Everyone Watching

[Sonya]

After reading this thread I truly fear a lot of people will be very disappointed when he does follow throughand brings about the change we need.

I am curious, what change do you think this country needs?

Of course everyone would like to see the economy improve, and if HE can make that happen that would be great, so what else?

Socialized healthcare????

 

[whitney]

You BET I DID. I was wearing RED WHITE AND BLUE and my FLAG PIN to boot!

Obama has already addressed his non supporters, he will gain their support by deed, (acceptance speach).

I CAN'T WAIT for the next 4 years.

Not one to do this but......I'll be the first to say "I TOLD YOU SO".

 

[Sonya]

I'll be the first to say "I TOLD YOU SO".

Me too!

 

[My-Lil-Pony]

The fact that this country voted for the first African American President by a majority shows how much change he has already brought about!

What needs to be changed? I am not a political expert this is what I am looking for:

Economy

World view of us

War in Iraq

Bringing back a sense of community in this Country

Volunteerism

Engaging our Youth to feel empowered and to care about this Country and the enviroment

Adaquate health care for our citizens

Doing our best to ensure no one in our own country goes to bed hungry or without a home .

Ensuring that the majority of our homless population is not Veterans

Helping to ensure that our youth can get the education needed to compete in world business

Gaining back the respect of other countries world wide without this we can not consider ourselves a leader of anything

Most of all I personally feel that he will bring us back to a "US" country not a "ME" country together we can change the world.

That is just a few things I personally feel need to be changed in this country.

A few of you will choose not to agree and that is just fine more of us agreed then disagreed and a sense of community is always empowering! No amount of negative talk will change my sense of hope!

LOL so much for my parents teaching me not to discuss politics or religion!

 

[Reble]

I also believe your President gives us Canadians HOPE in our time of NEED.

I enjoyed it all, even watching Obama and his wife dancing.

 

[Jill]

Not one to do this but......I'll be the first to say "I TOLD YOU SO".

That's nice of you to say. I honestly hope you get the chance but won't hold my breath.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Clickmini, thank you for posting that speech! I hadn't heard it yet and WOW.

I got misty-eyed more than a few times reading that.

Leia

 

[Sonya]

Most of all I personally feel that he will bring us back to a "US" country not a "ME" country

I don't think any president can do that...that starts at home and it's a form of personal responsibility, which you are right, many in this country do not have and I don't expect O. to teach them that.

At any point, I hope he does a good job and when he does, I will be a supporter, but I am not going to glorify a man who has yet to do anything of importance...for that matter I only glorify God anyhow.

I wish him the best of luck, he will need it.

 

[Pepipony]

Most of all I personally feel that he will bring us back to a "US" country not a "ME" country

I don't think any president can do that...that starts at home and it's a form of personal responsibility, which you are right, many in this country do not have and I don't expect O. to teach them that.

At any point, I hope he does a good job and when he does, I will be a supporter, but I am not going to glorify a man who has yet to do anything of importance...for that matter I only glorify God anyhow.

I wish him the best of luck, he will need it.

ANY President can do that. First, they have to decide that they are not right all the time, no matter what. They have to employ thinkers from both sides and not just 'yes' men. They have to listen with their mouths closed, to all the facts and not just the facts that support their cause. They cannot tell the public that they would be all for one thing even no one was behind them. They cannot state that the facts are too big for us ( insert peons here) to understand.

The change we need is a turn away from trickle down economics, we have seen that those at the top, do not employ enough ethics for that to work. We need to talk to our enemies, you cannot solve anything by turning a blind eye and hoping they will come around. We need to get a handle on the cost of healthcare, if your Dr says you need 'X' , your insurance shouldnt be able to say you dont. We need to keep the fuel industry from raping the economy and gaining huge profits ( profits are good, but not to the failure of an economy). We need to bring jobs back across the ocean, I bet everyone on here has spoken to someone with such an accent that you cannot understand them, so much for customer service. We need to bring our dollar back. We need to bring our standing in the World back up. that enough change that we need?

