Question of the Day | 02/25/2009 11:00 pm

This week, Obama told us what's on his mind for the country. What's on yours?

Joan Ganz Cooney | 02/25/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney to Obama: Address the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

The issue (maybe not the most important but an obvious injustice) I would like to see addressed is the "don’t ask, don’t tell" silliness in the armed forces. However, I’m scared that if Obama tries to reverse the policy, he’ll take on the firefight that Clinton did shortly after he was elected and create too much distraction from the life-and-death issues this country faces. I’m sure he’ll first try to get the military to trust him on all issues but I’d be surprised if he won’t want to do something about it sooner or later.

2 Comments

Joan Juliet Buck | 02/25/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Juliet Buck's Economic Stimulus Plan

Rethinking the entire structure of a capitalist economy.

6 Comments

Liz Smith | 02/25/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith Is All for Obama, Minus the Crazies

I think the Obama administration has already laid it out perfectly well – improvements in health care, education, the crumbling infrastructure and the environment. If they can steady the economy and then even make small inroads in those first four, I’ll stand amazed. And if they can accomplish any of this in only eight years, it will be a miraculous achievement. If you insist I name just one more thing, I’ll say the end to nuclear proliferation being pretty important for all of mankind.

But in the meantime, we already have to contend with a lot of crazy people who are pronouncing Obama a failure before he even starts and seem determined to stand in his way, which I believe is the same as standing in the way of the entire United States. We all need to keep on keeping on firmly behind this president’s policies, and I’ll believe that until a Republican offers even a glimmer of anything better. Seems to me they totally won’t and can’t!

And I’m not the type who closes my ears and doesn’t listen to the GOP. I always listen and give them the benefit of the doubt. But, so far, they have just about sunk this great nation.

6 Comments

63 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

All great thoughts, I agree totally with Joan, the dont’ ask, don’t tell muddied the waters and caused even more problems in my opinion.

Joan Juliet,

Why rethink capitalism? Reworking it, I can see, but why rethink? I’m not against it, and with many Republicans calling President Obama a socialist during the campaign I really had to think through our two systems. The problem is what else is there that hasn’t gone under in this world-wide economy? I really don’t know which is better or if there is anything else we could consider.

By Chris Broersma on 02/26/2009 1:09 am

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My guess is, if we’d think about it long enough, we, somebody could invent something entirely new. I also think it’s important to remember, socialism is a philosophy of governance. Capitalism is a philosophy of commerce. But at this point, they both been worn fairly threadbare.

I’m not sure what we’ll call it, the world of econonomics has pretty much hi-jacked words like security, equity and expansion and now even talent, creativity, and transparency are shot. (Remember when that used to mean the windows were clean?)

Individualism has its merits, but it usually leaves out the mutual autonomy needed for successful interaction in business or government.

I don’t know. Maybe it’s not too late to define globalism as a commercial system that provides "liberty and justice for all". But how Democracy functions as a just and equitable interface with commerce is a system we’ve yet to clearly define.

By Ms. Dee on 02/26/2009 5:35 am

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Beautifully put, Ms. Dee, and ditto.

By Tinka Parker on 02/26/2009 12:08 pm

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What a pleasure it is to read the words of a highly intelligent woman………I love your comments. They make me think, they inspire me.

Thank you………

By Dona Howlett on 02/26/2009 5:51 pm

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Dona! Right back atcha, baby! Coming from one of wisest among us…lord, what you’ve been through…I’m more than a little flattered. Hope all’s well with you and yours.

By Ms. Dee on 02/26/2009 9:02 pm

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By Lori F. on 03/03/2009 5:40 am

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By Lori F. on 03/03/2009 5:27 am

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By Lori F. on 03/03/2009 5:40 am

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Chris––you reminded me of what Susan Sontag once said about our system:

"If you ask me why didn’t I understand that any alternative to cut-throat capitalism and a society based on inequality and competitiveness not only wasn’t going to work but was going to turn into some horror, either of despotism or of economic catastrophe, all I can say is that lots of people didn’t understand this."

I’ve often thought about her words during this crisis, wondering what she would have to say. A castastrophe is here; and for many it’s a real horror.

By phyllis Doyle Pepe on 02/26/2009 8:39 am

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Phyllis, Many thanks for the Susan Sontag quote that I’d forgotten. A horror show is right. The Family Values party is inhuman and insane…and have delivered us all into a castastrophe that I’d also predicted in 2001 when they deregulated derivatives. Which may still plunge us into things we could never have conceived. How can any person with a brain in their heads think that to go from $9T in derivatives—which have no value and are just made-up bets—to over $700T when the world economy is $60T or so can’t see that they built a house of cards economy over quicksand.

