Speech to school children

Obama’s speech to school children (text of the speech is here) is actually pretty good. In fact, if kids are not already getting a similar message from their principals, teachers and parents, then our school system really isn’t doing a very good job.

My favorite part of the speech is as follows:

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that's what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Personal responsibility is a wonderful thing that will not only make schools stronger, but also our nation stronger. Unfortunately, government at every level is more than happy to replace our personal responsibility with regulation and coercion. The FDA gives bureaucrats more power that we the people have over the medications we are allowed to use to fight diseases, the war on drugs wastes our tax dollars and creates a dangerous black market for drugs in the streets, most state governments even deny homosexuals the right to marry who they choose. How does any of this let people take responsibility for themselves? The government has even bailed out Wall Street and General Motors. I guess those guys are too important to take responsibility for their actions.

I will be impressed at Obama’s oratory skills if he can talk about personal responsibility with a straight face. He might expect school children to be take some responsibility for achieving their goals, but it doesn’t seem like he and other bureaucrats have the same expectations for the rest of society.