President Barack Obama

pstrongUPDATED:/strong The speech has ended, but you can read the full text of the President’s prepared remarks below:/pblockquotep align=”center”strongPrepared Remarks of President Barack Obamabr / Back to School Eventbr /br /Arlington, Virginiabr / September 8, 2009/strong/ppHello everyone ndash; howrsquo;s everybody doing today?nbsp;Irsquo;m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia.nbsp;And wersquo;ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade.nbsp;Irsquo;m glad you all could join us today.nbsp;br /br /I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.nbsp;And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, itrsquo;s your first day in a new school, so itrsquo;s understandable if yoursquo;re a little nervous.nbsp;I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go.nbsp;And no matter what grade yoursquo;re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you couldrsquo;ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.br /br /I know that feeling.nbsp;When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didnrsquo;t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school.nbsp;So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday ndash; at 4:30 in the morning.br /br /Now I wasnrsquo;t too happy about getting up that early.nbsp;A lot of times, Irsquo;d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table.nbsp;But whenever Irsquo;d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, quot;This is no picnic for me either, buster.quot;br /br /So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.nbsp;But Irsquo;m here today because I have something important to discuss with you.nbsp;Irsquo;m here because I want to talk with you about your education and whatrsquo;s expected of all of you in this new school year.nbsp;br /br /Now Irsquo;ve given a lot of speeches about education.nbsp;And Irsquo;ve talked a lot about responsibility.br /br /Irsquo;ve talked about your teachersrsquo; responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.nbsp;br /br /Irsquo;ve talked about your parentsrsquo; responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and donrsquo;t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.nbsp;br /br /Irsquo;ve talked a lot about your governmentrsquo;s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that arenrsquo;t working where students arenrsquo;t getting the opportunities they deserve.nbsp;br /br /But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world ndash; and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities.nbsp;Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.nbsp;br /br /And thatrsquo;s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.nbsp;I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.nbsp;br /br /Every single one of you has something yoursquo;re good at.nbsp;Every single one of you has something to offer.nbsp;And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.nbsp;Thatrsquo;s the opportunity an education can provide.nbsp;br /br /Maybe you could be a good writer ndash; maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper ndash; but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class.nbsp;Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor ndash; maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine ndash; but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class.nbsp;Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.br /br /And no matter what you want to do with your life ndash; I guarantee that yoursquo;ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? Yoursquo;re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You canrsquo;t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. Yoursquo;ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.br /br /And this isnrsquo;t just important for your own life and your own future.nbsp;What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.nbsp;What yoursquo;re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.nbsp;br /br /Yoursquo;ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment.nbsp;Yoursquo;ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free.nbsp;Yoursquo;ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.nbsp;br /br /We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems.nbsp;If you donrsquo;t do that ndash; if you quit on school ndash; yoursquo;re not just quitting on yourself, yoursquo;re quitting on your country.nbsp;br /br /Now I know itrsquo;s not always easy to do well in school.nbsp;I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.br /br /I get it.nbsp;I know what thatrsquo;s like.nbsp;My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasnrsquo;t always able to give us things the other kids had.nbsp;There were times when I missed having a father in my life.nbsp;There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didnrsquo;t fit in.nbsp;br /br /So I wasnrsquo;t always as focused as I should have been.nbsp;I did some things Irsquo;m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have.nbsp;And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.nbsp;br /br /But I was fortunate.nbsp;I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams.nbsp;My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story.nbsp;Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didnrsquo;t have much.nbsp;But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.br /br /Some of you might not have those advantages.nbsp;Maybe you donrsquo;t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.nbsp;Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and therersquo;s not enough money to go around.nbsp;Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you donrsquo;t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know arenrsquo;t right.nbsp;br /br /But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life ndash; what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what