U. S. President Barack Obama addresses students and invited guests at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago on February 15, 2013. Obama returned to his hometown today to address the gun violence that has plagued Chicago and suggested in his address to students and guests at a south side high school, that tougher gun laws, community involvement and improving urban economic conditions can help. UPI/Brian Kersey
CHICAGO, Feb. 15 (UPI) — President Barack Obama, promoting his gun control and economic proposals in Chicago, said Friday he wishes he had had a father in his life while growing up.
Obama, making his third campaign-style trip in as many days to push the proposals he made in his State of the Union address, said guns aren’t the only reason behind violence in the countries.
“This is not just a gun issue. It’s also an issue of the kind of communities we are building,” he told an audience at Hyde Park Academy, near his South Side home.
The audience included the parents of Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old shot to death in a Chicago park just days after she participated in Obama’s second inauguration.
“Too many of our children are being taken away from us,” Obama said, comparing the number of children killed in Chicago to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in which 20 children died Dec. 14.
Obama noted an equivalent number die every four months in Chicago and said the United States should do more as a nation to promote strong, stable families.
“Don’t get me wrong. As the son of a single mom … I turned out OK,” he said, calling single mothers “heroic.”
“I wish I’d had a father who was around and involved.”
Obama said gun control proposals “deserve a vote in Congress, they deserve a vote,” recognizing attitudes toward guns varies from region to region.
He also promoted his proposals for expanding quality preschool education and providing opportunities for higher education.
From Chicago, Obama travels to West Palm Beach, Fla., for the weekend.
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
I thought he did have a father, I do know that he changes his perspective according to the crowd he is speaking to.
75% blacks are born fatherless? -he be dare somewhere ! bet that does’nt cost the taxpayers mucho $$$$$$$$$
“Too many of our children are being taken away from us,” Obama said, comparing the number of children killed in Chicago to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in which 20 children died Dec. 14.
“This is not just a gun issue. It’s also an issue of the kind of communities we are building,” he told an audience at Hyde Park Academy, near his South Side home.
He never asks or answers the question why he (and others) didn’t have a father present when growing up.
The author of “Dear Father, Dear Son” by Larry Elder, wrote an article citing the recent Dorner killing rampage in California and makes some significant points regarding this topic. He also quotes Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1965 lamenting about the 25% of black babies being born out of wedlock (it is now 75%) and the devastating impact this would have.
It is too bad that much of the social engineering we’ve been involved in seems to have backfired big time. It appears we have to somehow redesign the safety net to also include supporting the traditional family for the sake of our children.
http://www.wnd.com/2013/02/dorner-another-fatherless-black-man-with-a-gun/
He had a pretty big hand in Chicago’s south side for a while. Look how that’s going. He said he turned out OK and I’d agree with that. It’s all his OK views and thoughts that have gotten us where we are today. Look at all the jobs we have, look at all the respect we have around the world, look at all the lack of debt we have, look at all the people coming together, look at all the racist accusations disappearing, look at all the great new laws of restriction we now get, look at the morals and values we’re gaining back. Oh what a great guy for the greater good. I wish we could keep electing people like him for all political positions everywhere.(sarcasm)
You obviously don’t know how our government operates. Get an education you might learn something. Obama does NOT run the country on his own. He has to go through CONgress(Mostly CONservatives) before his plans can actually take place. CONgress is vetoing a lot of things he’s introduced to help the economy. Blame CONgress. They thrive on and have admitted to working against him.
Get a clue.
It’s obvious you don’t know what is going on in our government. In his first term he had CONgress on his side. It was a democrat controlled CONgress and all he had to do was coordinate with Pelosi and Reid to get passed what they wanted, and they did. No, most of CONgress is NOT conservative. At least now half of CONgress is republican controlled (the House) and there is some sort of a barrier but all in all he is leader and is charged with steering the way we go. The Senate is still democrat and they have significant powers that the House does not such as approval processes for bureaucrats that Obama wants to put into his offices. He has used executive orders to unconstitutionally legislate by choosing to not enforce constitutional laws on the books or to make regulation through the EPA or Justice Dept etc. Yes there are others on both sides that contribute to the problems we have but he is at the top and has overtly been pushing for the things we are now getting. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid!
Tack, I think it is you who doesn’t know what he is talking about. In his 1st term, Pres. Obama had a filibuster proof majority for less than 100 days. Unfortunately for America in 2010 the teabaggers took control of the house. Oct 23, 2010 was the day our government stopped working. That is the date in an interview with National Journal magazine published October 23, 2010, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell explained that “the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” Until the GOP stops voting in teabaggers our goverment will continue to be what it is now.
President Truman once said the buck stops here, that has changed so much that now it is pass the buck. If I didn’t know better the democrats sound just like my ex wife, it was everybodys fault but hers.
Yeah this country was perfect up until the day Obama took office. No debt, no racism, no socialist policys, no crime, no welfare, CONgress always worked together for the good of the country. (sarcasm)
FROM NIT Staff: This kind of racist comment will not be tolerated here. Clean up the comments or face permanent ban.
Another narrow-minded bigot. Completely unimpressed by a post that doesn’t take too many brains to write, and is based only on physical appearance. More than likely, you yourself are pretty homely and uneducated.
According to most of the “right”, I thought his father was Malcolm X or was it….SATAN!?!
It was Satan.
I really didn’t have a father either Barack, he owned his own business and worked 60-70 hours a week and was at work most of the time. And yet, I don’t remove parents from families with my drug policies.
What “drug policies of Obamas” is removing children from parents? I’ve never read of any “drug policies”. Enlighten me please.
His not he. Sorry for the typo.
I wish he had a father too.
He didn’t turn out ok!!!!
He behaviour and belief system is totally bass-ackwards.
@Anonymous…You are an idiot. Just because there’s a father around doesn’t mean the kids will turn out moralistic or an upstanding citizen of our society. There’s plenty examples of that in good ole River City!
TRUE! I raised 2 with no Father and both are hard workers and have NEVER drawn welfare. Son hasn’t missed a days work in the 5 yrs. he’s had current job. Both are mentaly healthy and many people comment to me on what nice people they are. I must have done something right and part of me rubbed off on them.:-)
What country are you the president of, Anonymous? Would that be NONE?
Looks like he turned out better than YOU.
So true!!! Great post!
His father was the reason he turned out the way he did concerning his views and policy. Do you see where that got us?
He was raised mostly by his GRANDFATHER and GRANDMOTHER. His Father was barely in his life. He is probably MORE American than you are. He does have a degree in Constitutional Law. AND he’s PRESIDENT! TWICE! HEHEHAHAHOHO!
Genetics plays a big part in who you are!
I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat and ’64 Impala
As long as he’s making his “wish list” he might want to consider adding; I wish I were more honest, I wish I was less partisan and I wish I weren’t trying to turn the USA into a socialist country.