The GOP of the last 8years and of today is not a party, it’s an organized psychosis.

By %$#@* !@&*^!! on 02/26/2009 1:43 pm

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Suzanne,

I often think of the Quote of Thomas Jefferson

"No people who are ignorant can ever truly be Free"

By Dona Howlett on 02/26/2009 10:46 pm

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We’ve watched communism fail in Russia in the last 20 years, now Bush and Cheney have showed us how capitalism can fail. Maybe it’s time to give some socialism a shot.

I missed the speech, so don’t know the finer points of what Mr. Obama said. Frankly, I’ve found myself listening a little less ever since his - things are going to worse before they get better - remark. I switch off the TV and radio when the commentators begin their funereal drone as well. Don’t know what Obama said about healthcare. But if it wasn’t - we’re getting universal healthcare and I’m opening up the Congressional healthcare plan to all Americans like I promised during the campaign - I don’t want to hear it.

By Buh- Bye on 02/26/2009 10:34 am

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Early Reagan-Bush administrations armed, equipped and funded a stateless, disenfranchized army of hoodlums to fight a war of attrition against the Russians in Afghanistan to bring it down. And now that armed, equipped, and funded gang of hoodlums is fighting a war of attrition against the US and they did it with the help of Bush-Cheney who did more to destroy this country than any other administration in history. THEY socialized the banks with $800B unaccounted and to the same crooks who shattered the economy. Yet that same party of fools blocks anything to help people and jobs. That says it all. They are worse than useless.

By %$#@* !@&*^!! on 02/26/2009 1:51 pm

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Ethics. Ethical thinking, behavior, constance is patriotic and needs to be essentially American. The ethical fabric of this country is rent. To be the good guys again, to feel really good about ourselves, to heal our wounds, to unite once and for all as Americans who value integrity, freedom and equality above all else, we must be ethical. Greed just doesn’t cut it. Self absorption needs to be a pejorative of the most venal and unrespected of our nation. It’s all of us together for the right and fair reasons or we are going to blow it. We will just join a list of failed Empires who became to big for their own britches and became the personal treasuries of a few individuals… ethics PERIOD hour-by-hour, day-by-day…no action is too small to be examined for it’s ethical value.

By Annie Wondering on 02/26/2009 2:26 am

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-I’m proud to have an intelligent, articulate President as the face of America instead of the criminal-idiot regieme the world suffered for 8-horrific, soul shattering years. And that our Constitution is respected by President Obama.

-It was wonderful to see Congress last night with so many women and people of color filling up the ranks of our lawmakers. And a cabinet and a first 30-days that gives confidence.

-I would love to see a Best Seller perhaps with a companion piece on PBS and study groups in schools, that condensed Thomas Paine’s "Age of Reason" "Common Sense" and "Rights of Man", Emeron’s "Self Reliance", Pico della Mirandolla’s "Oration on the Dignty of Man", Rousseau’s "Social Contract" and Plato’s "Republic."

-I hope that: 1) the Fairness Doctrine is reinstated so that news outlets have a responsibility to the public good. At present the only intelligent news program is Jim Leher’s News Hour. 2) More funding for the National Endowment of the Arts; their annual funding is akin to the price of one fighter jet. 3) Immediate re-regulation of Wall Street and derivatives. 4) people fleeing banks and going to Credit Unions that are strong and don’t have the obscene pay at the top like banks. 5) Investigations of Wall Street and the Bush Admin with people held accountable for their crimes.

-I pray for the return of honor so that insane reprehensibles like Coulter/Rush/Savage etc go by the way of McCarthy and similiar plagues on intelligent society.

-I’d recommend "What Would Google Do?" for all of WDC, and state Govs and business owners.

- And for pete’s sake get Congressional lawmakers Tweet Deck……none of the them are working as have become mass addicted to Twitter. And The Olds, AKA the GOP, need to start reading Mashable.com and join the 21st century. Their Dark Ages schtick [as per Chaz Palmentari’s line in "Bullets Over Broadway" stinks like s*it on f**ing hot ice.] Or even better for them was Diane Weiss’s oft repeated line in the film "Don’t Speak."

By %$#@* !@&*^!! on 02/26/2009 3:45 am