TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › President Obama's Inaugural Speech
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

President Obama's Inaugural Speech - Page 2

post #31 of 47
1/22/09 at 11:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
I'd have been lots more comfortable with Obama if he'd just told us what he wanted to change it "to".
It's my impression that he wants to change it to:

a place with decent paying jobs for those willing to work

a place with affordable health care

a place where those in power are held accountable for what they do

a place with a better educational system than what we have now

a place where there is equal opportunity for all

a place where there is renewed hope for the future

a place where there is a strong sense of responsibility and willingness to work for the common good

a place where taxpayer money isn't wasted on programs that don't work

a place that uses environmentally friendly energy sources

a place where people can retire with dignity
Reply
post #32 of 47
1/22/09 at 12:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
I think that's the main reason I ended up voting for Nader I'd have been lots more comfortable with Obama if he'd just told us what he wanted to change it "to".
Skippy, quite a bit before the primaries, I felt exactly that. As someone who dislikes our two party system, I voted for Nader twice before. I considered it again, but at the same time felt that the statement I was making was causing me to sacrifice a counting vote.

I decided that I would support Hillary in the primary for the reason you just stated. I am a registered democrat only because I want to have a voice in one of the primaries. I didn't know what "change" Obama was alluding to and didn't want to follow blindly.

After he won the primary, he spoke about health care - a major issue to me. I agree that we didn't know much about what he stood for until very close to the election. It took me a long time to make up my mind.

I voted for him and I think he has finally outlined the changes he wants to make. If he accomplishes a fraction of what he proposes, we will be in better shape than we are right now. (Great job, Consumerkitty in describing the changes!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Consumerkitty
It's my impression that he wants to change it to:

a place with decent paying jobs for those willing to work

a place with affordable health care

a place where those in power are held accountable for what they do

a place with a better educational system than what we have now

a place where there is equal opportunity for all

a place where there is renewed hope for the future

a place where there is a strong sense of responsibility and willingness to work for the common good

a place where taxpayer money isn't wasted on programs that don't work

a place that uses environmentally friendly energy sources

a place where people can retire with dignity
It gets really annoying when those of us who support Obama are referred to as "followers" while Obama is being referred to as "the One" as if we are under some kind of spell. I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate your level-headed centerist attitude in these type of posts.
Reply
post #33 of 47
1/22/09 at 12:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ut0pia View Post
I don't see a contradiction either. I know many people whose countries are impoverished, corrupt, etc but still absolutely love their countries and think that their country is great. To me, a country is not just its government, it's the people's ideals, their culture, even the landscape could be something that makes a country great. Re making the country does not mean tearing the constitution and becoming a dictator, he has no power to do that anyway. It just means new policies, upholding our ideals rather than giving them up for safety like Bush has been doing, and all of the other things he listed in his speech...
And the actual text from the inaugeral address is :

Quote:
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
A little bit different from what has been presented.
Reply
post #34 of 47
1/22/09 at 12:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConsumerKitty View Post
It's my impression that he wants to change it to:

a place with decent paying jobs for those willing to work

a place with affordable health care

a place where those in power are held accountable for what they do

a place with a better educational system than what we have now

a place where there is equal opportunity for all

a place where there is renewed hope for the future

a place where there is a strong sense of responsibility and willingness to work for the common good

a place where taxpayer money isn't wasted on programs that don't work

a place that uses environmentally friendly energy sources

a place where people can retire with dignity
Thank You, well done.
At work we were able to watch the inauguration, as I looked around at my fellow employees what I got was the same feeling I got watching the people shown on tv. A feeling of hope, relief and pride. He has one !!!!***** of a job ahead of him, maybe it is time to just work together and put grievances away. As he said it isn't going to be easy, it isn't going to happen overnight and we may not like all that is needed to turn things around.
Reply
post #35 of 47
1/22/09 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
It's much ado over nothing. The Bushites got their knickers in a twist over the "Bushisms" thread (under Breaking Mews) and this is their way of retaliating.
Well if that isn't sour grapes! I didn't even read, let alone post in the "Bushisms" thread, and I'm certainly not a "Bushite" (Whatever the heck that is!). Guess it's still Bush's fault if your guy gets criticized, huh?
Reply
post #36 of 47
1/22/09 at 6:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
Well if that isn't sour grapes! I didn't even read, let alone post in the "Bushisms" thread, and I'm certainly not a "Bushite" (Whatever the heck that is!).
You also haven't ridiculed the awkward wording ad nauseam as others have done. You've offered an intelligent appraisal of the words and the possible actual meaning of them and have presented your concerns in a rational manner. All quite different from some others.

