimulus package. The federal deficit this year will be quadruple what it was in the worst budget years under President Bush. Obama has taken over car companies and banks. He has appointed Czars to oversee everything from the environment to employee compensation.
Obama is advocating a plan to insert government even more into our health care system. He is also pushing for a cap and tax energy plan that will result in the largest de facto tax increase in the history of the world and will really hit hard in states like Wisconsin. Obama is advancing legislation to encourage people to save more money and wants college football to have a playoff system.
There is seemingly no part of Americans’ lives that Obama hasn’t inserted himself into and Americans are growing weary of the omnipresent Obama. So when Obama announced that he was going to broadcast live into the classrooms of America, it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back for many folks.
......
Also, while this speech has apparently been planned for some time if study materials have already been produced for it, the White House refused to release the text until the day before. This has many wondering why an allegedly innocuous speech needs to be kept under such tight wraps.
The combination of Obama’s actions to date and the creepy Orwellian overtones of his plans to speak to the kids prompted many parents to worry that Obama may politicize what should be a simple address to kids wishing them well and encouraging them to work hard.
Americans are growing weary of President Obama’s insistence that he be involved in seemingly every facet of our lives. His rapidly declining approval rating shows this weariness. In this case, the public mood was stoked to near outrage over what should have been a non-issue.
As an aside, Call Me Mom of Irate,Tireless Minority posted such a richly worded comment previously, I'd like to repeat it here as it confirms Robinson's statements:
"Well, isn't that swell of the president to have posted the text of his speech, what - maybe a whole week before it's supposed to be shown? An assignment for you - go to your local school board meeting and ask about the process by which curriculum is approved for your local schools. Ask if a few weeks notice is sufficient for any other curriculum elelment to be included. You say yourself there is nothing more than a message to children to do well in school. If that's so, then he could have commandeered the airwaves and had a televised presidential back to school address. (The president does have the authority to do that.)No one would have objected to that. And it would have been truly the parent's choice whether or not their child saw it. The only reason for him to present it like this, (when he has plenty of duties that he should be attending to rather than making study guides and curriculum to impose upon schools at the last minute)is so that he can do an end run around parents who might not otherwise allow their children to watch such a speech. It's disrespectful and anyone who has lived under oppression or lived during the cold war is probably finding it beyond creepy that he has chosen to do so."
2 comments:
'WRITE ME A LETTER'.... In 1991, then-President Bush addressed school kids in a speech broadcast live to school classrooms nationwide. Among other things, he promoted his own administration's education policies. But before he wrapped up his remarks, H.W. Bush told students something else:
"Let me know how you're doing. Write me a letter -- and I'm serious about this one -- write me a letter about ways you can help us achieve our goals. I think you know the address."
Wait, kids were being encouraged to send letters to the White House? To quote Minnesota's comically ridiculous governor, "There are going to be questions about -- well, what are they are going to do with those names and is that for the purpose of a mailing list?"
And what's this Bush about wanting America's children to ponder the "ways you can help us achieve our goals"? Can you even imagine what the response would be if President Obama said such a thing in his message to students this week?
It's worth noting, there was, at the time, no public backlash. The right didn't complain about Bush "abusing his power," and the left didn't throw a fit. Some Democratic leaders on the Hill complained about the president using the speech as some kind of pre-election campaign ad, but they didn't push the issue and it barely registered as a story at all. Even after 11 years of Reagan-Bush, and in the midst of a recession, the left had better things to do with their time than throw a tantrum over a presidential pitch to kids.
Politics in 2009 is very silly.
Your vitriol against our sitting president goes beyond normal conservative skepticism. You seem to be obsessed with him, which is so ironic considering the fact that he is such a reasonable, calm, mature, even-handed, rational and, frankly, middle-of-the-road man. I personally wish President Obama were more progressive and bolder than he is, yet people of your bent continue to accuse him of being a communist, fascist socialist (and totally misunderstanding what those terms mean while you're doing it). You refer to him as "Master" and "Hitler," which would be laughable if it weren't so cynical, not to mention naive. Have you studied any world history at all?
My children's school chose not to share the speech with students, but we all watched it via an internet stream later that day. Mr. Obama gave a professorial lecture about studying hard, the importance of education in achieving success, and the need to learn from failure. I thought these were fine ideas for a president to share with young citizens.
You and Owen need to get a life.
Post a Comment