Just remember I may not agree with what your saying, but, I will defend your right to say it with my life if necessary.

This man has barely gotten his foot in the door so to speak and people are criticizing his every breath.

Health care reform will never become a reality in this county until we stop looking at it as a for profit model. Of course the powers that be insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies have seen to that. I pray that health care reform comes to pass because the current system for many many hard working Americans does not work and indeed is allowing people to go uninsured for pre-existing conditions and to be denied treatments for other conditions. It’s evil it’s not right. And it is not going to get cheaper as more and more companies do all they can to not provide it. It is unaffordable for the majority of businesses and individuals.

I’d like to see all the people who complain about this to see what they would think about ending medicare and the VA programs…They should be all for it based on their fear of
“socialized government health care”.

The fact that the at least the last 4 President’s have given speeches to school children with little or no controversy speaks volumes. The President has 2 school age children himself. I think the lack of respect shown to President Obama is disgusting and a very sad commentary on a very vocal minority in this country.

He mentions that “we” have six goals. Is that “we” himself plus the kids right there? Or is it himself and a bunch of grown-ups not in the room? I’m not sure the kids would assume the latter.

As Bush lists the goals, he fails to preface each with something like, “our fifth goal is…” Because all the goals are basically some form of, “people should be moar smart,” it’s not clear when he’s elaborating one goal verses naming the next goal. This induces confusion that makes it hard to remember what he said. It also induces insomnia.

Bush’s affect seemed weird to me. The boringly obvious was stated with passion –e.g., “kids need to start school ready to learn.” His manner suggested that he’s exhorting the audience to *do* something. But he’s talking about things he wants adults to do. His “we need to” speaks to an adult audience involved in executing policy. As a kid there, I’d get the “is he talking to me?” feeling.

Kids generally become eager to please when confronted with such WTF? moments. When lost in the social game, they revert to a warmer-colder strategy in hopes of figuring out what’s going on.

If I were teaching this class, I’d be tempted to interrupt the president to ask a few questions, hoping that Bush would shift his style to something more interactive and age appropriate.

Using students as props is all fine and good, I suppose, provided they’re in on the game. Nothing in that excerpt reassured me that the kids saw the event as “for TV, no like a real class activity.”

Civil discourse has a few rules. Here’s one: ideas must stand or fall on their own merits regardless of who puts those ideas forward.

Obama hasn’t released his speech yet. Clearly, opposition to the speech has little to do with its content. People are saying he’s a bad man, basically, so we shouldn’t listen to him. This is argumentum ad hominem.

Another rule: any right you claim for yourself you extend to everyone else. If it’s okay for you to suppress a speech to school children by an elected official simply because you don’t like that official, it’s okay for others to do the same.

Imagine a future where children are sheltered from all political discussions in a public forum. No more talks in school auditoriums from mayors, governors, chiefs of police, senators. How will kids learn the ways that adults sort their political disagreements in a peaceful manner? How will they learn the rules of civil debate? All they’ll know is that the US has two tribes which cannot meet in the same room, else people’s heads will asplode.

Tribalism is the death of genuine democracy. Give a tribal society the right to vote, and they vote away their rights in favor of a strong-man.

As for turning people away due to inability to pay, that only applies in immediately life-threatening situations; i.e., the ER. Nowhere else.

And if you actually pay any attention to economics instead of Fox News talking heads, you’d discover that what the current downturn in the economy correlates with is the collapse of corporate lending reserves. Without the ability to borrow, businesses cut back on discretionary spending. When enough of them do it, production as a whole falls. It has everything to do with idiotic mortgage derivatives and nothing to do with the election.

Actually, it isn’t. Communism isn’t specifically about freedom (in the sense you mean it, i.e., freedom from the government). Communism is a socialistic philosophy but it is also the idea that you can’t have incremental change because incremental positive change is always cooped by the powers that be (which are usually capitalistic). Therefore only revolutionary change works.

I like the link between Obama and FDR. Apt. Both have beliefs that are somewhat idealistic but I think much more pragmatic than you suggest. FDR’s objectives were largely achieved, and Obama’s will be as well should he be let to live long enough by the right wing.

Acts 2:41-47 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; AND SOLD THEIR POSSESSIONS AND GOODS, AND PARTED THEM TO ALL MEN AS EVERY MAN HAD NEED. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The current mess as you called it has a strange correlation in time to the election and the threat of higher taxes. Higher taxes which our Presient all but promised on numerous occasions. And I retract my earlier statement about Mr. Jones. I have been camping most of the weekend and hadn’t realized he had resigned.This has been an interesting conversation StephanieZ.I enjoyed it. Good Night.

The big difference is that in Canada, everybody gets to experience these frustrations because they’re all insured and it costs them a hell of a lot less.