Already updated after his idiot move last night... Gotta love the interwebs!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wilson_(U.S._politician)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Jean Schmidt (R-OH) is a Birther!
OK, if you have a secret, don't tell Jean Schmidt because apparently she can't whisper. At a Labor Day tea party event, Schmidt was caught on camera agreeing with a ranting woman about President Obama being illegitimate because he was not born in this country. (Heavy sigh...) Here we go again...
In July, Schmidt issued a statement saying that she believed President Obama was a citizen. On Labor Day, she told this woman that she agreed with her but the courts didn't. Either Jean has changed her mind very quickly or she is a pandering politician that will say whatever is necessary to whomever she happens to be talking to at the moment. I think it's the latter.
After Think Progress released the tape, Schmidt issued a statement saying, "The President is indeed a Citizen of this country and constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States. I may not agree with his politics but there is no doubt he is the President and has my full respect. The video clip being circulated by some is part of a longer conversation with a woman who was very upset about a number of things. I, in no way, agree with her belief that President Obama is not a citizen of the United States. I did agree with her view that the constitution should be strictly interpreted. I was trying to be kind to a woman who was trying desperately and passionately to express her views. She has the right to her beliefs, no matter how much I disagree with them."
Sounds a lot like back tracking to me...
Schmidt also happens to be the representative for my district and I assure you that I did not vote for her and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she does not get reelected. Who wants to help me?
In July, Schmidt issued a statement saying that she believed President Obama was a citizen. On Labor Day, she told this woman that she agreed with her but the courts didn't. Either Jean has changed her mind very quickly or she is a pandering politician that will say whatever is necessary to whomever she happens to be talking to at the moment. I think it's the latter.
After Think Progress released the tape, Schmidt issued a statement saying, "The President is indeed a Citizen of this country and constitutionally qualified to be President of the United States. I may not agree with his politics but there is no doubt he is the President and has my full respect. The video clip being circulated by some is part of a longer conversation with a woman who was very upset about a number of things. I, in no way, agree with her belief that President Obama is not a citizen of the United States. I did agree with her view that the constitution should be strictly interpreted. I was trying to be kind to a woman who was trying desperately and passionately to express her views. She has the right to her beliefs, no matter how much I disagree with them."
Sounds a lot like back tracking to me...
Schmidt also happens to be the representative for my district and I assure you that I did not vote for her and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she does not get reelected. Who wants to help me?
Joe Wilson (R-SC) - I'm sorry but I also need campaign funds... Please help!
In this video, Joe Wilson, the congressman that yelled "you lie!" at President Obama during his address on 9.9.09 issued this video of a half-ass apology and a plea for donations. Wow... he's got cajones. Although, since his opponent has raised over a half-million dollars since his juvenille outburst, he needs all the help he can get!
David Vitter (R-LA) is Vile
Sen David Vitter (R-LA) sent out the following letter to constituents about health care reform. Here is a discussion about it on The Rachel Maddow Show. Below are images of the actual letter and survey that was sent out. Click on the images for a link to a larger, more viewable version of the documents. This guy is unbelievable.
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Reason 889,763,009 Why I Love Barney Frank
Check out Barney Frank (D-MA) on The Rachel Maddow Show last night.
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Sarah Palin's Response to the President's Address
Unemployed Alaskan Blogger Sarah Palin took to her media outlet of choice after last night's Presidential address. Here comments are in italics, mine follow. Enjoy the pandering...
After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.
Actually, he said “You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.” Now, Ms. Palin, if you actually listen to what he has to say, you will see that sometimes it is better to involve the government because it has a proven track record of actually working for the American people.
Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.
Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.
Perhaps you are taking this so personally because you are indeed one of the people he is referring to. Your talk of death panels is repulsive and the fact that other prominent people are repeating it is just as disgusting. What you said was an all out lie. What President Obama said is true. If we do not do something to fix health care, people will continue to die. That is not a scare tactic, it is simply the facts. I know you aren’t very familiar with those, so let me explain that facts are not disputable, while lies are.
In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.
The time for civility is over and the GOP has done everything they can to push it in that direction. You made your bed, and now you can lie in it. (Pun intended)
In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.
The Medicare Advisory Council is indeed going to be in charge of reigning in ridiculous medical costs. This will not come at the expense of patient care. It will come through negotiating lower costs with health care providers and drug companies. It will also eliminate waste from the program. To insinuate that this is a “death panel”, one of your favorite terms, is disgusting and I will continue to call you out as the liar that you are.
