Anybody Know President's July Popularity Rating
Also does anybody know what campaign promises should have been initiated or fulfilled by now?
So far I have gitmo.
I think there was already a time for Iraq pull out.
HealthCare Reform
Government Transparency
Overturning a bunch of Bush mandates.
Seems like he is a bit quiet on job creation lately.
GForce
gotdues2pay
62% average across a bunch of different polls currently.
Here is gallup
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Ga...-Approval.aspx
interesting, I keep hearing in the news about how Obama's approval rating is so much higher than other presidents, however according to gallup that would only seem to be true for a very limited number of recent presidencies:
Obama Honeymoon Continues; 7 Months Is Recent Average
One reason earlier presidents had longer honeymoons is because they enjoyed much greater public support in the early part of their presidencies. The five presidents from Truman to Nixon averaged 74% job approval in their first quarters in office, compared with a 60% average for presidents from Ford through George W. Bush.
Since June 08 - June 09, the jobless rate jumped the most in four decades over a one year time span.Originally Posted by GForce
Since the beginning of the year, the unemployment rate jumped from 7.2 - 9.4%
Since the beginning of '09, using the official non-farm payroll data (Change in the number of employed people during the previous month, excluding the farming industry), 3787000 jobs have been lost.
..appears tossing money at the problem....hasn't budged this rock.
don't forget about the Civilian National Security Force
Is that the new name you have given to the Peace Corp?don't forget about the Civilian National Security Force
The Civilian National Security Force sounds like som brown shirt group. We will all be required to be part of a paramilitary group and donate our time to it and perform public duty.
GForce
gotdues2pay
I haven't given a name to anything. That is the name which Obama used and if he had meant to say "Peace Corp" I don't know how or why he would've totally mangled that two syllable name into the "Civilian National Security Force".
The Peace Corp is comprised of volunteers who help villagers with medical and educational needs and so forth, they wouldn't be described as "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the military, so he obviously was not referring to the Peace Corp."We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
You didn't listen good enough or something because he clearly said that the Peace Corp and Americorp are some of our strongest tools when it comes to national security because it shows people around the world our true nature and promotes peace. We already had this discussion month ago and you didn't get it then and I suspect you won't get it now. If you are really concerned with this I suggest you watch that interview with Rick Warren again.
I don't care to listen to that damn fool try to backpeddle and have anything negative explained away as a "gaffe".
Suggesting that the Peace Corp or Americorp should be "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the military is ludicrous and no reasonable person would conclude that he was suggesting we spend the equivalent of our entire national defense fund handing out bags of rice in 3rd world countries and things like that. That is not a realistic interpretation of that statement. You didn't get it back then, and you won't get it now
I DO get it... but I know that you will insist that your twisted reasoning and conspiracy theory are somehow reality. Let me go ahead and show you that even Fox News understood what he was saying.I don't care to listen to that damn fool try to backpeddle and have anything negative explained away as a "gaffe".
Suggesting that the Peace Corp or Americorp should be "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded" as the military is ludicrous and no reasonable person would conclude that he was suggesting we spend the equivalent of our entire national defense fund handing out bags of rice in 3rd world countries and things like that. That is not a realistic interpretation of that statement. You didn't get it back then, and you won't get it now
Barack Obama Proposes New and Expanded National Service Programs - Political News - FOXNews.com
Here are some more links so that you can get the general picture of the programs he was referring to.Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday advocated a major expansion of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service programs, saying "This will be a cause of my presidency."
The Illinois senator said that the government is not keeping pace with those who want to serve. "We will create new opportunities for all of us to serve," he said at a rally at Cornell College.
Obama evoked the memory of President John F. Kennedy and his Peace Corps volunteers. "JFK made their service a bridge to the developing world," he said.
His plan would:
—Expand AmeriCorps from its current 75,000 positions to 250,000, with new units to deal with education, clean energy, health care and homeland security.
—Expand service programs involving retired individuals and those over age 55.
— Double the size of the Peace Corps from its current 7,800 volunteers to 16,000 by its 50th anniversary in 2012.
— Set goals for middle-school and high-school students to serve 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.
Despite growing anti-Americanism around the world, "the American people are not the problem, they are the answer," Obama said.