yoursquo;ve got going on at home ndash; thatrsquo;s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude.nbsp;Thatrsquo;s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school.nbsp;Thatrsquo;s no excuse for not trying.nbsp;br /br /Where you are right now doesnrsquo;t have to determine where yoursquo;ll end up.nbsp;No onersquo;s written your destiny for you.nbsp;Here in America, you write your own destiny.nbsp;You make your own future.nbsp;br /br /Thatrsquo;s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.nbsp;br /br /Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas.nbsp;Jazmin didnrsquo;t speak English when she first started school.nbsp;Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either.nbsp;But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.br /br /Irsquo;m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, whorsquo;s fought brain cancer since he was three.nbsp;Hersquo;s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer ndash; hundreds of extra hours ndash; to do his schoolwork.nbsp;But he never fell behind, and hersquo;s headed to college this fall.nbsp;br /br /And then therersquo;s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois.nbsp;Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and shersquo;s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.br /br /Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell arenrsquo;t any different from any of you.nbsp;They faced challenges in their lives just like you do.nbsp;But they refused to give up.nbsp;They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves.nbsp;And I expect all of you to do the same.nbsp;br /br /Thatrsquo;s why today, Irsquo;m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education ndash; and to do everything you can to meet them.nbsp;Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book.nbsp;Maybe yoursquo;ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community.nbsp;Maybe yoursquo;ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn.nbsp;Maybe yoursquo;ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn.nbsp;And along those lines, I hope yoursquo;ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you donrsquo;t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.br /br /Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it.nbsp;I want you to really work at it.nbsp;br /br /I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work — that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, yoursquo;re not going to be any of those things.nbsp;br /br /But the truth is, being successful is hard.nbsp;You wonrsquo;t love every subject you study.nbsp;You wonrsquo;t click with every teacher.nbsp;Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute.nbsp;And you wonrsquo;t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.br /br /Thatrsquo;s OK. nbsp;Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones whorsquo;ve had the most failures.nbsp;JK Rowlingrsquo;s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published.nbsp;Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career.nbsp;But he once said, quot;I have failed over and over and over again in my life.nbsp;And that is why I succeed.quot;nbsp;br /br /These people succeeded because they understand that you canrsquo;t let your failures define you ndash; you have to let them teach you.nbsp;You have to let them show you what to do differently next time.nbsp;If you get in trouble, that doesnrsquo;t mean yoursquo;re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave.nbsp;If you get a bad grade, that doesnrsquo;t mean yoursquo;re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.nbsp;br /br /No onersquo;s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work.nbsp;Yoursquo;re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport.nbsp;You donrsquo;t hit every note the first time you sing a song.nbsp;Yoursquo;ve got to practice.nbsp;Itrsquo;s the same with your schoolwork.nbsp;You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before itrsquo;s good enough to hand in.nbsp;br /br /Donrsquo;t be afraid to ask questions.nbsp;Donrsquo;t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.nbsp;I do that every day.nbsp;Asking for help isnrsquo;t a sign of weakness, itrsquo;s a sign of strength.nbsp;It shows you have the courage to admit when you donrsquo;t know something, and to learn something new.nbsp;So find an adult you trust ndash; a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor ndash; and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.nbsp;br /br /And even when yoursquo;re struggling, even when yoursquo;re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you ndash; donrsquo;t ever give up on yourself.nbsp;Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.br /br /The story of America isnrsquo;t about people who quit when things got tough.nbsp;Itrsquo;s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.nbsp;br /br /Itrsquo;s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation.nbsp;Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon.nbsp;Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.br /br /So today, I want to ask you, whatrsquo;s your contribution going to be?nbsp;What problems are you going to solve?nbsp;What discoveries will you make?nbsp;What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?nbsp;nbsp;br /br /Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions.nbsp;Irsquo;m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn.nbsp;But yoursquo;ve got to do your part too.nbsp;So I expect you to get serious this year.nbsp;I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do.nbsp;I expect great things from each of you.nbsp;So donrsquo;t let us down ndash; donrsquo;t let your family or your country or yourself down.nbsp;Make us all proud.nbsp;I know you can do it.br /br /Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America./p/blockquote

