Hmmmm......
A wide open opportunity here to wonder out loud if the Almighty really wasn't interested in what President Obama had to say on Memorial Day, so he sent an "interruption" to Chicagoland today......
Talk amongst yourselves......
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Obama loves the press?
Think again.
Dana Milbank at the Washington Post with some thought-provoking commentary on this nuclear meeting farce that's been going on in DC, with Obama "in control".
Honest. Just ask the press. Who saw almost none of it.
Click HERE.
Dana Milbank at the Washington Post with some thought-provoking commentary on this nuclear meeting farce that's been going on in DC, with Obama "in control".
Honest. Just ask the press. Who saw almost none of it.
Click HERE.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Rob on education, politics, and the whole Obama speech thingy.......
Lots of comments regarding my Facebook and Blogger postings of a couple of days back regarding my deep concern over the plans to show all students a speech by the President this Tuesday. I even saw a comment that led me to believe some may believe me to be a racist over all this. Can I first say that I could care less if our President is purple, green, or blue? I look at substance.
And thus the reason for this post. For those of you who think this is a knee-jerk reaction on my part, I present to you a history lesson.
----From the moment I stepped foot into Longdale Elementary School in August, 1997 to meet my son's Kindergarten teacher, I have been very, very involved in my childrens' education. I've been proud to be a Co-Class Mom, a Class Mom, then eventually a Vice-President and two-time President of the school's PTA and one-term President as the school's PTO. I loved every minute I spent at school with my kids, their friends, their teachers and the rest of the staff. My FAVORITE part would be when kids would see me in the hallway and greet me with either "Hi Robbie's Dad!" or "Hi Rachel's Dad!". That was THE BEST. :)
Let me take you back several years to my two years as PTA President at Longdale. Upon doing much studying and observing of the PTA on a local, state, and national level, I became extremely uncomfortable with the tenets of that organization. Though some of the "reasons" given for their hearty lobbying efforts "on behalf of education" seemed innocuous enough, further review revealed a definite bias toward one political ideology over another.
Whenever you begin to involve yourself in politics, you immediately, as an Association, should go under the microscope to be scrutinized as to what said group does with their dues, donations, etc. And, too many times, PTA monies, mostly on the National level, were being used in ways where it was abundantly clear who the PTA was comfortable associating with politically, and who did clearly did not care for.
This led me to study the then-growing movement of schools nationwide leaving the PTA in favor of PTO's, which are "Parent-Teacher Organizations", and concentrate their efforts on the local school. Period. If they choose to partner with other schools in their district, or county, or across the country, they could, but they were not forced to do so, as is done via the National PTA with mandatory dues.
Each year, Longdale families were giving more than $1,000 to the National and State PTA and essentially getting nothing in return except the "privilege" of calling themselves a PTA. Want "leadership training"? That's more $$ and a trip out of town for a weekend. I always wondered why a non-profit group would pay good money to send willing "leaders" to a "leadership conference". Isn't that something that could be done on the local or area level for free, thanks to the expertise of all the volunteers in said local or area group?
Somehow, I never thought their members magazine was worth the $1,000 plus dollars.
Well, the year I was NOT part of the PTA Executive Board, the wheels were put in motion to leave the PTA and re-form our parent group as a PTO.
What did the PTA do?
Per bylaws, we had a meeting where they sent a representative to speak to the membership to implore them not to leave, which was perfectly fine. Per bylaws, if we voted to leave, any monies that were raised as a PTA would go......to the State and National PTA.
And not to the children.
You would think the PTA people would want the money to go to help the children of the school, but I digress......
Long story short, we left the PTA for the non-political PTO, which is, by the way, NOT an "National" organization. There is no such thing as a "National PTO". Any dues you collect as a PTO stay at the school. Heck, you don't even have to CHARGE for membership, if you don't want to!
THE PTA RESPONSE:
1) They always paint PTO's and other type groups that are not associated with them "fundraising groups for schools". This is their "slime tactic" against anyone not aligned with them. Remember, for each school that there is no PTA, that's hundreds of kids and thousands of adults that do not receive their money (dues), hear their politically slanted message and less numbers they can add to their "total membership" tout of clout at State Capitals and on Capitol Hill.
Truth be told, even though the PTA's say they have a "3 to 1 ratio rule" of projects to fundraisers, you don't get flyers and handouts the first week of school about the latest PTA projects. You get hit with a huge fundraiser. PTO's can do as many projects as they want and as many or few fundraisers as necessary, all based on what's best for the school and THE KIDS. Gee, what a novel concept.
2) We were the first school in Henrico County to leave the PTA. The rest of the PTA's then, in essence, shunned us. How hard would it be for a County body to change their name from "County Council of PTAs" to "County Council of PTAs and PTOs"? That didn't happen. Nor were we included at the beginning in any activities. Our school's voice was silenced....by them, not us.
3) In 2004, when Longdale families constituted a majority of new parents and students at the then-new Greenwood Elementary School, we simply asked the new principal that, since groups from three different schools were coming together to start the new school, that both the PTA and PTO option be presented to the parents and let them decide how to organize the group at Greenwood.
The PTAers hated that idea. We had a meeting, though. The PTA representative attempted to grandstand and take the entire alloted hour of speaking, knowing the hall was being used by another group later and that we'd have to vacate. My wife had to go find the principal, who had left the room, to come back in and basically shut him up.
The parents voted to form a PTO. At the first meeting of parents interested in wanting to form it, a group of PTA supporters came and effectively staged a coup d'etat. How did they eventually win?
A formation committee packed with Pro-PTA'ers botched up (on purpose, I suspect?) the formation process to the point where they then later came back and convinced enough people that the ONLY way to get the group going was to form as a PTA so the PTA could help them.
For example, they said it would cost thousands to lawyers to form the PTO. Lie. We did it at Longdale for free.
It went on and on and on. For months.
Almost AN ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR went by, and these people were perfectly content to waste all this time where THE STUDENTS could be benefiting, simply to get their way.
--------------------------
When people are motivated by politics, it's amazing how many of them make decisions and do things which actually go against what they claim their core beliefs are. For example, if you are "only looking out for the children", why spend so much money that could be used in the classroom strengthening an association whose existence has already been proven to be not necessary?
Did you know around 3 out of every 4 "parent-teacher" groups in America are NOT PTA's?
No wonder they're going nuts! Where will they get the money to "promote their cause"? Dry up the dues and you're in trouble.
-------------------------
Why did I and do I support PTOs? One big reason is that they are NON-POLITICAL.
Public school classrooms, the students, and their lesson plans should never be used for any political purpose. Period. On either side.
And that brings us to President Obama's speech on Tuesday.
The fact that he wants to speak to the nation's schoolchildren is not the big issue here.
The big issue is THE PLANS SURROUNDING AND FOLLOWING UP THE SPEECH. You know, the ones I highlighted on this blog the other day. The ones which want students to focus on "what the President wants" throughout the entire school year. The ones which didn't focus on children achieving their best in educational endeavors or on what we can do to be better citizens and help our country and our neighbors......
