Posted by Tina
Speaking to the NAACP recently, President Obama said the following about justice in America :
“What the marchers on Washington knew, what the marchers in Selma knew, what folks like Julian Bond knew, what the marchers in this room still know, is that justice is not only the absence of oppression, it is the presence of opportunity. Justice is giving every child a shot at a great education no matter what zip code they’re born into. Justice is giving everyone willing to work hard the chance at a good job with good wages, no matter what their name is, what their skin color is, where they live.
Let’s look at the key words: justice, marchers on Washington, Selma, Julian Bond, marchers in this room…not only absence of oppression, presence of opportunity, a shot, good job, good wages, name, skin color, zip code.
Is this man serious? Just ask yourself, what more can America do to create the “presence of opportunity” that we haven’t already done in the last 50 years? At what point is success the responsibility of the individual?
In terms of education, every child gets a free education through high school, after civil rights legislation passed, children were bused to neighborhoods across town giving them the same “presence of opportunity” as any other kid. The concept of preferences was adopted shortly thereafter in colleges and universities across the nation. Junior colleges and tech schools are another option. In many cases standards were lowered to meet eligibility requirements. Minority studies were added to college curricula in order to address esteem issues. Pelle grants and scholarships are available to assist with the cost of college. In our prisons convicts have an opportunity to finish high school or to get a college degree and they have access to spiritual and psychological counseling and help. Opportunity abounds! The only thing required of minority/poor students is that they apply themselves and take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.
In terms of jobs, discrimination laws prevent employers from excluding minorities in hiring, those who want to work can work, many have become business owners, executives, government workers and office holders, sports figures, musicians, and celebrities. Our military provides an excellent opportunity for training and/or a life of service. Once again, opportunity abounds, all that’s required is that you apply yourself. Some have gone on to be very wealthy.
In terms of general assistance our nation has created 185+ separate social welfare programs and subsidies. Anyone who applies himself can use these programs as a stepping stone rather than a lifestyle!
The President is pandering to blacks for their votes when he stands before the NAACP and lies through his teeth about the opportunities available in America. it’s despicable that a man who reached the highest position in the nation and has personally benefited from the opportunities available in America would do such a thing. The opportunity before him should be to encourage minorities and the poor to take advantage of living in this free country, America, where there is opportunity for anyone who just shows up!
Of course it doesn’t help that Obama’s policies have blunted economic activity and job growth and hurt minorities and the poor. But in any case it’s time to respect young people in any “neighborhood” and no matter what “their name” to drop feeling victimized and become the masters of their own fate. Anything less is un-American…and irresponsible!
I look forward to the day that President Panderer is out of office.
what more can America do to create the “presence of opportunity” that we haven’t already done in the last 50 years? At what point is success the responsibility of the individual? –
Let’s see what we have done. Education? We took basic college from a tax payer based system to one where students incur massive debt. Many default due to lack of good paying jobs and the 6 month period they have before payments start after graduating..
high school? Read the want ads in a major city, they are demanding degrees for many remedial jobs.
Sorry but America is not a great country, we were once a great country. We now send our jobs overseas so wall street may prosper off slave labor.
What do the tags on your clothes and household products say? Made in USA?
The kids are upset at the world we are leaving them and I do not blame them. Retired people have not a clue. They somehow think kids get the same opportunities they got.
College was free when we invested in our kids. Those kids built many of the companies we know today.
Now we send jobs overseas for wall street owned corporations. Privately owned business is a rare animal in the grand picture.
Mr. Reagan set the educational tone for his administration by:
a. calling for an end to free tuition for state college and university students,
b. annually demanding 20% across-the-board cuts in higher education funding,[2]
c. repeatedly slashing construction funds for state campuses
d. engineering the firing of Clark Kerr, the popular President of the University of California, and
e. declaring that the state “should not subsidize intellectual curiosity
http://www.newfoundations.com/Clabaugh/CuttingEdge/Reagan.html
Governor Reagan not only slashed spending on higher education. Throughout his tenure as governor Mr. Reagan consistently and effectively opposed additional funding for basic education. This led to painful increases in local taxes and the deterioration of California’s public schools.
