The 44th President Obama!!!!

[reesesilverstar]

I thought this thread was going to discuss his policies, his pick of "change agents" etc... How he's transitioning to the White House...

Why is this thread too about race again?

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Reading this thread made me realize that though Obama got elected as president, there is still a huge racism problem in the US, much bigger than I thought.

There are huge problems with racism in the US, as there are with sex and I'd argue religion.

If we really want to go into how f'ed up standards are, look at the language used towards Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin. Doesn't anyone find it odd that the president's faith is always called into question or that we haven't had a Muslim/Budhist/atheist/etc. president?

Personally, to me, these don't matter unless the religion will dictate the course of action, but I know there are people in this country who would be livid to have someone like that.

We have come a long way, but we still have a longer way to go.

 

[carandru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reesesilverstar I thought this thread was going to discuss his policies, his pick of "change agents" etc... How he's transitioning to the White House... Why is this thread too about race again?

ME TOO!!!

I for one, would actually like to discuss his policies. It seems we have some intelligent and insightful members who post here, so I would love to read what they have to say.

 

[hotmodelchiq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carandru ME TOO!!! I for one, would actually like to discuss his policies. It seems we have some intelligent and insightful members who post here, so I would love to read what they have to say.

I think at this moment I will say agree to disagree because you cant speculate someones elses struggle... All I can do is try to give you a first hand account to mine... With that being said....

I know the most important issue is the economy followed closely by the war in Iraq, but I am SOOOOOO excited about Obama's education plan!!! With the no child left behind act that we currently have in place many children in fact get left behind!!! a complete contradiction. And for all you college students, people hoping to continue their education and people with college age children they are going to give a $4,000 tax credit the only catch is you have to do 100 hrs of community service... Not to mention I will be getting a pay raise very soon!!! OH GIGGIDY lol

 

[benzito_714]

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkwater_soul That's a bit of a reach, considering you just said you didn't see the movie. They never made mention in it about the significance of her race, she just happened to be black. Racism is the arbitrary assignment of importance based on a person's skin color. The movie is about a Dystopian society that faces extinction because of a mutated gene that caused all women to become sterile, and this woman did not have this gene. It had nothing to do with her skin color.

yeah it is a reach that is why i said the movie may be hinting at that. understanding that the movie is far more than race i watched a discussion about the movie and any assumed importance of the pregnant character being a black woman. so instead i am basing my previous statement on that discussion (comprised of a panel of people representing various races) as opposed to the movie.

agreeing with reesesilverstar on this becoming about race again-let's discuss some policies

 

[FullWroth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotmodelchiq I know the most important issue is the economy followed closely by the war in Iraq, but I am SOOOOOO excited about Obama's education plan!!!

Yeah, I'm too cynical to let myself really get excited, but I'm... kinda hopeful for education reform now that we have a president who can pronounce the word nuclear. I just don't know how he can possibly pull it off - there's so much wrong with it right now that it's like cleaning my disaster area of a bedroom! You clear out one layer of the mess only to find 3 more underneath!

Abysmal teacher's salaries, inconsistent and inadequate standards for teacher qualifications and certification, budget cutbacks making the admins even MORE desperate to hire anyone who'll work for less whether or not they're qualified, growing class sizes, shrinking supplies, outdated textbooks, psychotic parents who all insist that their kid's a super-genius-perfect-unique-little-snowflake regardless of any semblance of reality, the stripping of power from teachers to actually correct their students half the time, the utter lack of consequences for students who DO fail, the inability of the system to let kids learn how to get up again after they've fallen down because god forbid we let them ever fall down, the inconsistent and frequently inadequate curricula from school to school... it's just all so much, you know?

I wish him luck though. It's a big, difficult job, but it needs doing ASAP.

 

[ShugAvery2001]

moving right along.....................................

 

[AdlersMommy22]

$4,000 for college students? Hmmm....

Except I dont know how im going to find time to do 100 hrs of community service working full time and going to school full time.. I suppose I can try and work something out in the summer... hopefully?

