I’m going to take a break from the not posting for a moment and get a little deep. As with everything you read here, this is simply my thoughts and no one else’s. You may agree, you may disagree and either way, you’re right. See that’s the beautiful thing about America. Hell, that’s the beautiful thing about being a person, you’re entitled to your opinion. You have free will and regardless of what anyone tries to tell you, your opinion is, in it’s own special way, right. So with that said, here is my plea to whomever wins the election tomorrow.
10 years ago, red and blue states didn’t exist. 10 years ago we didn’t really care if you were a republican or a democrat unless you were REALLY in to politics. There wasn’t the hate and vitriol. I beg of you, Mr. President-Elect, take us back there. I’m tired of friends and family coming close to blows over red and blue lines that don’t even really exist. I’m tired of the talking heads on TV ranting and raving, shouting simply to be heard, not to make a point. I beg you, unite us again.
As an aside, this is the thing I’m most disappointed by with this campaign. I believed that with both McCain and Obama, we had two men who could legitimately accomplish this and then the negativity began and I see at least a few more years of “divided we stand.” Truly sad.
As for policy, I won’t try to advise you as I’m far too uneducated on things like foreign policy and the economy to help. However, here’s what I would like to see:
1. Please fix the economy. I know it won’t happen in one term and it probably won’t happen in two. But show me something. Show me some growth. Show me that I won’t find myself downsized or pay-frozen, struggling to get by on a tiny salary. Listen to people like Warren Buffet. There’s a reason he’s the richest man in the country. He didn’t invent Microsoft, he just made smart investments. To quote the CEO of the company I work for, “no company has ever gone under because of too little debt.” This idea can be applied to the country. Find a way to get us out. Find a way to bring back the American dream, so that maybe I can own a house someday.
2. Put some focus on education again. No Child Left Behind failed. Everyone admits it. As we’ve seen here in Illinois, education is the first thing that gets funding cut in the troubled economic times we live. This is so sad to me. I know someone who thought for quite a while that Hawaii and Alaska shared a border because of the inset on the map. You laugh, but it’s true. This can’t continue. Educate children so that someday they can grow up and fix the mess we’ve made of things over the last 8 to 10 years. We won’t survive without them. They must know where we came from, the good, bad, and ugly of it all. They must know how to read, write, add, subtract, and so much more. Let’s make sure that Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” bits die because he can’t find enough stupid people anymore.
3. Get us out of Iraq. It’s time. If they can’t survive without us by now, they’ll never be able to. I believe that they can. Maybe I’m wrong, but we need to find out.
4. Find alternative fuel sources. To me, this is pretty simple. We know how to tap in to solar and wind energy. Everyday, the wind blows and the sun shines. Get companies to adopt this and make it widely available. We must end our dependence on foreign oil NOW. I believe we must end our dependency on oil in general. Why not? It’s better for the environment, and it’s better on our wallet if we can drop gas down to where it once was (I’m talking under a dollar). Don’t pay it lip service, do it.
5. I’ve heard so much about change and hope. Don’t allow these words to become punchlines and campaign rederic. Become the hope and change you promised to be. Lead us. Show us how it can be if we work together. Show the world that America is still the shining city on a hill that it was, and I still believe, has always been. Be tolerant when you must, be firm when you must, compromise when you must, but lead us. Don’t hide behind congress. Don’t tell me they won’t cooperate with you. Make them. Make them believe the way we believe in you. When it gets hard, and it will, raise your game. Be like the great men of the past who dug in and stuck to their convictions when times were tough. If you do, it can work out in the end. Show us how great we can be again.
That is my plea to you. We will never fully trust politicians, but show us that our faith isn’t always misguided. My plea is a simple one…
Lead.
