Da li biste dozvolili svom detetu školskog uzrasta da gleda Obamin govor???

Perhaps you can tell from current events there is a controversy (HOW controversial will depend on your point of view) about President Obama giving a video speach to all K-6 grade next week.  (All schools will have begun by then.)  In my area, at least, this is a hot topic.  My kids' school district will not show the video at all.  In other surrounding areas there are various degrees of show and NOT show.

Basically, the video is supposed to be the President giving greetings to the kids, telling them it is important to stay in school.  After the video the kids are supposed to write a paper of how they can "help" the President.  I think this is the controversial part.

Anyhow...if you have kids....OR if you had them.  What would you do/think?

I wouldn't mind my daughter watching the speech, although I think Obama is doing a terrible job at being president.....[He has the highest disapproval rate there has ever been and he accumulated that title in the shortest amount of time] but I do not want her to write a paper on how she can help him....isn't it his job to help us?? What kind of president would need a childs input to help him do his job??????

Hi Doc,

Something does not sound right......is there something missing to the story? Write a letter......there has to be a motive for it. Is it a contest......does a child or class get to visit the white house.......is a jr. president gonna be selected?????

I don't think it's a bad idea for our President to give a speech to the class. In an era of complete upheaval maybe it brings inspiration for kids. As far as the prez being a disappointment.......he was left with a mess and a half.......he's not a miracle man....hope floats doesn't it?

Lips

i agree with you lips..and i don't think he can do any worse than mr. bush did

The issue is a BIG deal here in Virginia.  I like reading people's thoughts....keep'em coming!

I am biting the keys on my keyboard.

medtrans

I do that a lot Medtrans, but only hold back have as much as I like..
Go for it, that's what we are here for...and Lips love controversy anyway!
This is the best medium to express yourself without really hurting anyone.

Funny isn't it? Some one says "I don't think "President Obama is doing a good job" and someone screams RACISM!!!

What ever happened to free speech?

In regards to the speech. I think if he kept it to "Stay in school, get an education and live better" it could be inspirational. I have heard though, leaks of the "Speech" is he wants the kids to come home and pester the parents to support the health care or flu shots or whatever some "Fringe" people are claiming.

I might be curious in regards to the speech myself. Not that I support "Mr. Obama" (If he'd show the long form, this would change my reference to him)  but I'm not about to start calling him a failure just yet. I'll give it four years

My my. What's with the all caps?

I think I'll leave it at that. I made my point

Oh, just heard the speech will be released so the parents can read it. I think that'll
end a lot of the controversy of what it is about.

Or make it into a wildfire!

Yes, Genenco....have no clue where the racism came from, guess some people like to use that card whenever they get the chance.....my opinion on the president has nothing to do with his color, and i'm well aware of the fact that he was left with an unpleasant situation, but he has done nothing to help inprove it, alot of talk and no action......but in this time of recession, he does manage to go on lavash vacations, and dress himself, his wife and kids in the most expensive designer clothes, even if the clothes are sent as freebies, hey why not sell them and donate the proceeds to a charitable cause??? When people are struggling to keep their homes, and find jobs and can't get health insurance the last thing we want or need to see is our president decked out in prada while his children run around in $3000.00 coats relaxing on the beaches of Barbados, the Hawaii or wherever it is he's vacationing!!!

To all of us,

Wow......there is really no more an emotional topic than racism. There is always going to be hate. It is never going to end. I think we all know this. It's in every sector.....every walk of life.

I really hoped that when President Obama got in office it would help change the way people view racism. When our president came into office i don't think there was any president in our history of the US that brought out more emotions of the American people. And they were GOOD emotions.........i felt a harmony of all people regardless of race....creed or color......and the votes PROVED it.

Its the same feeling i got on the tragic day of 911.......we weren't any thing  else but Americans. The outpour of  love and sorrow brought us together if just for a moment in time as one people and there was unity ....and what a beautiful moment that was in a time of devastation.

Let us not ever forget that we are ALL one.......we are all AMERICANS!!! Casting our vote on that historical day brought a man of color into POWER and we basked in the glory.

Throw out the RACE card.......its ugly......it holds grudges and it creates hate and divides us. Does it exist....hell yes it exists......but remember one thing........

It's a time for change!!!!!!!! I think that change includes throwing away the race card. As for President Obama getting more death threats than any other president.....the people who wage this war are.....uneducated......low class....and uncivilized.