Quote:
Guess it's still Bush's fault if your guy gets criticized, huh?
What is "still Bush's fault" ??? It's a shame you felt the need to end with a taunt. I guess there is a limit to everyones intelligent appraisal abilities!
Reply
post #37 of 47
1/22/09 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ConsumerKitty View Post
It's my impression that he wants to change it to:

a place with decent paying jobs for those willing to work

So, you are in favor of Barack setting the pay scales in the private sector?

a place with affordable health care

That would be nice

a place where those in power are held accountable for what they do

Won't happen as no politicians, including Obama want to the held accountable.

a place with a better educational system than what we have now

President Bush increased spending for eductation 40% or more, didn't help much, he tried and he tried hard. He did prove throwing money at education doesn't help. Government can't make parents be good parents.

a place where there is equal opportunity for all

I think we have improved in this area immensely and Barack is proof of that

a place where there is renewed hope for the future

Feel good, pychobabble words, they mean nothing to me by themselves.

a place where there is a strong sense of responsibility and willingness to work for the common good

That would be wonderful, good luck with that Barack.

a place where taxpayer money isn't wasted on programs that don't work

Won't happen, Obama has been part of the problem and he was only a first term senator.

a place that uses environmentally friendly energy sources

I want alternative energy, but that sentence by itself doesn't even begin to cover it, but we need to make a start for sure.

a place where people can retire with dignity
Why can't people retire with dignity now? Who said they couldn't?
Reply
post #38 of 47
1/22/09 at 6:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
You also haven't ridiculed the awkward wording ad nauseam as others have done. You've offered an intelligent appraisal of the words and the possible actual meaning of them and have presented your concerns in a rational manner. All quite different from some others.



What is "still Bush's fault" ??? It's a shame you felt the need to end with a taunt. I guess there is a limit to everyones intelligent appraisal abilities!

We all have been hearing the, to us, petty little jabs about Bush for years, funny how it stings when the shoe is on the other foot.

I know that Obama didn't mean it like that, come on, some ribbing isn't going to hurt anyone.

I certainly am not questioning anyone's intelligent appraisal abilities or anything, it is all in fun.
Reply
post #39 of 47
1/22/09 at 8:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mschauer View Post
What is "still Bush's fault" ??? It's a shame you felt the need to end with a taunt. I guess there is a limit to everyones intelligent appraisal abilities!
Hey, I've seen that limit in action for the last 8 years!

You gotta cut us a little slack...those of us on the conservative side of the aisle are a little out of practice.
Reply
post #40 of 47
1/22/09 at 11:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
President Bush increased spending for eductation 40% or more, didn't help much, he tried and he tried hard. He did prove throwing money at education doesn't help. Government can't make parents be good parents.

Whoa, for just a moment. I worked with two programs aimed to increase the performance of students on standardized tests. The first program, pre- "no child left behind" was a local math and science educator training at my university. Teachers were invited to attend, receive instruction in the content outlined in the math and science standards, work on lesson plans appropriate for their grade level, and receive a pretty decent stipend (as well as meals for the duration of the program) for their effort. I was in charge of distributing information to the local schools, and very few principals took an active role in encouraging their teachers to attend.

Fast forward a few years. I'm working in a tutoring center, hiring math and English tutors to go out to elementary schools. Lo and behold, some of the schools I visited in my previous job were on the list as poor performers. As a result, through no child left behind, the schools either had to bus students to a better performing school or provide free tutoring. You know what? The tutoring is a money pit. Tutoring places charge upward of $60 per hour for approximately 20 hours of tutoring for each child. Are they kidding me? Twenty hours of tutoring isn't nearly enough! The tutors, BTW, are paid less than $20/hour.

