"...But just continuing to make sure that our first priority is getting them
into schools that make sense for them, making sure that they have activities
that they care about, that we're there for them to help them with their
homework, that we go to their parent-teacher conferences, that we go to all
their events. It's important to continue to do that, no matter what their
father's job is. And he has to continue to make them a priority even as he's the
leader of the free world. I think that's an important thing for him to model for
others. It's this notion that if he can do it, then we all have to really fight
for it. Because what we're going to be fighting for, for our kids, is what we
have to fight for, for all of our kids. They have to be center in this society
and this nation. We have to put their education, their needs, their well-being
first and foremost. As adults, we can balance the other stuff. We're the
grown-ups [laughs]."
Now, please contrast her statement with the first comment posted below this interview:
Posted By: Clatech @ 11/06/2008 11:00:37 AM
Comment:
Richard Pryor had keen insight when he said "White people are so
stupid"
I'm so fed up with our corrupt political system after breaking my
back for years building my business and fighting from going bankrupt, a bunch of
naïve Americans elect an even more naïve career politician, president. I and
many of my business partners have decided to pack it in, I'm laying off 50 plus
workers starting next month and retiring. No way in hell am I going to pay this
numskull's capital gains tax and run my business into the ground before I can
cash out!
Perhaps the gentleman who is so concerned about cashing in his business has forgotten why he did it all in the first place...his family. We need a leader who stands up and says, "It isn't all about making as much money as we can before we die. It is about being there for our families, providing good opportunities for our children, and creating a society that they can live peacefully and prosper in." I am so proud that our next President believes in the value of family over the value of a dollar.
That is not to say that the economic future of this country isn't important; in fact, each family's prosperity and ability to provide opportunities for their children relies on a healthy economy. But I think the thing that offended me most about this man's post is that he was going to lay off 50 workers - who no doubt each have families - so that he can "cash out." No doubt he failed to listen to Obama's acceptance speech where Obama explained that the economic trouble our nation is in will be felt by all and would need cooperation and sacrifices by all so that the nation can recover. Essentially what this man said is, "Hey, I've worked hard all these years so I deserve to retire on a big fat money couch." Ok, so far this is pretty consistent with American values, but then he goes on (ok, I go on paraphrasing his private thoughts): "Now this idiot politician wants me to pay more in taxes if I cash out like I want to, so in order to cash out with my big fat money couch, I will lay off 50 people and to hell with what they need, I want my big fat money couch!"
I liked what one poster replied to him, "Wow, dude, you need to take a Valium and turn off Fox News and then things will start to feel a lot better." I can't agree more.
And you know, that is why I am so darn happy Obama won; we have come to a place of economic and military disaster because of an administration that believes in the kind of values expressed by "Clatech" the idiot poster. I shudder in fear of what another four or eight years of that kind of thinking would have done to our country and to our families.
Remember, folks, it is really all about our children. If we keep that in focus, kind of like the What Would Jesus Do reflection, I think we can keep it all really straight. Forget that, and it all tanks. Simple.
article excerpt taken from www.newsweek.com, "Michelle, On the Move" by Richard Wolffe, 11/5/08
10 comments:
I think what people like him are really upset about is that the rich won't keep getting richer while the middle working class Americans get poorer and poorer paying for the policies that allowed it.
I get his point. But he does seem pretty selfish and shortsighted. I hope it isn't your boss! (LOL!)
Not my boss :) - He's a decent, reasoning individual; not money-hungry like the grubby little dirt sack that posted that comment. I really don't like that man whoever he was. What a jerk.
I'm hoping that a lot of peoples mindset will change with our new president.
I'm hoping that the black community takes some pride in themselves and get educated. I hope the little kid in harlem with no dinner tonight because his Mom is a crack whore realizes that with HARD WORK AND SACRAFICE, anything is possible.
I also hope that more people take the advice of Michelle Obama, and spend time with their kids, go to their things.
After all, we are grown ups. Right?
There are some people that - despite their age - would not qualify as grown ups. :O Dare I say it!?!?
However, having said that, I am proud of the way our family kicks in to help raise all our kidlettes.
I do have to say this about raising kids, though (and I am not yanking chains here): I really admire Melissa and how she has raised such responsible, caring, involved and just decent kids. Their heads are really on the right track and when I look at how much she had to sacrifice and how hard she worked at it, I really stand in amazement. However, all that hard work shows in the character of each one of those kids. She really exemplifies how important it is to be involved in your kids' lives. And there's just one of her to spread around!
So, I guess what I'm saying is, if we look around us, we see examples of parents raising great kids, but it takes a lot of work. The african american community has fewer of these examples than the more affluent middle-class suburban families. What excites me so much about Michelle Obama's statements here is that:
1. Historically Presidents have lef the child-rearing to the First Lady who usually employed a nanny. The President's lack of involvement was seen as a matter of course; he was running the country and didn't have time for kids! I think that is an attitude that is poisonous for a society like ours where BOTH parents usually work (or there is just one overwhelmed parent working.)
2. If indeed the Obamas make good on their promise in this article, it sets the ultimate example for black families in America. And that is something to get excited about!
I definately beleive there will be change, Barrack has shown tendancy to lean toward marxism and socialism in his past and in his policies (much like Robin Hood).
This could be a problem because when asking the government to shoulder our responsibility we pay the price of lost authority over our own lives which means we give up liberty (freedom)to chose for ourselves. Bailouts, rebates and tax credits sound great however look at what is happening, now the government has a huge stake in Wall street, they are considering bailing out the big three auto makers, the government has stakes in banks and insurance companies too. The danger here is our government now has "some" control over what these corporations and institutions can and can not do. Do we really banking, insurance financial institutions and industry to be socialized?
