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FORMER US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has sent out a series of good news tweets to close off 2017, saying that there was much there to remind people of “what’s best about America”.
In a series of tweets, the former US president referenced a number of different news stories from 2017.
“As we count down to the new year, we get to reflect and prepare for what’s ahead,” Obama began.
“For all the bad news that seemed to dominate our collective consciousness, there are countless stories from this year that remind us what’s best about America.”
The first story concerned a wedding planner using a postponed wedding to start a volunteer effort to assist Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston, Texas in September.
He then referenced NFL player Chris Long , who decided to pledge all of his 2017 salary towards promoting educational equity in the US cities of Philadelphia, Boston and St Louis.
Finally, Obama mentioned a Chicago 10-year-old who went on a mission to help the homeless people of Chicago.
The former president ended the Twitter thread by encouraging people to “go keep changing the world in 2018″.
“All across America people chose to get involved, get engaged and stand up. Each of us can make a difference, and all of us ought to try,” he said.
Since Obama stepped down as president at the beginning of the year he has used his platform to discuss a range of social and political issues of the day.
He has also been present on the paid speech circuit, and appearing in interviews (most recently with Prince Harry on Wednesday)
Current US president Donald Trump broke with established communication tradition to use Twitter as a direct line to the public throughout his first year in office.
He has been criticised by many but lauded by his base for a number of aggressive tweets aimed at opposing nations, the media and political opponents throughout the year.
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How about debating medical card holders not pension holders paying 10 euro per doctor visit. When your paying 55 quid per visit and you can’t see a doctor for 3 days because he’s booked solid with medical card holders with colds and aches blocking up the system.
If they were charged they wot be visiting until they need to like the rest of us.
@Funfair: that’s a question for the government to answer not a trade union conference
@Boganity: why is a trade union conference debating our drink driving laws then ?
@Funfair: because doctors are reminicing the old irish local junta system. The doctor, the priest and the garda seargent that kept all the peasants in their place. They still have the ear of government and think by virtue of a few years in trinity they should set policy. Drink driving needs to be tackled, but we have a government getting paid to do that.
@Funfair: it’s not pension card holder or medical card holder blocking up the waiting room..but women with there kids .kids with nothing wrong with them..except for a cough or runny nose..
@mad_fluffy: which are mostly medical card holders …
Why make these laws & then debate them, drink driving should be a ban at all times. People know the law & some people are willing to drink & drive. If they take the chance they should be prepared to take the punishment!
@Liam John Bradshaw: and what’s it got to do with doctors or their trade union conference
@Boganity: they brought it up
All EU countries ban drink drivers – and we should be no different.
Being tired behind the wheel is even worse than having one drink ,twelve hour night shifts ,!
@Gerard Heery: has this scientific finding of yours been peer reviewed ?
@Boganity: poking figurative holes in someone’s argument would be best backed up by an informed rebuttal of your own, Bog…
@Gerard Heery: as someone who works 12hr night shifts I completely agree..i put it in the same bracket as having about 6-7 drinks
@Boganity: it happens all the time but theres no prove ,only to say must of being speeding at three in the morning.
@Boganity: ok I will say in the early Ninetys worked shift and left work completely knackered after 12 hours as did other workers on the shift I’ll leave at that,
Ross should put more effort into enforcing the laws already in place. I’m all for zero tolerance, but what’s the point in this legislation when the guards don’t enforce the current laws with any real regularity (not in rural areas anyway). Not to detract from the issue of rural isolation (not that it’s any excuse for drink driving) but Ross needs to look outside the pale and sort out some decent rural transport links. But, knowing him, that’s probably outside his remit…
@Kian: one death saved is enough to justify the ban, 35 that’s a no brainer
@Boganity: it Is, but he’d save even more lives with better enforcement
@Boganity: the roads are busier than ever a road fatality is enviable.. nothing can avoid that
As the journal fact find article pointed out it uncertain whether the ‘lives saved’ would ever result in any of this kind of action. We have to remember we are addressing issues so infintesmally small in quantity we couldn’t't legislate to eradicate. Fatal outcomes represent 0.0000007% of road activity. Maybe concentrating on mental health issues would have greater effect on society. But sure the corporate which is the RSA, can’t get revenue from that.
@Martin Critten: so what’s an acceptable number of deaths from driving over the limit ?
When did doctors become law makers!
There should be breathalyser kits in each car. So drivers can test themselves before they drive. So no excuses.
If you fail both blood and urine tests then obviously drink drivers should be band. End of story, otherwise why bother testing in first place.
Like to remind Mr Ross and his supporters that text driving has been proven to be more dangerous than drink driving. So why not give them an auto ban? Or what about banning all drivers for distractive driving?
What’s to debate? Automatic ban is a good strategy. Revisit impact in five years to renew or abandon.
Funny thing about all these new laws ,if Kim Un Jong sets off a nuke these laws won’t mean a thing they’ll be alot more worrying issues come to mind like we’re did I put my 1995 iodine tablet.
have your say