Emma Carpenter, Staff Writer
Ideology: Democrat | Writing from: Washington, DC

As President Obama seeks to remind students of the importance of staying in school and working hard – conservatives have taken issue and are up in arms.

His speech to students across the nation is neither a policy speech nor does it push his own agenda, but simply to welcome students back to school with a speech about the merits of staying in school. This would be different if he were, for example, giving a speech on his health care plan – but he’s not. He’s asking students to take advantage of an opportunity that American children are given that much of the world is not. He’s simply encouraging students to stay in school and make the most out of their educations. What is wrong about that?

For many, seeing someone who started out with nothing and ended up as President is an inspiration. That’s all the speech is meant to do, inspire students, not push some sort of left-winged agenda. But somehow, conservatives are taking issue with the President acting as a role model. God forbid our children want to end up like Obama…

It angers me to see so many people up in arms over this. This is one thing the President is doing that shouldn’t be politically charged, somehow ended up that way Isn’t encouraging students to make the most of their education something every parent should want, regardless of their political beliefs? A good parent would want this message reiterated from a variety of people, and if it’s from the President of the United States? Even better.

Hate to break it to you parents, but most children are not old enough to really know their own political beliefs, and one speech is not enough to morph their little minds one way or the other. To them, I bet he is just an incredible role model. It’s not propaganda, unless you want your child to drop out of school.

The fact that he is taking his time to do this, to reach out to every student across the country says something about his compassion and his priorities. He’s a busy man, he doesn’t need to spend the day telling kids to stay in school. But he sees education as the greatest tool and gift a child can be given. But alas, we live in such a politically charged society that something as simple as this can be turned into a raging controversy.

I can’t decide what is more disturbing, the fact that parents and school boards across the countries are resisting such a harmless act or that everything the President seems to do turns into a political controversy. I repeat, the is nothing political in his message. But somehow, this simple act has the right enraged. The President can’t seem to do anything right. But not because he’s doing something that could harm the children of this country, but because Obama is the one doing it. Give it a rest, you were fine when both Reagan and George H.W. Bush wanted to address students, so what’s so wrong with Obama wanting to do the same? Nothing, you just don’t want him to be put in a position to look like the good guy.