Do you mind that President Obama spoke to school children about education? / LJWorld.com

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Asked at HyVee Food Store, 3504 W. Clinton Parkway on September 9, 2009

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“No I didn’t mind, and I think that taking your kid out of school just doesn’t make any sense.”

— Reed Eisenhart, chemistry major, Shawnee

“I don’t mind at all; in fact it’s very good.”

— Hiromi Morikawa, translator, Lawrence

“No I did not. I think it only makes sense, let’s talk to them about their education.”

— Rebecca Chavez, unemployed, Lawrence

“Not one bit because it’s been done before, by Republicans, and no one objected.”

— James McGovern, retired, Lawrence

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Kathy Getto 3 years, 9 months ago

Didn't seem to be such a big issue when the sainted Ronnie Raygun and GW Bush Senior did it. No big deal.

Crossfire 3 years, 9 months ago

I believe that it may be just one good thing. It would have been a great thing to have experienced when I was in school. ...never give up. ...never give in. Your time will come.

shadowbox66044 3 years, 9 months ago

autie (Anonymous) says…

"Come on comrades, take your head out of the sand."

Good One!

snap_pop_no_crackle 3 years, 9 months ago

The O'dude neglected to mention the salutary effects of Affirmative Action and liberal guilt on his own career.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 3 years, 9 months ago

Damn cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

"It was a good thing. I'm still not sure what propaganda folks like be3 are referring to."

You don't? You answered it in the next sentence!

"Work hard and stay focused on your school work and you can have opportunity."

This is Be3 we're talking about. Read his posts.
/or, ya'know, don't.

jayhawklawrence 3 years, 9 months ago

There was nothing wrong with it at all. They only problem with this "controversy" is that is continued to make the Republicans look like fools.

They should only blame themselves.

What happens if people need to be informed about something really bad. No one believes the Republicans anymore. They look like a bunch of buffoons and that is not a good situation.

Paul R. Getto 3 years, 9 months ago

"They look like a bunch of buffoons and that is not a good situation." === I disagree. They are not buffoons. They are simply going to try and kill any health care reform and hope American's suffer enough in the next year that they can gain more then the usual amount of seats the off-year elections generally grant to the out-of-power party. They know what they are doing.

smitty 3 years, 9 months ago

This is the speech for your nonsense socialist claims? This speech is what the youth of America need to understand and act upon.

President of the United Sates of America, Barrack Obama said: 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. "We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems," Obama said. "If you don't do that — if you quit on school — you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/

georgiahawk 3 years, 9 months ago

I'm afraid that now that my daughter has seen that a President can be black, she will never go back!

nobody1793 3 years, 9 months ago

I remember when Abe Lincoln spoke at my high school. It was most excellent.

Party on, dudes.

Damian666 3 years, 9 months ago

Wasn't this predicted in the Bible? He walks among us.

Matt Needham 3 years, 9 months ago

As usual there's been plenty of idiocy to go around on both sides...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/When-Bush-spoke-to-students-Democrats-investigated-held-hearings-57694347.html

It's time to change us vs them from red vs blue to American citizens vs politics as usual. As long as they keep us occupied with bickering among our selves they get to raid the coffers without consequences.

Rex Russell 3 years, 9 months ago

This was a speech about hard work and personal responsibility. How can that be twisted into Socialism? That's just stupid. Besides, personal responsibility is a Traditional Republican tenet of faith. You might be able to accuse him of co-opting, but seriously...propagandist? I'm not exactly his biggest supporter but that's exactly the speech I give my kids. The false-conservitive clowns will say anything. If he could walk on water, you'd hear people say "Look at that schmuck, Can't swim." A speech to kids about staying in school....terrible, just terrible.

danemary 3 years, 9 months ago

Obama the JOKER is just trying to meet his level of communication.

jayhawklawrence 3 years, 9 months ago

Smitty:

"This is the speech for your nonsense socialist claims?"

I never said that Obama was a socialist. You making this kind of charge makes me think you might be.

I do think that the "Zcars" currently lining up in the White House, who don't have to go through any approval by Congress or background checks, are not known by many Americans. A recent appointment of Ron Bloom, a union lawyer, as "Manufacturing Zcar" has disturbed me.

Looking into his background, I now have become alarmed and think all Americans should start to take a hard look at some of these people.

Do you think an elite socialist leaning intelligentsia in the white house, advising our president, represents your values?

