Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humor. Show all posts
(Video) @ochocinco given 30 days for smacking his attorney on the backside X Wow
She tried to make an example of that man. -__-. That's terrible.
Chad Johnson -- Ripped By Judge for Slapping Lawyer's Ass
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(Video) I've waited for someone to do this to a pushy interviewer X Man punches reporter in the face.
Yeah.. the old man's son might have been wrong but I'm not exactly mad at him for punching the reporter either. Especially after he had him hemmed up earlier..He campaigned for that ass whooping...
(Video) Hint of something I might bring back - Offline meeting #thatsite chronicles
Like I have said many times on Twitter, I know that some of you are 'new' to the social networking thing. Not everybody is though. Count me in that number. . This is an OLD video probably about four years ago or so...
Offline meeting..
by: carolinaware
(Videos) @thedailyshow's Jon Stewart breaks down the Debate and @fivethirtyeight (Nate Silver) talks polls
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| This was after Barack asked Cindy 'Can you say that a little louder..." Peep homie in the back like 'Uh oh.." |
I'm glad to see we weren't 'crazy'.... lmao
Binder full of women slander...The Blunt Amendment blunder...
and of course the 'Benghazi attacks' blunder...
I like how he BROKE DOWN THE 'POLLS' and how we probably put too much into them. EITHER WAY. Whether Barack is winning or not.
(Video) So... Big Bird went on Saturday Night Live last night....
I was out so no, I didn't see it live... Caught it this morning though...I mean he didn't 'go in'. He kept it light. @ jokes.
Pretty sure this is gonna get pulled so I will update the video as need be...
Hat tip to my cousin @BasedGladman on this one X Tom Brady & Peyton Manning talk 'Elite Quarterbacks' (Parody)
This shit is funny. Sorry. Probably with the exception of the Mike Vick over step... Even the Ben joke was aight with me...
(Grown Folk's Talk) 'Perfect People' and their misguided sense of entitlement..
Listen, I think we ALL want things a certain way. We want our meals prepped a certain way. The weather to be ideal for what we like to do. The things some of smoke to be of a certain grade and all of that other happy shit. Some of you out here though boy... y'all are ANAL WITH THIS SHIT. It is ridiculous. I know some of you are gonna read this and cite ALL TYPES OF WILDLY successful people who have this 'My Way or The Highway' mantra. Cool. They also compensated folks VERY WELL for having to put up with that shit. The folks I am speaking on are not. Compensation = whatever the trade off is...not necessarily money either.. While it may work 'well' in business for some AT THE TOP, it doesn't bode well in other factors of Life....
One simply cannot go around treating every situation like it is a 'depressive relationship'. Some 'relationships' cannot be cultivated in that manner for they are 'expressive relationships' and should be treated as such..
Expressive relationships should be self explanatory. You can 'express' and exchange ideas FREELY. Talking openly and the idea that change, when necessary is good and not to be fought.
Depressive relationships in a nutshell are 'My Way or the Highway' type deals. No discussions. Very closed off. No back and forth brainstorming. Just 'Do as I say...' for the most part. Not really fair as this type of relationship is one-sided and BOTH SIDES FEEL THAT PRESSURE.
Example: Brother/Sister...Husband/Wife BF/GF.... friend/friend...all should be expressive relationships for the most part. There are times on the job when, depending on the level of the participants, and 'expressive relationship' is necessary as well as you need to BE ABLE TO KEEP WORKERS so that work can be done. It is just that simple. Especially as the jobs get more complex. Note I left one relationship out of the 'expressive' example. It was on purpose. That's a WHOLE post within itself. It does involve a complex level of both relationships that ebb and flow over time probably more so than the other examples I gave. Again..another post..another time...
How does that tie into 'perfection'? Quite simply if one thinks they are 'perfect' (or as close to perfect as it is going to get for those of you who want to 'split that hair'), then they often use depressive tactics ACROSS THE BOARD. This is not good for any of the parties involved. It breeds anger and a feeling of 'I have to do everything' for the person 'abusing' this tactic and it belittles those that have to engage with the 'perfect' person on a daily basis. In addition, the depressive tactics are often 'oppressive' in that the 'perfect' person has to watch over every minute detail and they are never 'wrong'..even when they are...well wrong. While the 'imperfect' person, even when 'right' is never allowed to live down their 'wrong' due to the constant 'reminding' of how 'perfect' the 'perfect person' is due to the daily berating they give out. The mental abuse if you will.