Los Angeles voters got so fed up picking up the slack that on five separate occasions they refused to support any further increases in local school taxes.
The consequent under-funding resulted in overcrowded classrooms, ancient worn-out textbooks, crumbling buildings and badly demoralized teachers. Ultimately half of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s teachers walked off the job to protest conditions in their schools.[5] Mr. Reagan was unmoved.
Ronald Reagan left California public education worse than he found it.
A system that had been the envy of the nation when he was elected was in decline when he left.
Nevertheless, Mr. Reagan’s actions had political appeal, particularly to his core CONSERVATIVE constituency, many of whom had no time for public education.
Conservative Policies have failed us far too long. Time to reverse the damages.
Tina, as Dewey points out, Americans have lost many opportunities over the past few decades which your generation enjoyed.
Off the top of my head, here’s a short list of advantages your generation had that my generation doesn’t:
1) A high minimum wage
2) Low cost college education–you could work a summer and then use your savings to pay for college; that’s impossible today
3) Unprecedented investment in education and infrastructure
4) High unionization
5) Great manufacturing economy
All of these advantages have slowly eroded over the years, and it wasn’t just due to neglect; there was a concerted effort to destroy each and every one of these opportunities, all under the justification that “the government is the enemy.”
It was a divisive strategy that in the end hurt everybody. Unions were made out to be the enemy of the manufacturing industry, even though both were at their strongest at the same time. Outsourcing and the failure of the min. wage to keep up with inflation were justified under the idea that American workers are just too demanding.
And this isn’t even getting into the unique disadvantages facing black students and workers, who are still more likely to get discriminated against simply by virtue of the way their names sound.
That’s not to say people don’t have any opportunities. I don’t believe Obama’s message was “give up and be angry,” it was that we can do better as a nation. And that’s just a fact. We aren’t the “land of opportunity” anymore, and that is clear in the stats on social mobility; if you are born poor in America, you are more likely to die poor than you would be if you were born poor in most European countries. It shouldn’t be that way. That’s un-American. We can change it, and we only have to look back to the opportunities your generation had and see how we can bring those back.
Dewey: “We took basic college from a tax payer based system to one where students incur massive debt.”
Not entirely correct!
Colleges, including even elite colleges with their massive cash reserves from donors and profitable football programs, are subsidized through the Department of Education to the tune of billions each year:
Government involvement increases the price of college for everyone! Government involvement eliminates the need for colleges to compete for student enrollment by keeping costs down. they run open loop lavishing themselves with perks and benefits.
In state schools salaries and pensions have increased dramatically and taxpayers are asked to foot the bill…many such programs are busting state budgets. Once again, a constant flow of cash from the government assures these colleges will have constant cash flow…no need to keep costs down or compete for students.
College is also expensive because of all the feel good studies programs that produce graduates with worthless degrees.
It is liberals for the most part that run and control our colleges. They’ve created this mess because they don’t understand that market principles applied would keep costs down. They actually believe you can have something for nothing (On other peoples money).
High school through grade twelve is still available for anyone who will apply himself…there is no excuse for failing to obtain a high school diploma which is a necessary goal for having a productive life. No government program can force someone to apply himself. That must come from society and parents demanding more from young people and higher standards in education.
Too many kids have been going to college that should have gone to tech schools…that has become another option and opportunity for anyone who applies himself.
A product of socialist high taxes and regulation which cut into the bottom line and cause inflation of prices and unions demanding of companies more than they can sustain. Both make it harder for American companies to compete…guess what the greedy union worker priced himself out of the market!