 

[Sonya]

Pepipony, all that has nothing to do with personal responsibility which is what I was referring too in the statement (Most of all I personally feel that he will bring us back to a "US" country not a "ME" country)...just wanted to clarify. I do not think it is a presidents job to instill personal responsibility into a person...Personal responsiblity is basically a way of life and many in this country do not lead it.

 

[Jill]

I don't know what a the democratic party is really going to do to instill a sense of personal responsiblity, as my strong feelings about personal responsibility are the #1 reason I'm a republican. Personal responsibility is absolutely not a strong suit of the democratic party...

 

[ClickMini]

Wow Jill, did you read Obama's Inaugural speech? What part of it didn't shout "personal responsibility?" His were tough words, making no bones about the fact that people need to act at every level.

I hope that everyone can give the new administration a chance to show what they have and consider all proposals with an open, inquiring mind. I do not 100% align with ANY candidate, but am very willing to observe their actions, consider it carefully in alignment with my personal values, and make a judgement. You may not think Obama is experienced enough, but perhaps he is what we need at this moment in time. Someone not entrenched in the old ways, someone who can evaluate things through fresh eyes. We don't know yet. We are in the midst of unprecedented times. The socio-economic structures as they exist today do not have historical precedent. With this in mind, we need to flex the processes of the past to meet a new reality.

Human thinking left to itself often leads to various forms of self-deception, individually and socially; and at the left, right, and mainstream of economic, political, and religious issues. Further analysis and resources about this interaction may be found in Roderick Hindery (2001): Indoctrination and Self-deception or Free and Critical Thought.
From "Wikipedia: Critical Thinking," 1/21/2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking

I believe that people need to be aware of their own biases and reflect on proposals and analyses through that lens. WHAT IF your assumptions are incorrect? WHAT IF the results veer from the path you expected? How does that affect other areas? Is your thinking flexible enough to accept answers that were not what you expected?

By nature, I am a pretty free-form person, very right-brain big picture creative. In my job I am a systems analyst. A left-brain activity if ever there were one. What that means to me is that I have to be extremely aware of the critical thinking process. I hope that all Americans can begin to apply this skill in a deliberate way as it applies to our government representatives at every level.

And Jill, this is not meant as a poke at you. However your statement that "Personal responsibility is absolutely not a strong suit of the democratic party," seems to me a belief that has not been recently examined in comparison with our other choices. Many of our own rights have been curtailed since the Republican Party took office in 2001. Based on my observations, government became increasingly intrusive under the previous administration. Which flies in the face of the assumption that the Republican Party stands for small government and state's rights. Belief system / Results = Reality.

 

[LowriseMinis]

After reading this thread I truly fear a lot of people will be very disappointed when he does follow throughand brings about the change we need.

I am curious, what change do you think this country needs?

Of course everyone would like to see the economy improve, and if HE can make that happen that would be great, so what else?

Socialized healthcare????

National health care.

Higher standard of living.

Improved international relations.

Increased focus on the homefront.

Improvements to our educational system-including repealing or altering NCLB.

DADT repealed.

Also all that stuff My-Lil-Pony posted.

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

Amy!!!!!

You are awesome!

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Jill]

Amy, sorry just seeing this. I was in client appointments making money most of the day

In all my years of following politics, I have found the democratic party to stand for expansion of social programs and hand outs. This is the opposite of promoting personal responsiblity.

Just look at Lowrise's expections. Right at the top of the list -- a higher standard of living. I've been responsible for MY standard of living since I was 18.

Further, I disagree that government oversight expanded during the last administration, other than the steps taken to protect against terrorist intentions.

And, when it comes to national health care, as a business owner, I know I'm going to make the numbers work for me if the burdeon falls on business owners. If that means letting go of employees, that's what will happen in my corporation and many others. Businesses primarily exist to benefit the owners, not the employees... like it or not. While I care a lot about my employees, my family comes first and I didn't bust my butt building what I've built to have to spend $$$$ more to provide health insurance to employees.

