Obama = bad?

[_Ray A]

Obama on LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people):

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”

— Senator Barack Obama

(My emphasis)

[_Ray A]

Obama's strategy to combat AIDS and provide health care for all:

Fighting HIV/AIDS worldwide.
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[_Ray A]

I've been studying politics for 34 years, and all I can say, so far, is that this guy is a freak - a political genius.

[_Ray A]

Lest there be any further doubt where Obama stands of LGBT issues:

I’m running for President to build an America that lives up to our founding promise of equality for all ‐ a promise that extends to our gay brothers and sisters. It’s wrong to have millions of Americans living as second‐class citizens in this nation. And I ask for your support in this election so that together we can bring about real change for all LGBT Americans.
Equality is a moral imperative. That’s why throughout my career, I have fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I co‐sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I have co‐sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same‐sex couples and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as President, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and pass a fully inclusive Employment Non‐Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat same‐sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality for gay and lesbian couples ‐whether that means a domestic partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage. I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can afford same‐sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in our immigration system......Together, we will achieve real equality for all Americans, gay and straight alike.

Full Text.

I have added my own thoughts to this, though some here will most likely disagree. That's okay. I think Obama is a man of faith, but not the narrow faith that has divided so many. And he hasn't been a cur to the narrow religious prejudices that so often seem to afflict even our own politicians here in Australia.

[_aussieguy55]

Why do churches keep fighting this matter regarding gays. We know they cannot be cured. People have tried shock treatment and other treatments without effect. Institute healthy sex education in schools perhaps will reduce for abortions, Obama wants fathers in Afro-American families to step and take responsibility. Ray there was an article about this in Weekend Australian. Its well know that girls who have fathers involved in their lives are more likely not to have sex early so Obama's advice might be helpful indirectly to the abortion question.

[_Brenton]

RayA, the guy he's selecting for his admin wants to make it mandatory.
His website does have a bit of a "this will be mandatory" taste to it.
We'll just have to see what happens.

College shouldn't have to be earnt, though.
You should be able to go whether you can afford it or not, unconditionally.

[_Ray A]

College shouldn't have to be earnt, though.
You should be able to go whether you can afford it or not, unconditionally.

That's the way it was in Oz 20 years ago. Theoretically it still is, but now especially if you have money to pay for your education upfront, or agree to repay it when finally employed. When I was at uni 20 years ago I had to survive on what I could earn through TEAS (Tertiary Education Assistance Scheme), which was a small government benefit that had to be supplemented with casual work if you really wanted to live comfortably. No payment, or repayments after graduation. Not so now.

Apart from that, you had to have enough grey matter to get into university in the first place, either through high marks at high school graduation, or passing a mature age entrance exam (which I did). So it's not really a "right" in that sense. Lots of people don't make it.

What I'll be watching with interest is how Obama settles into implimenting all of his ideals and programs. We've learned the hard way on lots of issues over the past 30 years. No one ever thought compulsory unionism would ever end, but now it's a thing of the past, people have to be a lot more accountable now than they were 30 years ago.

[_Brenton]

Interesting...
It actually looks like Obama webmasters removed references to "mandatory" volunteer brigade work... Interesting indeed.

Associate editor, Terrence Watson, posted a satirical letter from the Western Standard to American youth who could expect to be required to serve 50 to 100 hours per year in "volunteer" activities. That was the obvious implication of the statements found on Obama’s website, Change.gov.

As news of the community service army draft trickled out, Obama webmasters began to scrub references to "mandatory" and "require." Take a look at these before-and-after quotes taken from the America Serves portion of the website:

Before (notice the highlighted section, especially the word "require"):

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by developing a plan to require 50 hours of community service in middle school and high school and 100 hours of community service in college every year. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

After (notice that the "requirement" has been changed to "setting a goal," as well as the fact that now college students can expect to be remunerated for their "volunteering"):

The Obama Administration will call on Americans to serve in order to meet the nation’s challenges. President-Elect Obama will expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and Peace Corps and will create a new Classroom Corps to help teachers in underserved schools, as well as a new Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, and Veterans Corps. Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by setting a goal that all middle school and high school students do 50 hours of community service a year and by developing a plan so that all college students who conduct 100 hours of community service receive a universal and fully refundable tax credit ensuring that the first $4,000 of their college education is completely free. Obama will encourage retiring Americans to serve by improving programs available for individuals over age 55, while at the same time promoting youth programs such as Youth Build and Head Start.

[_Sam Harris]

RayA, the guy he's selecting for his admin wants to make it mandatory.
His website does have a bit of a "this will be mandatory" taste to it.
We'll just have to see what happens.

College shouldn't have to be earnt, though.
You should be able to go whether you can afford it or not, unconditionally.

Uh huh, coming from some kid whose parents signed his FAFSA forms. Child, I had to wait until I was 24 to attend college because my mom couldn't get over the fact that my birth supposedly ruined her chance. YES, you should EARN your education, like you earn everything else worth having in life. That way you're too busy making progress to create conspiracy theories out of every bit of forward movement that is made in this country.

I wouldn't be surprised if you were one of those younguns who had a weed garden in the garage, partied through school, and came out expecting to be put next to the CEO of a corporation just because you have a damn bachelors.

With regards to the bolded part, if our youth in this country were more appreciative of what college could do for their futures, and less prone to drown themselves in the rediculous pop culture of the age, then I would have no problem with college being free. College is free in countries where kids are actually SERIOUS about their futures. Believe me, I lived among them.

Even if they did make college free here, you'd still have the dumb teenage mothers ruining their lives, you'd still have the frat fools, you'd still have the kids stepping into freshman year with no clue what they're about to do. What we need first is a change in the mindset of our youth...and community service...doing something for someone other than yourself and your little pathetic teen posse is perfect.

If I had my way, every teen in this country would have a summer abroad in to live in a place completely different than here. It was an eye opener for me. If I hadn't left, I'd probably be on kid #5 right now.

Get a clue Breton!

[_Brenton]

First of all I'd never want to be a CEO of anything. I actually have my future planned out and that is to do Classical studies, probably followed by history and maybe even philosophy, theology, etc,.

I plan to be one of those people who spends a lot of their life learning. I'm actually far from about making tons and tons of money so I can live some affluent lifestyle. I'm more inclined to share my wealth if that were to become the case.

Speaking of going to other countries, I wish I'd been able to do that but my parents wouldn't let me. For this reason I'm considering going backpacking after I finish school.

I must ask, what is FAFSA?

you should EARN your education, like you earn everything else worth having in life.

Well from one perspective, you don't earn salvation.
With our technology age we shouldn't have to earn a lot of the things we do.
Living and believeing that you will earn your living by the sweat of your brow, so to speak, keeps people ignorant and holds them back.

You think I'm conspiring about Obama in this thread? The thing is I'm not. I'm seeing history repeat itself. Our Kevin Rudd (present P.M.,) promised education reform. A laptop for every student he said. A new workplace system which puts the employed person in more control -- John Howard "Americanised" our work system. Change, change, change. That's what he ran on and we've got absolutely no change so far and it's almost been a year.

I'd love to be proven wrong and see Obama become the president of this century, to end all the wars we've got. To reform the money system worldwide to a debt free currency. ... To actually follow the constitution. To get rid of the World Bank and IMF which clearly increases the wealth gap and causes more poverty in numerous countries, Ecuador for example.

I'd love to see Obama's change -- but I hold the right to be sceptical because whenever I've seen change in this world it's always been for the worse.