Role Models

As I have watched the partisan debates over the past 8 months on every issue from the Stimulus Bill to the proposed Health Care Reform Legislation, I have continuously been amazed at the demoralizing efforts to belittle and demean the political leaders of this nation. I heard a talk show host talk about the disappointment to people who believe this nation needs a two party state to productively work through issues and prospective legislation to reach the best end for the people of the country. They argued that we have in essence become a one party state, where the party in control makes decisions, and the minority party simply does what it can to get back control in the next election, even if that process is at the expense of the betterment of the nation at that time. I have always contended that politics should be the process by which we elect or leaders, and not the process by which they lead. This week, I have become officially stumped by this nation's divisiveness.

President Obama is scheduled to deliver a speech to the school children across the country on Tuesday, Spetember 8th, via closed circuit television. This message is designed to support the age old motto that you can be anything you want if you stay in school, study hard and stay focused. A speech that will ultimately include that our kids may even become President of the United States someday. Black or white, boy or girl, the only limit on their potential is the limit they impose by not focusing on their education.

It seems to me this is a message we would all want our children to hear, especially from the first African-American President in our nation's history. But no, somehow we have found a way for this to be political as well. People across this country have protested, called their school districts in a tirade, saying they will not have their kids exposed to President Obama's "liberal agenda". They have accused the President of "conditioning the minds" of our youth to "his socialistic ways".

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????????

I'm absolutely sure the President will take this opportunity, when he is addressing all kids from 1st grade to 12th grade, from ages 6 - 18, to layout his political agenda and ideological beliefs about our nation's future. Let's be honest, if his speech is longer than 15 minutes, 80% of the class will have tuned him out as they scribble in their notebooks. Outlining a progressive liberal agenda for the restoration of our nation would be as useful as a speech on the history of diversity in our country at a klan rally.

I doesn't seem like it was that long ago having the President of the United States address our children would have been not only an honor, but an investment in our future. With all of the moronic images our children are bombarded with on a daily basis, this is what we have chosen to take a stand on???? Perhaps President Obama could get the Octomom or Jon/Kate to come on with him to help balance the potential negative impact of his message. They can preface the message with the airing of Lil' Wayne's PSA about staying in school. Maybe we can interview Lil' Wayne and have him share the impact education has had on his life. Then we can have Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin do a piece on abstinence.

ARE YOU GETTING MY POINT??????

I understand that for many conservatives and religious right wing people, President Obama is somehow the devil, and his only purpose for being in the White House is to tear down the very fabric of this nation until we can fly a socialist flag at the Capitol and have the Federal Government control every aspect of your lives, but if you could put your own personal agenda aside for a moment, you might realize that our kids wouldn't recognize a conservative from a liberal, a socialist from a communist, or a Democrat from a Republican. They have many more years to be tainted by the stink that has become a divided nation. Right now they see an African-American man, raised by a single mother with help from his grandparents, who has beaten all the odds and broken the highest barrier in our nation to become President of the United States. And he is telling them that if he could do it, they can do it if they will stay in school, work hard and not give up on their dreams, or sell them to what's popular or cool. When did this become something to protest or throw a fit about?

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!! Our children need as many positive influences and role models as they can get in a world where negativity and stupidity seem to be the fastest path to celebrity. As a final thought, you might also consider this. If your child can be more swayed by a 15 minute speech by the President in a classroom than by you on a daily basis, maybe it's time you examine your role in the lives of your children.