pFrom Organizing for America Deputy Director Jeremy Bird:/pblockquotepOn Wednesday, President Obama will deliver a major address to spell out his vision for health insurance reform to a special joint session of Congress. As we head into the next phase of the debate, the President’s address will be an important moment in our campaign for change.br /br /Across the country, Organizing for America supporters will be gathering at local watch parties with friends, neighbors and fellow supporters to hear directly from the President. Afterward, everyone at the party will be invited to join a special conversation with Obama for America campaign manager David Plouffe to discuss how we can help make the President’s vision a reality.br /br /stronga href=”http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/sept9host/?source=hqblog” target=”_blank”Will you host a watch party during the President’s address on Wednesday evening?/a/strong/pp align=”center”a href=”http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/sept9host/?source=hqblog” target=”_blank”img src=”http://my.barackobama.com/page/-/090509_PAHRWP_600×200.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Sign up now” width=”504″ height=”168″ //a/ppHosting a watch party is easy. Just pick a location where friends and neighbors can gather around a TV, set out some chairs, and have a great evening with folks who share your passion about the need for change.br /br /There are lots of OFA supporters in your area who would love to join a watch party Wednesday night, but they won’t be able to if someone like you doesn’t open your doors to host. This is also an opportunity to reach out to friends, family and colleagues who still have questions about reform, so they can hear the facts from the President himself.br /br /Wednesday’s address promises to be a historic moment on the road to reform. Let’s be there together — and get a jump start on the vital work ahead.br /br /stronga href=”http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/sept9host/?source=hqblog” target=”_blank”http://my.barackobama.com/HostSept9/a/strongbr /br /Thanks,br /br /Jeremybr /br /Jeremy Birdbr /Deputy Directorbr /Organizing for America/p/blockquote

Pass pot research around
september 4, 2009
For 40 years, federal marijuana studies have been conducted in one place #8212; the University of Mississippi. Contracts should be awarded to several different institutions.

When the federal Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a request for proposals, seeking competitive applications for the production, analysis and distribution of #8220;marijuana cigarettes,#8221; the request might have seemed a bit unusual to those unfamiliar with Washington#8217;s dance around cannabis research. The federal government, after all, is not widely known to support marijuana cultivation.
But those in the know just shrugged. The department has issued similar requests every few years to select a contractor to conduct government-approved mariju…

There is an excellent article on the Washington Post website that discusses healthcare in Japan.
Half a world away from the U.S. health-care debate, Japan has a system that costs half as much and often achieves better medical outcomes than its American counterpart. It does so by banning insurance company profits, limiting doctor fees and accepting shortcomings in care that many well-insured Americans would find intolerable.Health care in Japan — a hybrid system funded by job-based insurance premiums and taxes — is universal and mandatory, and consumes about 8 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, half as much as in the United States. Unlike in the U.S. system, no one is denied coverage because of a preexisting condition or goes bankrupt because a family member gets sick.After r…

Day By Day by Chris Muir
Well, Chris, screaming for attention today on the LEFT is the Van Jones, Obama#8217;s #8220;Green Job#8217;s#8221; Czar or adviser FLAP.
Now, even the Republicans are picking it up like buzzards over #8220;dead meat#8221; with GOP Rep. Mike Pence calling for Van Jones#8217; resignation and examination of all of Obama#8217;s 30 some odd Czars who have not been vetted by the Congress.
Another #8220;distraction#8221; for the President?
Plus Ca Change.
++++++++++
In blogging matters, Flap is on a Labor Day vacation in Nevada. Blogging will be interspersed with twitter #8212;#8211;gt;, poker and lots of exercise.

