Obama Inauguration - Tuesday, January 20, 2009

[qualityboi]

In Reply to Parent Post by Randy

Social progress will only truly happen when all are held equally accountable for themselves and all actually and trully consider the other as equal to themselves.

How weird, I just attended church on Sunday where the Minister preached that we are all responsible for each other....go figure...

My wife just put out 26 applications to different institutions in Dec and Jan, she just got her BA degree in spanish with an esl endorsement. Got 2 interviews, no call backs to hire. She can't find anything. If I get layed off (I work for a tech company) we lose our house and savings to our bills, we also have two kids. I have been working since I was 18, and served in the armed forces, and always put in more hours than I get paid for.
I guess its just tough luck and social darwinism from here on out...

[Jennifer Kirley]

In Reply to Parent Post by Randy

There is absolutely nothing wrong with helping folks especially if they work towards their own betterment...as you described. I'm a contibutor to Habitat for Humanity and other programs, but how many jobs programs, family programs, education and training programs and other programs have to be created and funded to just go to waste from lack of participation, poor performance and become an entitlement that "we are owed"? BS

What you described is great for those that "want" to better thier situation by doing for themselves, but that's not what has been happening nor what is going to happen.....And why do I owe it? I'll bet the farm house you describe had a voluntary faith based approach to assistance and not a secular take away-give away one.

Justify taking from me to pay for something I neither caused nor are responsible for....Oh yeah....let's cover drug addiction treatment, state funded abortions, treating self inflicted communicable diseases from lifestyle choices, and those other things I absolutely have no responsibility for. Why should I pay for that garbage?

I'm not aware of details of the take-away, give-away dynamic, and I don't know who built the houses: churches or if the town bought existing homes, or if the townspeople built them for this purpose. I just know the towns owned the houses and allowed down-on-their-luck families to staty there and work the property until they could get back on their feet. I wasn't there, but I have my doubts that anyone said "You owe me use of that house" back then, and if people said "We owe you assistance to get back on your feet" it was very likely based on a religious tenet that as a society we should care for each other.

You and I agree that we shouldn't be treating all these ailments etc. for free, but our approach to it differs. I approach it not as treating symptoms of a social illness, but building immunity against getting the social illness.

That means doing a better job matching kids to vocations, and seeing they get into them. In our society we tell each other that taking on debt by paying our own way through school is the right thing; then our business leaders cry because of a talent shortage. Meanwhile, businesses outsource to people whose country of origin paid for their education, and our vision of small business increasingly looks like a Burger King franchise.

They key is getting more people into jobs where they are not sponging off of you and me. As a society it's our job to turn around the "you owe me" mentality - we can start with our top executive, sports star and entertainment role models who get ridiculous compensation and then go bankrupt.

When I went to Singapore I noticed very few slackers. We'll have to toughen up on some slackers that we have indeed allowed to develop. To do that we'll need to make some changes to our social infrastructure. We'll need to work harder at ensuring results.

I don't know how many jobs programs, family programs, education and training programs and other programs have been created and funded to just go to waste from lack of participation, poor performance and become an entitlement that "we are owed"...do you? I do know that people like Jaime Escalante (Stand and Deliver) and Erin Gruwell (Freedom Writers) have cracked the code: they have reached some of the same ticked off slackers I suspect you are talking about. By the way, a teacher who tried to build on Erin's success was fired. So, we should be careful whom we pin the blame for bad performance on.

[Craig H.]

In Reply to Parent Post by Complaint CAPA Guy

Thank the good Lord W. is moving on. I almost felt bad for him watching him sit through the inauguration. I kept wondering if he feels remorse or regret for all he has done to tarnish the reputation of America. I'm Canadian and I can tell you everyone I know is hoping that Obama can live up to the hype - or even a third of the hype. Best of Luck Obama. Gary

If you think all of the problems in the US are directly due to Bush, well, think again.

[Randy]

Hey guys get ready to pay for what you didn't do for example I cut this out of a news release here on the web...

Women who give birth to six, seven or eight babies are often showered with dazzling gifts from big corporations, local businesses and strangers. But that is not happening with the Southern California mother who delivered octuplets last week.

