Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleLETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Government should not do parents’ job
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 | 2:01 a.m.
John Dombek, in a letter to the editor in Thursday’s Las Vegas Sun, wrote: “If telling students that obeying their parents, respecting their teachers, studying hard and helping their country is socialism, please tell me where I can sign up.”
But it’s not what the president said in his speech to kids, it is the fact that it is coming from the government in the first place. We as parents have failed our kids if we cannot teach them right from wrong, to obey us, respect their teachers and so on.
We have such shortcomings as parents that we need our president to tell our kids what we should have told them all along? When government gets that involved in our families, where does it end?
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
Everything Under the Sun
Blogs
The Kats Report
Las Vegas Philharmonic says search for new music director to begin 'immediately' (1 Comment)
With Shenandoah project stalled, Wayne Newton hits back legally (7 Comments)
Where does a Playmate play when she turns 21? Vegas! (3 Comments)
Ice Ice Billy
The road to six-toed cats and Mayor Bubba
The Kats Report
David Itkin tells L.V. Philharmonic officials he's on his way out (14 Comments)
Diamond Dave sells it well as Van Halen pours out the power at MGM Grand (2 Comments)
Entering debut at Tryst, Nick Hissom is a model for a rapid rise to prominence (3 Comments)
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
I'm only guessing, so correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you one of the people who want the government to tell us who we can marry? And aren't you one of the folk who want the government to tell a women what she can do with her body? And aren't you one of the folk who think the government should put an adult in jail for inhaling the smoke from one plant but not another? I could go on, but I'll stop because I might be wrong.
But I don't think so.
Hey Ryan you say: (When government gets that involved in our families, where does it end) Sounds a little like the Hitler youth if you think about it.
So . . . you don't want the President agreeing with you?
I want politicians and religious leaders OUT of the school systems. The teachers are doing just fine indoctrinating the students.
Government doing parents' job? Did you never have a motivational speaker in any classroom in which you attended? It is rather unbelievable that it is somehow unacceptable for the President of the United States of America to provide a motivational prolusion for the school year. Who would be better to instill a pride in country and desire to succeed than OUR President?
Clearly, there are untold issues of which you fail to take ownership over--your true reasons for not wanting the President to address children! You must come to grips with your own personal problems so as to ensure that your children can obtain the best possible education.
The speech was inspirational; you should take it to heart and stop trying to limit access to educational opportunities and means of motivation from the youth of this country.
If only parents can motivate children, then it should follow that there is no need for schools as no teacher shall be able to motivate a child.
Ryan Tilly: "We as parents have failed our kids if we cannot teach them right from wrong, to obey us, respect their teachers and so on."
The most accurate statement of the original letter!
So what's wrong with a prominent, successful individual trying to inspire these kids, even if he is ONLY the President of the United States? I didn't here any government propaganda in the speech.
There is a big difference between a motivational speaker and a politican.
Who could do a better job dividing this country then OUR President?
Keep Politicians and religious leaders OUT of the school systems!
Fear mongering continues unabated. The President, like others before him, gave a speech to students to instill in them a purpose and motivation for their own education.
Who better to talk to them? Maybe Michael Jackson should have given such motivational speeches when he was alive. What that have made a difference in their desire for a good education? Maybe he could have motivated them to increase their interest in sexual abuse, how sleeping with young children as adults is a good thing to emulate, maybe mostg useful would be a motivation talk on masturbation via 'Beat It" and so forth.
Perhaps Michael Vick could be a motivational speaker on how to end up in federal prison for promoting vicious dog fights. Maybe Daryl Strawberry, the former baseball icon, could be enticed to talk about the wonders of drug use and how that advanced his life and potential baseball career.
Maybe Bernie Maydof would be a good motivational speaker on how to be a first class thief and how to ruin millions of careers and lives by stealing from the pubic.
I can think of hundreds of other potential speakers, Past and present, who might have spoken to kids instead of President Obama.
After all why should kids listen to him, the first black president in American history. Isn't it quite possible that the fear mongers and rumor peddlars might be right that he is Muslim, not a US citizen, really a Kenyan or Pakistani (here illegally); a socialist or communist?
Didn't he lie and cheat to get into Harvard and Yale? Does he have real diplomas in the first place or did he buy his degree online? No one has seen his grade transcripts so maybe,jutg maybe he really is a fake and not who he says he is? Was he really a legitimate lawyer to begin with?
So many parents are real morons and stupid to the bone that it is unbelievable. They are losers, always have been and they are raising still more losers in their children who have been indoctrined with this garbage and nonsense.
The degredation and decline of the U.S. continues to amaze me as we rapidly sink into the sink hole of idiocy, political correctness, fear mongering, of world take over theories etc. etc. MAY GOD HELP US ALL...we're going to need it.