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By DR. STEPHEN KARDOS Recent pictures of President Obama suggest he is battered and on the ropes. Our President can recover if he chooses to change his fighting strategy to improve health instead of budgeting health. There is clearly emerging… (Source: The Health Care Blog)

Heh, great photoshop work from the folks at the Voice for School Choice in SC. (Source: Cato-at-liberty)

pItrsquo;s been a packed 24 hours for the bus crew. Wersquo;re still catching our breath and trying to find words to sum up the range of experiences wersquo;ve had as wersquo;ve listened to people across Ohio and western Pennsylvania. We can start with a fact, though: the people of Columbus, Ohio, rocked the walls and rafters of the Lausche Building at the State Fairgrounds Monday night. They made a racket you could likely hear all the way to the halls of Congress./ppIt was a joyful racket, yet a serious one: the noise of people set on making sure we get health insurance reform now, and not a second later. The crowd of 2,500 filled the hall to sweltering capacity. The sweaty conditions, though, did nothing to dampen the spirits of the Ohioans calling for reform./ppa href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/3880947744/” title=”DSC_0741 by Barack Obama, on Flickr”img src=”http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3481/3880947744_3d20a360ca.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”DSC_0741″ width=”500″ height=”332″ //a/ppOn the dais was a high-powered lineup of Ohio leaders: Senator Sherrod Brown, U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, community and labor leaders, and local residents talking first hand about why our broken health insurance system needs immediate reform./ppMayor Coleman emceed the event, leading off with an invocation from Pastor Mark Diemer of Redeemer Lutheran Church, who defined the health insurance debate as a ldquo;moral issue.rdquo; That was a thread running throughout the night: the moral imperative of enacting reform and to help Americans who have no coverage mdash; and those who unexpectedly find themselves without it. As Ohio AFL-CIO president Joe Rugola told the crowd, ldquo;we cannot rest until hellip; emall/em Americans can access affordable health care.rdquo; /ppa href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/3880947242/” title=”DSC_0568 by Barack Obama, on Flickr”img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2440/3880947242_bb39354453.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”DSC_0568″ width=”500″ height=”332″ //a/ppSenator Brown, as he frequently does, told stories. He told a story of a town hall he held in the conservative suburbs of Cincinnati early that day. Over 1,400 people showed up to talk with Senator Brown about health insurance reform. About 1,100 of those supported reform; a small minority were vocal supporters of the status quo. As Senator Brown said, ldquo;Irsquo;m not going to run from them, and yoursquo;re not going to run from them.rdquo;/ppa href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/3880947162/” title=”DSC_0524 by Barack Obama, on Flickr”img src=”http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2598/3880947162_7d13c8f9e5.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”DSC_0524″ width=”500″ height=”332″ //a/ppThat is the story of August: a minority trying to disrupt an event full of supporters. The story of September mdash; if Columbus is any sign mdash;nbsp;a href=”http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare” target=”_blank”will be written by you/a./p

pAs our Health Insurance Reform Now bus tour has traveled from Phoenix to North Carolina, Organizing for America activists in every corner of our nation have been getting out into their communities to organize for Health Insurance Reform. They’ve visited their elected officials and asked them to support the President’s plan, they’ve organized their neighbors to sign petitions and call their members of Congress, and they’ve stood on street corners talking to passers-by about what health insurance reform will mean for them./ppThis organizing goes to the heart of what OFA is — people coming together to create real change. We still have a long way to go, but the last few weeks have seen activity on the ground like never before between elections. In the end, it was this effort and this outpouring of support that was the real story of August./pobject width=”500″ height=”500″param name=”movie” value=”http://www.slideflickr.com/slide/itGidEeW”/paramparam name=”wmode” value=”transparent”/paramembed src=”http://www.slideflickr.com/slide/itGidEeW” width=”500″ height=”500″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”/embed/object

Bill Moyers Special Comment to Obama – #8220;Mr. President. We need a fighter.#8221;

chers#8212;
i suppose it never hurts to ask.
namaste
#8212;rk (Source: aids-write.org)