“The consequent under-funding resulted in overcrowded classrooms, ancient worn-out textbooks, crumbling buildings and badly demoralized teachers”
Horse feathers! San Jose State was building and expanding during this period and the California system was growing. President Reagan was correct in his approach to education in California (See above on the cost of higher education). Without budget discipline and competition college leadership have no incentive to keep costs down or spend wisely.
Your information is narrowly focused propaganda, probably from the hateful left Alinsky machine…I found the site where you obtained it.
As far as opposing additional funding goes you’ve swallowed the old trick. He asked for slashes in INCREASES of spending on education. We still spent more just not as much as the left was demanding.
Conservative policies, including those implemented by Democrats JFK and Clinton, have created periods of expansion and growth providing greater opportunity for everyone. You are indeed ignorant if you think otherwise.
Bottom line we live in a free country with plenty of opportunity (Especially when government is less intrusive)! Anyone who applies himself can build a good future for himself and his family.
Chris I agree things look pretty bleak for your generation right now. it bothers me greatly that so many in your age group don’t have any understanding of what it would take to turn it around. Even more disturbing many of you don’t even seem to be curious, even after seven recent years of low growth, high unemployment and loss of opportunity. these are the best years for you to start to build your nest egg and they have been lost years. I pray it won’t continue, my grand childrens’ futures depend on a radical shift away from oppressive progressive (HA!) policy. Left policy has had the upper hand for seventy years if you consider the size of the bureaucracy needed to support the massive amount of programs and departments as well as the unsustainable programs that are adding so much to our debt.
“here’s a short list of advantages your generation had that my generation doesn’t:
1) A high minimum wage
2) Low cost college education–you could work a summer and then use your savings to pay for college; that’s impossible today
3) Unprecedented investment in education and infrastructure
4) High unionization
5) Great manufacturing economy”
1. See here for equivalency in current dollars. There isn’t that much difference in the amount of wages. The difference is the inflated cost to you of not only college but everything else. The Carter years produced a lot of this but generally speaking the high cost of funding government is the biggest culprit in my opinion.
2. Things change. Regarding the high cost of education and it’s causes see my response to Dewey above. College doesn’t have to cost what it does and I suspect that through the internet and other options the problem will repair itself. Also as you have noted, I believe, we are pushing too many kids into college that would be better served by tech schools.
3. The investment in education in this country is “unprecedented” every single year. Budgets always increase. Spending always increases. What are you talking about?
4. Unions did themselves in by demanding more than companies could sustain which helped to drive up prices for everyday products and eventually pushed companies to robots and leaving the country. Stupid is as stupid does.
5. You still have manufacturing but you also have the high tech field. Lower investment taxes and reasonable regulation will bring more of those jobs back to America.
The problem for you is a legacy of left thinking and left policy. Both have decimated our free market system and blunted economic growth.Left education in our schools ensures that the younger generation does not think but has swallowed the cause and effect left line. You have everything exactly backwards but refuse to question and learn, even when presented with strong arguments and evidence!
“I don’t believe Obama’s message was “give up and be angry,” it was that we can do better as a nation.”
And under his progressive hand things have not improved they have gotten worse!
“if you are born poor in America, you are more likely to die poor than you would be if you were born poor in most European countries.”
How sad! You believe that the best America can do is to subsidize the poor, keeping him just above the poverty line, rather than creating conditions for him to thrive. You believe that conditions as we now see in Greece is the best we can hope for in the future.
“we only have to look back to the opportunities your generation had and see how we can bring those back.”
That’s fine as long as you don’t cherry pick the information.
If you looked at policies under both Dem and Rep presidents that created growth and expansion and the reasons for that you’d be further along the path for solving your generations problems!
Set the American people free! It is the American people that produce jobs, growth, and greater opportunity for everyone. Under those conditions the poor have every opportunity to raise themselves up…they need only apply themselves!
America worked when the people were free.
Big government is un-American. You would know that had you not been indoctrinated in this nations progressive controlled schools.