President Obama's Speech to our School Children

I am not sure what all of the hubbub is about the President's speech to our nation's school children. I listened to it with the children in a class that I was a substitute for. I also read the speech. I have to say that the speech was one of the best and most encouraging-along with putting responsibility where it belongs-that I have heard in a long time. I am glad that we seem to be past the rhetoric that said we need to not make children feel bad by giving them bad grades for bad work. (Are you kidding me??) Americans need what they were taught a long time ago--times like when this country was founded. They need to know that there is such a thing as morals and that having morals is what makes this country a great country and a better place to be. Without morals, our country would sink to a lower place than it ever knew. The Founding Fathers knew that morals were something, along with religion, that would be the foundation that kept this country free. They said so in their writings. Part of being a moral people is being responsible for yourself. And I mean responsible in a positive way. This country is still around because of the great people in it who are responsible, moral, freedom-loving people. I am one of them. I hope you are too.

The Power of Debt

I am reading a book about Andrew Jackson. It is called American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. The author is John Meacham. Although it may be obvious, I am quite concerned about the tremendous debt that we are in as a nation. We are in debt to China, apparently. We are also in debt to other nations. This is not only a worry because we may never pay it off, but because it could render us to a critical position if our creditors ever decided to call all of our debts due. This was brought to my mind by a small part that I read in this book. This is how it was stated in the book:

"Related, in Jackon's mind, was the issue of the national debt (the money owed by the federal government). To him debt was dangerous, for debt put power in the hands of creditors--and if power was in the hands of creditors, it could not be in the hands of the people, where Jackson believed it belonged."

I concur. As I mentioned briefly before, one of the ideals that was important to the founding fathers was balancing the need for something with our ability to pay for it. Seeing our indebtedness and the height that it will be raised to if we fund a national health care program makes me tremble. The debt will never be paid in our lifetime and that is a lousy legacy to leave to our children. Don't you agree?