So President Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. While his fan base in attendance was fewer than in 2009, my thoughts are he left strong messages for the American people.
Before I get into discussing the president's knack for public speaking and providing hope to the U.S., can I just say, "Did anyone see how happy President Clinton looked?" He had the biggest grin as he watched Obama sworn in. Clinton and Obama I feel make a great team in that Obama has a major economic situation on his hands. Clinton was the only president in how many years to end his term in a surplus. Say what you will, but Clinton was a fantastic president and knows how to tackle both economic strain as well as national and international disaster. So there's my Clinton plug.
Obama started out strong right away in his inaugural speech. Talking to all being created equal and living by the truths we've known since the establishment of the Constitution; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These truths, as stated by Obama, may be self-evident, but they are not self executing. Therefore, if you want to live a happy life and be allowed your freedoms, effort and hard work is required. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
To go off on a bit of a tangent, this is what bothers me so. Many people in our society expect things handed to them and don't want to work for money, privileges and happiness. I fear for many in my generation and those coming after me and what their future holds. Get off your butt and do your own laundry, make your own food, do your own shopping and for heaven's sake get a job and start saving. You don't have any money? Hmm..weird. I know the job force is crappy right now, but jobs are out there. You just have to keep trying. In Wisconsin, we have been ever fortunate that our job growth continues and has not slumped off in the crashing economy. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said around the country. While private sector jobs continue to grow, jobs in the public sector have nosedived, opposite of what they did under George W. Bush's watch. Bush may have increased revenue greatly in his first term as president, but his administration failed to regulate the spending of that revenue wisely which eventually added to our deficit. In the four years after the Bush tax cuts went into effect, Bush and the GOP congress increased the debt by 1.6 trillion dollars. Yet Obama has managed to top him, increasing the debt over a similar period by 4.5 trillion dollars. Scary. I think this is a trend that must be addressed by our federal government. The debt cannot continue to be increased. We cannot afford to live in this amount of debt forever. America is losing value fast.
A quote from Obama's speech I thought was neat and super relevant to everyday life is "when times change, so must we. We need new responses to new challenges." That's so true. I'll be the first to admit that change is scary. But honestly, it's a part of life. We can't keep living the exact same way day in and day out. Our generation has survived because of its ability to adapt to change. It's what we do, and what we must continue to do. That means coming together, not as men and women; not as rich and poor; and not as republicans and democrats; but as the American people. One body. Together we can adapt to change and survive so that future generations may learn to survive.
While Obama endured much criticism in his first term as president, he led us in overcoming some great feats. Four years ago, Obama took office with the country in the midst of two wars and the worst economic crisis in more than half a century. His second inauguration comes with one war over, the other winding down and the economy recovering. The problem we are facing is that Washington is currently dominated by such a bitter political standoff, that this creates such a deep partisan divide in the nation.
Now I am not saying every single one of Obama's policies is wonderful. That's why we have the balance of political powers. However, it seems these days that the political parties are so worked up in stopping the other from accomplishing something, there is no compromise and there is little room for discussion. The idea in that Congress was there to balance out the executive branch--and actually be stronger than it--was so that the president could not create whatever policies he pleases and become too powerful. The balance was not created so there would be constant defeat on the president's end. My feelings are that Obama has done a mighty fine job handling Congress and working with them. Congress now needs to learn to work together and be representatives of the American people, not their own agendas. When you take office as a public servant, you make an oath to God and to country, not to party.
As said by Obama, "We are made for this moment and we will seize it together."
Critics are saying that reality has set in for many Americans and that no one is talking about change anymore. My thoughts: what a great attitude to have. Let's not talk about moving forward. Let's not talk about progress. That sounds like a splendid idea to me. The United States of America is a massive country with more than 300 million people. Nothing is going to be accomplished over night. Change takes time. I couldn't believe how many people were already disappointed with Obama less than 6 months into his first term because nothing was happening fast enough. Good grief.
I could get into all the issues Obama mentioned in his speech like tragedies building us stronger as citizens, or the strange climate change (props for addressing that), or the rising middle class. I do however want to touch on the amount of equality Obama has brought up not only in his inaugural speech but in his first term as president. The women of our country deserve the same opportunities as men and vice versa, and should be paid equally for them. The gay community has been a major debate and i'm sure will continue for awhile. And finally, racial issues we sadly still face in our country should be addressed, now. What a standout president to mention these subjects people are so touchy about.
I end with applauding Obama for how much he tries to be on the same level as the average American. He wants to understand what people face day to day. Even in his speech, he used "we" so so many times. We can make a difference. We can make change. He talks to the American people as one of us, not as being above us. Oh and the White House has jumped headfirst into social media, which I of course love! Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Foursquare, LinkedIn, you name it and they've jumped on it. This I think is so important to reach out to the public in ways people are communicating these days.
Now I am not a part of a particular party. I do not strictly vote party lines. I am simply an American citizen, supporting my president and telling it like I see it. This time, I just happen to see a lot of good in how this term is beginning. My opinions are my own, Everyone is entitled to their own opinion
Our president and our congress need our support. Whether you agree or disagree with a particular topic, speak up. Our representatives don't know what we're thinking unless we tell them. Get involved. Write a letter. Send an email. If you're unhappy, tell them. If you're happy, tell them. This is something I too need to get better at.