I am afraid of people who believe so much in their "cause" or their "enlightened world view" that they trample on those around them to create their view of perfection.

It is a historical problem and having a strong two party system of checks and balances is supposed to protect us from tyranny and abuse.

Don't be fooled by wolves in sheeps clothing.

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

Hahahahaha. Damian666 actually signed up on June 6th of 2006. Now that's funny.

ksballen 3 years, 9 months ago

jayhawklawrence,

"Do you think an elite socialist leaning intelligentsia in the white house, advising our president, represents your values?"

I sure feel closer to that than the other "unelected" people advising Bush. Rove, Karen Hughes, Stephen Hadley, Joshua Bolten, they did not hold my values.

Your point would have made a lot more sense if you ragged on every president for their cronyism. Sour grapes. Do you TRULY believe in this day of mass media (most of the loudest controlled by the likes of O'Riley and Beck) that if there were such links to obvious perverters of American Values (whatever the hell those are anyway) they would not have been exposed in the election or subsequently? For gods sake the right won't even let the guy give a speech to school kids or believe he is even a citizen but they let some ultra left socialist conspiracy alone? Fear mongering at its worst, I pity people like you and what it must be like to live under a constant sense of FUD. Life is to short brother...

And unless you are being ironic in someway I have never heard it is Czar or the old school Tsar, jeez...

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

jayhawklawrence: I'm not sure I see anywhere in Smitty's post that targets you specifically. Plenty of people we're howling about socialists.

Deathpenaltyliberal: Man. A grammarian, two "But Bush's" and a fair share of histrionics. I'm not sure how much more fail you can fit into one post.

Mel Briscoe 3 years, 9 months ago

i actually thinks its pretty cute how most of the children who watched it commented "its the same stuff my parents have been telling me..."

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

It seems logicsound's post from yesterday is worth repeating:

"To be honest, I suspected a different personality entirely was behind LeaverDeaAsSlaef…

…but it's still too early to tell. If it's who I suspect, then it will go in stages:

Stage 1: Just Happy To Be Back -posting frequency: low -level of antagonism: mild

Stage 2: Testing The Waters -posting frequency: medium -level of antagonism: medium to strong

Stage 3: Full-on Psychotic -posting frequency: high; frenzied -level of antagonism: very strong; high sense of self-righteousness and intelligence

Stage 4: Crickets -posting frequency: page not found -level of antagonism: page not found"

We appear to be making the transition to stage 3

jayhawklawrence 3 years, 9 months ago

I think if you remembered my posts during the Bush Administration, you would know that I was very, very down on the Bush administration. I thought it was the worst presidency since Andrew Jackson and I was elated by the election of Obama.

I think he is a wonderfully talented young man and I love the guy. However, as you get older, you start to reflect on the times you trusted people too much or made foolish decisions and you start to appreciate that no one is perfect.

The knock on Obama has always been the people he has been associated with, not him personally. There is a big question mark on this.

I just want to caution people that blind faith is not an appropriate response to ANY politician and you should be cautious in allowing your dislike of the past administration or the current group of (buffoons) to cloud your judgement.

We are in dire need of talented young people to get involved in politics again.

smitty 3 years, 9 months ago

jayhawklawrence, your ego is out of control. You used my words to justify your rant.

So if I am not a conservative I'm a socialist? OK. Nothing to be ashamed of with that accusation whether or not there is any truth in it.

Personally, I have witnessed how the common person has been left out of the mix from the trickle down years of Reagan to present day.

roger_o_thornhill 3 years, 9 months ago

You know, I didn't believe all the talk about socialist indoctrination, but just this morning I saw a whole bunch of schoolkids in Mao suits walking, sullen and in single file, to the sugar cane plantations where they were all helping with the harvest...oh wait, I was suffering the same delusions as so very many of you all. Don't worry, your little kiddos will soon be 14 yr olds driving SUVs and running down bicyclists on the road because "bikes don't belong on the roads" and they are too busy texting their friends about which one of them has parents that have a rec. room in the basement and allow drinking as long as it is at home. Then they will grow up and be just like you. So don't worry!

tym4fun 3 years, 9 months ago

Did anyone see the workbook for after the speech? Strict indoctrination. This speech was toned waaaaay down from original intentions. Way to go moms who put their foot down.

crohan1978 3 years, 9 months ago

um, for those who say republicans did it and no one objected, that is baloney, because in 91, the democrat controlled congress ordered an all out investigation into Bush Sr speaking to the public school students.

