March 26th, 2009
12:18 PM ET
14 years ago
Liveblogging President Obama's town hall
Watch the Obama town hall on CNN.com/live.
On Tuesday, President Obama took questions from the national press corps - today, it's your turn. The president will be responding to questions from ordinary Americans this morning in a video live stream, and CNN wants hear what you think of the answers. If you'd like to weigh in, submit your comment here during the livecast. CNN Political Editor Mark Preston will be joining the conversation with instant analysis.
Click here to read the live blog and submit a comment!
Join us here on the Political Ticker at 11:30 am ET.
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Wow i can't believe he just laughed off a legitimate question like that. Legalization of Marijuana is a serious topic and one that should be discussed. It could boost economy but if we just keep laughing about it then we will get nowhere. I am really disappointed and have lost a lot of respect for him.
The very last thing they need to do is legalize pot. You do understand that some people have deadly allergies to pot smoke, right? And that most people don't have enough consideration in them to think about that kind of thing before smoking it in public right?
If I'm in a room with pot smoke, it only takes five minutes for me to be crawling on the ground with my head pounding so bad I can barely see. Last time that happened, I almost ended up hospitalized.
But people don't have enough consideration to think of things like that.
No, lets keep it illegal.
Yaaaaay Mr. President. Our veterans (and all troops) deserve so much more than we as a country have given them, so far. Let's rev up the support US!
The folks over at Norml are not going to be very happy with Obama's answer on the marijuana question.
The group urged people visiting their Web site to "Ask him to support taxing and regulating marijuana."
Well Obama did answer the question - just not to their liking.
If we want to survive as a nation, we must keep traditional values. They have always worked and have always stabilized societies. What happened when we decided to DEREGULATE and take out laws that were created to regulate the banks? We ROTTTED financially at the core and we are feeling it. We CAN LEGALIZE drugs, but we will raise generations of SPIRITUALLY dead human races. Let's have one population of monkeys on healthy environment and one populatin with legalized drugs. I can guarantee you that a MONKEY society free from drugs is more healthy. Learn from the banks!!! The UNIVERSE has rules so WE TOO must have rules to govern US in our places.
President Obama,
How do your stimulus plans such as those in, medical changes, employment, and other stimulating plans help those of us with Disabilities?
Come on Mr. President - make some news here today!
What good is taxing marijuana and drugs? The money is good but the aftermath is HORRIBLE. In your 40's or 50s, the price for healthcare will cost more than the money you get for taxing.
The very last thing they need to do is legalize pot. You do understand that some people have deadly allergies to pot smoke, right? And that most people don't have enough consideration in them to think about that kind of thing before smoking it in public right?
If I'm in a room with pot smoke, it only takes five minutes for me to be crawling on the ground with my head pounding so bad I can barely see. Last time that happened, I almost ended up hospitalized.
But people don't have enough consideration to think of things like that.
No, lets keep it illegal.
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That's why you ban it in public places just like we ban cigarette smoke in most public places now. There's a difference between legalizing and decriminalizing. If we decriminalize (which was the plan in MA and is kinda how it works in Canada), we can't tax it or anything, they just can't arrest you for having a certain amount in your possession. That may be the first step. But over 50% of the drug money going to Mexico is from Marijuana, and making it illegal doesn't stop anyone from smoking anyway. If we have legal alcohol and legal tobacco, both of which are infinitely more dangerous than marijuana, why not legalize?
Traditional values is a relative term.
In regards to FOCA.
1. Yes, Prolife. Go to Google images and type in abortion. They're human and need all rights of humans. Have you seen it?
2. What adult-father-mother will vote to allow their 17 year old to get an abortion whenever they felt it necessary without their permission? Then have the tax payers pay for it. Have a Christian hospital perform abortions? Mr. Obama, how would you feel if, in a few years from now, your daughter had an abortion and you just found out about it? Image from qestion one. Your potentially voting to kill your grand child and have the tax payer pay for it. Now we all have blood on our hands.
3. We'll ban waterboarding because it is torture. Its only after we see this that we go, "what are we thinking". Show an abortion. This is not "A New Brave World" and I hope we are not going in that direction.
I voted for you, but not for this.
Tom
March 26th, 2009 12:22 pm ET
If we want to survive as a nation, we must keep traditional values. They have always worked and have always stabilized societies. What happened when we decided to DEREGULATE and take out laws that were created to regulate the banks? We ROTTTED financially at the core and we are feeling it. We CAN LEGALIZE drugs, but we will raise generations of SPIRITUALLY dead human races. Let's have one population of monkeys on healthy environment and one populatin with legalized drugs. I can guarantee you that a MONKEY society free from drugs is more healthy. Learn from the banks!!! The UNIVERSE has rules so WE TOO must have rules to govern US in our places.