 

[carandru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FullWroth Yeah, I'm too cynical to let myself really get excited, but I'm... kinda hopeful for education reform now that we have a president who can pronounce the word nuclear. I just don't know how he can possibly pull it off - there's so much wrong with it right now that it's like cleaning my disaster area of a bedroom! You clear out one layer of the mess only to find 3 more underneath!

Quote:

Abysmal teacher's salaries, inconsistent and inadequate standards for teacher qualifications and certification, budget cutbacks making the admins even MORE desperate to hire anyone who'll work for less whether or not they're qualified, growing class sizes, shrinking supplies, outdated textbooks, psychotic parents who all insist that their kid's a super-genius-perfect-unique-little-snowflake regardless of any semblance of reality, the stripping of power from teachers to actually correct their students half the time, the utter lack of consequences for students who DO fail, the inability of the system to let kids learn how to get up again after they've fallen down because god forbid we let them ever fall down, the inconsistent and frequently inadequate curricula from school to school... it's just all so much, you know? I wish him luck though. It's a big, difficult job, but it needs doing ASAP.

Let's not forget the parents who think it's the teacher's job to raise their children as if they have no obligations to teach values and morals to their own kids. It always saddens me when I see that

.


I will be glad to see the exact measures put in place to get qualified teachers and to keep the qualified ones around. I'm also interested in seeing how this reward program will/can be implemented by the individual school districts. But, I can already see some people having problems w/ teachers being rewarded for teaching in under served areas. We'll see if that part actually comes to pass.

I just know that I would like to have high quality public school options for my children. I can remember going to one school for one day (literally) b/c my teacher did not know how to properly pronounce several words in our textbooks. She "helped" the children who were struggling w/ reading by telling them that people should be pronounce "peep-us" or that sandwich was pronounced "sam-mich" and several others. The worst part was whenever she said one of these "corrections", the class would nod in agreement. Who knows if and when those kids learned the proper pronunciation. I was in the 3rd grade, but I knew that was not right. She may have been a very qualified teacher overall, but I couldn't get over that part.

Maybe I was a word snob in elementary school, lol.

I wonder if programs like Teach for America will be aided or handicapped by the education policy since it seems Obama seeks to do the same things as these programs.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdlersMommy22 $4,000 for college students? Hmmm.... Except I dont know how im going to find time to do 100 hrs of community service working full time and going to school full time.. I suppose I can try and work something out in the summer... hopefully?

If it's like work-study, some people get work-study jobs where they literally study while they "work", which means monitor a building or sit at a front desk.

 

[carandru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdlersMommy22 $4,000 for college students? Hmmm.... Except I dont know how im going to find time to do 100 hrs of community service working full time and going to school full time.. I suppose I can try and work something out in the summer... hopefully?

I think that 100 hours is intended to be done over the typical undergraduate 4 year time span, but I could be wrong. I just assumed that since it doesn't state $4,000 per year but instead the first $4,000 of a college education. That $4,000 would have been just enough to cover my meal plan, fees, and books. I hated out-of-state tuition, lol. Instate ~= 12 k, out of state ~= 36k

 

[AdlersMommy22]

^omg... that blows. I hope it is over a 4 year period because i can totally do 25 hours a year haha.. ill go walk dogs for the local shelter... yessssss...i want that tax break! LOL!

 

[kimmy]

i wish obama would give me some damn college money! these people are bleeding me dry.

i found alot of different claims as to what his plan for the space program entails. i'm thouroughly confused now, but i guess i'll have to just wait and see when he takes office. i really sincerely hope that part i read about him cutting funds from the constellation program is a lie.

 

[carandru]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmy i wish obama would give me some damn college money! these people are bleeding me dry. i found alot of different claims as to what his plan for the space program entails. i'm thouroughly confused now, but i guess i'll have to just wait and see when he takes office. i really sincerely hope that part i read about him cutting funds from the constellation program is a lie.