Also, the outrage was regarding what was in the lesson plan given to teachers by the white house. After controversey broke out, they removed all teh controversal material from the lesson plan, so stop making this look like some right wing crazies complaining. The less plan included telling kids to go read books about Obama, go listen to previous speeches and pull quotes out of his speeches, tell the teachers how they could serve Obama, etc. Not serve your country, serve OBAMA!

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

Don't make claims unless you can back them up, Crohan. Your first is true, your second is quite questionable. Please give us the source of your knowledge.

sherbert 3 years, 9 months ago

I think the speech he ended up giving was fine. The original concern by many parents was that the white house said he was going to have the kids fill out a paper after wards telling what they could do to help him meet his goals. It was later changed to have them write a report about what they could do to reach their own goals. And also, yes, I did see something on the news last night about the huge protest the Dems made when George Bush senior made a speech to the school kids.

I_Bejewel 3 years, 9 months ago

I guess I've failed to understand what the big deal is. Yes, my son watched it in his class and I watched it at home. That way, I could have a conversation with him about it after school. I found it particularly useful to mention to him, "So, the president thinks you probably should spend less time on the X-Box". Oh, busted! You should have seen the look on his face.

smitty 3 years, 9 months ago

Very interestingly, homework assignment are the buzz words for many of Obama's presidency agendas.

Go ahead, google it.

The over use of the term, homework, on issues prior to this speech have presented an opportunistic phrase for the anti-Obama propaganda, that's all.

Strict indoctrination rhetoric is part of the conservative propaganda.

beatrice 3 years, 9 months ago

I_Bejewel, what the "big deal" is is that we are being shown exactly how radical and out of touch the far-right has become. They will say and do ridiculous things in order to convince themselves that Obama isn't an American, that he is a socialist, and that everything he says and does is wrong for our country. They are apparently working very, very hard to make the GOP a fringe political party. If they keep this kind of thing up, they will achieve their goal sooner than they hoped for.

smitty 3 years, 9 months ago

Here's is some homework for ya!

How much of that debt is attributable to the wars in the mid-east(based on false if not illegal means) or corporate welfare that just doesn't manage to trickle down?

jimmyjms 3 years, 9 months ago

"Yeah I mind, I don't want my children to be subjected to Obama's socialist propaganda. "

You're an idiot.

"Not serve your country, serve OBAMA!"

Except...it didn't say that at all. Try not to get all of your info from Glenn Beck.

jimmyjms 3 years, 9 months ago

"And also, yes, I did see something on the news last night about the huge protest the Dems made when George Bush senior made a speech to the school kids. "

That happened after the speech was given, and after HW used the speech to push his political agenda.

Those details matter.

M. Lindeman 3 years, 9 months ago

Valkyrie_of_Reason (Kathy Getto) says…

Didn't seem to be such a big issue when the sainted Ronnie Raygun and GW Bush Senior did it. No big deal.

rdragon writes: Did you forget that the Dems called for and had investigations on George H. Bush. They accused him of making a political infomercial when he addressed the schools. I truely believe the uproar over this one wasn't so much about POTUS speaking to the schools. It was the material that they originally wanted to include to the schools. Questioning what that is about, is a valid reason to question motives.

I think all Presidents should address our schools as long there goal, is to reinforce the importance of getting a good education. If any President try's to use it to push an political agenda, then we all should stand up and appose it.

georgiahawk 3 years, 9 months ago

Given the ignorance of the conservative base, educating the masses is political!

merrill 3 years, 9 months ago

This RINO party does bring pause when they are in the white house or traveling about with patterns such these in their history:

How in the world did 9/11/01 hijackers/terrorists get by Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice?

Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Rice dropped the ball in a very big way. Gen. Hayden of NSA knew the hijackers were living but a few blocks from his NSA headquarters yet never invited the FBI to pursue and provide ultimate security information. YES BUSHCO failed the American people. WHY did the headquarters for the nation's premier covert intelligence gathering organization fail the United States of America? The RINO repubs failed the nation!

Why did Bush/Cheney not resign?

The repub/neoconservative/PNAC party is largest law breaker in our nations history:

*Isn't it odd each time our nations financial institutions crumble there are Bush family near by and a McCain still in office?

