Once upon a time, schools taught children about the brave founding fathers. They taught kids about the historical bravery and wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. The history books were filled with stories from America’s past that made it clear where we had come from, instilling the values and virtues that conspired to make this the greatest country the world has ever known.

Sadly, those days seem to be behind us. A new bill out of California has just passed a final Assembly vote, encouraging state schools to begin teaching about the historical significance of President Barack Hussein Obama. A curriculum that would theoretically go into effect even before Obama is out of office will, the bill hopes, teach students about 9 wonderful aspects of this significant administration.

Naturally, the bulk of the outlined recommendations are geared towards illuminating the racial context of the 2008 election. Democrat Senator Holly Mitchell says that it’s important for students to learn about “overcoming our nation’s past to elect our first black president.”

The recommendations are outlined as follows:

(a) The election of Barack Hussein Obama to the office of President of the United States was a historic step in the effort towards equality in the United States.
(b) Before the Civil Rights Movement, intimidation and physical violence prevented millions of African Americans from voting and alienated them from the electoral process.
(c) The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a civil rights victory that inspired more ethnic minorities to register to vote and pursue elected office.
(d) Barack Obama attended Harvard Law School where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.
(e) After law school, Barack Obama worked to fulfill the spirit of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by encouraging people to register to vote.
(f) Barack Obama was first elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and to the United States Senate in 2004.
(g) Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States and first African American President on November 4, 2008, and was sworn in on January 20, 2009.
(h) In honor of his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples, President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
(i) President Obama was reelected on November 6, 2012, and was sworn in for his second term on January 20, 2013.

While it’s understandable that Obama’s election might get a mention in the history books for the historical precedence, this seems more like an outline for a full chapter on the man. If that’s going to be the case, perhaps some additional letters should be added to the curriculum.

California School District Recommendations – Balanced Amendment

If we’re going to teach students about President Obama, let’s make sure we take a good look at what the man has done with his historical presidency.

(j) President Obama promised voters in 2008 that his cabinet would be free from lobbyists. As of 2010, more than 40 former lobbyists had found a comfortable home working for the administration.

(k) President Obama engaged in spending that increased the U.S. national debt by more than $7 trillion – more debt than the country had accumulated in all the years between its founding and 2003.

(l) President Obama passed a healthcare bill known as the Affordable Care Act, complete with an employer mandate that has seen American businesses slash staff and hours to stay afloat.

(m) President Obama wasted no time appointing a bunch of known socialists to his administration, making public his disdain for American capitalism.

(n) In 2014, Americans declared that Obama was the worst president in more than 70 years, cementing his historical legacy.

California legislature, feel free to add any or all of the above suggestions into the bill before passing it along to your state educators. After all, if we’re going to spend half a semester delving into the president’s “historical” election, we might as well give students the whole truth.