It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.
That is a backhanded compliment if I have ever heard one. The budget office has said that this proposal will save money over time. Independent doctors have said that this proposal will save money over time. Common sense tells you that collective bargaining saves money over time. Yet, you refuse to acknowledge any of them.
Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the War on Terror. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.
President Obama was in no way demonizing our troops or the sacrifice that they have made. He was in no way demonizing the people that died on that day. He was simply stating the fact that the reason that we have the deficit that we do, which was under control during the Clinton administration, is that the Bush administration wrote checks they couldn’t cash. We dug ourselves into a huge hole with a war that we went into under the premise of a lie and by giving tax cuts to wealthy people, instead of the people who really need it. I find your insinuation of this offensive and a desperate bid for media attention.
Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.
Perhaps that is why you are no longer a member of any governing body?
- Sarah Palin
After all the rhetoric is put aside, one principle ran through President Obama’s speech tonight: that increased government involvement in health care can solve its problems.
Actually, he said “You see, our predecessors understood that government could not, and should not, solve every problem. They understood that there are instances when the gains in security from government action are not worth the added constraints on our freedom. But they also understood that the danger of too much government is matched by the perils of too little; that without the leavening hand of wise policy, markets can crash, monopolies can stifle competition, the vulnerable can be exploited. And they knew that when any government measure, no matter how carefully crafted or beneficial, is subject to scorn; when any efforts to help people in need are attacked as un-American; when facts and reason are thrown overboard and only timidity passes for wisdom, and we can no longer even engage in a civil conversation with each other over the things that truly matter -- that at that point we don't merely lose our capacity to solve big challenges. We lose something essential about ourselves.” Now, Ms. Palin, if you actually listen to what he has to say, you will see that sometimes it is better to involve the government because it has a proven track record of actually working for the American people.
Many Americans fundamentally disagree with this idea. We know from long experience that the creation of a massive new bureaucracy will not provide us with “more stability and security,” but just the opposite. It's hard to believe the President when he says that this time he and his team of bureaucrats have finally figured out how to do things right if only we’ll take them at their word.
Our objections to the Democrats’ health care proposals are not mere “bickering” or “games.” They are not an attempt to “score short term political points.” And it’s hard to listen to the President lecture us not to use “scare tactics” when in the next breath he says that “more will die” if his proposals do not pass.
Perhaps you are taking this so personally because you are indeed one of the people he is referring to. Your talk of death panels is repulsive and the fact that other prominent people are repeating it is just as disgusting. What you said was an all out lie. What President Obama said is true. If we do not do something to fix health care, people will continue to die. That is not a scare tactic, it is simply the facts. I know you aren’t very familiar with those, so let me explain that facts are not disputable, while lies are.
In his speech the President directly responded to concerns I’ve raised about unelected bureaucrats being given power to make decisions affecting life or death health care matters. He called these concerns “bogus,” “irresponsible,” and “a lie” -- so much for civility. After all the name-calling, though, what he did not do is respond to the arguments we’ve made, arguments even some of his own supporters have agreed have merit.
The time for civility is over and the GOP has done everything they can to push it in that direction. You made your bed, and now you can lie in it. (Pun intended)
In fact, after promising to “make sure that no government bureaucrat .... gets between you and the health care you need,” the President repeated his call for an Independent Medicare Advisory Council -- an unelected, largely unaccountable group of bureaucrats charged with containing Medicare costs. He did not disavow his own statement that such a group, working outside of “normal political channels,” should guide decisions regarding that “huge driver of cost ... the chronically ill and those toward the end of their lives....” He did not disavow the statements of his health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, and continuing to pay his salary with taxpayer dollars proves a commitment to his beliefs. The President can keep making unsupported assertions, but until he directly responds to the arguments I’ve made, I’m going to call him out too.
The Medicare Advisory Council is indeed going to be in charge of reigning in ridiculous medical costs. This will not come at the expense of patient care. It will come through negotiating lower costs with health care providers and drug companies. It will also eliminate waste from the program. To insinuate that this is a “death panel”, one of your favorite terms, is disgusting and I will continue to call you out as the liar that you are.
It was heartening to hear the President finally recognize that tort reform is an important part of any solution. But this concession shouldn’t lead us to take our eye off the ball: the Democrats’ proposals will not reduce costs, and they will not deliver better health care. It’s this kind of “healthy skepticism of government” that truly reflects a “concern and regard for the plight of others.” We can’t wait to hear the details on that; we look forward to working with you on tort reform.
