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Congratulations you American People

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jonoslack

Active member
Jono's comment, as I understood it, simply points out some good qualities of our new president.
HI Amin
I was trying to be circumspect, it's not my president, and it's not my country :). I was simply congratulating you on having the good judgement to have voted him in!

But what a change from the 'Im so sorry' website after George Bush's election!

Tim is so eloquent about such things (great post Tim). Personally I'm pretty ecstatic, a black president who says that every friend of freedom is a friend of America, whatever race or religion sounds like such a welcome change to 'Either you're with us or you're against us'.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Yes We Can!,
Bob's list of things that would be good to CHANGE.

1) Stop pandering, yes I know you guys get elected by a voting process, but just because something is popular does not make it good for the country.
2) Pain and difficult solutions are not always bad. Sometimes it takes hard work and sacrifice to make good
3) Nothing that costs money or the promise of future money is free.
4) Start paying the piper now, before the interest accumulates to an untenable level (maybe too late already?)
5) If someone appears at your doorstep with his hand out, tell him to find a solution for his own problem
6) Things never go as planned, there are often more unanticipated consequences than you anticipated (DUH)
7) It is more important to be wise than to be smart
8) It is more important to do the right thing than to be re-elected
9) Consider pegging your compensation to the median trailing-year average citizen's income
10) Understand that your ability to tax is not endless. Remember that in this country, we threw out the last form of government at least partly based on this issue.
11) Understand that representing all of us means something different than representing the majority.

I really apologize in advance, I broke my promise to avoid politics and religion.
-bob
 

Erik Five

Member
Congrats on finaly getting rid of that geezer that was in power for 8 years. Wonder if anyone will pay him the same amount Clinton got for doing conferences after he was finnished as President :D Yah sure ill pay 2000$ to go listen to George Bush speek for 2 hours. Ha ha.

Also congrats on the new president. He has promissed awfully lot of stuff so hopefully he will fulfill at least half of it. He has a very very heavy job in front of him, and lots of pressure on his shoulders.
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
Congrats on finaly getting rid of that geezer that was in power for 8 years. Wonder if anyone will pay him the same amount Clinton got for doing conferences after he was finnished as President :D Yah sure ill pay 2000$ to go listen to George Bush speek for 2 hours. Ha ha.

Also congrats on the new president. He has promissed awfully lot of stuff so hopefully he will fulfill at least half of it. He has a very very heavy job in front of him, and lots of pressure on his shoulders.
Sure they will pay. That's the way the system works. Now is when he can collect on favors without any conflict of interest. There's not a dime's worth of difference in any of them. I just wish the Damnyankee wasn't coming back to Texas. Let him go back to his birthplace, Connecticut. :cussing:
 

Amin

Active member
HI Amin
I was trying to be circumspect, it's not my president, and it's not my country :). I was simply congratulating you on having the good judgement to have voted him in!

But what a change from the 'Im so sorry' website after George Bush's election!

Tim is so eloquent about such things (great post Tim). Personally I'm pretty ecstatic, a black president who says that every friend of freedom is a friend of America, whatever race or religion sounds like such a welcome change to 'Either you're with us or you're against us'.
I agree with all of that, Jono. I am happy to see so many Americans so proud, motivated, and full of hope. Proud that our nation has elected a black president. Encouraged that our president seems to have a more thoughtful and open approach to foreign relations. Relieved that we now have a well spoken president.

The point of my previous post was simply to point out that - despite the fact that you, Guy, Tim, myself, and others find reason for celebration and hope in this moment - it doesn't mean that we are congratulating Obama for being a great president. Somehow, several folks in this thread seem to have gotten this idea.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
I have privately communicated my thoughts to those who were deeply affected by the profound changes. :thumbs:

Yesterday, i found out that the fumbled oath (however simple it is) was not even needed (and could even be technically wrong) as he was already the president at that time. He was not a senator at that time, either.

When would the TV news personalities understand that all democracies (nothing unique about the US, though it is the oldest democracy) transfer power peacefully and not via a Guillotine!

Book publishing, lecture tours, aren't they other terms for money laundering?

Corruption, bribery, etc they are all everywhere under different names.

Let us hope for the better though!
 

LJL

New member
Not one to ever be politically involved, I still see this entire event in historical perspective. As a country, the US has somewhat done what Bob suggests....they "put up" and took a very bold step. That should be cause for its own celebration. We all know that there will be plenty of time and instances for harsh scrutiny, and yes, the new administration will not get everything correct, nor done timely enough for some, nor pleasing all parties, etc., etc. That is to be expected, and folks will just have to learn to deal with things. Heck, we suffered through eight tortuous, costly, and nearly isolationist policies for eight years, that cannot be too tough an act to follow by comparison ;-)

I started thinking about our perspectives and analyses of this much like we collectively approach photography at times.....we spend a lot of time pixel peeping and sometimes missing the perspective of the picture as a whole. While some details are important, one should never lose sight of the larger image and its value. Right now, I am enjoying the entire first glimpses of the work, and will let others mire in the blurred corners or slightly oversharpened details.

This is the first time in my life that I can recall so many folks actually being engaged and excited, especially during a time in history that is so grim and perilous, so I think it good that there has been a celebration, and also know that the work has started to right this ship. Living in Texas (was not born here, but got here as fast as I could), I somewhat share John's comments, but rather than suggesting Bush stay "up north", I was thinking more of Elba ;-)

LJ
 
D

ddk

Guest
Just to clarify, I'm more politically agnostic -- bred from years of experience watching the political process and a resultant skepticism of politicians in general. What I want to see from ANY politician regardless of party affiliation are results. And when I finally do see some real progress, I'll happily get in line and bang a drum for the person that actually delivered. (And I don't expect to buying a drum anytime soon...)