OMG, you're right. I can't find very much recent info on the space program and what I did find doesn't say much. I could be wrong, but I believe he has since backtracked some on the constellation program. I found these two items that may be of interest to you if you haven't read them already.

http://www.fladems.com/page/-/Obama_Space.pdf

SPACE.com -- On Heels of Campaign Promises, Obama Faces Big NASA Decisions

 

[SparklingWaves]

Quote:

Originally Posted by reesesilverstar I thought this thread was going to discuss his policies, his pick of "change agents" etc... How he's transitioning to the White House... Why is this thread too about race again?

From what I have been reading, he is being very active politically.

 

[SuSana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark If it's like work-study, some people get work-study jobs where they literally study while they "work", which means monitor a building or sit at a front desk.

I wish my work study had been like that! I was a reading tutor for the kids that were behind in their class. It was fun, I would have loved to do it after my work study money had run out but you couldn't.

100 hours isn't that much, a little over 8 hours a month if you need to do it in one year.

 

[hotmodelchiq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FullWroth Yeah, I'm too cynical to let myself really get excited, but I'm... kinda hopeful for education reform now that we have a president who can pronounce the word nuclear. I just don't know how he can possibly pull it off - there's so much wrong with it right now that it's like cleaning my disaster area of a bedroom! You clear out one layer of the mess only to find 3 more underneath! Abysmal teacher's salaries, inconsistent and inadequate standards for teacher qualifications and certification, budget cutbacks making the admins even MORE desperate to hire anyone who'll work for less whether or not they're qualified, growing class sizes, shrinking supplies, outdated textbooks, psychotic parents who all insist that their kid's a super-genius-perfect-unique-little-snowflake regardless of any semblance of reality, the stripping of power from teachers to actually correct their students half the time, the utter lack of consequences for students who DO fail, the inability of the system to let kids learn how to get up again after they've fallen down because god forbid we let them ever fall down, the inconsistent and frequently inadequate curricula from school to school... it's just all so much, you know? I wish him luck though. It's a big, difficult job, but it needs doing ASAP.

You know it's really kind of sad.... All programs and government run agencys need SOOOO much reform and restructuring I know I'm preaching to the choir but thats what happens when you have a CRAPPY president... Our ENTIRE country has been left in shambles... Just think how bad FEMA needs to be reformed. Obama has a HUGE, GIGANTIC and MONUMENTAL job ahead of him... I love the fact that he sort of acknowledges his somewhat "limited" experience and is seeking the council of former presidents and other high ranking officials.

 

[hotmodelchiq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmy i wish obama would give me some damn college money! these people are bleeding me dry. i found alot of different claims as to what his plan for the space program entails. i'm thouroughly confused now, but i guess i'll have to just wait and see when he takes office. i really sincerely hope that part i read about him cutting funds from the constellation program is a lie.

I always tell my students NEVER take anyone else word for it! Obama's site is still up you can search ANY of his policies if your unfamiliar with them... Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Policy Issues click on the issue that is important to you and you can read all the details!

 

[kimmy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hotmodelchiq I always tell my students NEVER take anyone else word for it! Obama's site is still up you can search ANY of his policies if your unfamiliar with them... Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | Policy Issues click on the issue that is important to you and you can read all the details!

i've looked at his website and it didn't offer much insight into his plans for the space program...i suppose because most of the country doesn't find that important.

i'm kind of skeptical anyway about what his website says, because politicians are the biggest liars of all people so i usually wait to see what they do...i'm just so nervous about him cutting nasa's budget after we've come so far and we're so close to so many amazing things, i'd be really upset if he stalled them out.

 

[darkwater_soul]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmy i've looked at his website and it didn't offer much insight into his plans for the space program...i suppose because most of the country doesn't find that important. i'm kind of skeptical anyway about what his website says, because politicians are the biggest liars of all people so i usually wait to see what they do...i'm just so nervous about him cutting nasa's budget after we've come so far and we're so close to so many amazing things, i'd be really upset if he stalled them out.

We are close, but something to remember is that we are also in a huge deficit, we need to start cutting back on programs until we curb that a little, and his hard part will be deciding what needs to be put on the back burner.