That is a backhanded compliment if I have ever heard one. The budget office has said that this proposal will save money over time. Independent doctors have said that this proposal will save money over time. Common sense tells you that collective bargaining saves money over time. Yet, you refuse to acknowledge any of them.
Finally, President Obama delivered an offhand applause line tonight about the cost of the War on Terror. As we approach the anniversary of the September 11th attacks and honor those who died that day and those who have died since in the War on Terror, in order to secure our freedoms, we need to remember their sacrifices and not demonize them as having had too high a price tag.
President Obama was in no way demonizing our troops or the sacrifice that they have made. He was in no way demonizing the people that died on that day. He was simply stating the fact that the reason that we have the deficit that we do, which was under control during the Clinton administration, is that the Bush administration wrote checks they couldn’t cash. We dug ourselves into a huge hole with a war that we went into under the premise of a lie and by giving tax cuts to wealthy people, instead of the people who really need it. I find your insinuation of this offensive and a desperate bid for media attention.
Remember, Mr. President, elected officials work for the people. Forcing a conclusion in order to claim a “victory” is not healthy for our country. We hear you say government isn’t always the answer; now hear us -- that’s what we’ve been saying all along.
Perhaps that is why you are no longer a member of any governing body?
- Sarah Palin
- Elizabeth Wright - an informed citizen
One Liner of the Day...
The left has moved to the right and the right has moved to the mental hospital.
- Bill Maher
- Bill Maher
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Some Responses to the President's Address
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) appeared on Countdown with Keith Olbermann to discuss the speech and said that he thought that Obama's speech was the best one he had ever heard in his entire time in Washington. He went on to say that the time to act is now and that a bill with a "good strong public option to the President before the end of the year." He also made a connection between the right wing and their financials to the insurance companies and inferred that it might impact their actions on the bill. I completely agree with him. Sometimes, it is hard to bite the hand that feeds you (or at least your campaign fund).
Elizabeth Edwards was also asked her opinion on the speech and she said that it may very well be one of the best speeches ever given to a joint session of Congress. She also said that she agreed that the President saying that it will be illegal for insurance companies to deny insurance because of pre-existing conditions will be the tipping point to bring even more Americans on board with health care reform.
And, because I can... Today's Worst Persons in the World!
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Elizabeth Edwards was also asked her opinion on the speech and she said that it may very well be one of the best speeches ever given to a joint session of Congress. She also said that she agreed that the President saying that it will be illegal for insurance companies to deny insurance because of pre-existing conditions will be the tipping point to bring even more Americans on board with health care reform.
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And, because I can... Today's Worst Persons in the World!
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Obama's Health Care Address to Congress
Tonight, President Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress with the intent of discussing the pending health care reform legislation that is currently being debated. Progressives have wondered for some time now where the change inspiring Obama that we voted for. It looks like he is back with a passion. Opening the speech, Obama said,"I am not the first President to take up this cause, but I am determined to be the last." He went on to say "Well the time for bickering is over. The time for games has passed. Now is the season for action. Now is when we must bring the best ideas of both parties together, and show the American people that we can still do what we were sent here to do. Now is the time to deliver on health care."
You could see the chamber, clearly divided between Republicans and Democrats, and by the looks of it, not all of the Republicans were excited to be there.
Obama specifically addressed some of the blatant lies that have been coming from the right, both from politicians and pundents. "I have no doubt that these reforms would greatly benefit Americans from all walks of life, as well as the economy as a whole. Still, given all the misinformation that's been spread over the past few months, I realize that many Americans have grown nervous about reform. So tonight I'd like to address some of the key controversies that are still out there.
Some of people's concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost. The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple.
There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false - the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up - under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place."
While speaking on illegal immigrants having access to these efforts, one Republican, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), yelled out lie in the middle of the President's speech. Apparently, he forgot that he was at a nationally televised address from the leader of the free world and not at a town hall meeting. The President was noticeably perturbed by the juvenile behavior.
The President went on to say that "Now, I have no interest in putting insurance companies out of business. They provide a legitimate service, and employ a lot of our friends and neighbors. I just want to hold them accountable. The insurance reforms that I've already mentioned would do just that. But an additional step we can take to keep insurance companies honest is by making a not-for-profit public option available in the insurance exchange. Let me be clear - it would only be an option for those who don't have insurance. No one would be forced to choose it, and it would not impact those of you who already have insurance. In fact, based on Congressional Budget Office estimates, we believe that less than 5% of Americans would sign up.