What I don't understand is all the fanfare about how great one is BEFORE they've actually done anything...

Cheers,
I'm on the same page as you Jack, I want to see something from the man before canonizing him. Certainly there's nothing in his past that's glorious and his choice of secretary of state makes the mind boggle when you think how many millions of dollars Billy Boy has received and is still getting from the arabs! In any case I wish him all the best and hope that he lives up to at least half of his worshipper's expectations. Look at it this way, we didn't have any choice but to vote for him, Mr. Maverick wasn't happening and who know knows he might prove us skeptics wrong.
 

monza

Active member
I don't know, hope doesn't do much for me. It's nice to have a good speaker, but it would be doubly nice to have no vagueness. :) Let's not lose substance in favor of style.

And yes, I'm down on all politicians, they are all the same as johnastovall says. It's the slick talkers that actually scare me most. That said, I wish him and his staff all the best and will 'hope' they make all the right decisions... :)
 

Erik Five

Member
Sure they will pay. That's the way the system works. Now is when he can collect on favors without any conflict of interest. There's not a dime's worth of difference in any of them. I just wish the Damnyankee wasn't coming back to Texas. Let him go back to his birthplace, Connecticut. :cussing:
Maybe the role as the village idiot is already taken there ;)
 

MikeScecina

Workshop Member
Thanks anyway, Jono, but I celebrate bold, steadfast leadership in a President, not charismatic vacuity. We will see.
 
N

nei1

Guest
Tim ,you get my vote,well said,with you 100%.Hes made quite a stir in europe and thats not easy for something american,you should all be proud of yourselves.I think the american people have gained the respect of the world, america itself has a way to go.
 

Amin

Active member
Thanks anyway, Jono, but I celebrate bold, steadfast leadership in a President, not charismatic vacuity. We will see.
Bold and steadfast are good qualities, but in themselves do not make for a good president. Most Americans would probably say that George W. Bush was bold and steadfast, yet few would want another president like him.

Charisma, also insufficient to make a good president, is nevertheless a good quality which Obama has shown. Vacuity has not been established. At a time when Americans ought to stand together in facing severe challenges, it is beyond me why you would assume that our newly elected president is vacuous.
 
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johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
Tim ,you get my vote,well said,with you 100%.Hes made quite a stir in europe and thats not easy for something american,you should all be proud of yourselves.I think the american people have gained the respect of the world, america itself has a way to go.
Europeans didn't have to live under George Bush and they won't have to live under Obama. Frankly, I would rather live in Europe than in the United States regardless of the president.

I think sometime in the 1960's we started to fulfilled Mencken goal for democracy and have enhanced it every election since then.

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I'm on the same page as you Jack, I want to see something from the man before canonizing him. Certainly there's nothing in his past that's glorious and his choice of secretary of state makes the mind boggle when you think how many millions of dollars Billy Boy has received and is still getting from the arabs! In any case I wish him all the best and hope that he lives up to at least half of his worshipper's expectations. Look at it this way, we didn't have any choice but to vote for him, Mr. Maverick wasn't happening and who know knows he might prove us skeptics wrong.
We had lots of choices, don't vote for a president (my choice) or vote for one of the third party canidates. To simply vote for the lessor of evils is still evil. When I want to vote for evil, I want Cthulhu on the ballot.
 

monza

Active member
Hmm...IMHO neither of the options were good choices. The new resident of 1600 Penn was shown to be a prevaricator during the election just like all the rest of 'em.

I 'hope' they have the 'vision' to get out of the way and let the people prosper. Government has a history: it doesn't solve problems, it's more likely to make them worse.
 

mwalker

Subscriber Member
Hmm...IMHO neither of the options were good choices. The new resident of 1600 Penn was shown to be a prevaricator during the election just like all the rest of 'em.

I 'hope' they have the 'vision' to get out of the way and let the people prosper. Government has a history: it doesn't solve problems, it's more likely to make them worse.
Government should keep you between the ditches, not drive the car.

I'm off to the 24 hours of Daytona , see if they can keep em between the ditches...I'll post some shots.......
 

bensonga

Well-known member
Clearly the promise of change and the reality of actually making it are two separate things. Skepticism is healthy and appropriate.

However, I think there is a tremendous need for people to recognize when something good happens. And to get some practice at sharing that celebration.

We've all become experts at identifying the calamities and egregious faults our species is so proficient at displaying. It seems entirely appropriate and altogether necessary that we learn to celebrate when we finally do something right. History will judge President Obama's term at the helm, but today, right now, we can at least take heart in the fact that a black man has been elected to the highest office in the land.

Millions of people of color in this country and around the world have a new perspective on what is possible. Tremendous human potential has just been unlocked.

I think that's worthy of some celebration. Outright joy in fact. Aren't we poorer for never allowing ourselves to be inspired? Are we so caught up in identifying the negative that we aren't able to celebrate something positive? There's little enough good news on the planet and it seems downright wasteful to dismiss something of this magnitude in the name of skepticism.
I couldn't agree more. Electing Barack Obama as president, of person of mixed white/black racial heritage (who many Americans just consider to be a "black" person) is a monumental change for America and worthy of celebration. The reality of America is far different from the "white bread" view many Americans still have of our country. Barack Obama clearly understands and celebrates the diversity of the ethnic, religious, racial, national and political backgrounds and views that is the American people. That alone is reason to celebrate and in my view, be hopeful for the future.

Gary Benson
Eagle River, Alaska
 
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