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So let's go back to prohibition while we're at it. Let's also get rid of any bad language or sex on tv and the movies and in our music. We better get rid of all that "touch dancing" the kids are doing nowadays. Give me a break. If we have alcohol and tobacco, we should have marijuana. If we don't have marijuana, we shouldn't have alcohol or tobacco either.
"If I'm in a room with pot smoke, it only takes five minutes for me to be crawling on the ground with my head pounding so bad I can barely see. Last time that happened, I almost ended up hospitalized."
And I'm allergic to peanuts. That doesn't make peanuts illegal.
I'm deeply disappointed by Obama's sarcastic summary response to all the cannabis questions. It's a real issue to many Americans.
So much for change we can believe in. I'm done with Obama now.
If we legalize weed, why dont we also legalize STEROIDS for athletes? You get results but later, your bodies suffer from it. Do you plan to live in the short term and die at the age of 40 or do you plan to live a healthy life for up to 90? Do you want to see your grandkids? I guess when you're young you think you'll never die, but when you hit a certain age, you understand life better. I say if you legalize weed, then legalize STEROID.
Geithner is trying to regulate and the GOP is "concernend" about the Feds (the company that you the people and I own) having to much power. Meanwhile they don't worry about those private AIG's that are destroying our country.
Make some news? Aren't you pleased that you are reporting on comments made by a President that are COMPLETE SENTENCES – with subjects and predicates? Thoughtful, intelligent answers? Literate, intelligent answers? Can you imagine the previous president doing this?
No making it illegal does not stop people from smoking it, but they're sure alot more cautious about smoking it in public.
his making light of the question on marijuana ticks me off. as a member of norml, if he can't at least show the respect to be serious ,about a serious issue, then, he just made me a libertarian, again. the President just lost all respect i had for him.
I am very angry and upset with President Obama. How dare he say we (America) don't want the out-sourced jobs back. Manufacturing jobs average pay 50 – 60 K, finance jobs avg pay 45-60K. An American combined household income of 90 to 100K. And he want to provide all of us with green jobs that haven't even been created yet. I personally voted for him because he said he would look into the closing some of tax loopholes. "Watch way they do and not what they say." With that being said, "Watch what I do in 2012". Anyone but the current (with the exception of Sarah Palin, I am angry not stupid).
On just about every issue, the American people are giving President Obama high marks ... except on the auto and bank bailouts.
The most recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows that only 46 percent of Americans approve of how he is handling the auto bailout.
(The bank bailout you ask? Only 47 percent approve of how he is handling that situation.)
Indeed, Mel. If you look at the history of the US and "social practices" such as witch hunts, slavery, issues of prohibition, more modern debates of abortion, gay marriage etc. – "traditional values" is a very subjective thing.
In response to Mel, we know some, probably very few, people are allergic to pot. Did you know some people are allergic to cigarettes too? Lots of people have asthma in this country, yet cigarettes are seen everywhere. If it(weed) were legal, I'm sure you wouldn't be allowed to smoke it everywhere. You can't smoke cigarettes in my state inside any building. I'm sure they would implement the same laws with smoking the chronic too for people like you who are allergic. And you see that tax stamp on the bottom of every pack of cigarettes? Liquor tax? That's a lot of money. Taxing the green would definitely help out quite a bit. Sorry bro, you know it makes sense. It helped with alcohol back 75-80 years ago, it'll help now.
The man has only been in Office for a little over 60 days. Therefore some of you who act as though he has broken his promises need to sit down. He has almost 4yrs to go.
President Obama!
Thank you for you time. My problem is with The people in banking handling short sales. My room mate and I are disabled Veterans living in Ridgecrest, Ca. in an old home full of black mold. I have been trying to buy a home with an approved not pre approved but an approved amount. The only ones within my price range are short sales. Finding several homes with asking prices within my means I put bids on them at or over asking price. We are going on three months and no answer or have been lied to by selling agents about the status of the properties.
If we are bailing these people out how much of the debt that they have is generated by inventory they are not releasing in order to show a higher loss.
Meanwhile I am doing my part to get both healthy and stimulate the economy by buying and spending money to fix a home or at least I would be if the banks claiming losses would do something. I put a bid on a Countrywide held home on Ranier St. in Palmdale Ca. for the asking price it has been three months and have been lied to by the selling agent so many times he is trying to use the same excuses twice. I even upped the bid to cover all Broker/Agent fees and VA closing costs and still not one word.
Please tell me again why we are bailing them out??
I am sure that most Americans will want answers to this!
Awaiting your response
3/23/2009
My question would be: Why not hold a live town hall meeting in this format and answer questions "off-the-cuff" rather than pick and choose between 150,000 questions that were submitted ahead of time? I'd like to see if you can actually think on your feet and I'd like to know where you stand on issues without the filter of preparation.