Excerpts from Obama's inaugural speech with commentary from yours truly:
Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some...
I assume you're talking about the greed of power-hungry politicians. Good for you.
...but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.
Was the decision to spend $170 million on an inauguration party a hard one?
Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly...
...because of meddlesome government.
Our schools fail too many.
Because of your friends in the teachers unions.
We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.
Only if you stay out of the way.
And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
This is not your job, Mr. President.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions...
...and they should. "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to Question Authority." —Benjamin Franklin
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.
Obama, your stale political arguments are straight from 1933.
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem."
And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
I'm going to hold you to this promise.
..nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control...
Big brother, with his watchful eye, is just as big a problem as any other.
...and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
Our nation cannot prosper long when it becomes a parasite of the prosperous.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers.
In that order?
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
Obama, you are SO naive.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
America can best help the world's poor by leading a global economic boom, as it did from 1982 to 2007, the greatest period of worldwide prosperity in the history of the planet.
More
Read this: Seven reasons for healthy skepticism
Oprah's insane video: “I pledge to be a servant to our President…”
Freedom isn't good for fools. Are we becoming a nation of fools?
You gotta go straight to 3:54.
Via The Agitator, Via Will Wilkinson
Rev. Eugene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, offered this reality check in his opening prayer at pre-inaugural ceremonies. "Bless us with patience and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be fixed anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah." Amen.
Excellent points from north of the border: From my present vantage point in Canada, The Globe and Mail’s John Ibbitson gave it away when he declared at the weekend in a leading news piece that “a bond has formed between Barack Obama and Americans unlike any we have seen between a new president and the people”. It seems churlish to ask for evidence of that proposition, and none was given. The media can feel the vibe and that is enough for them. In fact, the real bond is between Obama and the media.
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