I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits - either now or in the future. Period. And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize. Part of the reason I faced a trillion dollar deficit when I walked in the door of the White House is because too many initiatives over the last decade were not paid for - from the Iraq War to tax breaks for the wealthy. I will not make that same mistake with health care."
This has been a major point of contention for the right wing opposition of the plan. Perhaps this assurance will quiet some of the screaming over the issue.
Obama also spoke to seniors, saying "More than four decades ago, this nation stood up for the principle that after a lifetime of hard work, our seniors should not be left to struggle with a pile of medical bills in their later years. That is how Medicare was born. And it remains a sacred trust that must be passed down from one generation to the next. That is why not a dollar of the Medicare trust fund will be used to pay for this plan.
Add it all up, and the plan I'm proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years - less than we have spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and less than the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans that Congress passed at the beginning of the previous administration. Most of these costs will be paid for with money already being spent - but spent badly - in the existing health care system. The plan will not add to our deficit. The middle-class will realize greater security, not higher taxes. And if we are able to slow the growth of health care costs by just one-tenth of one percent each year, it will actually reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the long term."
To his opponents, that President reiterated, "Know this: I will not waste time with those who have made the calculation that it's better politics to kill this plan than improve it. I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now." This is exactly the spunk that progressives have been looking for over the past months. This is the President that we voted for because he made us believe that we can really change things. Now, I'm starting to think he really thinks we can change things too.
In a more sentimental moment of the speech, he recounted receiving a letter from the late Teddy Kennedy, a life-long supporter of health care reform, that was delivered upon his death just a short time ago. "In it, he spoke about what a happy time his last months were, thanks to the love and support of family and friends, his wife, Vicki, and his children, who are here tonight . And he expressed confidence that this would be the year that health care reform - "that great unfinished business of our society," he called it - would finally pass. He repeated the truth that health care is decisive for our future prosperity, but he also reminded me that "it concerns more than material things." "What we face," he wrote, "is above all a moral issue; at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country."
That large-heartedness - that concern and regard for the plight of others - is not a partisan feeling. It is not a Republican or a Democratic feeling. It, too, is part of the American character. Our ability to stand in other people's shoes. A recognition that we are all in this together; that when fortune turns against one of us, others are there to lend a helping hand. A belief that in this country, hard work and responsibility should be rewarded by some measure of security and fair play; and an acknowledgement that sometimes government has to step in to help deliver on that promise."
This is the speech that the left has been waiting for. President Obama has made his stance on the public option known and also stated publicly that liars will be called out. The time for change is now, and with this fire lit under the left, I really believe that we can achieve it.
See below for the full video of the President's address.
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Monday, September 7, 2009
Wow... This is so controversial that I just can't stand it...
Below is the text that the White House released for the President's address to school kids on Tuesday. Yep, the right wing is right. I have never seen a more socialistic indoctrinating piece of propaganda in my life....
Yes, I will give you time to stop laughing before you read the speech. Seriously, this is what everyone got so worked up over? This is the speech that people are pulling their kids out of school over? This is the message that the right wingers don't want their kids to hear? It's sad that everything, including a speech about staying in school and getting good grades, becomes a partisan talking point.
Wow, if I was a parent and someone encouraged my kid to be good, I don't know what I would do... Maybe thank them?
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.
Yes, I will give you time to stop laughing before you read the speech. Seriously, this is what everyone got so worked up over? This is the speech that people are pulling their kids out of school over? This is the message that the right wingers don't want their kids to hear? It's sad that everything, including a speech about staying in school and getting good grades, becomes a partisan talking point.
Wow, if I was a parent and someone encouraged my kid to be good, I don't know what I would do... Maybe thank them?
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.
Obama Addresses AFL-CIO in Cincinnati
Today, President Obama addressed the AFL-CIO at the largest Labor Day party in the country. The event, held annually at Coney Island in Cincinnati, hosts union members from all over the region. In his address, Obama spoke about the advances given to the common man by the labor movement. "So let us never forget: much of what we take for granted-the 40-hour work week, the minimum wage, health insurance, paid leave, pensions, Social Security, Medicare-they all bear the union label. It was the American worker-union men and women-who returned from World War II to make our economy the envy of the world. It was labor that helped build the largest middle class in history. So even if you're not a union member, every American owes something to America's labor movement."