I suppose I will never learn, the more I read the more I need to read, reading has made me realize what little I truly know in this life. Yet, the more I read these threads the more I realize there are many others who need to read more.
Throughout my life I have had nearly every single President speak to me, via the written word. True some of the past Presidents views of issues are not what I would have, but they are the top American government representative, elected, by hook or crook, whichever way the losing side spins it.
It would be preferable that all young people learned from the mistakes of others, "lessons learned". I consider myself a bi-product of failures, while still maintaining a high level of dignity. Our lives are surrounded by products which where bourn from failure, thereby creating a better or improved product.
I question, when did schools stop being a forum for learning and become a place for programming?
"We have such shortcomings as parents that we need our president to tell our kids what we should have told them all along?"
Dear lord, you have no idea. You must live in some enclave.
Maybe you, personally, do not, but the number who do is beyond belief. And the level and degree of the shortcomings is also beyond belief. Shocking.
Amen, vsestini. It's as if we're cultivating boorishness and idiocy, and partially through the education system, which is obligated to babysit and even feed kids, but doesn't have the right to discipline them.
Mr. Tilly, you should watch the movie Idiocracy. It's funny, but also scary. To me as a teacher, it looks a little too much like a prediction rather than just a comedy.
P.S. So if parents do not do their job, what do we, as a society, do? I won't even say what I think, because it wouldn't be considered politically correct, and then "teachers" will be attacked, as they so often are, by people who have no clue. But I can tell you something needs to be done. I see the American future daily, and it's scary. How mild can you get? The President is telling kids to work at their educations, and people are complaining about that? You would not believe the number of parents who do not tell their kids to work at education, or who complain about the fact that their kids are asked to do ANYTHING in school other than take up space, have fun, and cost us all money.
I echo your sentiments, teacher.
Precisely.
Well said!
Teacher,
Where do you draw the line on political speeches?
The President, Congressmen, local representatives, and civic leaders. How about other political organizations like NAZIS, Black Panthers and maybe the KKK?
How about religious leaders? Is it all right for the Pope to give a speech to the students and then bless them? How about other heads of churches? How about local preachers from all denotations?
I bet they all would like to motivate the students...
You sound as if you don't like teaching. Too much trouble trying to educate those "kids."
What do you mean that you don't the right to discipline them? What do you want, "corporal punishment?"
denominations... That's the word I was looking for...
Larry, Larry, Larry.
You haven't a clue.
gmag39: Then just maybe you could give me a clue...
Government can't even do its own job of governing. It is too stupid. Anyone who depends on government is in for a rude awakening. In the not too distant future it will not have the money to take care of freeloaders on the dole. I doubt they have the ability to take care of themselves.
Obama could have avoided all those tantrums by childish parents simply by announcing that, instead of imploring kids to stay in school and be educated, he will read them a story ... "My Pet Goat"
Polosi?
I agree with teacher. When I watched Idiocracy, I didn't laugh so much as being frightened. To most republicans, being educated is being "elitist." They feel that the education system should be in the basement where a leaky shower of money trickles down from the 100th floor.
I doubt that Obama has the intelligence required to read "My Pet Goat". I understand a noted children's author is writing a book called "My Stupid President". That should be a smash hit.
Instead of the President telling our children how to act, there increasingly is a mandate for We the People to tell the government what we expect them to do in our name and on our behalf. The Imperial Congress has attempted to obfuscate the meaning of Public Servant.
"Who would be better to instill a pride in country and desire to succeed than OUR President?"
"So what's wrong with a prominent, successful individual trying to inspire these kids, even if he is ONLY the President of the United States?"
You appear to have no clue as to why people don't see this as you do. What if he wasn't the president and the teacher told you she was having someone come in to speak to the class. That person is a former community organizer from Chicago who has had a close relationship with a domestic terrorist, financial dealings with a convicted felon and he attented a church for twenty years where "hate America" was preached every week.
Would you be OK with that? I wouldn't. The fact that he is president doesn't change his background, his judgment or what he's made of. He's the president because a large number of people were either uninformed, taken in by his speeches or voting along strict party lines.
larrys: You're really Glen Beck right? I would think you'de be in favor of cheaper meds Glen.
Republicans always try to tell us how to raise our families and what is moral.
Meanwhile sexual predators like John ENsign and the sick white trash Palins have a DNA nightmare going on.
Hi Wayne, it's Glen here. You got me figured out...
Oh Nick, you should get an award for name calling. So, anyone who had an affair is a "sexual predator?"
And, if the Palins are "sick white trash," what do you call yourself???
I wonder why people are always making fun of Glenn Beck. I occassionally watch his show and find him quite passionate about independent thinking.
Not to mention he "outs" the commies in the Obama administration (Van Jones) and lays the wood to them.
Keep up the good work Glenn, the sheeple fear you.