Obama's speech will be very innocuous, I'm sure. Even moreso now that people like me have blown the whistle on all this.
Friends, all politicians present their messages through a uniquely defined political prism. This goes against my "non-political" stance of what life should be like in the Pre-K through 12 classrooms of this nation. They can't help it, whether from the right or the left.
POINTS TO PONDER:
1) How can the same Administration, who cannot even pay car dealerships for their "clunkers" in the Cash For Clunkers program even after tripling their workforce to get the paperwork processed, somehow masterfully pull off sending lesson plans for a year-long project to every classroom in some 100,000 schools with nary a whisper to the public who pays for those schools? When an Administration can administer some things better than others, one begins to wonder what priorities cause the success and failure....
2) WHY has the White House now spent MORE taxpayer money to REVISE the lesson plans to take the focus more away from the President??? Was it just an "oversight" of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his gang, just thinking that citizens would assume "following a President" meant "following a nation"? Heh. Think again. We caught them red-handed. If these lesson plans were so innocuous, THEY WOULDN'T BE REVISING THEM, now would they?
3) Guilt by association. In its short history, the Obama Administration has placed itself in a position by which doing this very exercise guaranteed the grassroots response.
--Appointing more "czars" with no Congressional oversight than any other President
--Trying to ram through Health Care Reform before August, before there could be discussion.
--The stimulus package that HAD to go through or we would be in a Depression.
Once a group plays "ramrod" with the American people for awhile, the people awaken and say enough. And thus, they begin to question everything they do. Why? Because past history indicates questioning is a GOOD thing to do.
The latest indication? Van Jones, the President's "Green Jobs" czar. According to Van's own words, I'm a white polluter, an "a**hole" (even though I'm an independent and NOT a Republican) and I live in a country where the last Presidential Administration colluded to kill 3,000 Americans eight years ago on 9/11.
I rest my case.
-------------------------------------------------------
In closing.......
1) I want no publicly elected official having the control of speaking to all of the nation's children without first announcing such intentions to the entire nation. Schools are for LEARNING. Learning about politics in schools belongs in Social Studies, US History, and US Government classes. I wouldn't want kindergarteners asking themselves "What Would Reagan Do?" any more than "What Would Obama Do?" I should have found out about this speech from news reports straight from the White House and not from the Drudge Report and radio talkers.
2) What would liberals be saying today if George W. Bush had created "lesson plans" to give to the nation's children so they could wonder "What does George W. Bush want me to do today"? Remember just a couple of years ago when some liberals were demanding that President Bush's pictures be taken down from public school walls?
3) Our society is in grave danger due to stupidity. You read me right. You can't read a chyron graphic on CNN, Fox, or another news or sports channel these days without seeing MULTIPLE misspellings. Adults can't name the 50 states, their Senators, or how many Justices are on the Supreme Court. How many kids don't know their times tables, 0X0 through 12X12, by heart? How many kids have to learn the Gettysburg Address by heart?
May the President's speech be short and full of direction sending all American children to their textbooks, so we can get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic.
As opposed to "What does (insert any political leader name here) want me to do??"
And thus the reason for this post. For those of you who think this is a knee-jerk reaction on my part, I present to you a history lesson.
----From the moment I stepped foot into Longdale Elementary School in August, 1997 to meet my son's Kindergarten teacher, I have been very, very involved in my childrens' education. I've been proud to be a Co-Class Mom, a Class Mom, then eventually a Vice-President and two-time President of the school's PTA and one-term President as the school's PTO. I loved every minute I spent at school with my kids, their friends, their teachers and the rest of the staff. My FAVORITE part would be when kids would see me in the hallway and greet me with either "Hi Robbie's Dad!" or "Hi Rachel's Dad!". That was THE BEST. :)
Let me take you back several years to my two years as PTA President at Longdale. Upon doing much studying and observing of the PTA on a local, state, and national level, I became extremely uncomfortable with the tenets of that organization. Though some of the "reasons" given for their hearty lobbying efforts "on behalf of education" seemed innocuous enough, further review revealed a definite bias toward one political ideology over another.
Whenever you begin to involve yourself in politics, you immediately, as an Association, should go under the microscope to be scrutinized as to what said group does with their dues, donations, etc. And, too many times, PTA monies, mostly on the National level, were being used in ways where it was abundantly clear who the PTA was comfortable associating with politically, and who did clearly did not care for.
This led me to study the then-growing movement of schools nationwide leaving the PTA in favor of PTO's, which are "Parent-Teacher Organizations", and concentrate their efforts on the local school. Period. If they choose to partner with other schools in their district, or county, or across the country, they could, but they were not forced to do so, as is done via the National PTA with mandatory dues.
Each year, Longdale families were giving more than $1,000 to the National and State PTA and essentially getting nothing in return except the "privilege" of calling themselves a PTA. Want "leadership training"? That's more $$ and a trip out of town for a weekend. I always wondered why a non-profit group would pay good money to send willing "leaders" to a "leadership conference". Isn't that something that could be done on the local or area level for free, thanks to the expertise of all the volunteers in said local or area group?
Somehow, I never thought their members magazine was worth the $1,000 plus dollars.
Well, the year I was NOT part of the PTA Executive Board, the wheels were put in motion to leave the PTA and re-form our parent group as a PTO.
What did the PTA do?
Per bylaws, we had a meeting where they sent a representative to speak to the membership to implore them not to leave, which was perfectly fine. Per bylaws, if we voted to leave, any monies that were raised as a PTA would go......to the State and National PTA.
And not to the children.
You would think the PTA people would want the money to go to help the children of the school, but I digress......
Long story short, we left the PTA for the non-political PTO, which is, by the way, NOT an "National" organization. There is no such thing as a "National PTO". Any dues you collect as a PTO stay at the school. Heck, you don't even have to CHARGE for membership, if you don't want to!
THE PTA RESPONSE:
1) They always paint PTO's and other type groups that are not associated with them "fundraising groups for schools". This is their "slime tactic" against anyone not aligned with them. Remember, for each school that there is no PTA, that's hundreds of kids and thousands of adults that do not receive their money (dues), hear their politically slanted message and less numbers they can add to their "total membership" tout of clout at State Capitals and on Capitol Hill.
Truth be told, even though the PTA's say they have a "3 to 1 ratio rule" of projects to fundraisers, you don't get flyers and handouts the first week of school about the latest PTA projects. You get hit with a huge fundraiser. PTO's can do as many projects as they want and as many or few fundraisers as necessary, all based on what's best for the school and THE KIDS. Gee, what a novel concept.
2) We were the first school in Henrico County to leave the PTA. The rest of the PTA's then, in essence, shunned us. How hard would it be for a County body to change their name from "County Council of PTAs" to "County Council of PTAs and PTOs"? That didn't happen. Nor were we included at the beginning in any activities. Our school's voice was silenced....by them, not us.
3) In 2004, when Longdale families constituted a majority of new parents and students at the then-new Greenwood Elementary School, we simply asked the new principal that, since groups from three different schools were coming together to start the new school, that both the PTA and PTO option be presented to the parents and let them decide how to organize the group at Greenwood.
