Obama Wastes No Time

President Elect Barack Obama may still have a little over a month to be sworn in as President, but he has already set his presidency in motion. This has bothered some people because he seems to be overstepping his power. In normal times this transition from president elect to president was usually a time of celebrations and parties. But these are not normal times. We used to look forward to the new presidents first one hundred days in office to see what his priorities are, to see if he can deliver on his campaign promises and to see if he can successfully lead the country. Again, these are not normal times. Obama is facing a bigger crisis than even Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt was faced with the Great Depression and had to lead the country out of it with his “New Deal” policy. Obama is facing a recession leading towards a depression. With two wars taking place, terrorist threats always occurring, and an incredibly large debt, our country needs drastic changes. It would seem like a job nobody would want to take on but Obama has jumped right in. He has held two press conferences and has put together his economic cabinet. When he stands at the podium the sign “President Elect” is clearly visible. We all know who he is and we all know he will soon be the President. It is admirable that he wants to be prepared to get right down do business and to lead this country out of crisis. The one thing we should all know is that we don’t have a lot of time. We are all feeling the economic crisis. It isn’t happening to other people, it is happening to our neighbors. Jobs are being lost by the thousands. We all see the for sale signs in front of houses. Christmas is coming and the food pantries are already running out of food. It is not just about hope and change, it is about hard work and good people.

Dog Racing Banned

I was for keeping the dog tracks open. I wasn’t against the dogs because I knew that there had never been one charge of abuse brought forward in all the years they had been opened. I certainly wasn’t worried about owner George Carney because he has plenty of other businesses from owning hotels, restaurants, the Brockton Fair to name a few. I was worried about the fact that voters could put a business out of business, and that still bothers me. I was also worried about all the people who would loss their jobs and would be unable to get another one. I was also worried about the town of Raynham and all the surrounding towns. Shutting down the track was going to have a profound affect on these communities. I was not alone in this fear because all of the surrounding towns voted to keep the tracks open. The people of those towns felt that the vote should not have been state wide but rather it should have stayed in the communities affected. They have a point since the voters who aren’t affected voted to close them down. But now that the votes have been counted, I’m not so sure it was the worst thing that could have happened. The tracks won’t close until 2010 so at least that gives the workers and towns a little bit of time to works things out. More importantly, Carney has been trying to get slot machines into the track for years but has been shut down. Now this ideas has been brought back up again and maybe it will be passed so people will keep their jobs and the towns won’t be so hurt. Slot machines will bring even more money to the towns and even millions to the whole state. Governor Deval Patrick has been trying to bring gambling to Massachusetts so wouldn’t this be the perfect solution. The site is already there and the surrounding communities would welcome it and the rest of the state would benefit. It is a win-win situation, especially for the dogs.

Hope Wins

History has been made! The first African American President, Barak Obama is elected. In this time of war and economic crisis, Obama has inspired a generation. It wasn’t too long ago that most American had never heard of him. But to hear his speeches you quickly realize that this man is special and will do great things. He already has. First he got the entire country excited about the election for the first time in many years. More people voted; even more adults voted for the very first time. More college students voted and got involved and more African Americans voted. It is hard to believe that it was just over forty years ago African Americans didn’t have the right to vote. We all know who Martin Luther King, JR. was. We studied him in school. He have heard his “I had have a dream speech.” We all know about the civil rights movement, and we celebrate Martin Luther King Day every year. But until this election it really didn’t hit me not only how far we have come, but that it wasn’t long ago that African Americans Couldn’t vote. It didn’t hit me that it was in my parent’s life time not my grandparents’ life time. If Martin Luther King had lived he could have seen how all his work and dreams have been realized. Not only can African Americans vote, they can be President. It was amazing to see the reaction from people around the country when Obama won. To see grown men cry was moving. To hear African American women say that now they can tell their children that they really can grow up to be whatever they want. To see every color, every religion standing side by side cheering was inspirational. Martin Luther King’s dream has truly been realized. This country is united and ready to move forward. And finally to see people from other countries all over the world cheer and be excited can only give us hope for a better world. It was time for change and time for this country to hope again. This is a great day to be an American.

Class Act

Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, as expected, was great. We all know he is a gifted speaker, which is one of the reasons he was elected. He not only has good ideas about making the country better, he has the ability to inspire us and to make us believe that we can be better. He came on stage with his family and you could feel his excitement, but he didn’t gloat or pat himself on the back. He thanked everyone for their hard work and made us feel that we were just as much a part of this victory. He talked about the hard work that was ahead of him but together we could do it. He told us that it would take time to make the changes this country needed, but the changes would be made. Even though the hard work to get elected was behind him, the hardest work is ahead of him. It wasn’t as much a victory speech but a speech of a man ready to get down to work and to lead our country. He even canceled the fireworks because this was a speech of moving forward, of getting down to business. He showed his dedication and his leadership ability. He thanked those who voted for him and included those that didn’t. He said that he would be the President to everyone. That’s a class act.
John McCain also showed class. Although you could see his disappointment, he accepted defeat with grace. He made it clear that he would stand beside his President and help him. When Obama’s name was mentioned, McCain shushed the audience. That’s a class act. Even President Bush showed he has class. Let’s face it; Bush took a beating during this campaign. Even McCain distanced himself from Bush. But Bush not only called Obama to congratulate him but he invited the Obama family to the White House before he is sworn in and he promised to make the transition as smooth as possible. This has not always been the case with past Presidents. It shows a lot from Bush.