*Who has history with financial institutions going south such as the savings and loan scandal? Republicans!

*About the Bush/Cheney/Greenspan/Bernake fraudulent home loan scandal: http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2009/0709macewan.html

*About the Bush/Reagan Savings and Loan Scandal(home loans) http://rationalrevolution0.tripod.com/war/bush_family_and_the_s.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0208-05.htm

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4120/we_arm_the_world/

*McCain: The Most Reprehensible of the Keating Five. The story of "the Keating Five" has become a scandal rivaling Teapot Dome and Watergate ... http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/1

*CRIME: Who hosted the Iran Contra secret illegal sale of weapons? Republicans! http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/publications/irancontra/irancon.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande08.html

*CRIME: Who brought the nation Iran Contra number 2? Republicans! http://www.democracynow.org/2008/3/5/iran_contra_20_how_the_bush

*CRIME: Which party illegally spied on the democrats to win an election? Republicans! Watergate! http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/index.html

*CRIME: Which party held secret energy meetings and refused our elected officials its' content and who attended? GW Bush and the republicans!

*CRIME: Which party lied to congress and the world,went against military advice and created the worst strategic blunder in the history of the USA aka Iraq War? Republican Party! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10348418/

*CRIME: Secret Oil deals for Iraq Oil- Republicans! http://www.pubrecord.org/nationworld/262.html?task=view

*CRIME AGAINST DEMOCRACY : PNAC's policy document, "Rebuilding America's Defences," openly advocates for total global military domination. Many PNAC members held highest-level positions in the George W. Bush administration. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Project_for_the_New_American_Century

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 3 years, 9 months ago

No, but I would mind Merril speaking to my kids about anything.

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

It wouldn't be that bad. He would just talk, no one would pay attention, then he'd give them 5x10^2 links that they wouldn't check. Business as usual.

smitty 3 years, 9 months ago

Affirmative action laws passed and there were immediately hiring freezes in jobs that previously hired men only. Thus I became the first female machinist at Boeing since of Rosey the riveter days. It was this law that gave us the 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling.

I became aware of affirmative actions political strength when I filed a case with EEO over harassment at the hands of IBM's male peers. It was after I found menstrual pads stuffed in my desk, on the shop bench where I repaired IBM equipment, in my mail box, etc. Last straw in a long line of events that led me to file a complaint with EEO.

When black, Asian, and/or female attorneys, all in the employ of IBM and the product of affirmative action entered the room I realized how ignorant I was to believe the equality rhetoric. It is a class situation that we are dealing with in affirmative action whether or not that was the intent. Women and blue collar employees still are at jeopardy.

I greatly respect President Obama and Mrs. Obama for their involvement in the class/economic disparagement. It is equality of treatment from our government that is in question here not socialism.

Is that enough homework for you today?

domino 3 years, 9 months ago

If my kids were still school age and the President would have been speaking at their school, you can bet they would have been there. It is probably a once in a lifetime chance to get to see this countries leader in person. I wouldn't consider pulling them out of the speach or keeping them home for the day. Anything such as this speach that might reach even 1 child to keep them in school is a good thing. And let me add, I did not vote for Obama and certainly do not agree with much of what he does or says. Had there been anything said during that speach that I felt needed to be addressed, I would have done so at home. I taught my kids not to just follow blindly - to ask questions and to come to informed conclusions. But you can be sure they would have been there!

beatrice 3 years, 9 months ago

According to the highly scientic poll by the LJWorld, 100 percent of the people on the street say they don't mind that the president dared to speak to students. Obviously then, there is no issue. Only those who stay in doors are the ones apparently complaining, and outside of internet comments, since when do we concern ourselves with the opinions of shut-ins?

The people on the street have spoken!

Satirical 3 years, 9 months ago

Our children need to learn that if there is anybody in this world they can trust, it is a politician!

I agree with blue73harley, but I would go even farther. I think it should be a daily tradition to have the students listen to the Obama. Politicians, always being the most noble, trustworthy, and altruistic amongst the population, should be given every opportunity to speak to our children.

They should be required to listen to Obama’s daily message right after they say the pledge of allegiance. They can then pledge how they can help Obama, and after that they can write a daily essay on how Obama inspires them. Just like the DOE supplemental material suggested. In fact, they should be required to have new text books, perhaps little red ones, which have Obama inspirational quotes to motivate them. Politicians are the people our children should be emulating, and the sooner they realize the better off our country will be.

