Obama - Officially next preident of the USA.

[Rich]

Glass beads?

[ScottB]

Goodnight!

*back to your regularly scheduled Obama congrats thread*

[ken_r152]

Just eating a bowl of Cheerios with milk involes the FDA, USDA, ICC and sales taxes paid on the bowl and spoon.[/quote]

Be happy that there are regulators for your food, medications, and surgical equipment. There are more near misses than you think.

Some of it is routine stuff (manufacturing equipment begins aging, and a metal bushing disintegrates and iron filings slowly make their way into your cereal boxes. Metal detectors on the conveyor belt spot the metal filings and the line shuts down). And some is non-routine...subcontractor changes a source of an ingredient "to save money" but the source has mad cow disease and the subcontractor honestly can't determine "where the material got to." The safety features are only there because someone told them that they had to be there.

[ken_r152]

Originally Posted by ScottB

The IRS will collect your income taxes.

If you use any kind of power tool or soldering iron, the government will not allow it's manufacture without a UL approval.

I can tell you a scary story about a piece of medical equipment that was designed, and prototypes were built, and the first thing that happened after it was plugged in was it caught on fire....

That's why they need a UL approval. Or a CE Mark for Europe.

[superhairycamel]

I think a new fresh face like obama is what america needs to change the veiw of america for foreign countries.

I think most other countries see the america we have seen from george bush as a warhungry, lying, greedy nation that loves saying "darn best country in the gaddarn world". i know most americans arent like that and im not trying to offend but this is the image we got from the government and foreign events.

obama SEEMS to be offering something different, i am interested to see what this means for the next four years GLOBALLY because lets face it, the USA affects the whole world with its decisions.

[Andy43]

Originally Posted by toneboy

Respect and admire for what? He hasn't done anything yet. It's all meaningless political rhetoric until he actually does something as President.

I judge a man by his actions, not his words and until I see action I will neither deify him nor will I demonize him.

ETA - All I'm saying is don't be naive. He's a politician and a good orator but don't buy into the hype. He has the potential to do really great things for this country and he has the potential to do really bad things to this country.

For being the first minority to EVER become president. People admire him all around the world for doing that. Don't give me that "he's mixed" bullcrap either. Guess what? His skin color is still black. If you don't find him inspirational, you are either blind or ignorant. All of the past few presidents we have had just do it because they seek power, but Obama actually wants to help and change America.

[toneboy]

Originally Posted by Andy43

For being the first minority to EVER become president. People admire him all around the world for doing that. Don't give me that "he's mixed" bullcrap either. Guess what? His skin color is still black. If you don't find him inspirational, you are either blind or ignorant....

...or I'm not African American. I can understand how minorities aree inspired by this but I'm not. Besides, race isn't a factor for me. I could care less about the color of his skin. I will judge him by his actions while in office.

Besides, electing an African American as president was inevitable. We just had to have the right person run at the run time. Besides, you didn't actually think that Mrs. Clinton would have gotten the nomination, do you?

Don't miscontrue my words - he ran a great campaign but I do not personally respect or admire him for this. I'm not blind nor am I ignorant. I am ambivalent.

All of the past few presidents we have had just do it because they seek power, but Obama actually wants to help and change America.

Time will tell.

ETA - I respect and admire the voters for electing an African American to the highest office in the land. They're the ones that picked him, he didn't pick us.

[waylay00]

Originally Posted by jb4674

Wade, Why are you even putting in your two cents in this thread? You're not even old enough to vote. Your lack of experience definitely shows in every single comment you've typed in this thread.

I wouldn't pay attention to Wade's comments. In all honesty, you can't take a 17 year-old kid too seriously, considering he isn't even old enough to vote.

Jimmy

Just because you can't vote doesn't mean you can't argue about the situation or have an opinion. You seem to always use the whole age thing against me. When you've got adults out there on both sides voting for candidates because of superficial reasons, I don't think age makes hardly any difference.

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by Andy43

Finally a president that I can truly respect and admire. For once I don't feel ashamed to live in my country. I just hope that nothing happens to him. There's a lot of angry racists out there.

Is this truly the first time you were proud of your country??? Im proud of my country everyday. I watched history channel last night, and i am overwhelmed by the people that gave their lives so we could live in a better world. (and yet some still are ashamed, or disappointed to live in America.) Maybe you should take a trip somewhere else and see how much better live is there. Besides this is what everyone said about every president before they did anything...(wow, hes so great. He will be soooo much better than whoever was in office before)

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by Andy43

For once I don't feel ashamed to live in my country.

You sound like Michelle Obama!

I just hope that nothing happens to him. There's a lot of angry racists out there.

