Obama Tells Students In 2009: “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.””
Reagan Told Students In 1986: “We have to remain economically competitive, and that means being aware of two things: first, what makes economies tick, and second, what works in other societies. We’ve been trying very hard in Washington to make America even more economically fit by really overhauling our entire tax structure. When we came into office, the top personal tax rate that the Federal Government could put on your income was 70 percent. Now, you can understand, I think, that if you were getting up in those brackets — there were 14 different tax brackets, depending on the amount of money in each bracket you earned. And when you could look and say, “If I earn another dollar, I only get to keep 30 cents out of it,” you can imagine the lack of incentive there. Well, we lowered it to 50 percent, and the economy really took off. Now we’re trying to lower it yet again so that families can keep more of their money and so the national economy will be lean and trim and fit for the future.”
Reagan Told Students In 1988: “These days, whenever I see foreign leaders, they tell me about their plans for reducing taxes and other economic reforms that they’re using, copying what we have done here in our country. I wonder if they realize that this vision of economic freedom — the freedom to work, to create and produce, to own and use property without the interference of the state — was central to the American Revolution when the American colonists rebelled against a whole web of economic restrictions, taxes, and barriers to free trade. The message at the Boston Tea Party — have you studied yet in history about the Boston Tea Party, where, because of a tax, they went down and dumped the tea in the harbor? Well, that was America’s original tax revolt. And it was the fruits of our labor — belonged to us, and not to the state. And that truth is fundamental to both liberty and prosperity.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that Obama’s speech “has roused controversy among some conservatives, who have said he is trying to indoctrinate their children with a ‘socialist’ political agenda.”
And there you have it. B.C.E.D. Batshit crazy erat demonstrandum. Know it but don’t discount it.
I have problems with all the quotes – including the WSJ.
This national “dialogue” gets dumber by the minute. Stupid countered with stupid.
I wish people, on both sides, would just do something productive, instead of talking or bickering about it. I also wish we had more than two political parties.
Most folks who opposed would not have opposed the speech above – which I think is great, especially for black students who get told not to act white (as an aside my best friend from HS excelled in academics until the 12th grade, at which point he gave in to the other black students who teased him for excelling…he ending up serving 5 years in jail and now can’t get a job).
This was the problem – the “lesson plan” with question like – Are we able to do what President Obama is asking of us? That reeks of…
And Dem’s went nuts when G bush I gave a speech to students.
What I thought was funny…Obama used “I” 56 times in his speech – compared to 19 times that Reagan used it. He it is all about Obama.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/09/03/flashback-1991-gephardt-called-bushs-speech-students-paid-political-a
Did you just say “which I think is great, especially for black students who get told not to act white?”
Wow, with compliments like that! So, using your logic, Obama acted white is why he succeeded, and didn’t spend 5 years in jail like your anecdotal black friend? What about white losers all over the country, the ones who have done time? Were they told not to act white, too, and as a result messed up? Stay classy, Ryan.
Bush I’s speech was seen as campaigning through the students during an election year. And even then, Democrat-leaning parents weren’t yanking their children out of school as a result.
The message Barack Obama had for the students yesterday was an important one for everybody, no matter what color they were. And it’s sad that anybody would read anything massively partisan into that speech.
Incidentally, the school my son attends didn’t have the kids watching the speech because their TV was broken. Parents are indignant that their kids DIDN’T watch it yesterday. And as for those who yanked their kids, it will only make those kids become more curious about what they missed and what was so subversive that their parents would keep them away from it.
Ryan, could you try to be a bit more racist? Please? After all we have a profound shortage of such attitudes in this country.
You tone of ignorance and condescention would be stunning if I was not already stunned by the fact free vitriol spouted by the more rabid members of the right. Let me remind you that there was little that was actually conservative under the Bush years, especially if you purport to be a fiscal conservative.
Dear lord man, crawl back under your rock.
I’m just recounted my experiences with black kids in school. It happens like that down South…not sure if you’ve had that experience up North.
Whether you like it or not, black kids (especially in the inner city) tend to look up to rappers and athletes. I have seen over and over again that the ones that get good grades and study and don’t act a fool get told they are acting white. Thats a fact. I think its great that now maybe they can change their attitude and concentrate on academic achievement now that they have another role model in the president.
Black radio makes this point. But when I do its racist? Get off the high horse. People are too quick to throw out the race card when a white person speaks of something factual that a black person would also say.
Loki – you don’t know me at all…ignorant is one thing I am not.
The point is white kids are only slightly better off than black kids in this country and you are wrong if you think the president is going to get through especially to black kids. Any president is going to get through to kids as a role model.
Also the really sad situations black kids get into is not because they’re told to act white, but because many kids, black or white, just don’t see a bright future even after studying hard and playing it straight.
Loki was born and raised in New Orleans and his family were one of the first French settlers of the New Orleans area.
Maitri – i think you misunderstand. Black kids tell other black kids that they are acting white when they study / excel in school. Don’t shoot the messenger. Bill Cosby and many like him are on a rampage stating the same thing. So black columnists across the country are writing about the positive effect that Obama can have on black kids and I use this opinion (which I somewhat agree with) to spout something positive about a man I agree about 1% of the time with and I’m a racist?
It’s your singling out that he can reach black kids, as if that was the only achievement of his speech. That’s cheesy and a backhanded compliment as such. By that analogy, white presidents are great role models only for white kids and not all kids?