Friday, December 04, 2009

Civics 101, Please.

Come closer.  Closer.  That's it.  Now, let me school ya on something.  Obama? You know, that man that was elected President?  He's been in office for a little over 320 days now and he hasn't accomplished ANYTHING, has he?  Geezy-peets! No, he hasn't.  It's all I hear, all the time.  It makes me "smash your forehead into a hard surface" angry.  I want to ask them if they thought Obama would pay off their mortgage or car loan too when he was elected into office. 

Oh wait. They didn't vote for him.  That's what it is. 

Fine.  That's fine.  That doesn't bother me. To each their own.  What gets me it is that no one seems to remember Civics 101.  Like I said in 'I Am Not Un-American', things do not happen over night for any government official, regardless of their political affiliation.  Changing policies, creating new programs and initiatives, fixing the massive problems that our broken nation has tried to shove under the rug since the 1960s takes time.  Most likely more time than Obama will have or be alloted.  It isn't like buying a latte or downloading a new itune.  Remember this- Clinton had a rough and lagging 100 days.  Anyone remember George W's?  There was a lot of brush hauling.  Get a history book out, dust it off and do some reading.  Every President has not done everything they promised. Even when given eight years.  It's partially due to that stubborn 'checks and balances' thing we have in this country.  Partly because other issues take precedence and need to be addressed.

When I see bumper stickers that state, "Want your change back now?  Ask Obama."  I want to yell to the driver, "Hey! Come here!  I got a treat for you!  It's called...SCHOOL."  Because clearly you have no idea what you are talking about.  This economic problem isn't Obama's creation.  The last eight years (and us) are to blame for a lot of that.  Just like it wasn't Clinton who gave us that 90's economic boom.  It's like real estate or anything else.  It is all cyclical. Next thing you know we will forget that Al Gore did not create the internet. Gah. 

So what has Obama done this year?

January- He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  Five days later he reauthorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) giving four million uninsured children health insurance.  In March, he repealed the embryonic stem cells issue.  Federal funding and strict guidelines will now go to the research for this cause.  May saw a new nomination for Supreme Court Justice.  There is a whole lot more- the economic stimulus package in February, new global warming proposals this past September, universal health care reform is in the works (Do some research on how it works for other countries, it's a good thing.  Then come fight me.) and there is so much more.  It's not like he is sitting back eating bon bons.  He and many other government officials, from both parties, are working hard.  It just takes time.  More time than it does to blow $100 at Target at least. 

And to think that I was going to write about Christmas's past and childhood wishes today.  Maybe what I really want for Christmas is a government funded civics class for the nation. 

Thank you to PunditMom and Jodifur too for such a wonderful mention today.  It made my day. 

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:36 AM

    THANK YOU! for mentioning health care in other countries. I hated the project at the time, but one of the last big things that we had to do in my Health Policy class my last semester was to research the health care systems in other countries. We spent a great deal of time with Canada, the UK, and Germany (I did Ireland... where else would I choose?). While they've all got their slight problems, all of them rated higher on cost and access (in some cases - quality) than the US. I find myself screaming at the radio to do some research on the subject every time I hear opposition to any form of health care reform.

    Candi

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  2. you should write about politics more often. You are good at it.

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  3. Excellent rant!

    I consider myself successful if I have just one big advance each quarter -- but Obama has to fix everything?

    Sigh.

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  4. Thanks Jodi! J'adore politics. Saying that probably just made me lose my credibility.

    It's like this with every President and each time it blows my mind at how impatient and thoughtless this nation can be.

    Like people who put their shopping bags on top of the diaper changing stations in the mall bathroom and then go take a leak. It's gross and rude. I want to steal their crap to teach them a lesson.

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  5. Anonymous6:08 PM

    Civics 101
    You really should write about several political issues that energize you. Anyone interested in getting more info on what other countries have done should view PBS's Frontline "Sick Around The World". This first aired on April 15, 2008 and again late November 2009. Very enlightening and informative!

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Thanks for commenting! It's always good to hear from a reader and not say, a robot.