re: #162 lawhawk

Is it kowtowing to the right or common sense to not throw out the Patriot Act which by and large has worked to keep us safe after 9/11 and which the Democrats in Congress have had a couple of years to push through changes (particularly to FISA courts and the tribunal system). As the President, he’s got an institutional position to not give up power accumulated by prior Administrations. It would make little sense for him to give up that power granted under the Patriot Act simply because the Bush Administration was the one that developed it. The courts haven’t found it unconstitutional, so Obama is carrying on with those policies.

Bush didn’t court Leftie opinions? Prescription drug law (Medicare Part D) comes to mind as does No Child Left Behind; the latter done with the help of Ted Kennedy.

There are serious privacy concerns in the Patriot Act for law abiding citizens. It also can be open to a world of abuse.

I’m disappointed the gap, the donut hole wasn’t closed in Medicare Part D. It should be.

It’s my understanding that No Child Left Behind ran out of money to fund it. Yes, it is bipartisan, but hard to implement. One criticism of the program, as I recall, is too much emphasis in standardized tests instead of grade averages. In effect, teachers “teach the test” instead of really teaching the children.