Obama said he would also expand the all-volunteer military, but "we will never send them to fight in a misguided war."
"The burden of service has fallen more and more on the brave men and women of our military," he said, citing "tour upon tour of duty in a war with no end."
"We will enlist veterans to help other veterans to find jobs, and to pitch in at VA hospitals and nursing homes," Obama said.
Obama Budget Includes $373.5 Million for the Peace Corps | Peace Corps Connect
President Signs National-Service Bill and Issues Call to*******Volunteer - Philanthropy.comWASHINGTON, DC - May 7, 2009 - This morning President Obama released a detailed version of his Fiscal Year 2010 budget to Congress which includes a funding request of $373.5 for the Peace Corps.
This request represents a ten percent increase in spending above the current $340 Million funding level for Peace Corps.
“President Obama’s Peace Corps funding request is a step in the right direction, but it is only a step”, said NPCA President Kevin Quigley. “As a growing number of Americans are responding to the President’s call to service, and as more and more countries request Peace Corps volunteers, we need to provide the resources that will allow us to meet these needs and reach the President’s stated goal of doubling the number of volunteers by the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps. Unfortunately, this budget does not reflect that goal, rather calling for a very modest increase in the number of volunteers to 9,000—an approximately 13% by the time of the 50th Anniversary. There is more work to be done in securing the needed resources for the Peace Corps, and we hope Congress will address this in the coming weeks and months by appropriating funding for the Peace Corps that meets - or surpasses - the President’s request.”
Consideration of the President’s budget moves to the Senate Appropriations Committees. If your representative(s) serve on these committees, contact them to express support for Peace Corps funding levels that go beyond the President’s request, such as the $450 Million proposed in the Peace Corps Expansion Act of 2009, legislation before the House of Representatives.
President Obama today signed a landmark bill to greatly expand government national-service and volunteer programs and asked Americans to “stand up and play your part.”
“A week from tomorrow marks the 100th day of my administration,” he said at the signing ceremony. “In those next eight days, I ask every American to make an enduring commitment to serving your community and your country in whatever way you can.”
The president signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act at the SEED School of Washington D.C., an inner-city charter boarding school, surrounded by Congressional leaders, nonprofit officials, students from the school, and dignitaries including Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, a leading champion of the legislation that is named after him, introduced President Obama, saying that “another young president has challenged another generation to give back to their country.” (Senator Kennedy’s brother, President John F. Kennedy, created the Peace Corps and famously urged people to “ask what you can do for your country.”)
President Obama paid tribute to Senator Kennedy, now ill with a brain tumor, saying, “There are very few people who have touched the life of this nation with the same breadth and in the same order of magnitude.” He praised the liberal Massachusetts Democrat and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a conservative Utah Republican, for teaming up to push the bill despite partisan differences in other areas, joking that “they may be the odd couple of the Senate.”
250,000 Participants
The Serve America Act is designed to more than triple the number of participants in AmeriCorps, the signature national-service program, to 250,000 by 2017, increase the education grant for AmeriCorps participants, create new volunteer programs for young people and older people, and start funds to help nonprofit groups expand innovative programs and recruit and manage volunteers.
“We’re doing this because I’ve always believed that the answers to our challenges cannot come from government alone,” the president said, noting that applications for programs like AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, and Teach for America have risen sharply.
“Our government can help to rebuild our economy and lift up our schools and reform health-care systems and make sure our soldiers and veterans have everything they need. But we need Americans willing to mentor our eager young children, or care for the sick, or ease the strains of deployment on our military families.”
After the ceremony, President Obama, the first lady, Mr. Clinton, Mr. Biden, and his wife, Jill, headed to help plant trees at a local park.
In a phone call with reporters before the legislation was signed, Alan Solomont, chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, told reporters that his agency hoped to swear in 200 new AmeriCorps recruits “in the next week or so” with money already allocated under the economic-stimulus package.
The package allocated $201-million to the corporation, which Mr. Solomont said will allow it to add 13,000 AmeriCorps members.
He said the corporation will have no problem finding new prospects. “In March we received more than 17,000 online AmeriCorps applications, which is triple the number over March of last year,” he said. But with the expected influx, he added, “We’re aggressively in the process of trying to strengthen our management systems.”