Now that this new frontier has occurred, I question how children have been able to achieve anything without Obama’s guidance and inspiration encouraging them all to reach their zenith?

Because after all, we should teach our children that they should care more striving to do hard because a politician tells them to, rather than out of some self-delusional idea of bettering oneself and learning a marketable skill. The sooner they learn getting an education is about helping their country, more than helping themselves, the better off they and our country will be.

ms_canada 3 years, 9 months ago

b3 - just what part of the speech was socialist propaganda?

ms_canada 3 years, 9 months ago

the question of today needs no further comment from ms canada. I just hope the question on the street tomorrow is about the health care speech tonight. I just hope also that the details of his plan will be made clear. health care is of great concern to me. Oh, not that I am in much need of care. I am a very healthy senior citizen, sooooooo thankful to have the health care that we Canadians have.

Martini_Boy 3 years, 9 months ago

Remember Hitler liked talking to his youth, so do Al Queda, so it must be a good idea to get to them early.

llama726 3 years, 9 months ago

"All hail Obama…Yeah I mind, I don't want my children to be subjected to Obama's socialist propaganda. "

If anyone compares Hitler to Obama one more time, I'm going to politely ask them to go to the US Holocaust Museum and tell me how he is the same. He isn't. Stop it. You're taking all the credibility away from your argument.

"All hail Obama…Yeah I mind, I don't want my children to be subjected to Obama's socialist propaganda. "

The speech was about individual responsibility. Way to prove that you can't read 18 paragraphs and form an opinion.

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

With a name like Satirical, one might expect you to realize that satire only really works when it's loosely connected to some reality that might be called halfway sane. Unless you were satarizing right-wing buffoons, in which case it was just maybe a little ham-fisted. Still, that's not your usual target, so I'm left to doubt a little. . . .

beatrice 3 years, 9 months ago

LeaverDea is absolutely Oeralinda/Invictus/last name he used / a big fat racist who needs to be removed ... again. It is obvious who he is already. Flush this racist once and for all, as he deserves nothing better.

jonas_opines 3 years, 9 months ago

Which proves what?

Satirical 3 years, 9 months ago

It proves hypocrisy.

jayhawklawrence 3 years, 9 months ago

Thank you for correcting my spelling. Czar.

I will remember that.

If no one is alarmed by the appointment of a union lawyer with a socialist leaning background as the "Manufacturing Czar"...than I guess I will have to stop trying to explain it.

But Lawrence never was a manufacturing town. That's part of our problem.

Have a nice day.

booyalab 3 years, 9 months ago

It's not ok when a president of either party does it. It reeks of a highly centralized governing authority, aka fascism.

EmJones 3 years, 9 months ago

I feel extremely lucky to have a president who wants to make a difference by encouraging our nation's youth to do the best they can. I cannot imagine how anyone would object to that, unless they are simply against everything this president does because they want to see him fail for their own partisan reasons - never mind the cost to the country.

c_doc77 3 years, 9 months ago

booyalab nailed it. Its just bad. I don't care who does it. If they had done it in my daughter's class, I would not have removed her from class. I would have used it as a teaching opportunity for her, but I can see why some parents wanted nothing to do with it.

Here is the problem from a parental perspective. There is a philosophy within public education that the "family has failed" and therefore it is the function of public schools to compensate for the failure of the family unit. This is evident by the fact that schools have taken the responsibility to teach kids about sex, something that traditionally was learned from parents. Essentially, the school system looks at social problems and determines that those ills can be cured and should be cured by the public school system; both of these ideas are severely flawed.

At any rate, the president's speech takes things a step further. If you are not disciplined enough to do well in school, are talking back to your teacher, or whatever, the government sees this as a failure of "society"; in other words, a failure of the family unit. So who ya gonna call? Ghost busters? No, Big Brother of course. And so you bypass parental authority by speaking directly to kids, and of course the president and his Chief of Staff have both expressed a desire to start compulsory national service. So this is undoubtedly preparation toward that collectivist goal. You have to get people when they are young if you are actually going to program for something like this. Emanuel even wrote a book about it, called "The Plan: Big Ideas for America." And yeah, the president gave a speech that hardly anyone would disagree with in content, but watch and see whether the propaganda becomes more pronounced over time.