The news that she is a single mother with six other children — and that all 14 were conceived by having embryos implanted — seems to have turned off many people, and companies are not exactly rushing to get publicity by piling on the freebies.

Nadya Suleman, 33, has been lambasted by talk-show hosts, fertility experts, even her own mother, who has her hands full taking care of Suleman’s other children, ages 2 to 7.

For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million through age 17, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Suleman octuplets’ medical costs have not been disclosed, but the average cost for just one cesarean birth in 2006 was $22,762 in California. The Suleman babies were born nine weeks premature. In California, a single premature birth in 2006 led to an average hospital stay of 25 days and cost $164,273. That would amount to a $1.3 million bill for eight.

Help? Ok 1st she should be required to submit to sterilization because she has demonstrated her lack of responsibility and accountability. What if she decides to have some more? She'll become a millionaire from the welfare payments.

Qualityboi....if you look into what your preacher was saying about each of us responsible for the other he was most likely talking about Christian salvation as described primarily in the Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke John) and Acts and further detailed in the writings of Paul (Saul of Tarsus). We are required to show mercy and a spirit of giving to those less fortunate (which I absolutely believe and do) but each individual is also required to put forth some effort of their own. There is a difference between Christian giving and legislated theivery under the guise of helping the less fortunate. Why should I pay for building new neighborhoods for folks that won't even pick up the trash on their present street?

[bobdoering]

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is taking responsibility for mistakes in the handling of the tax controversy that led to Tom Daschle's withdrawal as President Barack Obama's nominee to be health and human services secretary, saying: "I screwed up."

The president did a series of back-to-back television interviews in which the subject of failed nominees was a top subject.

Obama told NBC "I'm frustrated with myself" for unintentionally sending a message that there are "two sets of rules" for paying taxes, "one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks."

"I take responsibility for this mistake," he told Fox News.

No worries, Barry - you're new at this...very new..... Maybe a little more practice.

[Randy Stewart]

"I take responsibility for this mistake," he told Fox News.

The same thing the Captain of the Titanic could have said. Doesn't make it right just by taking responsibility. Let's see what happens on the next go around.

We are required to show mercy and a spirit of giving to those less fortunate (which I absolutely believe and do) but each individual is also required to put forth some effort of their own.

Randy, I agree 100%. One time in the "D" one of the "less fortunate" came up to my father and I as we were leaving the old Tiger Stadium asking for money saying he hadn't eaten all day. My dad told him he would take him to the Coney shop and buy him 6 hot dogs, so he would have some to share, but he wasn't going to give him money to buy booze. He was turned down and the guy went to the next person.
Yes, we are required to give. Buy in the right manner and the right type of giving. We don't have to give so someone can get another score. That's stupid to even think that.
I'm not against single mothers but enough is enough. How would anyone take care of that many children? Much less, lets try again for more?

[Craig H.]

Well, we have a tax cheat running the IRS. How is the prez "taking responsibility" for that? By using our tax dollars for the biggest barrel of pork in history? He takes responsibility, but what is he going to do about it? All he is truly willing to take is the blame. And so what?

Change?

Hope?

Oh, change is coming all right. I hope this idiot doesn't bankrupt us all.

[Jennifer Kirley]

My dad used to say, "Science made these (XYZ) problems...science can fix them."

Randy, you are quite entitled to feel frustrated about the octuplet thing - I for one believe this woman was treated for the wrong condition. I also believe anyone collecting government assistance should be on mandatory birth control. But it took a battle of sorts to get birth control coverage on Medicaid, while Viagra was covered. Go figure...

It's certainly worthwhile to step back and assess if we're doing the right things. But if you are trying to sustain an argument against taxpayer support, please separate out the do-gooderisms of wasteful government and private donations.

Is Nadya Suleman receiving Welfare? I never found that specific detail.

When we trouble shoot a process, the human element rightfully only gets a portion of the scrutiny. Process design gets most of it - and most states have a process for getting people off Welfare. I understand Nadya has a college degree. That presumably means she can earn a living, and should do so. Her mother, who has thus far enabled Nadya, has now in effect declared she has grown a spine and will not help anymore. Okay. But what other private parties and charities do is their business.