President Obama went on to say that there was still work to be done in reference to EFCA, the Employee Free Choice Act, which makes it easier for workers to unionize, and health care reform. Both of these received rousing applause from the crowd of thousands. He went on to say that the time for talking was over and that now was the time for action. You can see the full video below.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
The AFL-CIO has made it very clear that it is demanding that a public option be in the proposed health care reform legislation that moves forward in Congress. They have openly said that they will encourage all of their voting members to vote against any representative in future elections if they do not support a public option in the health care reform bills. The ALF-CIO is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington and is not afraid to throw their weight around when it feels that it is necessary.
Growing up in a union family, I have a special love for them. I have fond memories of attending UAW meetings with my dad as a little girl. He was a machinist for GE in the aircraft engine division. On Saturday morning, we would drive to the union hall for the meeting, and being a kid there, I was definitely not alone. Lots of people brought their kids to meetings, all the while teaching them what exactly the union was and what it stood for. I can remember going to those meetings with my dad and knowing that these people were getting together to do good things, to help the people they worked with, even if I didn't understand the ins and outs of the details as a kid.
There were Christmas parties where Santa gave the kids stockings and Easter parties where the Easter Bunny gave out baskets to all the kids. While I didn't understand what exactly the union did, I knew that being a part of it made my dad special. He was a union steward for years, helping to bring workers and management together to solve problems and disputes. He was respected among the guys he worked with and it showed.
I can also remember when the union went on strike. My dad went to work and walked the line in solidarity with his fellow union members. When I asked him why they were going on strike, he told me that it was because their contract was up and the company was trying to take away some of their benefits. Even as a kid, that just didn't seem right to me. The strike went of for 8 weeks. During that time, the union took care of it's own. That is what family does, after all.
Unions have been and are still incredibly valuable to the working class American. They will stick to their guns and, with their help and support, we can make real health care reform a reality instead of something else to go on the wish list.
The President Obama that we saw today is the candidate Obama that we voted for 9 short months ago. There was a pep in his step and fire in his voice. There was the charisma that we have been missing from the debate. Obama was moving, touching, and sincere. This was the Obama that we believed could bring change. At the end of the speech, he retold the story about his trip to Greenville when he was campaigning. There he learned the "fired up, ready to go" mantra that became so popular on the campaign trail. Today, for the first time in a long time, I am fired up and ready to go. With the help of the AFL-CIO, average Americans, and other civic minded citizens organizations, we can make real reform happen. This is the same Obama that I want to see in front of Congress on Wednesday night. If he shows up, I know we can get real, genuine reform passed and that will be good for all Americans.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Freedom of the Press vs. Family Privacy
The Associated Press has caught a lot of flack this week after posting a controversial war photo. On August 14, 2009, an embedded reporter, Julie Jacobson, was with a Marine unit in Afghanistan shooting footage when they came under attack. As war photographers do, she kept shooting and captured on film a mortally wounded soldier, 21 year old Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, just after he was hit with a rocket propelled grenade. In the photo, other soldiers are attempting to help Bernard. He was evacuated to a medical center and later died from his wounds. The AP decided to run the photo in its report because they felt that the photo “conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young men and women fighting it.”
After the publication of the photo, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates voiced objection and found it "appalling" and a breach of "common decency". He has called for the immedeate removal of the image saying that it is disrecpectful to Lance Cpl. Bernard's memory. I happen to disagree.
We are sending men and women into war every day to fight on our behalf. The brave soldier out their lives on the line every second of every day. Since the war began in 2003, over 31,500 serving men and women have been injured and over 4,400 have been killed. This does not include Iraqi and Afghanis killed or allied troops. Yes, that is almost 35,000 soldiers dead or wounded in a war that we are currently engaged in. 35,000 men and women have put everything on the line and the Secretary of Defense is offended that a photo of a mortally injured soldier leaked out into the press?
Men and women are dying in a war every day that they should not be fighting. Men and women are dying in a war in which no end is in sight. Men and women were sent to war under false pretenses without adequate information and Gates finds a photo to be offensive? I find the entire thing to be offensive. Perhaps if people that are comfortably at home, sitting in their recliners, eating their KFC actually got to see what is really happening over there instead of hearing about it in abstract terms, they might be more engaged and involved in a discussion as opposed to blindly supporting a war for years on end. Perhaps seeing these graphic images might move people to write to their congressmen to tell them to bring our soldiers home. Perhaps we are too desensitized to what is going on over there and we are content to ignore that real people are really dying every day.
