Posted on 09/02/2009 1:09:47 PM PDT by markomalley
President Obama intends to address schoolchildren across the nation next week about the importance of taking responsibility for success in their studies. But in these polarized times, the first-ever talk has quickly prompted accusations that the White House is using taxpayer money to politically indoctrinate children.
Obama will travel to Wakefield High School in Arlington, Va. on Sept. 8 and deliver an address that will be aired on C-Span and the White House web site, whitehouse.gov. The White House says the message is intended to stimulate a discussion about persisting and succeeding in school. In a recent letter to school principals, Education Secretary Arne Duncan provided more details, stating, "The president will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."
Sounds pretty innocuous. But the Education Department's decision to distribute lesson plans to accompany the address and essentially require students to watch the speech is sparking an outcry from commentators and officials on the political right, who accuse the president of staging a political rally disguised as a civics lesson.
Particularly out front is Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer, who has condemned the administration for using taxpayer money to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."
"As the father of four children, I am absolutely appalled that taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology," Greer said in a statement. "The idea that schoolchildren across our nation will be forced to watch the president justify his plans for government-run health care, banks, and automobile companies, increasing taxes on those who create jobs, and racking up more debt than any other president, is not only infuriating, but goes against beliefs of the majority of Americans, while bypassing American parents through an invasive abuse of power."
Greer said the format doesn't promote healthy debate and could prompt dissenting students to be ostracized by their classmates and teachers.
What is prompting such fierce pushback? A pre-kindergarden-grade 6 lesson plan from the Education Department suggests teachers promote discussion in their classrooms about key points, such as citizenship, personal responsibility and civic duty. Other ideas include having students write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president; write about their goals in poems, songs or personal essays, and participate in schoolwide incentive programs or contests for students who achieve their goals.
The grade 7-12 lesson plan can be found here.
There has always been an active leftist agenda to indoctrinate the children and college kids and they are now taking it to another level with Dear Leader himself. It is up to parents to educate their own children on the propaganda they are going to get at school and give them the power to question and notice their agenda. And I add Sen. McCarthy happened to be correct.
Child Abuser Obama-Supporting Teacher Bullies Soldier's Daughter
If not, I'm sure he will pickup on the idea from his comrade FUBO.
I would like to ask the author if she would feel the same if the little children were being forced to listen to the speechifying of George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan.
I suspect the idea would make Adriel tremble with rage until she wet her pants.
I suffered for the greater good of Freeperdom and watched the complete video.
Reports said that it had “I pledge to be a service to Barack Obama” in it.
That is incorrect. It has “I pledge to be a SERVANT to Barack Obama” near the end, stated by that talented actress who performed the lead role in GI Jane and who is married to Ashton Kutcher.
"I want to help the President become a private citizen as soon as possible."
If you willingly send your children to public school, you are not a conservative. If you have children in public school and you allow them to attend school on Obama day you are a LIBERAL.
You want to say that to my face?
And if you're calling me a liberal, you're calling my daughter a mind-numbed robot that is malleable to some idiot Obamanoid teacher. You want to say that to her face?
Jim Greer nails it. He should be heading the RNC
Is next month’s school speech Chavez or Ahmadinejad?
Haven’t been on in ages, but had to get on to comment about this.
If you call my dad a liberal, or me for that matter, you APPARENTLY have a warped idea of the CONCEPT of liberalism.
I attend public school of my OWN FREE WILL. I CHOSE to attend public school. I am a...er...”ambassador” of sorts for conservatives/libertarians. I go there to help UN-BRAINWASH my fellow students. Do you have any idea of how many students I’ve gotten to the conservative side? I’ve asked them questions and explained things. I literally talked to one kid on the bus and got him to go from “I love Obama!” to, and I quote, “Aw, HELL no! He gotta go!” after I explained and gave comparisons of Obama’s ideals to that of communism, and from how America is slowly becoming pre-Hitler Germany. Oh, and not to mention that I’ve gotten many uninformed peers of mine to become pro-life (that is after, explaining the procedure of abortion in great gory detail). AND that I’ve gotten in one-on-one debates with teachers...and WON in front of prior mentioned peers. :]
So you support an institution that’s funded with other people’s money; great. In my town, I’m threatened with the confiscation of my house if I don’t financially support the public school. I guess your okay with the fact that someone forcibly takes my property so you can enjoy an education. I believe it was Marx in the “Communist Manifesto” that advocated for the abolition of private property. Conservatives pay their own way. Wise up.
I'm sitting in the Dulles, Washington Airport until 10:00 p.m. Yeah I'll tell it to your face. I'm damned tired of paying for freeloaders like you unwilling to pay for their own kids education. I'm so damned tired I landed on the top ten list of Exeter, NH taxpayers who are delinquent on property taxes. I drive a 95 toyota pickup truck without a back window because 2/3 of my town thinks they can open my wallet anytime they get a wild hair. They don't even say thank-you. Liberal, Freeloader, Communist, if the shoe fits.
Sept. 8 - President Obama’s address to students
In order to not interrupt instructional learning, the District will not be participating in President Obama’s live broadcast on Sept. 8. However, once the speech has been archived, a link will be provided on the District Web site to allow students and their families to access the speech at home.
No way to make it to Dulles in 2 hours.
But if you're going to be on the Mall on the 12th, we can arrange for that then.
Guess what, bud. I pay my share (and then some) of taxes myself. So I'm paying my way, thank you very much. Freeloader, my ass.
And I sent my kid to bloody Catholic school from Kindergarten through the first year of high school (with no scholarships from the Church, so I didn't freeload on them either). Guess what? They're no more conservative than the public schools. In fact, if anything, most of them are actually MORE liberal on the social issues.
You may drive a 95 Toyota pickup, Well, do you think I drive a Lexus? No, I drive a pickup that is paid for too. No freeloading there either.
Look, you want to get rid of public schools altogether, no problem. In an ideal world, there would be no public schools. But they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. And you know it. In the pre-Utopian meantime, if all of us conservatives just abandon those kids to the progressives, there will be no hope for our society. The hippies are running the schools now, in case you didn't notice. And if there aren't some parents who are willing to take charge of their kids' education and some kids who are informed enough and gutsy enough to go there and speak their minds, the little skulls full of mush are going to have no counterpoint to the brainwashing they are undergoing. And where is that going to leave the country in 20 or 30 years when they take ascendancy from our generation?
I hear all the time "just homeschool your kids, that will take care of the problem." Homeschooling is great. But very few parents either can or will do so. At best, about 2% of kids are homeschooled. Even if that number quadrupled, it would still be an insigificant minority...
Bottom line is that homeschooling might work to save your kids from brainwashing. If you actually have some decent private schools in NH, that might work to save your kids from brainwashing. But unless more of us are willing to step up to the plate and fight on the frontlines of public schooling, at a very minimum, 65-75% of the youths are going to graduate as mind-numbed libtard robots (you know, the rest of them that aren't your kids or my kids).
And those mind-numbed libtard robots are the same ones who are stupid enough to think that you can raise revenues by confiscatory taxes on the rich (that is, those who make more than $50,000 per year) and who think you can spend your way out of a national debt.
You know my dad, Mark, pays those taxes too, right? He’s getting his money’s worth now.
I used to go to private school. I went there all the way up until my freshman year (I’m a junior now). My parents wanted to keep me there, but I asked to go to public school. In fact, I don’t think I’d want to switch back. Oh, and btw sir, my dad complains about taxes and welfare leeches all the time, so he’s in the same boat as you.
Hope they don't assign it as "homework" and have "discussion" during social studies class (*urp*)
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