The PTAers hated that idea. We had a meeting, though. The PTA representative attempted to grandstand and take the entire alloted hour of speaking, knowing the hall was being used by another group later and that we'd have to vacate. My wife had to go find the principal, who had left the room, to come back in and basically shut him up.
The parents voted to form a PTO. At the first meeting of parents interested in wanting to form it, a group of PTA supporters came and effectively staged a coup d'etat. How did they eventually win?
A formation committee packed with Pro-PTA'ers botched up (on purpose, I suspect?) the formation process to the point where they then later came back and convinced enough people that the ONLY way to get the group going was to form as a PTA so the PTA could help them.
For example, they said it would cost thousands to lawyers to form the PTO. Lie. We did it at Longdale for free.
It went on and on and on. For months.
Almost AN ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR went by, and these people were perfectly content to waste all this time where THE STUDENTS could be benefiting, simply to get their way.
--------------------------
When people are motivated by politics, it's amazing how many of them make decisions and do things which actually go against what they claim their core beliefs are. For example, if you are "only looking out for the children", why spend so much money that could be used in the classroom strengthening an association whose existence has already been proven to be not necessary?
Did you know around 3 out of every 4 "parent-teacher" groups in America are NOT PTA's?
No wonder they're going nuts! Where will they get the money to "promote their cause"? Dry up the dues and you're in trouble.
-------------------------
Why did I and do I support PTOs? One big reason is that they are NON-POLITICAL.
Public school classrooms, the students, and their lesson plans should never be used for any political purpose. Period. On either side.
And that brings us to President Obama's speech on Tuesday.
The fact that he wants to speak to the nation's schoolchildren is not the big issue here.
The big issue is THE PLANS SURROUNDING AND FOLLOWING UP THE SPEECH. You know, the ones I highlighted on this blog the other day. The ones which want students to focus on "what the President wants" throughout the entire school year. The ones which didn't focus on children achieving their best in educational endeavors or on what we can do to be better citizens and help our country and our neighbors......
Obama's speech will be very innocuous, I'm sure. Even moreso now that people like me have blown the whistle on all this.
Friends, all politicians present their messages through a uniquely defined political prism. This goes against my "non-political" stance of what life should be like in the Pre-K through 12 classrooms of this nation. They can't help it, whether from the right or the left.
POINTS TO PONDER:
1) How can the same Administration, who cannot even pay car dealerships for their "clunkers" in the Cash For Clunkers program even after tripling their workforce to get the paperwork processed, somehow masterfully pull off sending lesson plans for a year-long project to every classroom in some 100,000 schools with nary a whisper to the public who pays for those schools? When an Administration can administer some things better than others, one begins to wonder what priorities cause the success and failure....
2) WHY has the White House now spent MORE taxpayer money to REVISE the lesson plans to take the focus more away from the President??? Was it just an "oversight" of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and his gang, just thinking that citizens would assume "following a President" meant "following a nation"? Heh. Think again. We caught them red-handed. If these lesson plans were so innocuous, THEY WOULDN'T BE REVISING THEM, now would they?
3) Guilt by association. In its short history, the Obama Administration has placed itself in a position by which doing this very exercise guaranteed the grassroots response.
--Appointing more "czars" with no Congressional oversight than any other President
--Trying to ram through Health Care Reform before August, before there could be discussion.
--The stimulus package that HAD to go through or we would be in a Depression.
Once a group plays "ramrod" with the American people for awhile, the people awaken and say enough. And thus, they begin to question everything they do. Why? Because past history indicates questioning is a GOOD thing to do.
The latest indication? Van Jones, the President's "Green Jobs" czar. According to Van's own words, I'm a white polluter, an "a**hole" (even though I'm an independent and NOT a Republican) and I live in a country where the last Presidential Administration colluded to kill 3,000 Americans eight years ago on 9/11.
I rest my case.
-------------------------------------------------------
In closing.......
1) I want no publicly elected official having the control of speaking to all of the nation's children without first announcing such intentions to the entire nation. Schools are for LEARNING. Learning about politics in schools belongs in Social Studies, US History, and US Government classes. I wouldn't want kindergarteners asking themselves "What Would Reagan Do?" any more than "What Would Obama Do?" I should have found out about this speech from news reports straight from the White House and not from the Drudge Report and radio talkers.
2) What would liberals be saying today if George W. Bush had created "lesson plans" to give to the nation's children so they could wonder "What does George W. Bush want me to do today"? Remember just a couple of years ago when some liberals were demanding that President Bush's pictures be taken down from public school walls?
3) Our society is in grave danger due to stupidity. You read me right. You can't read a chyron graphic on CNN, Fox, or another news or sports channel these days without seeing MULTIPLE misspellings. Adults can't name the 50 states, their Senators, or how many Justices are on the Supreme Court. How many kids don't know their times tables, 0X0 through 12X12, by heart? How many kids have to learn the Gettysburg Address by heart?
May the President's speech be short and full of direction sending all American children to their textbooks, so we can get back to reading, writing, and arithmetic.
As opposed to "What does (insert any political leader name here) want me to do??"
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
What The???????-----Obama speaks to captive audience......
Here it is, friends. The outline that will grace America's classrooms THIS TUESDAY before Dear Leader "speaks" to OUR children----without our permission.
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be President?
To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?
What do you think he will say to you?
• Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.
• Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech:
• As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
What is the President trying to tell me?
What is the President asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?
• Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
• Students can record any questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
After the Speech:
• Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.
• Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the President wants us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
What would you like to tell the President?
• Teachers could encourage students to participate in the Department of Education’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest. On September 8th the Department will invite K-12 students to submit a video no longer than 2 min, explaining why education is important and how their education will help them achieve their dreams. Teachers are welcome to incorporate the same or a similar video project into an assignment. More details will be released via www.ed.gov.
Extension of the Speech: Teachers can extend learning by having students
• Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants or puzzle pieces or trails marked with the labels: personal, academic, community, country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in those areas. It might make sense to focus on personal and academic so community and country goals come more readily.
• Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.
• Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.
• Interview and share about their goals with one another to create a supportive community.
• Participate in School wide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.
• Write about their goals in a variety of genres, i.e. poems, songs, personal essays.
• Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
• Graph student progress toward goals.
NOTE how many times the kids are asked to focus on THE PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!
As opposed to THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!
This is sick.
PreK-6 Menu of Classroom Activities: President Obama’s Address to Students Across America
Produced by Teaching Ambassador Fellows, U.S. Department of Education
September 8, 2009
Before the Speech:
• Teachers can build background knowledge about the President of the United States and his speech by reading books about presidents and Barack Obama and motivate students by asking the following questions:
Who is the President of the United States?
What do you think it takes to be President?
To whom do you think the President is going to be speaking?
Why do you think he wants to speak to you?
What do you think he will say to you?
• Teachers can ask students to imagine being the President delivering a speech to all of the students in the United States. What would you tell students? What can students do to help in our schools? Teachers can chart ideas about what they would say.
• Why is it important that we listen to the President and other elected officials, like the mayor, senators, members of congress, or the governor? Why is what they say important?
