Put Politics Aside, Obama Says - WSJ.com

AN SUGGESTION AS TO WHAT IS ONE OF OBAMA'S BIG PROBLEMS - I.E. BEING OUTCOME FOCUSED VS. OPPORTUNITY FOCUSED: Put Politics Aside, Obama Says - WSJ.com

I might suggest thinking of the issue as one where the President believes in funding for equality of outcome vs. equality of opportunity.

As such, the gap is as you say the opposite side of the coin.

The President doesn't realize the failure of his outcome model, nor do other Democrats.

Sadly, the Republicans seem to be favoring their traditional religious right candidates who are also outcome based at another part of the outcome scale - here, a religiously inspired sense of truth. Their religion of course - no one else's.

The President is clearly anxious that his points of view be given another chance - because, he really believes it and doesn't see anything else.

Until the country starts to really debate the outcome vs. opportunity issue and confront the fact that turning back to some dark age religion (pick your faith here) is not the answer either, it's hard to see how things will move forward.

I'd posit that respect for the individual is the way to move ahead and this would of course mean getting rid of things like our drug laws (both a major cost saving and income source) and all this waste on things like prostitution laws.

Don't try and tell others how to live their lives and expect them to be responsible for the outcome. If it isn't what they expect, then maybe that's too bad. Charity should be voluntary.