 

[ILOVEMYHORSECOMANCHE]

Yes I watched it during school

I thought that he said a very nice speech, and was glad that everyone was a part of history

 

[ClickMini]

I reject your statement that government oversight was not expanded over the past eight years. What about the Patriot Act? Do you think you might feel differently about your responses online, on the phone, when making online purchases, etc., if you disagreed with government policies? What if you were openly critical of the way Bush, et al. were handling the war? The end runs around the Geneva Convention regarding torture? What if you were closely observed in your behaviors based only on the fact that a family member or friend had a government clearance?

Section 215 allows the FBI to order any person or entity to turn over "any tangible things," so long as the FBI "specif[ies]" that the order is "for an authorized investigation . . . to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities." Section 215 vastly expands the FBI's power to spy on ordinary people living in the United States, including United States citizens and permanent residents.

The FBI need not show probable cause, nor even reasonable grounds to believe, that the person whose records it seeks is engaged in criminal activity.

The FBI need not have any suspicion that the subject of the investigation is a foreign power or agent of a foreign power.

The FBI can investigate United States persons based in part on their exercise of First Amendment rights, and it can investigate non-United States persons based solely on their exercise of First Amendment rights.

For example, the FBI could spy on a person because they don't like the books she reads, or because they don't like the web sites she visits. They could spy on her because she wrote a letter to the editor that criticized government policy.

Those served with Section 215 orders are prohibited from disclosing the fact to anyone else. Those who are the subjects of the surveillance are never notified that their privacy has been compromised.

If the government had been keeping track of what books a person had been reading, or what web sites she had been visiting, the person would never know.

American Civil Liberties Union, 1/21/09, http://action.aclu.org/reformthepatriotact/215.html

The emphasis in the above quotes are mine. I feel so heartened that the first actions of our new president are around cleaning up the mess in Guantanamo, immediately creating more transparency in government activities, and halting all pending administration regulations until they can be reviewed.

It may not be perfect, and the execution may not be flawless. But I feel strongly that this president has come into the office with some bold ideas and is interested in involving all of us in the future growth of the country we all love.

Signed,

Amy Lacy

USAF veteran, wife of USAF veteran, mother of USAF active duty airman

 

[Jill]

I'm aware of what you've referenced and I feel that the powers afforded are in the best interest of the Nation and all its law abiding citizens. The FBI is more than welcome to listen in on my phone calls, read my emails, etc. They'd get mighty bored if they did, but since I'm not doing anything wrong, it's not something that would bother me.

As someone who is a securities industry professional, I myself appreciate the intent and protection of the Patriot Act. Additionally, it's something I deal with and comply with on a daily basis. Every day, myself and my staff take measures to protect against money laundering, something vitally important that is also addressed by the Patriot Act.

So, from me, it's not a matter of being underinformed. I just have a different perspective than yours on the situation...

 

[ClickMini]

However, based on the above quote, would you agree that the government oversight INCREASED on Bush's watch? To paraphrase, you just said you don't mind losing your right to privacy. But what if something happened that you vehemently disagreed with? What if you discussed it in your community, what if you wanted to attend a protest, and what if you got a little visit from the FBI for your troubles? Might that just shake you up a bit, make you a little less likely to speak out? MIGHT THAT RUB AGAINST YOUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS???? And isn't that the freedom that our country is based on?

 

[Jill]

However, based on the above quote, would you agree that the government oversight INCREASED on Bush's watch? To paraphrase, you just said you don't mind losing your right to privacy. But what if something happened that you vehemently disagreed with? What if you discussed it in your community, what if you wanted to attend a protest, and what if you got a little visit from the FBI for your troubles? Might that just shake you up a bit, make you a little less likely to speak out? MIGHT THAT RUB AGAINST YOUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS???? And isn't that the freedom that our country is based on?

Amy, as I stated a couple posts above my most recent one, I don't feel government oversight expanded EXCEPT when it comes to protection against terrorist intent. As you know, that is in fact the subject that the Patriot Act revolves around. Again, I do not have problems with the Patriot Act including the text you have highlighted. I'm not worried about what your post illustrates as something that you feel might (actually happen and) shake me up a bit.

Further, I disagree that government oversight expanded during the last administration, other than the steps taken to protect against terrorist intentions.