During the Speech:
• As the President speaks, teachers can ask students to write down key ideas or phrases that are important or personally meaningful. Students could use a note-taking graphic organizer such as a Cluster Web, or students could record their thoughts on sticky notes. Younger children can draw pictures and write as appropriate. As students listen to the speech, they could think about the following:
What is the President trying to tell me?
What is the President asking me to do?
What new ideas and actions is the President challenging me to think about?
• Students can record important parts of the speech where the President is asking them to do something. Students might think about: What specific job is he asking me to do? Is he asking anything of anyone else? Teachers? Principals? Parents? The American people?
• Students can record any questions they have while he is speaking and then discuss them after the speech. Younger children may need to dictate their questions.
After the Speech:
• Teachers could ask students to share the ideas they recorded, exchange sticky notes or stick notes on a butcher paper poster in the classroom to discuss main ideas from the speech, i.e. citizenship, personal responsibility, civic duty.
• Students could discuss their responses to the following questions:
What do you think the President wants us to do?
Does the speech make you want to do anything?
Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us?
What would you like to tell the President?
• Teachers could encourage students to participate in the Department of Education’s “I Am What I Learn” video contest. On September 8th the Department will invite K-12 students to submit a video no longer than 2 min, explaining why education is important and how their education will help them achieve their dreams. Teachers are welcome to incorporate the same or a similar video project into an assignment. More details will be released via www.ed.gov.
Extension of the Speech: Teachers can extend learning by having students
• Create posters of their goals. Posters could be formatted in quadrants or puzzle pieces or trails marked with the labels: personal, academic, community, country. Each area could be labeled with three steps for achieving goals in those areas. It might make sense to focus on personal and academic so community and country goals come more readily.
• Write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president. These would be collected and redistributed at an appropriate later date by the teacher to make students accountable to their goals.
• Write goals on colored index cards or precut designs to post around the classroom.
• Interview and share about their goals with one another to create a supportive community.
• Participate in School wide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.
• Write about their goals in a variety of genres, i.e. poems, songs, personal essays.
• Create artistic projects based on the themes of their goals.
• Graph student progress toward goals.
NOTE how many times the kids are asked to focus on THE PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!
As opposed to THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!
This is sick.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Oh, great......
From one of my FAVE bloggers, Chickaboomer......
You gotta check out the goods on Mark Lloyd, the choice for "FCC Diversity Czar".
Add this to the news breaking today that Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, West Va) has been working for months on a bill to give the White House emergency powers over PRIVATE internet sources in "an emergency".
Get the dissenters off radio, off TV, and off the Internet? Sure seems like a growing foundation to attempt it to me.
You gotta check out the goods on Mark Lloyd, the choice for "FCC Diversity Czar".
Add this to the news breaking today that Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, West Va) has been working for months on a bill to give the White House emergency powers over PRIVATE internet sources in "an emergency".
Get the dissenters off radio, off TV, and off the Internet? Sure seems like a growing foundation to attempt it to me.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Giving new meaning to "missing a 'head' line".....
This post isn't about the 2nd Amendment, or about those who, for whatever reason, choose to show up outside Presidential appearances packing heat.
It is, however, about a "news organization" conveniently editing a very important portion of a story concerning the above subjects so as not to allow the facts to get in the way of their agenda.
MSNBC's logic is:
1) President is black.
2) Man shows up outside Presidential appearance with rifle and gun.
3) Man says he did it, "because he can".
4) Man is racist.
But, notice in the video clip, MSNBC only shows you the middle of the man packing heat, then switches to video of AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PERSON being interviewed by someone.
That someone with all the bullets? He's black.
Click on the blog title.
It is, however, about a "news organization" conveniently editing a very important portion of a story concerning the above subjects so as not to allow the facts to get in the way of their agenda.
MSNBC's logic is:
1) President is black.
2) Man shows up outside Presidential appearance with rifle and gun.
3) Man says he did it, "because he can".
4) Man is racist.
But, notice in the video clip, MSNBC only shows you the middle of the man packing heat, then switches to video of AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PERSON being interviewed by someone.
That someone with all the bullets? He's black.
Click on the blog title.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Obama: Top Income Earners are just Lucky
Obama: Top Income Earners are just Lucky
Posted using ShareThis
Whatever happened to 18 hour days, hard work, and "my father built this business after immigrating from (insert name of country here)"???
Posted using ShareThis
Whatever happened to 18 hour days, hard work, and "my father built this business after immigrating from (insert name of country here)"???
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Page 16: Government ends private health care
No...the Federal Government doesn't want control over your life. No way!
Ahem.
The Libs in Congress, I would've thought, would have tried to bury this provision a little deeper than just PAGE 16 of the 1,018 page Obama Death Care Bill.
It just proves they think you and I are robot morons who will do whatever they want you to. I can hear Nancy Pelosi now....
"They're so busy wagging teabags and listening to talk radio, they won't make it to page 16."
Investors Business Daily has. Click the title for the truth on death care.
Ahem.
The Libs in Congress, I would've thought, would have tried to bury this provision a little deeper than just PAGE 16 of the 1,018 page Obama Death Care Bill.
It just proves they think you and I are robot morons who will do whatever they want you to. I can hear Nancy Pelosi now....
"They're so busy wagging teabags and listening to talk radio, they won't make it to page 16."
Investors Business Daily has. Click the title for the truth on death care.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
That great thumping sound you heard underneath your feet early this morning.....
Was our 44th President pounding away again at America's foundation and greatness.
Click the title to read Monica Crowley's latest blog entry that focuses on the one statement the President made today that really stood out with me.
It's so nice to know our President doesn't think we're any better than the British, or the Mexicans, or the Iranians, or the........
Click the title to read Monica Crowley's latest blog entry that focuses on the one statement the President made today that really stood out with me.
It's so nice to know our President doesn't think we're any better than the British, or the Mexicans, or the Iranians, or the........
Sunday, May 31, 2009
questions while thinking out loud......
1) As of tomorrow morning, the Federal Government will become the majority owner of two of the "Big Three" automakers. Now you know why Ford rejected bailout money and chose to go its own way. I've heard the Government's involvement in GM ownership could be, at a minimum, five years. I thought the President said he didn't have time to run car companies.
2) The liberals and Dems used to scream to high heaven when President Bush went to Crawford, Texas. You know....."HOW DARE HE take a vacation when our troops are in harm's way!!!"
But apparently it's okay by them for President Obama to golf on Memorial Day (after the Arlington ceremony), then spend five figures in taxpayer money to "take Michelle on a date" to the Big Apple last night.
3) Companies continue to file for bankruptcy, and the monthly unemployment rate continues to climb and climb, with some experts expecting it to top 10% before the worst is over in this recession.
--When's the stimulus package gonna kick in??
--When does Obama begin to accept blame for rising unemployment rates, rather than saying they were "inherited"?
--When Joe Blow's road work job, provided for by stimulus money, is done and there's no more stimulus money, where does Joe Blow report for work the following Monday?
4) Why does the world care as much about Susan Boyle as they do Kim Jong-Il?
