The President’s prepared remarks for tomorrow’s speech to America’s schoolchildren have been released. You can read the text here: Obama Speech to American School Children. Assuming he stays on script, this is the message the kids will here from the President.

We don’t know what was changed or left out since the outcry against Obama’s address. We also don’t know what material will accompany this speech. But simply judging the speech itself, here are some observations:

1. This is wholly unnecessary. The main point of the President’s speech is to encourage the kids to study hard and stay in school. Certainly good advice. But is this not the message that parents and teachers drill into children’s heads already? Why does the President need to make this appeal?
2. Obama sure talks a lot about himself. From his absent father, to early morning schooling in Indonesia, to getting into trouble in school, to eventually going to law school, he wants the children to make a personal connection with him. I’ve already written about why this is dangerous. This desire to establish this personal connection is likely the reason why the President is delivering this message, rather than the teachers who would already be establishing a personal connection with the children, or their parents who naturally have that personal connection already.
3. Interestingly, he said we needed to work to “make our nation more fair and more free.” Ironically, Obama and the liberals in government have been actively working to make this country less fair (by advocating policies that rob the successful to subsidize the unsuccessful, provide jobs and scholorships targeted at those of specific ethnic groups rather than those who have earned them from any ethnic group, etc.) and less free (limiting freedom of speech and gun rights, oppressive taxes, etc.). If this country is as broken as Obama seems to believe it is, the way to fix it is to get government out of our lives, not give them more power over us.

Many will point to this speech and say that parents overreacted to the President speaking to the nation’s schoolchildren. It is true that Obama does not use this speech to openly advance his socialistic agenda, rending asunder the Constitution upon which our Republic was founded. No, he doesn’t do that in this speech.

But what he is doing in this speech is planting a seed. The next generation is being conditioned to look to him and to the government for their instructions (because parents and teachers are apparently unqualified to deliver this most basic message to study hard and stay in school). They are being taught that everything they do must be in the best interest of the country (a point he makes five times in his speech). This speech could be much worse, but it is not totally innocent.

To the parents – For most of you who have school-aged children, they will be watching this speech from the President. Maybe your child’s school is offering an alternate activity that you will take advantage of. Perhaps you will keep your child home from school altogether. Or maybe you homeschool your child and this isn’t an issue. Regardless of what category you are in, remember this point: You are responsible for raising and training your children. Do not let anyone, even if he wears the title of President, influence your kids more than you do.

Talk to your kids about the President’s speech. Talk to them about other things they’re being taught in school too. Don’t assume that others share, or even respect, your values and beliefs. Whether your children go to a government school, private school, or home school, you make sure to teach them. That’s your responsibility.