No child left behind is a waste of resources; simply throwing money at the problem doesn't work. Administrators should be held accountable for their poor decision-making, and salary cuts should ensue. (Though I agree with you that parents need to do their job and maybe tutor their own children.) Anyhow, I also agree with the poster who said that maybe we should work on bettering the educational system. (Not necessarily throwing money at it, but coming up with better solutions.)
Reply
post #41 of 47
1/23/09 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Going Nova View Post
Whoa, for just a moment. I worked with two programs aimed to increase the performance of students on standardized tests. The first program, pre- "no child left behind" was a local math and science educator training at my university. Teachers were invited to attend, receive instruction in the content outlined in the math and science standards, work on lesson plans appropriate for their grade level, and receive a pretty decent stipend (as well as meals for the duration of the program) for their effort. I was in charge of distributing information to the local schools, and very few principals took an active role in encouraging their teachers to attend.

Fast forward a few years. I'm working in a tutoring center, hiring math and English tutors to go out to elementary schools. Lo and behold, some of the schools I visited in my previous job were on the list as poor performers. As a result, through no child left behind, the schools either had to bus students to a better performing school or provide free tutoring. You know what? The tutoring is a money pit. Tutoring places charge upward of $60 per hour for approximately 20 hours of tutoring for each child. Are they kidding me? Twenty hours of tutoring isn't nearly enough! The tutors, BTW, are paid less than $20/hour.

No child left behind is a waste of resources; simply throwing money at the problem doesn't work. Administrators should be held accountable for their poor decision-making, and salary cuts should ensue. (Though I agree with you that parents need to do their job and maybe tutor their own children.) Anyhow, I also agree with the poster who said that maybe we should work on bettering the educational system. (Not necessarily throwing money at it, but coming up with better solutions.)
well said
Reply
post #42 of 47
1/23/09 at 8:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
We all have been hearing the, to us, petty little jabs about Bush for years, funny how it stings when the shoe is on the other foot.

I certainly am not questioning anyone's intelligent appraisal abilities or anything, it is all in fun.
Well, at least you consistently misinterpret everything...
Reply
post #43 of 47
1/23/09 at 9:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahp View Post
"and the non-believers"

Woohoo! That's me! It's nice for someone to recognise that it's not just about different religions - that there's those of us who don't follow a religion, and I get the impression he believes in the separation of church and state.

The speech didn't really have anything new in it, and given that he's said so much already, there wasn't going to be anything new - just a rehash of the things that are most important to him.

I got shivers when they showed the crowd that he was talking to all stretched out. I can't imagine talking to that many people. They reckon there was around 1.8 million people in Washington watching from the various viewing areas. If nothing else, this man has inspired a lot of people, and given a lot of hope to people in one of the roughest times. Let's hope he can deliver!
It looks like the nonbelievers part upset a whole bunch of religious people

http://news.aol.com/article/obamas-n...105x1201148807
Reply
post #44 of 47
1/24/09 at 8:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caleeko View Post
It looks like the nonbelievers part upset a whole bunch of religious people

http://news.aol.com/article/obamas-n...105x1201148807
Fortunately, according to the poll on that site a large majority of believers were not bothered by that statement.
Quote:
Did Obama's nonbeliever remark bother you?
No 73%
Yes 27%

Total Votes: 567,652
Quote:
Do you believe in a higher power?
Yes 89%
No 11%

Total Votes: 533,322
Reply
post #45 of 47
1/24/09 at 10:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockcat View Post
Fortunately, according to the poll on that site a large majority of believers were not bothered by that statement.
Yes, it would appear that the only one's being upset are the one's that stand to make a great deal of money from their "flocks" by being upset
Reply
post #46 of 47
1/25/09 at 7:45am
The unbeliver statement didn't bother me at all. I thought everything was a went very well that day (even the little snafu at the oath was no big deal to me) EXCEPT the end of the Benediction. The rest of the pray was very nice until that little poem. It was out of place, unnecessary and inappropriate. Expecially for the President who campaigned on being a "Uniter".
Reply
post #47 of 47
1/25/09 at 8:12am
I thought it was just fine. In addition, he caught on that a long speech would not be welcomed.

It wasn't a great speech, but very few inaugural speeches are. Even Kennedy's, FDR's, and Lincoln's had a few good lines in the midst of a lot of verbiage. No single line jumped out as going down in history, but sometimes it takes a while to recognize that.

And he certainly is a powerful speaker under most circumstances.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: IMO: In My Opinion
TheCatSite.com › Forums › General Forums › IMO: In My Opinion › President Obama's Inaugural Speech