5) President Obama said he would meet with the President of Iran with no preconditions. Now said Iranian President wants to debate Obama at the UN. Was this Obama's idea during the campaign, or did the bearded guy get another one over on him politically?
6) Would anyone in the world watch Hugo Chavez on a four-day TV-thon if you, well, weren't forced to by his minions?
7) The Detroit Red Wings-----are they man or machine? Aren't half their players over 50 already? And they're still winning??
8) Me thinks Lebron James thought he was on cruise control to an NBA title. After losing last night, his season over, he left the arena in Orlando without going to the post-game press conference and without shaking hands with the Magic on the court after the game. Poor sportsmanship. Hopefully he will learn from this, because me also thinks he'll be close to another title shot again soon.
9) My Denver Nuggets and Carolina Hurricanes both fell a series short of their goals of the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, respectively. My hats off to them, though, as the Nuggets hadn't been that deep in the NBA playoffs in 24 years and the Hurricanes had a coaching change in mid-season and didn't look like a playoff team.
10) Oh, and they're FINALLY playing the feud in the Stanley Cup Final!!!
Good night. :)
2) The liberals and Dems used to scream to high heaven when President Bush went to Crawford, Texas. You know....."HOW DARE HE take a vacation when our troops are in harm's way!!!"
But apparently it's okay by them for President Obama to golf on Memorial Day (after the Arlington ceremony), then spend five figures in taxpayer money to "take Michelle on a date" to the Big Apple last night.
3) Companies continue to file for bankruptcy, and the monthly unemployment rate continues to climb and climb, with some experts expecting it to top 10% before the worst is over in this recession.
--When's the stimulus package gonna kick in??
--When does Obama begin to accept blame for rising unemployment rates, rather than saying they were "inherited"?
--When Joe Blow's road work job, provided for by stimulus money, is done and there's no more stimulus money, where does Joe Blow report for work the following Monday?
4) Why does the world care as much about Susan Boyle as they do Kim Jong-Il?
5) President Obama said he would meet with the President of Iran with no preconditions. Now said Iranian President wants to debate Obama at the UN. Was this Obama's idea during the campaign, or did the bearded guy get another one over on him politically?
6) Would anyone in the world watch Hugo Chavez on a four-day TV-thon if you, well, weren't forced to by his minions?
7) The Detroit Red Wings-----are they man or machine? Aren't half their players over 50 already? And they're still winning??
8) Me thinks Lebron James thought he was on cruise control to an NBA title. After losing last night, his season over, he left the arena in Orlando without going to the post-game press conference and without shaking hands with the Magic on the court after the game. Poor sportsmanship. Hopefully he will learn from this, because me also thinks he'll be close to another title shot again soon.
9) My Denver Nuggets and Carolina Hurricanes both fell a series short of their goals of the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, respectively. My hats off to them, though, as the Nuggets hadn't been that deep in the NBA playoffs in 24 years and the Hurricanes had a coaching change in mid-season and didn't look like a playoff team.
10) Oh, and they're FINALLY playing the feud in the Stanley Cup Final!!!
Good night. :)
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Love you, too, Wanda......
From the needless White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night (click the title for some hateful comedy).....
Honest, couldn't this event have been cancelled to save some money for somebody? Keith Olbermann alone could contribute the amount of proceeds they give to "journalism students".....but then they'd all be forced to go to......wait, they're probably all ending up at left-wing nutjob college factories anyway.......
Wanda Sykes proves she is not a good comedian. Joe Klein had something to say about this on CNN this morning that I'll comment on in another post. She, along with gazillions of others, never fail to NOT PROPERLY USE RUSH LIMBAUGH'S QUOTE CORRECTLY. He wants America to succeed, and knows if Obama's policies succeed, our America will become an America we don't recognize, with less freedom than ever, ever before. (Get back to me when the government starts telling you what you have to put your thermostat on in your own house, or tax you for every mile you drive, rather than the current consumption tax on gasoline; you know, FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOM issues....)
President Obama......it's nice to know you think it's funny for someone you don't like to lose their kidney function.
But, even though I disagree with just about everything you've done and have proposed, I will continue to pray for you, as directed by the Good Word. And that includes your kidneys.
Honest, couldn't this event have been cancelled to save some money for somebody? Keith Olbermann alone could contribute the amount of proceeds they give to "journalism students".....but then they'd all be forced to go to......wait, they're probably all ending up at left-wing nutjob college factories anyway.......
Wanda Sykes proves she is not a good comedian. Joe Klein had something to say about this on CNN this morning that I'll comment on in another post. She, along with gazillions of others, never fail to NOT PROPERLY USE RUSH LIMBAUGH'S QUOTE CORRECTLY. He wants America to succeed, and knows if Obama's policies succeed, our America will become an America we don't recognize, with less freedom than ever, ever before. (Get back to me when the government starts telling you what you have to put your thermostat on in your own house, or tax you for every mile you drive, rather than the current consumption tax on gasoline; you know, FIRST AMENDMENT FREEDOM issues....)
President Obama......it's nice to know you think it's funny for someone you don't like to lose their kidney function.
But, even though I disagree with just about everything you've done and have proposed, I will continue to pray for you, as directed by the Good Word. And that includes your kidneys.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Associated Press Fact Check: Obama at 100 Days
Yep. Not Fox News.....the Associated Press.
Click the title and read on.
Click the title and read on.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Obama realizes what he criticized was necessary, example no.#.........
.....oh, I've lost count.
Let's see.
"Bush started the stimulus spending!!"---That gives Obama permission to spend, now in the trillions.
"These are the LAST EARMARKS."---We heard that from Pelosi, Obama, & Co. a few weeks ago. Yeah, right.
And now?
The President is asking for $83 billion dollars for war funding.
You know, that evil "it's not in the budget" spending for the "War Formerly Known As The War On Terror".
Why?
Well, let's read shall we? Today's "response to why are we doing what Bush did" is from the usual suspect, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Emphasis mine.
"Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that Obama has been critical of Bush's use of similar special legislation to pay for the wars. He said it was needed this time because the money will be required by summer, before Congress is likely to complete its normal appropriations process.
"This will be the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan. The process by which this has been funded over the course of the past many years, the president has discussed and will change," Gibbs said.
Last June, Congress approved $66 billion in advance 2009 funding for military operations. All told, the Pentagon would receive $142 billion in war funding for the budget year ending on Sept. 30."
----------------------------------
So, to repeat....
1) Bush did stimulus, so Obama does MORE! You know, "the Republicans forget they left us a trillion dollar debt" line? So let's just throw four trillion on top of it. Gee, can I go to Nordstrom's and spend like that?? Wouldn't I be helping the economy? Then I could just ask for a bailout.....
2) EARMARKS MUST STOP!--------Except for these few final ones......
and now:
3) NO MORE OFF BUDGET WAR SPENDING!
Shh! Except for this $83 billion.
-------------------------
MY POINT: I'm sure the military needs the $83 billion, but I just can't help but laugh at Robert Gibbs defending a policy his boss attacked a gazillion times during the campaign and since becoming President.
What's next?
Let's see.
