President Obama has run smack into the checks and balances that protect a democracy from tyrannical behavior by the government. The frightening thing is that the White House seems baffled by the ‘resistance’ that their actions have provoked.
The Political Myth: The President was going to merely exhort the youth of America to well in school. Those parents that don’t want their children to hear this speech are hyper-partisans and fringe lunatics.
The Facts: The President was not just doing a speech. The White House was originally going to send out ‘lesson plans’ through the US Education Department to our children. The Washington Times actually covers what the government was trying to do before the Main Stream Media white-washed the coverage into the political myth-statement above:
Among the activities the government initially suggested for prekindergarten to sixth-grade students: that they “write letters to themselves about what they can do to help the president.” Another task recommended for students immediately after listening to the speech: to engage in a discussion about what “the president wants us to do.”
Why in the heck would President of the United States be trying to give out lesson plans to our schools?! This is something you’d expect in a third world dictatorship. My children DO NOT need to thinking about what they can do for a far left socialist like Obama. They need to thinking about what they can do for THEMSELVES as far as reading, writing, and math. Other presidents have addressed school kids, but did not send them propaganda packets to fill out like Obama.
Besides the appearance of propagandizing America’s youth and disrupting the first day of school, the White House throws gas on this fire by trying to bypass our elected school boards and go straight to school principals! Unbelieveable. If you have nothing to hide, way the end-run around the elected education boards and processes in place for this sort of material? And they are baffled as to why parents are upset about this approach! Here’s a summary of this issue by the American Daughter Blog:
Ignoring school superintendents, Obama wrote to school principals announcing his forthcoming speech to school children. This is a serious breach of protocol. All communications should be routed through the Superintendent of Schools for each district.
Not only was this bad manners bigtime, it has implications for states’ rights and local rights that go far beyond the one event. School districts are overseen by a School Board, usually elected by the citizens of the district. Voters expect that board to ensure an education that reflects their values and goals for their children.
If you don’t believe the blog, go and Google the Dept of Education’s statement on this fiasco. Note that it is listed as going directly to principals:
Filed under: Education, Politics, Culture, Education, Family, Life, News, Obama, Parenting, President Obama, School