As for the rest of us....we have welcomed President Obama with open arms. He walked into a lions den. The change can NOT happen over night.....give him a chance to prove there is a change......and let us move forward with that change.

For those that are not happy with the way our country is going so far......i wouldn't call it racism.....i would call it a political view point.

Lips

Well said Lips!!

I agree with SM  Lips, that was better said then most.

I AM A BLACK WOMAN.  WHEN I MAKE A STATEMENT, PEOPLE WANT TO THROW UP THE RACE CARD,......maybe thats because your the one who brings up rasicm in the first place........correct me if i'm wrong, but weren't you the first one to bring it up in this subject???

I thought this topic was about a speech being given to a children in the schools? I'm just wondering how it switched gears.

Trying to find balance and harmony was my whole point.....i really don't try to "sugar coat" anything......i try to find a deeper understanding. I'm sorry if it was taken that way......i just spoke my mind as well. I'm more sorry to be labeled a "sugar coater"

Lips

I am one of those people that grew up with the Civil rights movement in full swing, have lived and seen the changes that have occurred here in the USA, most of them for the better... I have to agree somewhat with Debra... racism DOES exist here in the US... Just the Fact that you see it as the "White" house proves that. Racism is so blatant in almost every aspect of life these days... as long as you are not white. Chris Rock, George Lopez and countless other minority comics exploit this to the nth degree.. but fail to see the hypocrisy.

Believe it or not, I go through nearly every day of my life dealing with people based solely on their own merits... I make it through each day without calling someone "Cracker", "Wetback"  or the infamous "N" word...Could not conceive of having black,brown yellow or even sex figure into the mix... I don't need to to realize in this day and age there is an entitlement mentality that overrides typical common sense. People as individuals are typically decent... as groups... they are morons.

I do not weigh ANYTHING Obama does based on his race... It does not mean I support him entirely on every matter. I think his health plan is a recipe for disaster, that his federalization of so much private sector interests is a dangerous precednt and little more than typical head in the sand Democratic Socialism that started with FDR... and as such should be opposed vehemently. Others disagree... and he was elected.

On the plus side, he is a highly intellegent, well educated and dedicated person who I think Does try to work for what He believes is the right course. I believe he is approaching the Myriad issues we have in the Middle East, our interactions on a foreign base in a no nonsense common sense approach... and is doing a good job.

I think his Domestic policy is flawed, that even if his intentions are Pure that the end result will be a bureaucratic Morass that will become a bloated parasitic Tick sucking at the base of American society until the society is no longer recognizable. But to be fair... Race has little to do with it... I think Any Democrat from this past group would have been equally abhorrent. I also think, short of someone that espoused and would follow through the suggestions of Ron Paul, That the Republicans would have much of a different result... just different cronies sucking off the public Teat.

As for Ron Paul... Their is no way he could have accomplished what he set himself up to do... to return the federal government to being bound solely by the Constitution. No federal reserve... No Federal agencies, Taxes on the citizenry, State aid or half the overweight federal institutions we are so familiar with. He would lay the responsibility for providing, or deciding not to provide, thise services to the state level... and those states that wanted such programs could vote for them, tax themselves as much as they wished.

The Texas Succession thing had Nothing whatsoever to do with Race... and everything to do with being forced to accept a Federal "Aid' or intervention that would cause significant financial losses to its citizenry.

As for Typing in all Caps, I realize that Netiquette is not a law, no more than good manners are...

Like i said Jimbo.........racism exists and its ugly......same post different words.

Lips

As for Obama's Speach to Classrooms... It is not unprecedented for a motivational or informational adress by a standing president. LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and both Bushes have done some such speaches...

What stood out here was The White House telling schools, initially that they were expected to make this a reality and a mandatory for the age group it was to target. Being as schools these days are so heavily funded by the government, that the content and intent of the speech, as well as the not so transparent "push to get mom and dad to support the health Plan" placed it a bit outside of the norm and reeked of a blatant attampt to wage a propaganda blitz targeting children.

I will stop now, mainly because one of the few things you do not discuss in a polite public venue is Politics... not without it turning into a bitter argument.

It's alittle late for stopping now....i think you made quite a statement.

I'd say something, but I'll just wait till tomorrow to see what this speech is to be about.

And Lips? This IS a good question. Don't be afraid of posting such. I know as I even had to debate about posting that one I did about the slot machine symbol. Didn't want it taken the wrong way.