Hopefully those that use this tactic will read this and adjust accordingly after hearing how it sounds....
This is the 'nice version' of what I want to say. I could end it here I suppose but I know you didn't come here for that now did you? Besides, we all know that the 'perfect' person will just 'run right over this' like a buyer would run over a speed bump in a crack infested neighborhood on their way to get back to their house to get high so... Here comes the 'blue' language... . Keep reading.. If curse words aren't your thing, you can probably stop here. You have a general idea where I am going with this. You are gonna miss out though. I promise you that you will at least laugh OUT LOUD one time if you keep reading AND the point I am making will be done so more poignantly.
Before I REALLY start I would like to say that I say EVERYTHING I SAY HERE on the daily in my personal life. No need to 'read into' shit. EVERYBODY AROUND ME ALREADY KNOWS my feelings on these subjects and it isn't like it won't be available to read on my Facebook and the like. All out in the open. Thanks for playing though.. @ speculating.
Well it is ridiculous when you it comes to you then expecting everyone else to cater/care about your happiness in regards to your 'particular ways'. Some of you REALLY expect someone to make your ass happy when YOU can't even make you happy? Really? C'mon man. Stop. More importantly, you REALLY expect perfection WHEN YOU FUCK UP ALL THE TIME? Naw...
You know, I could see if 'your way' was 95-100% successful. Or even that same percentile when it came to uniqueness. Then there would be no argument. Any scenario that has that high of a success rate CANNOT BE ARGUED WITH. Here's the problem though...
It is usually is not... -_-.
You are usually using THE SAME IDEALS/PRINCIPLES that the rest of us are using only you don't want to hear it from 'us'. Your penchant for control is so DOMINANT that can't nobody tell you shit. Which again, would be cool if NOBODY ELSE WAS AFFECTED when you fuck up but 9/10 we ALL FEEL IT WHEN YOU MESS UP. All of us.
I mean, understand, nobody is out here to make 'you' mad and ANYONE WHO DEALS WITH A OVERLY PARTICULAR PERSON usually does everything in their POWER TO NOT HAVE TO FEEL THE WRATH of that person being unhappy but yeah...you have to cut this shit out. What about when 'we' aren't happy due to YOUR INSISTENCE on doing shit YOUR WAY? Don't hand me that shit about 'Well, I'm upset at myself too..." either. "We" don't want to much hear that right now 'cause let that have been us fucking up... Be all types of incompetent, stupid motherfuckers out this bitch..
What about that hot shit on a stick? You know where you mumble some shit about 'I'm sorry' MAYBE if the rest of us are lucky and you've wasted valuable time that you CAN'T GIVE US BACK? Why don't you ever remember THAT SHIT when you are spouting off at the mouth about how 'incompetent' folks are around you and how you 'hate stupid people'? Where's your memory at then? Oh now you wanna have a 'breakdown' huh? Naw... Fuck that...
Now don't get me wrong, I know NOTHING I AM TYPING HERE is gonna change how you and 'MOST' of your treatment towards WHOMEVER IT IS THAT FORWARDS this to you as a not SO SUBTLE hint that they feel this way. What I am saying to you is that when you DO act out like a child whether it be over the most minute of details or a COMPLETE 180 of whatever needs to be done and it fails, don't acted 'shocked' when folks go 'over your head' or 'around' you. Don't act 'shocked' when you get residual attitude for DAYS UPON WEEKS over that shit. Why? 'Cause the chances are that if you are out here 'expressing' you are the ONLY REASON shit gets done because when things are done 'your way', shit happens, WHEN IT FUCKS UP you kinda deserve to get that in kind. Wait..there is no kinda to it. You do. Period.
You see the thing about 'most' folks who feel their way of doing..well..almost everything.. is better than everyone else and the rest of the World is full of idiots who serve no other purpose but to get in 'their way' is that they are..............'human'. They fuck up too. On the regular.
The difference is, the 'normal fucked up people' don't waste their energy bitching about the 'perfect person's' fuck ups. See the 'normal' person knows ALL TOO WELL THE CONTEMPT that breeds in a person when they are CONSTANTLY TOLD that they are incompetent over 'the smallest of things'. So they don't do that to others. The 'normal' people are too busy out here 'cleaning up' after the 'perfect' person to help make them appear 'perfect' in most cases.
Maybe they should treat 'perfect person' the same then huh? That isn't going to matter much to most 'perfect people' fam. They are so SELF ABSORBED that they aren't gonna let a little setback like BEING COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY WRONG fuck up their 'perfect' record. All they are gonna do is cite their 'perfection' in other times and brush that off. They have to 'see it' for themselves outside of the situation. Repeatedly. Even then... no guarantees..@ actual change...
The other funny thing about the 'perfect person' is that they seem to THRIVE ON LOOKING FOR THE FLAW and they seem REALLY BOTHERED THAT THE REST OF US AREN'T AS UPSET AS THEY ARE ABOUT THE 'FLAWS THEY HAVE FOUND'. I have news for you perfect person. The World is full of flaws. The rest of us have long resigned to the fact that nothing will ever stay perfect. Don't get me wrong... we ALL BITCH ABOUT THE FOLLOWING THINGS. Difference is, we aren't out here mad at the World about it like you seem to be. We've accepted that it has to be done and SURE aren't out here busting other folks chops about it. Here are some examples.
You cut the grass....Damm if the shit doesn't get Sun and water and GROW RIGHT THE FUCK BACK by next week. (Hell, sometimes before then if the right combo hits..)
The dishes.. We use them. Every day. You could wash them ALL. Somebody is going to use them tomorrow. Cleaning the whole sink out isn't going to change the fact that tomorrow morning, SOMEBODY IS GONNA PUT A BOWL IN THAT MOTHERFUCKER. Somebody is gonna put a spoon in the once empty dishwasher. That somebody is not the bad guy. Sorry. Things happen. Ditto with the laundry. Shit is never gonna end. Imagine how the PERSON WHO IS DOING THE LAUNDRY MUST FEEL. Knowing that the VERY CLOTHES ON THEIR BACK WILL HAVE TO RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD EMPTY CLOTHES BASKET in just a very few short hours. After they spent their time emptying said basket. Just think of it that way...
Your desk. It was made for work. Things aren't gonna stop appearing on it. In particular if you are 'perfect' and you HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS to the questions that the 'normal' people aren't 'competent enough' to know. That is if you could marry yourself to the idea of ...you know..LETTING THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW SO THAT YOU CAN LET GO OF THEIR WORK SO THAT THEY MAY DO IT THEMSELVES.. I digress though...
Giving your time and effort to something and it not working out or it failing. Nobody likes to fail. Just because we don't throw shit or bitch loudly does NOT MEAN THE REST OF US ARE HAPPY OUR TIME WAS WASTED. We've just figured out that for the most part, bitching and moaning about something is a bigger waste of time if no change is going to come out of it. We all put time into it. You aren't the only one. Get over yourself. Please and thank you.
This is my absolute
"I have to do everything around here...."
No the fuck you don't. Let me speak for EVERYONE ELSE who does shit 'around here' right now. No the fuck you don't. Maybe you do some things that folks don't 'appreciate' like they should*'. That's cool. What exactly THE FUCK WOULD YOU CALL A DISMISSIVE STATEMENT LIKE THE ONE YOU MAKE WHEN YOU HAVE THE STONES TO SAY YOU DO 'EVERYTHING' around here though? While you are off, 'doing that very important thing that you do', others DO OTHER THINGS. Go peep the list up top for some of those things if you can't muster up the thoughts as to what those 'things' might be. I don't 'have' to live with you or 'know' you to know that you don't do 'everything' or anything CLOSE TO 'EVERYTHING'. There aren't enough hours in the day to do that for one and for two you are too busy doing those 'two to three things that must have YOUR PERSONAL TOUCH ON THEM' to have time to do the mundane shit that is VITAL to your life. So lets clear that crock bullshit up right now. You don't do everything. You just aren't around to see it being done, messed up again and fixed back up. That's not the other person's fault. Just like they don't see what it is you 'do' or have to go through 'cause they aren't there.
"You people wouldn't survive a day without me...."
Go the fuck away then. We will see. Oh wait...you've done that before and folks.... wait for it.. SURVIVED! Were things done the way you wanted? Nope. Probably not. Some things were done BETTER than the way you wanted 'cause your anal persona wasn't hovering around meddling. Newsflash: Some shit actually works better if you'd just get out of the way. Let some folks 'fail' so that they can succeed. It is okay. Someone did that for you..(More on that in a minute).. For some, it is the days WITHOUT YOU that make the days with you more bearable. Know that....That wasn't very nice was it? Yeah well neither is you saying the dumb shit you are saying either so....