"Bush started the stimulus spending!!"---That gives Obama permission to spend, now in the trillions.
"These are the LAST EARMARKS."---We heard that from Pelosi, Obama, & Co. a few weeks ago. Yeah, right.
And now?
The President is asking for $83 billion dollars for war funding.
You know, that evil "it's not in the budget" spending for the "War Formerly Known As The War On Terror".
Why?
Well, let's read shall we? Today's "response to why are we doing what Bush did" is from the usual suspect, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Emphasis mine.
"Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, acknowledged that Obama has been critical of Bush's use of similar special legislation to pay for the wars. He said it was needed this time because the money will be required by summer, before Congress is likely to complete its normal appropriations process.
"This will be the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan. The process by which this has been funded over the course of the past many years, the president has discussed and will change," Gibbs said.
Last June, Congress approved $66 billion in advance 2009 funding for military operations. All told, the Pentagon would receive $142 billion in war funding for the budget year ending on Sept. 30."
----------------------------------
So, to repeat....
1) Bush did stimulus, so Obama does MORE! You know, "the Republicans forget they left us a trillion dollar debt" line? So let's just throw four trillion on top of it. Gee, can I go to Nordstrom's and spend like that?? Wouldn't I be helping the economy? Then I could just ask for a bailout.....
2) EARMARKS MUST STOP!--------Except for these few final ones......
and now:
3) NO MORE OFF BUDGET WAR SPENDING!
Shh! Except for this $83 billion.
-------------------------
MY POINT: I'm sure the military needs the $83 billion, but I just can't help but laugh at Robert Gibbs defending a policy his boss attacked a gazillion times during the campaign and since becoming President.
What's next?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Shhh!!!! Don't tell the world about his bowling joke.....
Let me be clear about the reason behind this post. I just cannot go to sleep without marking this one down.
1) President Obama made a verbal gaffe on The Tonight Show last night....from the Washington Post:
Then on to Leno, where he said that after practicing in the White House lanes, he recently bowled a 129, saying "it's like -- it was like Special Olympics or something." The crowd laughed.
2) Obama quickly apologized for his statement.
3) He called the head of the Special Olympics and apologized. Great move.
4) He's invited them to come over and have him shoot hoops with some Special Olympics athletes.
Sorry, that's called "create a photo op to make everyone forget the stupid thing you said". You already apologized, it should be over.
-------------------------------------------------------
The REAL story. I went to CNN.com multiple times, to MSNBC.com, and to CBSNEWS.com and well, well......it sure was hard to find THAT story.
Thankfully, FoxNews.com didn't make it its headline when I checked (it didn't need to be the top story), but I couldn't help but wonder.....
What if Sarah Palin had said that on Leno? Or President George W. Bush on Leno?
Imagine the outrage. Larry King would have had the head of Special Olympics on his show tonight to discuss how "insensitive" our ( ) is and how we all thought we as a nation had gone "past this".
Keith Olbermann's tanning bed skin would have molted in anger.
-------------------------------------
Ho hum, just another day in the media neighborhood.
1) President Obama made a verbal gaffe on The Tonight Show last night....from the Washington Post:
Then on to Leno, where he said that after practicing in the White House lanes, he recently bowled a 129, saying "it's like -- it was like Special Olympics or something." The crowd laughed.
2) Obama quickly apologized for his statement.
3) He called the head of the Special Olympics and apologized. Great move.
4) He's invited them to come over and have him shoot hoops with some Special Olympics athletes.
Sorry, that's called "create a photo op to make everyone forget the stupid thing you said". You already apologized, it should be over.
-------------------------------------------------------
The REAL story. I went to CNN.com multiple times, to MSNBC.com, and to CBSNEWS.com and well, well......it sure was hard to find THAT story.
Thankfully, FoxNews.com didn't make it its headline when I checked (it didn't need to be the top story), but I couldn't help but wonder.....
What if Sarah Palin had said that on Leno? Or President George W. Bush on Leno?
Imagine the outrage. Larry King would have had the head of Special Olympics on his show tonight to discuss how "insensitive" our ( ) is and how we all thought we as a nation had gone "past this".
Keith Olbermann's tanning bed skin would have molted in anger.
-------------------------------------
Ho hum, just another day in the media neighborhood.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Byrd on Obama Power Grab
Click on the title above---this should make headlines, but may not because there's no "price tag" to it, nor does it create jobs, and that's all the media wonks are talking about.
Give Senator Byrd credit here for looking at the much more important, bigger picture of the system of checks and balances that are so important to us. The Democrats certainly yelled and screamed about "executive prviliedge" during the Bush Administration. It'll be interesting to see how the Reids and Pelosis respond to Byrd's comments.
Do I dare suggest it? If Byrd stirs a pot against a Presidential move enough, will the Dems play the "age card" and begin to lead the man offstage?
Let's keep an eye on this one (see "Robert Byrd" on my Headlines to the right to do so....)
Give Senator Byrd credit here for looking at the much more important, bigger picture of the system of checks and balances that are so important to us. The Democrats certainly yelled and screamed about "executive prviliedge" during the Bush Administration. It'll be interesting to see how the Reids and Pelosis respond to Byrd's comments.
Do I dare suggest it? If Byrd stirs a pot against a Presidential move enough, will the Dems play the "age card" and begin to lead the man offstage?
Let's keep an eye on this one (see "Robert Byrd" on my Headlines to the right to do so....)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
LIVE BLOGGING: The President's First Speech To Congress
Now that the clap-happy is done.....(that always trips me out)
I don't think it's ever taken a President 17 minutes to get in, shake hands, and start speaking.......
Well, here we go.
1) So far, one "crisis" and lots of word pictures of difficulty and loss.
2) "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than ever before."
(Pelosi ruined that line by standing up too early; that was the cornerstone line of the speech, given to the press earlier, and some people missed it all. Why am I critical? She HAS A COPY of the speech in front of her, and has had it for some time!)
3) It didn't happen overnight. Here's the lineup. Energy. Health care. Education. Debt. "Short term gains were prized over long term prosperity".
OH, first notice of "wealth to the wealthy".
OH II----people bought homes they couldn't afford......
----------------------------------
We're five minutes in, have heard nothing new.
He gets applause for saying he wants to talk to us tonight. Dear heavens!!!
Our first split decision: That "Recovery and Reinvestment Act" is now law. GOP stays seated.
3.5 million jobs......when we're done building broadband, turbines, and rebuilding roads, what do we do then?? What jobs will be next to create?
UNEMPLOYMENT HEALTH CARE COVERAGE? WHAT?? I didn't get that option last year. No, I'm NOT jealous.
--------------------
9:25pm---"Nobody messes with Joe." And thus is the bone thrown tonight to the Vice-President, who won't be seen again for a week.
--------------------
Time for the "credit CRISIS". (I'm not being tongue-in-cheek with the CAPS, I am trying to keep tabs on the use of the word.)
3!
"A New Lending Fund"-----paid for by????????
"Plan to help Responsibile Families" on their homes------how do they determine who a deadbeat is?
"Provide Support to clean up (bad banks) balance sheets...."------is that code speak for some sort of "nationalization"?