The effort to keep these disturbing images away from the public became all to apparent under the Bush administration after photographers were fired, after prompting from administration officials, for taking and publishing photos of coffins returning to the states. How could a photo do so much damage? Could it be that people might actually start seeing the casualties as real people and not just numbers on a ticker?
If Americans are going to sit back and go about our lives, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening, perhaps this photo and others like it are exactly the wake up call that we need.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Right Wing Loses Their Mind Over Presidential Address to Schoolkids
On September 8th, President Obama is set to address the nation's school children and the right wing is losing their mind, or what's left of it, in an unprecedented response to a rather mundane activity. Never before has a sitting President been attacked in such a way for addressing the nation. Clinton, Bush, and Reagan addressed the nation's school children on a wide variety of issues, including staying off drugs, staying in school, and being good civic servants. This is the intent of the upcoming address but the right wing doesn't see it that way. (As an aside - Reagan went off on a tangent about tax cuts during his address to school kids in 1988, but that apparently wasn't an issue to the GOP. Policy talk is only indoctrination when it comes from the left, right?)
Florida's GOP chair has come out in open opposition to the address, saying that it would be an attempt at "indoctrinating our youth into socialism and liberal ideas". Of course, Glenn Beck, FoxNews's resident fringer, jumped on the ban wagon and announced that he would be airing a "special one-hour broadcast next Tuesday on television on the indoctrination of your children." He is furious that not only has the President decided to address school kids, but also, that the White House has sent out packets of information for teachers to discuss with students before and after the address, including why the he is talking to them, what it means, and how they can help. Somehow, in Glenn Beck's disturbed mind, this translates to brain washing your kids into being socialists. What? Never, in the history of our country, has a president been attacked for addressing the citizens of the country, and yes Glenn, children are citizens too.
Right wingers are also encouraging parents to keep their kids home from school on that day. Newsmax posted on their site "The fascist in chief is taking his special brand of brainwashing to the classroom. Keep your kids home. I think this man is a threat to our basic unalienable rights. I don't want him indoctrinating my children. Seriously." Seriously?
In all actuality, here is what the White House had to say about the address. "The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, doing their homework and goals that parents and teachers alike can agree are noble," a White House spokesman tells ABC News, "This isn't a policy speech. This is a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school."
The President of the United States thinks that it is important for him to take time out of his day and address the nations children about the value of education and staying in school and the response from the right wing is that he is trying to indoctrinate our youth into socialism? People have officially lost their minds and it is embarrassing to live in a country where a very loud, very small minority, make us look like ignorant, uneducated dunces. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Florida's GOP chair has come out in open opposition to the address, saying that it would be an attempt at "indoctrinating our youth into socialism and liberal ideas". Of course, Glenn Beck, FoxNews's resident fringer, jumped on the ban wagon and announced that he would be airing a "special one-hour broadcast next Tuesday on television on the indoctrination of your children." He is furious that not only has the President decided to address school kids, but also, that the White House has sent out packets of information for teachers to discuss with students before and after the address, including why the he is talking to them, what it means, and how they can help. Somehow, in Glenn Beck's disturbed mind, this translates to brain washing your kids into being socialists. What? Never, in the history of our country, has a president been attacked for addressing the citizens of the country, and yes Glenn, children are citizens too.
Right wingers are also encouraging parents to keep their kids home from school on that day. Newsmax posted on their site "The fascist in chief is taking his special brand of brainwashing to the classroom. Keep your kids home. I think this man is a threat to our basic unalienable rights. I don't want him indoctrinating my children. Seriously." Seriously?
In all actuality, here is what the White House had to say about the address. "The goal of the speech and the lesson plans is to challenge students to work hard in school, to not drop out and to meet short-term goals like behaving in class, doing their homework and goals that parents and teachers alike can agree are noble," a White House spokesman tells ABC News, "This isn't a policy speech. This is a speech designed to encourage kids to stay in school."
The President of the United States thinks that it is important for him to take time out of his day and address the nations children about the value of education and staying in school and the response from the right wing is that he is trying to indoctrinate our youth into socialism? People have officially lost their minds and it is embarrassing to live in a country where a very loud, very small minority, make us look like ignorant, uneducated dunces. They should be ashamed of themselves.
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