I do not doubt that he has plans for the Peace Corp, however I think that is referring to an initiative entirely different than his "Civilian National Security Force". If we are to believe that he wanted the Peace Corp to be "just as well-funded" as the military, then he has quite a way to go:
Military budget of the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
They're not even close.For the 2009 fiscal year, the base budget rose to $515.4 billion
on another note:
Why should students be sentenced to community service even if they haven't committed any crimes?Set goals for middle-school and high-school students to serve 50 hours a year of public service, and for college students to serve 100 hours a year.
I don't mind turning our prisoners into slave labor, however the notion that middle, high school, and college students should serve the same punishments as common criminals is mind-boggling.
the key word is "goal"... not mandatory.
again... he wasn't referring to starting a new service... he used that phrase purely in reference to the whole idea that the Peace Corp has a strong effect on our relationship with the world from a public relations perspective and that this effect was a strong tool to promote our national security. It wasn't a gaffe as you called it... he made it very clear what he was referring to but when someone is looking for phrases or some hidden message like some of you guys do it was easy to misconstrue what he said. That statement was made at the National Service Forum that was hosted by Rick Warren and the subject at hand was his Americorp and Peace Corp initiative that he signed into law later (posted above). By "as well funded", he didn't mean to match the budget numbers... but to fund the programs as well as we fund military programs.
we'll see. I have read about several high schools that now have "compulsory volunteerism" requirements in order to graduate. I hope that nonsense doesn't spread; it certainly shouldn't be encouraged.
and by "just as powerful, just as strong" as the military, he meant... what? that we'll be handing out rocket launchers and body armor to the Peace Corp?I somewhat anticipate you'll respond that he meant to say "just as effective as the military".
It's funny how every single statement he made about this Civilian National Security Force (which is not actually named the "Civilian National Security Force" but rather something much easier and shorter to speak the name of) also needs to be re-interpreted into entirely different words at every point in the sentence in order to not sound like something absolutely ridiculous.
Why not? I think a little volunteer work would do students and communities some good.When I was in high school (at a christian school) we would take one friday every month and help elderly people rake leaves or mow their lawns or whatever. It was a good experience for me.
Even to this day I try and help when I can... mostly it is something as simple as giving someone a ride. For example, last week I was at the grocery store and there were 2 elderly black men who were trying to get another young black man to give them a ride back to their shop about 2 miles away but he refused... so, when I overheard them, I walked over and told them I would give them a ride when I was done buying the cigarettes I went to buy. First, I could see in their faces that they were surprised that I even talked to them (which is quite often the case here it seems) and secondly they were very grateful for the ride. It was a very hot day out (97 and very humid). It isn't much... but if everyone took a few minutes out of their day to help someone else for no reason other than to help the world would be a much better place.
btw... I have to correct a mistake... I said Rick Warren who moderated the Saddleback forum. I was wrong about where Obama made the comment... it was actually made in a speech in Colorado Springs where he was talking about his National Community Service initiative.
YouTube - Barack Obama: Call to Service in Colorado Springs, CO
Because no one can be compelled to volunteer. The idea of volunteerism is that one chooses to do something, not that one is forced to do something. Any good results that might come of it are likely irrelevant to the person being victimized. When big brother is forcing one to do something, the results of one's efforts are meaningless to that person. It's a bit like asking plantation slaves to be proud of the cotton products which they helped to create - it doesn't address the inherent injustice of those being coerced into servitude.Why not? I think a little volunteer work would do students and communities some good.
If we begin treating our youngest citizens as forced labor or forcing them to experience the same punishments as we do for petty criminals who are sentenced to community service, it will cause a good many of them to resent such mistreatment (and for good reason IMO) while others will be conditioned into accepting greater intrusion of government into their activities.
I believe that the Soviets used to tell some of their citizens that they had to perform "community service" of some type as well... in fact I believe that their entire economy was structured around that concept.
Good for you. That was a private school. Your parents had the option of sending you to a different school with different requirements.
Again, good for you. I help others on occasion, as well as donate funds to various causes, and even donate advertising space on one of my sites to a charity.
I was never compelled to volunteer by anyone. It's human nature - at least, most people's nature - to help others to some degree or another. But it's up to them, and not anyone else, when they choose to do so.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote