“The president acknowledged that a rethinking of the traditional American school day may not be welcome _ "not in my family, and probably not in yours" _ but is critical.

"The challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom," Obama said. "If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."

And my answer to the president:  South Korea has the highest suicide rate among students.  That’s how S. Korea is doing in the classroom, Mr. Obama.  You might want to research before you continue to make these grandiose statements.  Having longer school days, more indoctrination at a school, more hours in the classroom is not the answer for our country, Mr. President.

It might sound good to postulate over those wonderful Asians and their devotion to education, Mr. President, but something is awry in countries where the pressures of education are so high.  Education is not the answer to everything.

Sometimes I feel the liberal mantra is Education first and Environment second, or vice versa.

The thing is that is not the answer to life.  Whatever happened to God First, Family Second?  Education and environment should be on the list – just not at the top of the list.  If we lose our family and faith, then what have we left?

Faith and Family is what is important.  It’s what will carry us through the hard times.  It’s what is called a worthy foundation.  The kind of foundation when the storms in life arise keeps you from being knocked down.

I'm going to rant a little here:

Many are calling Obama a socialist.  Well, if the shoe fits.  He is an educator – that’s their main religion in our higher learning institutions - socialism.  Anyone who has been a college student understands this.  Is there really any question regarding if Obama is a socialist?  I mean… seriously?  Of course he is.  Only a fool would think otherwise.  That’s all I’ve heard since I began listening to his speeches.  He just tries to hide it well for the illiterate masses who believe if the orator is good enough, why listen to the actual message?  Smarten up.

There is no other president who I've heard in his last two speeches use the phrase "I will do this..." as his highlight more often.  It's all "me,me,me" with Obama.  I'd like to hear more "Our country" and "We will do this together."  He's put on more miles on his AirForce One in his first 50 days in office than any other president.  Do you know how many tax dollars that thing uses on gas, staff, simple logistics?  He thinks he is still on the campaign trail.  He needs to stay in Washington and do some work - dang it!  But, he's an academic who has done nothing in his life that would avail an average American worker's work ethic.  Obama is not main street.  He's been cloistered in a classroom his whole life and barely even was a legislator before we elected him to such a high office.  What has he done in way of working?  But hey, he sounds smart.  Sheesh!

Rant off.

But, the message is important and we need to finally start listening, and stop being awed by a well-spoken orator.  Listen to what is really being said and wake up America!

Let me interpose with a couple of comments by S. Korean students that I found searching articles on the internet, since I started this out as a blog on Obama's education comment:

JY on October 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pm

When I used to live in Korea (before I moved to Canada), I saw that the subway platforms that were closest to universities all had a glass fence with automated doors to prevent people from committing suicide. I’m not just saying only university stations have glass doors. Busy stations like Dongdaemoon-yeok have glass doors too, and not because of suicide problems, but because it’s busy there.

A lot of people commit suicide in Korea because of the high pressure. Korean society places a lot of pressure on the citizens to get into good high schools, universities and good jobs (and to keep them too). Land is so small in Korea, so it’s difficult to find a good job, and even more difficult to keep it. It’s not uncommon to work past 6pm there. I used to study so hard that I would have constant nosebleeds and I would faint a lot because I slept 2~3 hours a night at most. And this is just when I was trying to pass examination to get into a high school.

I think Korean government needs to look more closely at these issues. With the technological and economic boom in Korea over the past few decades, it’s necessary to address these issues.

And this young person, who is probably VERY young:

i think the korean education system is to blaim……
korean students are rarely given the time to enjoy themselves or have fun. there is too much pressure to succeed…tsk tsk..

Let's see, so what is the reality of our education system?

Our children already spend a full-time job’s worth of time at school (from waking, to getting ready, scarfing down a breakfast – if that, and then jumping on the bus until they collapse back in their home at the end of the school day, you are looking at 9 to 10 hours).   Let me highlight that, as a mom at one time who was heavily involved in PTA and had my kids attending public school until I pulled them out to home school them in 7^th grade.  I reiterate:  9 TO 10 HOURS ALONE OF SCHOOL – FIVE DAYS A WEEK.  Now, that doesn’t include the hours spent hidden away on homework, projects, and off-campus related work.

Children spend most of their first 18 years of life involved in public school, unless they are pulled out and educated at home.

More school hours are not the answer, Mr. President.  More school hours in Asian countries has only led to higher suicide rates.  (I’m using South Korea as an example, since Obama used it as an example.) 

The problem with the American Education system is the problem with the youth of America in general.  They are apathetic, illiterate, and inundated with wrong messages from TV, videos, music, games, and every other form of entertainment.  But that isn’t even the real issue.  The real issue is the breakdown of the American family.  Even Korean’s acknowledge that the breakdown of the family in their society has left the youth with little support system. 

Without the support system of family everything else breaks down.  It’s not the school system that fails – it’s the lack of a nurturing environment.  And PLEASE, the school should not become the nurturing environment.  That is ridiculous.  The public schools have used up quite a bit of our children’s time already.  We are not a communist country yet.

There is one thing I’ve learned from home school, if nothing else, public education usually wastes exorbitant amounts of time on doing nothing of importance.  If schools spent more time streamlining the hours to be more efficient and pinpointing quality, rather than pointless quantity, then we’d have more success.

Children need to have the ability to spend more free time in personal pursuits and extra-curricular goals.  They need to run outside and play and just be kids.  Teens need to hang out with friends and spend time goofing off.  But mostly, they need to feel the love of a mom and dad, and the knowledge they have a home to be accepted in.  We're lacking in love and home.

More school is not the answer, Mr. President.  More parental involvement is the answer.  However, how do you make the people of your country grow up and be involved as a family?  It cannot be mandated, or you enter anti-democracy. 

The problem with Obama is he is grabbing at “things” without paying attention to the issues at hand.  This is just another flagrant statement being thrown out without much thought.  And again I wonder, Mr. President, do you know what you are doing?

We start out the night with our hopes for a better night than the last two weeks.

Our hopes are soon smashed upon the rocks of mediocrity.  I’ve decided for this post I want to include my “Kara Moments.” 

First up is…

Von Smith - I am hearing something completely different than the judges are hearing – Completely.  I think of three words:  Gaspy. Weak. Screechy.  His voice is so weak that he’s screeching the words out painfully.  This young man is gasping for every note.  I felt he was singing under water with all that gasping, and the added Gumby hair is not helping.

So… next.

Taylor Vaifanua – I like her name.  She has a nice, low voice with good tonal quality.  She is SO nervous and it takes out the first half of the song so that it is barely audible.  She picked the wrong song and was just not doing anything vocally memorable; especially with the strange body movement.  (Why do they all do that weird creepy dance when they sing?)  She is simply boring and mediocre.

Kara starts it off.  And I soon find out she will be more fun than the singing.  Kara moments begin….

Kara Moment:  She is Queen of Obvious: “You have a voice.”  What Kara?  “You have a voice – you really do.”  Wow – really?  Don’t all of them have voices, thus singing on American Idol?  But… whatever… and then… she says, the zinger of the night, “I want to know what its like to go shopping with you.”

(Forever this comment will be entered in the annals of AI history.)

HUH? O_O  Is Kara drinking out of Paula’s cup?  They all begin mindless chatter about shopping and what kind of cereal she likes.  Ah, this is why this show is enjoyable.

Sarah joins me as I rewind to show her the “shopping comment.”

We both laugh for a good minute or so.  Now, Sarah is going to watch the show with me.

Next we have Alex “two-last-names” Wagner-Trugman -  He is the guy who lost the “sing off” and yet they put him through.  Each show needs a “geeky” unattractive kid for the “grandma vote.”  So they decided he was the one.  Eek!  Ouch!  “I guess that’s why they call it… the mute button.”  Horrible!

Oh my gosh – action scene – the mic stand attacks him!  Schwoo, he’s done singing and I’m going to watch 24 (recorded last night) with Josh and we’ll come back in a couple of hours.  I’ll get back to this hack of a show later tonight.

We’re back.  Sarah is now with me and we’ll watch the recorded remainder of American Idol.

I begin by wondering why all the singers so far sound like they are out of breath.  Did they make them run a few laps before the competition?  I don’t get it.  They’re all kind of… gaspy. 

And why did they need a fourth judge?  Did they want someone who would make Paula seem like a pillar of sanity?  It worked.

Arianna Afsar –  Out of tune.  Almost not even worth mentioning.  Next….

Kara Moment:  She again entertains by going on and on about Arianna being cute as a button.  She’s a “beam of sunshine!”  “A FREAKIN’ BEAM OF SUNSHINE!”  Thank you, Kara, for the enlightened comment.

Okay, what kind of drugs is Kara on?

Ju’not Joyner – He does the extremely sad and emo version of a Plain White T’s song.  “Hey there Delilah – stay home – I haven’t had my Zoloft.” 

Sarah:  Juh… NO. 

I laugh.  Sarah’s as cute as a button. ^___^

Kristen McNamara – She reminds me so much of Jessica Sierra from Season 4.  An incredibly good voice, but the judges won’t like her because she has no style sense and is kind of overweight.  In their eyes that isn’t AI material.  I feel badly for her.

So far, she’s the best of the night.  I like her humility.  Poor thing won’t get enough votes.

The Main Drama Queen Arrives – Nathanial Marshall – Gosh I hate his head band.  I absolutely loathe that lame headband.  I mean, I can’t even hear him sing with that headband.  Is it holding up his hair?  Is the top half of his head being held on by that headband?  Will his brain plop out if he removes it?  It’s just bugging me so much.

Oh yes, and he sang and pranced around the stage.  I’m with Simon – excruciatingly bad. He’s got a decent voice but I’m sure I don’t want to see him with his so-so voice any more because then I have to see that freakin’ headband.  Sheesh.  Ew, and he wants to touch people.

Kara Moment:  “You know what… I want to go to karaoke with you.”

Haha, Hah, Hahahahahahahahahahahah.  Oh wow, she is so on drugs.

Sarah and I get to laugh some more. 

Ew… and our OCD kicks in because they want to put that stinky headband on Simon’s head.  Run Simon, Run!  That’s so unsanitary.

Felicia Barton – You really shouldn’t sing Alicia Keyes unless you’re Alicia Keyes.  She tried to do a copycat version and it fell kind of flat.  She’s not bad.  In fact, I think she is the cutest tonight, but then… OH MY GOSH, they showed her son.  Ahhhhhh, he’s adorable!  Sarah and I gush over her cute son.  Okay, Vote for Her!  She gets my cutest kid vote.

Scott MacIntyre – “Blind guy.”  How did he know the ticket was gold?  Wait, how did he know what the footage looked like?  Whoa, is he really blind?  Hmm…. I’m feeling suspicious. 

However, I like his voice and he seems so nice.  He seriously needs that instrument.  He’s like Stevie Wonder, or Ray Charles, or Jose Feliciano.  They never performed without their instrument in front of them – that’s just weird.  He’s blind and really needs his piano.  Okay, so Stevie did perform sometimes sans instrument, but that was still weird.

Top guy of the night.  He’s my male pick so far.

Kara Moment:  “You move mountains!”  *gushes*

Really, is she on something?

YAWN.  This show is getting really boring.  I can’t believe there are three more.  Was it always this long?  I think it’s that added crazy fourth judge.  It’s making the show longer. Dang.

Kendall Beard – Country singer.  Do we really need another blonde country singer?  Hello – Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler…?

Sarah:  “Apparently you can never have too much.”

LOL!!!  My daughter really is cute as a button.

Texans are stylish if nothing else.  I love Kendall’s yellow dress.

Jorge Nunez – Eh, he’s okay.  I can’t believe he’s not the last singer.  I’m so bored right now.  Singing a boring Elton John song isn’t helping.  Ah, I would have preferred he sing with his accent and added a samba number.  Now THAT would have been cool.

Kara Moment:  “You sing.  You’re a singer!”  Really, Kara?  “You touch people.”

Sarah:  “What is it with touching people tonight?”

Me:  “No kidding.  Kara wants to touch everyone.”

Oh wow, Kara made Jorge cry and speak in Spanish - evil woman.

Finally - the last one.  They always save the best for last and I was not disappointed.  She woke me up.

Lil Rounds – Wow, she has three kids?!  Okay, put her through.  She needs the money.  Whoa, and someone finally hit the money note tonight without cracking.  Good for her.  And she riled up the audience and woke me up.  Best Vocal of the Night!

Schwoo, it’s over and Kara has certainly livened up the show.  Unfortunately, she’s also lengthened it.

My picks are:  Male - Scott; Female - Lil; Third - I say Kristin or Felicia. 

I'd be okay with Jorge because I still want to see him samba.