The other thing I find 'funny' about 'perfect' people is their recollection of their 'past'/childhood/etc. For some reason, they have this ideal that they were 'perfect' the whole time. Wonder why that is.... -_-. I know...IT IS THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM WHO DIDN'T TELL THEM THE TRUTH! Oh now those same people will tell YOU OR I the truth about them but for some STRANGE REASON, they insist on letting the 'perfect person' feel like they have been infallible since creation. Basically on some Jesus type time. Oh yeah, they might wax on about some 'physical mishap' or deficiencies here and there but they NEVER...ever...ever..ever.. speak on any 'mishaps' of any other variety. All of their decisions were 'perfect'. Naw....... Not believing that shit. Sorry. Good grades are cool and all but that shit doesn't mean you are 'perfect'. @ what is usually cited as to why. Great, they got the memorization game down. @ grades. Doesn't make them 'perfect'. It can be a 'factor' in it but those within themselves does a perfect person not make. Funny though how those same 'folks around the 'perfect' person as a child, treated them with the empathy that they probably deserved growing up but the 'perfect' person doesn't have a 'HINT' of that in their make up as an adult. No empathy or understanding of 'non perfection' in others while THE VERY UPBRINGING they most likely had was BLANKETED in that. Very telling indeed. I don't have a degree in that shit though so I am gonna digress.. but you get what I am saying don't you? Good.
So am I saying that we should all be above reproach when we mess up?
Let me be emphatic.
NO. Accountability is important and when you are wrong...you are wrong.
All I am saying is that getting up on your horse about 'being right' or thinking you are right' EVEN WHEN YOU ARE WRONG is wrong. I am saying that those of you running around here seeking perfection while touting you are perfect are wrong. I am also merely stating that to err is human and everyone has accepted that except you...Mr./Mrs. Perfect. and that it is high time you do.
Or at least if you are not going to don't be shocked by the responses/effort you receive from that that you do 'need'. Lets make no mistake about it, you need people for if you, OUT OF ALL PEOPLE, could do it all yourself you would. You can't though. You need help. Lets try and treat 'the help' less like 'the help' though as they endure your MANY MISTAKES AND MISSTEPS and deal with them with the aplomb of Cinderella while you are on your Wicked Stepmother shit. Aight?
I referenced business at the top (and some throughout this piece) and I thought I would be remiss if I didn't offer up a specific paragraph on it. Although I feel like I know a few people who take the 'micromanagement' idea ACROSS the board so I don't want to say this is just 'business' advice. lol Go get this book. It may help you see what I was speaking on about 'having to have your hands in everything.." and why that is NOT A GOOD IDEA all the time. For you or the folks you are 'micromanaging'. Help you do it more efficiently AND help them deal with it better as well.** I know Steve Jobs has y'all out thinking that if you just follow his blueprint, you will be 'great' but I feel like his case is not the norm.
*See, it's called humility. You should acquire some. ASAP. Especially since you will have to 'deal' with people..
**I know someone is going to read this and think I don't think 'authority' is a good thing. Far from it. Someone has to be in charge. There is a way to do it though. Sorry.
(Videos) President Obama/Clinton/FLOTUS speeches X Jon Stewart goes Jon Stewart on Fox News and their hypocritical coverage of the #DNC
Here is Obama's speech WRITTEN out. For those of you who are 'hearing impaired' and hear what you want to hear. smh
"Michelle, I love you. The other night, I think the entire country saw just how lucky I am. Malia and Sasha, you make me so proud…but don't get any ideas, you're still going to class tomorrow. And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could ever hope for.
Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
The first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope – not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long.
Eight years later, that hope has been tested – by the cost of war; by one of the worst economic crises in history; and by political gridlock that's left us wondering whether it's still possible to tackle the challenges of our time.
I know that campaigns can seem small, and even silly. Trivial things become big distractions. Serious issues become sound bites. And the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me – so am I.
But when all is said and done – when you pick up that ballot to vote – you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years, big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace – decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come.
On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties.
It will be a choice between two different paths for America.
A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.
Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known; the values my grandfather defended as a soldier in Patton's Army; the values that drove my grandmother to work on a bomber assembly line while he was gone.
They knew they were part of something larger – a nation that triumphed over fascism and depression; a nation where the most innovative businesses turned out the world's best products, and everyone shared in the pride and success – from the corner office to the factory floor. My grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their first home, and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of America's story: the promise that hard work will pay off; that responsibility will be rewarded; that everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules – from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, DC.