Though it wasn't..Political in depth

Lip's,

My Political views are somewhat less than mainstream. I tend along libertarian lines but feel that "Functional Anarchy" probably better defines my views. I abhor ANY intervention into my life by ANY authority other than my own.

I believe in taking full responsibility for my own actions... at all times and expect others to do the same.

I dont need someone, or some government with less moral integrity than I try to hold myself to, trying to dictate those to me.

I see most things done "for the public good" to be anything but.

I look at any comment that begins "of course it's obvious" to be ignored without prejudice because it is blatantly obvious that they are trying to sell you a Bridge in Brooklyn.

That's the Anarchy part.

The functional part is that I recognize that a minimum of government, if only to deal with other governments is a neccasary evil. That there are some minimal benefits to having basic rules of conduct, that are applied equally and blindly across the board.

My personal belief is that Politicians ought to recieve a second vote at the completion of there term, and failing to win that one has them incarcerated for life...

See why I dropped the subject?

Debra, using CAPs is considered as yelling at ppl and very rude. I think its fair to say that if you are able to read small prints then you certainly can type without using CAPs.

As of your membership , it won't be canceled , as everyone has the right to speak their mind.

I understand this is very sensitive and delicate subject to you all but please remember guys this is a gambling forum , and there's no room for bitter political arguments .

thank you
Admin

Deb,

I hope you do come here and post often. As Zuga said we are a gambling site but this particular section "General" is open for any topic. Sometimes things do get alittle heated due to sensitive issues.......but in the end it helps to build stronger relationships with our members.

Besides if we get out of hand........Zuga will snap us back in line......wink!

Please don't stay away from posting in this section!!!!!

Lips

I have to second Lips on her feelings.

Debra,

"I come from a different place and I have never received any voices of difference to my position."

it is my feelings that 90% of the misunderstanding and instant snap to the defensive comes from this, not with you in particular but all of us generally. We are the products of our environment... and few realize how small that environment can be if you are not open to the input from other biospheres... grin, basic Biology.

let me say this now, there was no offense taken nor was any intended in any reply i gave... Instead i saw it as a chance to wander in someone elses enviroment... and plant some substance Of my own peculiar one as well.

Zuga is absolutely correct and the main thrust of our Home here is gambling, bonuses and general gaming... yet discourse, so long as it is done civilly should always be welcome.

Hi Everyone,

Since we talked so much about the "letter" i thought i would post it. I checked with the boss man Zuga and he said it would be fine.

The President: Hello everyone - how's everybody doing today? I'm here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we've got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I'm glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it's your first day in a new school, so it's understandable if you're a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you're in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could've stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn't have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday - at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasn't too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I'd fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I'd complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I'm here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I've given a lot of speeches about education. And I've talked a lot about responsibility.
I've talked about your teachers' responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I've talked a lot about your government's responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren't working where students aren't getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world - and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.
And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you're good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer - maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper - but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor - maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine - but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life - I guarantee that you'll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You're going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can't drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You've got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn't just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you're learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You'll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You'll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You'll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that - if you quit on school - you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.

Now I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that's like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn't always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn't fit in.

So I wasn't always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I'm not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn't have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don't have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there's not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don't feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren't right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life - what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you've got going on at home - that's no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That's no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That's no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn't have to determine where you'll end up. No one's written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. That's what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn't speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I'm thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who's fought brain cancer since he was three. He's endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer - hundreds of extra hours - to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he's headed to college this fall.

And then there's Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she's on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren't any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That's why today, I'm calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education - and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book.

Maybe you'll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you'll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you'll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.

And along those lines, I hope you'll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don't feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.
I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you're not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won't love every subject you study. You won't click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. JK Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can't let your failures define you - you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn't mean you're a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn't mean you're stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one's born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You're not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don't hit every note the first time you sing a song. You've got to practice. It's the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it's good enough to hand in.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don't know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust - a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor - and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you - don't ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It's the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country? Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I'm working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you've got to do your part too.

So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don't let us down - don't let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Comments are encouraged....no personal attacks please....thanks!

Lips

Seems pretty encouraging to me......Kind of down home as if it was a family member wanting their son or daughter to excel in life.

Lips

Obama is a puppet. I laughed at that "Change" crap. Big people in power don't want change. They are scared of change because they will lose their "fake" money if someone comes in and decreases tax, puts more money back to the people. They know the monetary system is a pyramid scheme.

Start hacking into the system by going free energy (solar, magnetic generator, wind turbine plus many more...)