What About the Children?

Wow. The President of the United States has finally gone too far.

Taking on the health-insurance industry is one thing. Winding down the war(s) is another. Propping up failing businesses with freshly-printed money, negotiating with countries that once were considered major spokes in the "Axis of Evil", where does the craziness end?

The answer: Right where it probably began... In elementary school. On Tuesday night, Barack Obama will give a speech to be televised to students. He is expected to strengthen the worthwile concepts of studying hard and staying in school. Why bother?

Apparently our new Commander in Chief has grown so tired of puerile Republicans that he figured he might just as well waste his time trying to communicate with actual children. To be sure, these pupils have absolutely nothing to offer at this point, so there is little benefit to Obama in the deal.

As is their wont, conservatives have recoiled in horror over the idea, as if Obama were not following in the footsteps of former presidents Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. Dubya appeared before schoolchildren once, and planes started smashing into buildings, so their fear would be understandable if they would just say that's what this is about.

Their objections, though, have been mostly limited to the notion that the White House is pushing an "agenda" on the kids. Some schools have refused to broadcast (see censored) the speech, or have issued permission slips for parents to sign. Others say they will first record the president's speech, okay, and review it to ensure its relevance to their curriculum.

Al Gore could have told Barack Obama that this would happen. Or maybe he did, and this is just another brilliant PR game that Obama is running, hoping that the bulk of the populace will notice the predictable right-wing hysteria. Such a spotlight might help cut through all the chaff that has littered town-hall meetings for the past five weeks.

The latest lunacy on that front, by the way, comes from Thousand Oaks, California. A conservative punched a liberal in the face (for invading his space, he said) and in the ensuing melee had his finger bitten off. Since he had Medicare, it was no problem to get it reattached.

We can surmise, then, that there are already more than adequate resources being directed toward dental health, and certainly not enough attention is being paid to mental health. As with most Republican causes, some balance is needed.

No wonder President Obama wants to meld minds with a five-year old.

pH