Scratching my head:

It seems that this divided nation insists upon its own division. I have had one of those days that most of us have from time to time, where we mentally wrestle with a concept for an extended period of time. I almost always find myself on the conservative side of the political spectrum. What little life experience I have, and all the reasoning I posses teaches me that we need to live in a nation with limited government and a highly moral rule of law. I try not to limit my scope of thought and always consider others perspectives. I have always considered myself a conservative, and will even admit to being a republican, even as the title looses footing in the turbulent political culture. I have made a promise to myself that regardless of popular opinion, I will stay true to my principals, morals, and logic.

It has been a mentally stimulating week as I have struggled to understand the stance the right has taken toward the President of the United States of America speaking to young elementary school students. I have spent time in our elementary schools in a variety of classrooms, and I have found them nearly void of patriotism. I understand that there are thousands of elementary students and I have only worked with a few hundred of them, but regardless, I am disturbed by the presiding culture of disrespect toward all things patriotic. Our elementary school students would rather hide under their desks than stand for the pledge of allegiance. Our middle school students think they will lose stature in the eyes of their friends if they remove their hats for the national anthem. And I have even experienced high school kids who feel their GPA is too high to consider the military, as if serving our country is a job for a second class citizen. I know that there are some who blame the system and some who blame the parents a blame them both.

I hope every time you see someone fail to stand at the sound of the star spangled banner, or fail to utter the words “one nation under God” in the pledge of allegiance that you get the same sick feeling in your stomach. We build our own culture. If we express disrespect toward the office of our nations president we will reap our reward; a generation of young people with no respect toward things patriotic. I think Barack H Obama may be the worst candidate to run in the 2008 primaries. I don’t understand why so many Americans marched to the beat of hope and change into the voting booth. And because I don’t understand, I will continue to let my voice be heard in opposition of every proposed policy I believe will fail. But this I also know, that every child should have the opportunity to hear the voice of our freely elected leader. Our president is a living beacon to the world that freedom can prevail. Democracy is more than the hope of our ancestors, it is the reality of our living government. I believe in the power of the office, and its potential for good. To truly trust democracy means that you accept the elected leader and let him do his job. I may have a strong dislike for Barack Obama but as long as he holds the office of president of the United States, I would not hesitate to take a bullet or sacrifice my life in his defense. If the president wants to talk to the children then let the man speak. I believe he is capable of being the president, not just a politician. If he proves me wrong, judge him by the words he speaks, not what you fear he might say. If you insist on distrust, you insist on a divided nation.

It Takes Two to Tango

FROM THE LEFT: David Brooks wrote an op-ed that really caught my attention. Here are some snipits of what he wrote in his column “The Obama Slide”

“The number of Americans who trust President Obama to make the right decisions has fallen by roughly 17 percentage points. Obama’s job approval is down to about 50 percent. All presidents fall from their honeymoon highs, but in the history of polling, no newly elected American president has fallen this far this fast…Fifty-nine percent of Americans now think the country is headed in the wrong direction.”- David Brooks

I believe that the President is trying too hard to make this health care bill bipartisan. He doesn’t seem to understand that the Republicans are not negotiating in good faith. No matter what he puts in this bill Republicans are still going to fight against it. They believe that if they can knock down health care, they can take down the Obama Presidency with it. Senator Jim DeMint said as much with his recent “waterloo” comments. I understand that Obama campaigned on bipartisanship and that he genuinely wants to work with the Republicans, but as my father says “it takes two to tango” and the Republicans simply won’t dance.

As for President Obama and his slipping poll numbers, he needs to speak candidly to the American people next week at the joint session of Congress. If he delivers a performance anything like his last press conference, I am afraid health care is doomed.

-Chris V

The American perspective:

The American people voted for change in a variety of ways. Those who voted for transparency in government and bipartisan politics have already been very let down as the fantasy we hoped for, smashed headfirst into the reality of Barack H. Obama. If a majority of Americans wanted Mr. Obama to lead this country, and now there is a majority of Americans who disapprove of the direction he is going, it doesn’t take a political scientist to figure out that he is not doing what the American people expected him to. We are tired of feeling like the president is trying to pull one over on us before we have had time to study the changes he is trying to make. We want to see the man fulfill his campaign promises, we want to know what businesses are benefiting from his legislation, we want five days to go over every bill that comes across his desk.

The president has already done a great deal to underwrite the political process and smash healthcare through the legislative branch. Now that we have had some time to look at the thing we don’t like it. We are sick of seeing our government trying to move behind our backs, and that is why 57% of us would like to see all of them thrown out of office. We are not going to stand and watch a party with too much power push their agenda onto the American people, because we are sick of this behavior and we want what we have been promised. And we will not dance!

Luke H.

FROM THE LEFT: The truth is that Republicans are against all government all the time. They think that more government is always a bad thing and that more private sector is always a good thing. Well I have news for you, the world isn't that simple. These issues are complicated and nuanced, and we need nuanced solutions. The private sector alone cannot solve are problems and the government alone also cannot solve our problems. What Obama is proposing is not a government take over of health care. It is a plan that would give people choice, and would stop discrimination against sick people. Unfortunately Obama has not been out front with his message and has allowed this debate to turn into a mud fight.

"Stop.... Where Is My Mind??"

Like many young people I naively thought that the United States would "change" when Barrack Obama became President. At the time I believed that someone could "transcend" politics, and unify a very divided country. I am not sure about that anymore. When I read the news I feel overwhelmed, there are just so many things going wrong in this country. Right know we have brave soldiers dying in Afghanistan, a deficit that is growing every second, and not to mention partisan bickering over health care in Washington. Have we finally bitten off more then we could chew?

Then these feelings of melancholy are compounded when I turn on my TV. Have you tried to watch cable news lately? It is complete insanity. I think there must be a running contest between MSNBC and Fox News to see which network can make up the most shit, throw the most mud, and be as downright mean as possible. Both networks have figured out that well "real" journalism is too hard (and by the way it doesn't get high ratings) so we will just put up some angry, loud, and obnoxious person to yell over anyone who disagrees with his or her ideology. And then if anyone tries to point out that these hosts are not journalist, but venomous snakes, you'll be quoted out of context and be called the "worst person in the world" or a "pinhead".

How can we have an honest debate when we don't even listen to the other side, or try to understand where they are coming from? Everything has been turned into a partisan issue, and we've all decided that the opposing side is trying to ruin this country. Even I sometimes find myself looking through a prism of left and right, not what is right and wrong. Both parties have convinced themselves that they are infallible and that whatever the issue is, the other side is wrong. I believe with complete sincerity that we all want this country to succeed, and that the things that unite us are stronger then the things that divide us.

Maybe just maybe we should take a break from only reading or watching news that has the same biased as ourselves. Who knows you might actually gain a new perspective. So I challenge you, if you're a democrat maybe read the Wall Street Journal or the Economist. If your a Republican give NPR and the New York Times a shot. I'm not saying you'll agree with everything they say but if you're not willing to compromise, and listen to opposing people's view points, how can you expect your leaders to.

-Chris V

I am Luke H. and I support this message. Thanks for the great perspective Chris.