4!
Everybody stands on accountability. :) No brainer.
CEO's: "Those days are over". What about the ball players who make eight figures?
(REMEMBER---I ASK QUESTIONS TO MAKE US THINK!)
SIDEBAR: I do VERY much appreciate Obama's speaking style. He is speaking "to" the American people. Not all Presidents do that.
---------------------------
Hmmm......."our outdated regulatory system." Haven't heard anyone in the media tackle this one yet.
Ut oh.......Obama history lesson. Ah, the GI Bill was AFTER THE DEPRESSION AND WAR. Sorry, that one doesn't wash.
Government "catalyzed"??? "CATALYZED"?? We can't spark anything without the government??? What the????
Now it's time to hear the cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.......
REMEMBER, we're in a trillion dollar deficit. Trillions of dollars in debt.
1) Energy----love the ideas. Who pays for it all?
Good line about cars. "The nation that invented automobiles cannot walk away from it."
2) Health Care-----a bankruptcy every 30 seconds. It COULD cause 1.5 million people to lose their homes. (Can we check that figure in a year, just to make sure that wasn't a throwaway line? Didn't say it wasn't true, but it should be fact checked.)
OMG----Pelosi is jubliant almost to the point of RUDE!!!! She wasn't sure whether to stand for a cure for cancer in our time, but she jumped up at that 11 million children figure. Legislation! I'll clap to that! I love it when children have health care. Who's paying for it? That's my only question.
"It will not wait another year."---oh, boy; so, who's paying???? And how does the GDP grow when you're thinking of taking 1/6th of it and nationalizing it?
3) Education-----Okay...the same public high schools he applauded in his history lesson are now desperately in need of fixing. It's either one or the other.
College affordable for seven million more students. Details??? Figures??? Who's paying the tuition???
Teacher incentives...."rewards for success". Criteria? Based on what?
WHOA----expand our committment to charter schools!!! Pelosi was STONE FACED on that one. Thank you, Mr. President, for realizing there are MANY ways to fix the education problem. I hope that wasn't a throwaway line.
By 2020----the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. CONGRESS IS ALREADY FILLED WITH THEM! Just a reminder, folks......
Responsibility begins at home. AMEN, MR. PRESIDENT!!!
--------------------------------------------
Okay, now the fun. Listen CAREFULLY. All this spending, and don't pass on debt. Hmmm......
WHOA---DEMS ARE DRUNK WITH POWER! Did U see Chuck Schumer laughing at the GOP while clapping over the "inherited deficit".
NO EARMARKS? EXCUSE ME?? 2 Trillion Dollars in the next decade. POST IT ALL ON RECOVERY.GOV!!!
"Cold War Era" weapons programs gone. Okay, so what do we REPLACE them with?
Notice, so far, NOT A WORD on defense. All this will be wonderful, so long as we don't get hit with "9/11 II", or, God forbid, beyond.
----------------------
"Not one single dime." Wonder how many people making between $250,000 and $500,000 owns small business and are about to get "gouged", now that they've been branded "rich"? I don't know a lot of people that make more than $250K that isn't either an owner or seriously invested in the company where they hang their hat, do you?
Americans-----PLEASE, PLEASE think for yourselves when it comes to the "definition of the rich".
---------------------
Yikes! We won't allow terrorists to plot attacks in safe havens halfway around the world. Do you realize what that means??? Did you see all the Democrats clapping?? That means CONTINUAL WAR for the FORESEEABLE FUTURE, FRIENDS! Don't you get it? Don't you understand?
And that's the reality of war that could never be wiped away by the campaign slogan, "ending the war in Iraq". There are people in that hall tonight simply not thinking. They're listening to soundbites and responding like Pavlov's dog to make sure they're doing the politically expedient "thing" if the camera comes upon them.
And DON'T get me started on "The United States does not torture......"
---------------------
Time for the conclusion.
Bank CEO in Miami shares wealth. Private citizen; private decision. That rocks!!!!
"We are not quitters."-----The Bible says "...out of the mouth of babes...."
Great story, and yes, government can answer the need and cry of a neglected public school system.
5!!!
And 51 minutes later, we're done. Let the pundits with cameras begin. :)
I don't think it's ever taken a President 17 minutes to get in, shake hands, and start speaking.......
Well, here we go.
1) So far, one "crisis" and lots of word pictures of difficulty and loss.
2) "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than ever before."
(Pelosi ruined that line by standing up too early; that was the cornerstone line of the speech, given to the press earlier, and some people missed it all. Why am I critical? She HAS A COPY of the speech in front of her, and has had it for some time!)
3) It didn't happen overnight. Here's the lineup. Energy. Health care. Education. Debt. "Short term gains were prized over long term prosperity".
OH, first notice of "wealth to the wealthy".
OH II----people bought homes they couldn't afford......
----------------------------------
We're five minutes in, have heard nothing new.
He gets applause for saying he wants to talk to us tonight. Dear heavens!!!
Our first split decision: That "Recovery and Reinvestment Act" is now law. GOP stays seated.
3.5 million jobs......when we're done building broadband, turbines, and rebuilding roads, what do we do then?? What jobs will be next to create?
UNEMPLOYMENT HEALTH CARE COVERAGE? WHAT?? I didn't get that option last year. No, I'm NOT jealous.
--------------------
9:25pm---"Nobody messes with Joe." And thus is the bone thrown tonight to the Vice-President, who won't be seen again for a week.
--------------------
Time for the "credit CRISIS". (I'm not being tongue-in-cheek with the CAPS, I am trying to keep tabs on the use of the word.)
3!
"A New Lending Fund"-----paid for by????????
"Plan to help Responsibile Families" on their homes------how do they determine who a deadbeat is?
"Provide Support to clean up (bad banks) balance sheets...."------is that code speak for some sort of "nationalization"?
4!
Everybody stands on accountability. :) No brainer.
CEO's: "Those days are over". What about the ball players who make eight figures?
(REMEMBER---I ASK QUESTIONS TO MAKE US THINK!)
SIDEBAR: I do VERY much appreciate Obama's speaking style. He is speaking "to" the American people. Not all Presidents do that.
---------------------------
Hmmm......."our outdated regulatory system." Haven't heard anyone in the media tackle this one yet.
Ut oh.......Obama history lesson. Ah, the GI Bill was AFTER THE DEPRESSION AND WAR. Sorry, that one doesn't wash.
Government "catalyzed"??? "CATALYZED"?? We can't spark anything without the government??? What the????
Now it's time to hear the cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.......
REMEMBER, we're in a trillion dollar deficit. Trillions of dollars in debt.
1) Energy----love the ideas. Who pays for it all?
Good line about cars. "The nation that invented automobiles cannot walk away from it."
2) Health Care-----a bankruptcy every 30 seconds. It COULD cause 1.5 million people to lose their homes. (Can we check that figure in a year, just to make sure that wasn't a throwaway line? Didn't say it wasn't true, but it should be fact checked.)