This ticks me off so much...Did it ever occur to you that their are racists on both sides??? Yes their are other people of color that are racist toward WHITES!!! But what is truly racist is when someone votes for a candidate purely based on color, BLACK OR WHITE!

[jim777]

Originally Posted by jb4674

Wade, Why are you even putting in your two cents in this thread? You're not even old enough to vote. Your lack of experience definitely shows in every single comment you've typed in this thread.




I wouldn't pay attention to Wade's comments. In all honesty, you can't take a 17 year-old kid too seriously, considering he isn't even old enough to vote.


Jimmy

I think he's shown enough good judgment on enough other issues to have his opinions respected. You don't have to agree with him on all of his points, but I think it is shortsighted to dismiss him out of hand. I certainly don't.

jim

[eviltwin]

You sound like Michelle Obama!

You can be ashamed and proud at the same time, then realise you need to do something to correct the first and build on the second. I believe Michelle has already proven herself in this respect much like Barack.

This is the complete polar opposite from George Bush Sr., of whom they said he was "born with a silver foot in his mouth". Or George W. who excelled mainly at partying and driving companies into the ground, before using his granddaddy's Nazi money to fund a political bid.

Did it ever occur to you that there are racists on both sides??? Yes there are other people of color that are racist toward WHITES!!! But what is truly racist is when someone votes for a candidate purely based on color, BLACK OR WHITE!

Racism is everywhere, but it isn't until you are in a position of power and you base your judgement and actions on those racist believes that it becomes a problem. With minorities still at a disadvantage when it comes to holding those positions, it is unfair to judge negative racism based upon stereotypes, on the same level as positive action based upon facts and statistics.

Some may argue that redistribution of wealth and opportunities is socialism, but unity only really works when equality and liberty are in place. In the practical sense this means equal opportunities and a guaranteed minimum as a safety net, funded by those at the other end of the social spectrum.

Did the majority of black americans vote for Obama solely because they expected him to reinitiate affirmative action schemes? Perhaps, but that would be rather short-sighted as BHO is a perfect example of making it by yourself. It would also give him a huge problem trying to get re-elected in four years.

People supported GWB because they were middle class hoping that they would soond be ultra rich to be able to benefit from his schemes. People are now voting for BHO hoping to become middle class, BHO will work to make sure that a middle class still exists.

So racism? To me it is more like Arizonians voting for one of them and Hawaiians voting for their son, or JFK picking LBJ to deliver Texas, you expect people to share some common values based upon common background, this is not racism. Many recent candidates have tried to stress their roots OUTSIDE of Washington, not be precieved as part of the same clique.

GHB successfully managed to get people to view him as a Texas outsider, and make Dukakis look like eastern elitist incrowd, even though Bush was born and raised in Ivy league bliss and Dukakis was a second generation immigrant. Perception is what matters.

Note that Obama is BOTH black AND white, not either/or. Like Clinton he has gone to great lenghts to stress his desire towards unity (something both McCain and Bush complimented BHO on) Obviously fringe thinkers on the far right and left, will percieve this as a weakness as their intention is to polarise and divide.

There's a lot of angry racists out there.

Unfortunately, it requires only one. I read that Colin Powell never ran for office, because his wife feared he might become a target.

It is not until you succumb to fear that terrorism wins.

[DEADTUNES666]

If it shows the blacks one thing it's that they can achieve...

The good thing about that is that my children are now expected to achieve (although they always have in my book). No one can cry about things anymore!! We can't say whitey is holding us back, or that a black man got a job over a white guy because they had a quota!! All of that is irrelevant bullsh!t now...

It's time for all Americans to get off of their lazy @sses, and succeed!! There are no excuses anymore, the black man doesn't just have musicians, athletes, movie stars, and comedians to look up to! Now they have the pinnacle of what can be achieved, they, in one day, are no longer the down trodden...They have overcome. And dammit, whites have had everything for the last 250 years, how dare we cry like whiny b!tches! If you can't do it now it's because you aren't trying to do anything. Can't get a job because you don't have enough education, get more! Take baby steps to get there if you have to, but right now is when you have to start. Don't wait for tomorrow!

Can't get your sh!t together because it's tough out there, start organizing yourself for success. Stop watching reality fvcking television, and go do something for fvcks sake...

Get something done because you can!!!

And the scariest thing out there is Darin with a goddamned gun!!!

[Batchimp RG]

Opinions guys:

Does anyone think that having Obama as President will inflame the far-right and hardline Christians enough that he might be a target, maybe even assasinated?

[Batchimp RG]

Originally Posted by jim777

I think he's shown enough good judgment on enough other issues to have his opinions respected. You don't have to agree with him on all of his points, but I think it is shortsighted to dismiss him out of hand. I certainly don't.

jim

I must +1 one this comment about waylay00.