President Obama takes direct aim at anti-government rhetoric

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100501/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_11

President Barack Obama took aim Saturday at the angry rhetoric of those who denigrate government as "inherently bad" and said their off-base line of attack ignores the fact that in a democracy, "government is us."

Obama used his commencement speech at the University of Michigan to respond to foes who portray government as oppressive and tyrannical. He also appealed for a more civil political debate and advised graduates to seek out and consider alternative views on the issues of the day, even if it makes their "blood boil."

(snip)
The president told students and others in the audience — the school stopping giving out tickets once 80,000 were distributed — that debates about the size and role of government are as old as the republic itself.

"But it troubles me when I hear people say that all of government is inherently bad," said Obama, who received an honorary doctor of laws degree. "For when our government is spoken of as some menacing, threatening foreign entity, it conveniently ignores the fact in our democracy, government is us."

I liked his discussion on the roads that we drive on implemented by the government...

A REAL history lesson!

i watched live but want to spread it to family that i know were not watching

With representative government it is the push back against other systems of governance also in society. Things like money systems, or corporate systems, or theocratic systems, or any group that has some influence over the dignity of every individual in a society.

And government is only of and for the people if the people get the information to make free will choices on things. And if they have the educational resources to develop the skills to make decisions.

It is actually true that democracy is a slightly less effective system then plutocracy, however plutocracy gets its advantage by race to the bottom and what you think is important being money or power. Also a representative government will not make as many good decisions as an aristocracy in the first years, because aristocracy can be more skilled at running government, but if you concede that for a few years, then you have a multitude of bad effects from that insulated group separated from society becoming ideological and self serving first. So some of the limitations of representative rule creates a less smart government, but a more compassionate one. And in the long run, compassion really is more important then profit.

So if you rate a system and its success, do you say how much money did it make, or how happy and well treated were most of its people.

he should practice some of that fucking transparency he talks so much about - but can't quite manage to deliver......

cause this poster has never ever quit
denigrating this President; not ever.

You'll find poster's drive-by one line put downs in just about
any thread without fail.

If you think Sarah is praying for this President to fail,
you better believe that this one is on two knees,
every morning and every night!

Government is not bad, "Bad Government" is bad.

The "government is us"? When did that happen? When did the common people win political control in Washington?

If "us" is running things, why are we planning to cut our Medicare and Social Security, spending hundreds of billions for wars based on a mountain of lies, attacking our civil liberties and freedoms, giving trillions to Wall Street and corporate America, etc.,

Oh .... is it the government that's doing that and not "us"?

Gee .... wonder why so many working people are pissed off at Washington politicians.

lol

Thomas Paine

The anti-government sentiment is largely dependent on ignorance of conditions in "socialist" countries with more social cohesion where government works to solve common problems and provide common benefits. The ignorance may get even worse as increasing numbers of Americans can no longer afford education and travel.