OMG----Pelosi is jubliant almost to the point of RUDE!!!! She wasn't sure whether to stand for a cure for cancer in our time, but she jumped up at that 11 million children figure. Legislation! I'll clap to that! I love it when children have health care. Who's paying for it? That's my only question.
"It will not wait another year."---oh, boy; so, who's paying???? And how does the GDP grow when you're thinking of taking 1/6th of it and nationalizing it?
3) Education-----Okay...the same public high schools he applauded in his history lesson are now desperately in need of fixing. It's either one or the other.
College affordable for seven million more students. Details??? Figures??? Who's paying the tuition???
Teacher incentives...."rewards for success". Criteria? Based on what?
WHOA----expand our committment to charter schools!!! Pelosi was STONE FACED on that one. Thank you, Mr. President, for realizing there are MANY ways to fix the education problem. I hope that wasn't a throwaway line.
By 2020----the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. CONGRESS IS ALREADY FILLED WITH THEM! Just a reminder, folks......
Responsibility begins at home. AMEN, MR. PRESIDENT!!!
--------------------------------------------
Okay, now the fun. Listen CAREFULLY. All this spending, and don't pass on debt. Hmmm......
WHOA---DEMS ARE DRUNK WITH POWER! Did U see Chuck Schumer laughing at the GOP while clapping over the "inherited deficit".
NO EARMARKS? EXCUSE ME?? 2 Trillion Dollars in the next decade. POST IT ALL ON RECOVERY.GOV!!!
"Cold War Era" weapons programs gone. Okay, so what do we REPLACE them with?
Notice, so far, NOT A WORD on defense. All this will be wonderful, so long as we don't get hit with "9/11 II", or, God forbid, beyond.
----------------------
"Not one single dime." Wonder how many people making between $250,000 and $500,000 owns small business and are about to get "gouged", now that they've been branded "rich"? I don't know a lot of people that make more than $250K that isn't either an owner or seriously invested in the company where they hang their hat, do you?
Americans-----PLEASE, PLEASE think for yourselves when it comes to the "definition of the rich".
---------------------
Yikes! We won't allow terrorists to plot attacks in safe havens halfway around the world. Do you realize what that means??? Did you see all the Democrats clapping?? That means CONTINUAL WAR for the FORESEEABLE FUTURE, FRIENDS! Don't you get it? Don't you understand?
And that's the reality of war that could never be wiped away by the campaign slogan, "ending the war in Iraq". There are people in that hall tonight simply not thinking. They're listening to soundbites and responding like Pavlov's dog to make sure they're doing the politically expedient "thing" if the camera comes upon them.
And DON'T get me started on "The United States does not torture......"
---------------------
Time for the conclusion.
Bank CEO in Miami shares wealth. Private citizen; private decision. That rocks!!!!
"We are not quitters."-----The Bible says "...out of the mouth of babes...."
Great story, and yes, government can answer the need and cry of a neglected public school system.
5!!!
And 51 minutes later, we're done. Let the pundits with cameras begin. :)
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Ut Oh.......
Ah, didn't take long for Team Obama to make some of their faithful unhappy. From Indianapolis yesterday....
Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages
Posted: Nov 5, 2008 3:38 PM EST
Updated: Nov 6, 2008 10:47 AM EST
Indianapolis - Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.
The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.
"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.
A former spokesman for the Obama campaign said 375 people were hired as part of the Vote Corps program and said people signed up to work three-hour shifts at a time. Three hours of canvassing got workers a $30 pre-paid Visa card.
The workers showed up to get their cards Wednesday morning at 10:00 am.
"There was a note on the door saying 1:00 pm and then at 1:20 pm everybody was like why is nobody here. They just got here and they're trying to get it organized," said Heather Richards, a former campaign worker.
The large gathering of around 375 people prompted police to call in extra officers and set up temporary barricades. The barricades helped keep the crowd from spilling out onto Meridian Street. Police say the several hundred people in line were for the most part orderly.
"No arrests. Some of the people were upset at first because the line wasn't moving as fast as they thought it should. But we really haven't had any problems," said Major Darryl Pierce, Metro Police.
Eventually people did start getting paid, but some said they were missing hours and told to fill in paperwork making their claim and that eventually they would get a check in the mail.
"Still that's not right. I'm disappointed. I'm glad for the president, but I'm disappointed in this system," said Diane Jefferson, temporary campaign worker.
"It should have been $480. It's $230," said Imani Sankofa.
"They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90," said Charles Martin.
"I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned," said Randall Waldon.
Some people weren't satisfied with filling out a claim form for money they felt was still due to them.
"They say that they gonna call you or they going to mail it to you, but I don't know. We'll see what happens," said Antron Grose.
"Talking about they'll mail it to us. I ain't worried about that, man. They're not going to mail nothin'," said Martin.
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Wait until they find out they won't be getting lots of tax cuts, either.
Obama campaign workers angry over unpaid wages
Posted: Nov 5, 2008 3:38 PM EST
Updated: Nov 6, 2008 10:47 AM EST
Indianapolis - Lines were long and tempers flared Wednesday not to vote but to get paid for canvassing for Barack Obama. Several hundred people are still waiting to get their pay for last-minute campaigning. Police were called to the Obama campaign office on North Meridian Street downtown to control the crowd.
The line was long and the crowd was angry at times.
"I want my money today! It's my money. I want it right now!" yelled one former campaign worker.
A former spokesman for the Obama campaign said 375 people were hired as part of the Vote Corps program and said people signed up to work three-hour shifts at a time. Three hours of canvassing got workers a $30 pre-paid Visa card.
The workers showed up to get their cards Wednesday morning at 10:00 am.
"There was a note on the door saying 1:00 pm and then at 1:20 pm everybody was like why is nobody here. They just got here and they're trying to get it organized," said Heather Richards, a former campaign worker.
The large gathering of around 375 people prompted police to call in extra officers and set up temporary barricades. The barricades helped keep the crowd from spilling out onto Meridian Street. Police say the several hundred people in line were for the most part orderly.
"No arrests. Some of the people were upset at first because the line wasn't moving as fast as they thought it should. But we really haven't had any problems," said Major Darryl Pierce, Metro Police.
Eventually people did start getting paid, but some said they were missing hours and told to fill in paperwork making their claim and that eventually they would get a check in the mail.
"Still that's not right. I'm disappointed. I'm glad for the president, but I'm disappointed in this system," said Diane Jefferson, temporary campaign worker.
"It should have been $480. It's $230," said Imani Sankofa.
"They gave us $10 an hour. So we added it. I added up all the hours so it was supposed to be at least $120. All I get is $90," said Charles Martin.
"I worked nine hours a day for 4 days and got paid half of what I should have earned," said Randall Waldon.
Some people weren't satisfied with filling out a claim form for money they felt was still due to them.
"They say that they gonna call you or they going to mail it to you, but I don't know. We'll see what happens," said Antron Grose.
"Talking about they'll mail it to us. I ain't worried about that, man. They're not going to mail nothin'," said Martin.
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Wait until they find out they won't be getting lots of tax cuts, either.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Aren't We Still the Nation of the Stars and Stripes??
Apparently not to one Obama celebrant last night. Good Lord.
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