As we get further into his administration I'm finding that each of his actions are being scrutinized by every side with colored vision. Some people think his is trying to take complete control of the government. No folks, that was Bush and Cheney. Some people see him as a spineless sellout. No that was Clinton, the Republican's Democrat. Even if they tried everything to tank his administration. President Obama is a non-confrontational politician trying to confront the most negative opposition in recent history.
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The current debate over his address to students is ridiculous. If he stays to the stated agenda it is nothing more than a study hard, get good grades, and stay in school. No more propaganda than the first Bush's stay off drugs message in September 1989 and certainly less than Regan's 1988 address to middleschoolers on taxes. (He did this is a copy from my blog which doesn't get the views the daily Kos does)
Many people can not see clearly though their own tinted glasses. If you expect evil machinations that is what you see. If you trust this president you see nothing harmful. It is not the actions of this president but your own bias that you are seeing.
The stimulus and the budget controversy was the first case of myopic discussion. Economists who have study the great depression have taught for 70+ years that to prevent a deflation and the depression that when the private sector purchasing dries up the government must spend money. Not cut taxes. Not give banks money to shore up against bad loans. Actually spend money. Our president bowed to pressure and tried to make a compromise. What we ended up with was bad economics and a poor recovery plan. He is a politician and they make compromises.
When the US auto companies came to the government for survival aid. We have one of the last major manufacturing industries left in the country and one of the largest sources of employment looking to collapse. Rather than looking at how many people would be impacted and placing these companies at the head of the line for aid we got a half-baked plan that neither fixes the auto makers nor saves enough American jobs. The management at the auto companies was no better or worse than the management of the failing banks. The both are paid way too much and have perks beyond belief. He is a politician and they make compromises.
The health care controversy is not a debate because people are not trying to debate anything. One side is trying to put into law their idea of what is best for the country while the other side seems to be offering nothing but the status quo. I really wish there was a debate out there. Someone needs to go through the bills and really pull out for public viewing the issues. Not the highly charged and unreal issues that have come up so far. The "Death Panels", the "rationing", and most of the other non-issues that have caught headlines. Let's try to take control of this compromise and get the best solution to the broken health care system we currently have.
It seems that all sides forget that democracy only survives when healthy debate and good compromises do. Everyone need to remove the colored glasses that are obscuring their view of the issues. Take a clear and rational view of health care, the President, and those in Congress. Then take actions that will bring sanity, reason, and thoughtfulness to all the debates. In our own way we all need to be politicians and make informed, rational compromises.