I ran for President because I saw that basic bargain slipping away. I began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill, at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas. And by 2008, we had seen nearly a decade in which families struggled with costs that kept rising but paychecks that didn't; racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition; to put gas in the car or food on the table. And when the house of cards collapsed in the Great Recession, millions of innocent Americans lost their jobs, their homes, and their life savings – a tragedy from which we are still fighting to recover.
Now, our friends at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have much to say about how they'd make it right. They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. And that's because all they have to offer is the same prescription they've had for the last thirty years:
"Have a surplus? Try a tax cut."
"Deficit too high? Try another."
"Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!"
Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it – middle-class families and small businesses. But I don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our deficit. I don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China. After all that we've been through, I don't believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We've been there, we've tried that, and we're not going back. We're moving forward.
I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. And by the way – those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from Washington.
But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. I'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country – goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That's what we can do in the next four years, and that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.
We can choose a future where we export more products and outsource fewer jobs. After a decade that was defined by what we bought and borrowed, we're getting back to basics, and doing what America has always done best:
We're making things again.
I've met workers in Detroit and Toledo who feared they'd never build another American car. Today, they can't build them fast enough, because we reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on top of the world.
I've worked with business leaders who are bringing jobs back to America – not because our workers make less pay, but because we make better products. Because we work harder and smarter than anyone else.
I've signed trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of new customers – goods that are stamped with three proud words: Made in America.
After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years. And now you have a choice: we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here, in the United States of America. We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. You can make that happen. You can choose that future.
You can choose the path where we control more of our own energy. After thirty years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. We've doubled our use of renewable energy, and thousands of Americans have jobs today building wind turbines and long-lasting batteries. In the last year alone, we cut oil imports by one million barrels a day – more than any administration in recent history. And today, the United States of America is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in nearly two decades.
Now you have a choice – between a strategy that reverses this progress, or one that builds on it. We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers.
We're offering a better path – a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a hundred year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.
And yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet – because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future. And in this election, you can do something about it.
You can choose a future where more Americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete, no matter how old they are or how much money they have. Education was the gateway to opportunity for me. It was the gateway for Michelle. And now more than ever, it is the gateway to a middle-class life.
For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students are paying less for college today because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders.
And now you have a choice – we can gut education, or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don't have the money. No company should have to look for workers in China because they couldn't find any with the right skills here at home.
Government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead; parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you've got to do the work. And together, I promise you – we can out-educate and out-compete any country on Earth. Help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next ten years, and improve early childhood education. Help give two million workers the chance to learn skills at their community college that will lead directly to a job. Help us work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth of tuition costs over the next ten years. We can meet that goal together. You can choose that future for America.
In a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.
Tonight, we pay tribute to the Americans who still serve in harm's way. We are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. We will never forget you. And so long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us – because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home.
Around the world, we've strengthened old alliances and forged new coalitions to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We've reasserted our power across the Pacific and stood up to China on behalf of our workers. From Burma to Libya to South Sudan, we have advanced the rights and dignity of all human beings – men and women; Christians and Muslims and Jews.
But for all the progress we've made, challenges remain. Terrorist plots must be disrupted. Europe's crisis must be contained. Our commitment to Israel's security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace. The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambitions. The historic change sweeping across the Arab World must be defined not by the iron fist of a dictator or the hate of extremists, but by the hopes and aspirations of ordinary people who are reaching for the same rights that we celebrate today.
So now we face a choice. My opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy, but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.
After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy – and not al Qaeda – unless you're still stuck in a Cold War time warp. You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally. My opponent said it was "tragic" to end the war in Iraq, and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan. I have, and I will. And while my opponent would spend more money on military hardware that our Joint Chiefs don't even want, I'll use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work – rebuilding roads and bridges; schools and runways. After two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation-building right here at home.
You can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without wrecking our middle class. Independent analysis shows that my plan would cut our deficits by $4 trillion. Last summer, I worked with Republicans in Congress to cut $1 trillion in spending – because those of us who believe government can be a force for good should work harder than anyone to reform it, so that it's leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to the American people.
I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000 – the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was president; the same rate we had when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and a lot of millionaires to boot.
Now, I'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission. No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy – well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will.
I refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut. I refuse to ask students to pay more for college; or kick children out of Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, elderly, or disabled – all so those with the most can pay less.