The offer to bail out the big three is especially cruel, with Government mandates such as economy and CAFE standards we have driven the auto industry to bankruptcy. In order to save 2.5 million jobs they will likely get a financial shot of our money but there is a catch, the auto industry must agree to new and higher CAFE and economy standards and pay back profits should they recover...this is dangerous stuff folks so I do not share the joy of "change" because I fear policies and practices of the Obama administration may bring with it hardship and misery.
Kruschev said long ago:
‘You Americans are so gullible. No, you won’t accept communism outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism. We won’t have to fight you. We’ll so weaken your economy until you’ll fall like overripe fruit into our hands.’
When government decides who gets paid what, and what product industry produces that is socialism and Marxist, this is not the change people though they were getting.
Yoob
Yoob makes some really imporant points here that can not be refuted, but in spite of being true are nonetheless perhaps moot. I heard a really smart guy talking yesterday - Robert Reich, the Labor Secretary for Clinton's first term of office. He also stated that the Fed Gov't has long been adopting socialistic tendencies to deal with country-wide economic disaster. A good example is the New Deal by FDR that socialized retirement with the Social Security Administration and socialized employment by creating the federal Unemployment Agency and put people to work with "make work" programs such as the WPA (investing in infrastructure) and the CCC (civilian conservation corp - road and bridge design) and the gov't also socialized wages and work laws with the NRA - National Recovery Act. A lot of socialistic things were done, and it cost a lot of money, but it was necessary to keep people afloat until the economy could rebound. And look - we still have these institutions in play even if the name and purpose has morphed a little. People accepted it then because they had to, and we keep it going because for the most part it works.
The bailouts....now that is another matter. Historically the fed gov't has bailed out many industries and in most cases the industry was stronger and established new regulations in the process of the "bailout" that really helped the industry as a whole. If you look at the example of the Chrysler bailout in the 80s, we actually made money on the deal. However, most Americans agree that in spite of how it all worked out in the past, it just is not comfortable for capitalistic America to bail out private business. It goes against everything we believe in. But here's the thing....if the big 3 fail, there goes a huge portion of our national GDP, there goes 2.5 million jobs with really no place for those people to work, the industry itself will rot in the absence of investors who can build it up over there or over here, not to mention which....overseas car manufacturers are going greener too and with them producing and the US not producing because of bankrupt manufacturers, we will fall way behind in the race to the car of the future. Where will that leave us? Even still, does it warrant another govt bailout?
I think the thing I am trying to say is that Yoob makes all the right points. But so do I. We as a nation are in a catch-22 situation in regard to industry and financial institutions. There are NO good solutions only slim odds on bad pickings. And that really sucks. So who knows who is right? Even the experts don't know. All I can say is....we sure are in for a bumpy ride. I think.
I'm sorry....more soap-boxing here. I am interested in what Yoob brings up regarding govt regulations that have held back the auto makers and helped bring about their ruin. I was listening to Morning Joe (as usual) this morning, and they had the usual smart guys on there who I cannot recall their names. But they were blaming the auto industry itself for lobbying for regulations that prevented them from having to change from a gas-guzzling truck-and-SUV product base to a greener, more fuel efficient or even alternative fuel vehicles. The way they put it, if the big 3 hadn't pushed so hard to stay the same, they would be on the forefront of what consumers want instead of sitting with billions of dollars invested in inventory consumers don't want - not to mention the dollars invested in tooling and machinery to make the gas-guzzlers. Do the math - they ruined themselves and what they were saying on Morning Joe is that if the govt gives money to save the big 3, the first big 3 things they must do is:
1. Fire the CEO of Ford
2. Fire the CEO of GM
3. Fire the CEO of Chrysler
Then, with Obama's anti-lobbying agenda, perhaps the big 3 won't be able to be so stupid anymore. LOL - yeah, right.
I agree but wish to add this thought, let them go bankrupt, let them close the doors and everyone goes home, take a month or two to restructure and re-open sans:
The idiots who managed these once great companies into the ground.
Union labor, these people build inferior cars to non-union auto makers because they can and still have a job...the union needs to go.
The design staff who make cars nobody wants.
Modify or Remove the rediculous and expensive government mandates and standards.
Overseas the big three sell autos like hotcakes, its only the domestic market that is being choked to death.
And to her point reguarding the depression and the stock market crash. We are handling this crisis in much the same manner, the stock market crash didn't cause the great depression, it was the government mishandling and manipulation which slowed the economy, tried to prop banks and industry with scads of tax money that they printed like crazy...we still haven't learned.
Yoob
I realize that the new deal was sosialism but one need only look at the people trapped by it, drive through the communities where the majority of residents are long term entitlement recipients and you can see what a great thing socialism really is.
These folks are an example of what happens when you hand over authority and responsibility for subsistance to the government.
The government controls these people and will continue to control them so long as they being housed fed and healed by the government, It is the greatest harm the US has ever inflicted on its citizens.
Wow, good points, Yoob. I would love to see an overhaul of the auto industry, and the hope is that with crisis comes opportunity....if the govt and the honchos don't mishandle everything and make it worse. I am hoping for the best but am so clueless as to what can turn it all around. Even in our own family the economy has taken a bite already, and I fear for what the future holds for all of us - except Ray and Cindy (healthcare.....the bane of us all but sure is a stable gig).
God is in control, the future will be as it is meant to be.
Yoob
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