And I will never turn Medicare into a voucher. No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. They should retire with the care and dignity they have earned. Yes, we will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care – not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. And we will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it – not by turning it over to Wall Street.
This is the choice we now face. This is what the election comes down to. Over and over, we have been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way; that since government can't do everything, it should do almost nothing. If you can't afford health insurance, hope that you don't get sick. If a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that's just the price of progress. If you can't afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent's advice and "borrow money from your parents."
You know what? That's not who we are. That's not what this country's about. As Americans, we believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights – rights that no man or government can take away. We insist on personal responsibility and we celebrate individual initiative. We're not entitled to success. We have to earn it. We honor the strivers, the dreamers, the risk-takers who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system – the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known.
But we also believe in something called citizenship – a word at the very heart of our founding, at the very essence of our democracy; the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations.
We believe that when a CEO pays his autoworkers enough to buy the cars that they build, the whole company does better.
We believe that when a family can no longer be tricked into signing a mortgage they can't afford, that family is protected, but so is the value of other people's homes, and so is the entire economy.
We believe that a little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the founder of the next Google, or the scientist who cures cancer, or the President of the United States – and it's in our power to give her that chance.
We know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. We don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules. We don't think government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that government is the source of all our problems – any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles.
Because we understand that this democracy is ours.
We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.
As citizens, we understand that America is not about what can be done for us. It's about what can be done by us, together, through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government.
So you see, the election four years ago wasn't about me. It was about you. My fellow citizens – you were the change.
You're the reason there's a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who'll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage. You did that.
You're the reason a young man in Colorado who never thought he'd be able to afford his dream of earning a medical degree is about to get that chance. You made that possible.
You're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home; why selfless soldiers won't be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love; why thousands of families have finally been able to say to the loved ones who served us so bravely: "Welcome home."
If you turn away now – if you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible…well, change will not happen. If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election and those who are making it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry, or control health care choices that women should make for themselves.
Only you can make sure that doesn't happen. Only you have the power to move us forward.
I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention. The times have changed – and so have I.
I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President. I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I've shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I've made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them. And while I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go."
But as I stand here tonight, I have never been more hopeful about America. Not because I think I have all the answers. Not because I'm naïve about the magnitude of our challenges.
I'm hopeful because of you.
The young woman I met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter – she gives me hope.
The auto worker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed, but kept coming to work every day, and bought flags for his whole town and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife – he gives me hope.
The family business in Warroad, Minnesota that didn't lay off a single one of their four thousand employees during this recession, even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owners gave up some perks and pay – because they understood their biggest asset was the community and the workers who helped build that business – they give me hope.
And I think about the young sailor I met at Walter Reed hospital, still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. Six months ago, I would watch him walk into a White House dinner honoring those who served in Iraq, tall and twenty pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, with a big grin on his face; sturdy on his new leg. And I remember how a few months after that I would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day, inspiring other heroes who had just begun the hard path he had traveled.
He gives me hope.
I don't know what party these men and women belong to. I don't know if they'll vote for me. But I know that their spirit defines us. They remind me, in the words of Scripture, that ours is a "future filled with hope."
And if you share that faith with me – if you share that hope with me – I ask you tonight for your vote.
If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election.
If you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election.
If you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape; that new energy can power our future; that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers; if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, then I need you to vote this November.
America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won't promise that now. Yes, our path is harder – but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer – but we travel it together. We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.
Bill Clinton speech..
FLOTUS SPEECH...
and the guy who did his best 'Obama' to me...
Gov. Deval Patrick: This Is 'Election of a Lifetime'
Here's Jon's clip...
High comedy!! I don't watch Fox News so this is the only way I would know what they are saying..lol
(Video) Jon Stewart (@TheDailyShow) doing what he does best.. chicken/@NBC spoiler alerts/@JessicaBiel
Spoilers:
He also had Jessica Biel on the show..
(Videos) Crazy Girlfriend via @Cyn_Santana....I'm crying right now...
This is hilarious...lmao In light of that 'Passwords' post I just finished writing...Google MAPS THOUGH... @ 12 MINS to get home....REAL. LIFE TEARS RIGHT NOW..
Truth in jest. That's all I'mma say...
(Video) @IamRashidaJones X @TheDailyShow Interview
Rashida Jones, cowriter and star of "Celeste and Jesse Forever and Quincy's daughter," discusses dating in the '90s and a movie adaptation of her socialite-spy comic book, "Frenemy of the State."
