High Expectations

     Now that Barack Obama has won the presidential election, many American citizens are expecting Mr. Obama to deliver on his campaign promises. President-elect Obama campaigned tirelessly on the need for change, on the motto "yes we can", and gave hope to our nation; yet, he did caution that change may come slowly and that it will take all of the American citizenry to unite as one.

    As part of the American citizenry, I believe that we can accomplish these goals in quite a few ways---and one of the most important ways to accomplish change is this: reigning in spending.  Not just on the government level,but all the way down to a personal level.  We Americans need to learn how to live within our budgets---not an easy task, to be sure---but manageable none the less. First, we need to stop using credit of any means (credit cards, lines of credit, etc., etc.) haphazardly ("keeping up with the Jones's) and use credit as a last resort for necessary items such as a home, a vehicle.  I understand that this may be a tough idea, yet, it is sound financial advice we should have been listening to long ago. 

     Second: we as American citizens, should hold ourselves accountable for not only our spending habits, but, the education of our children as well.  Although last night's election was the most historic election in 40 years, we also need to keep in mind that we must teach all of our children not only in the classrooms of America, but also teach them that all people deserve a chance to achieve in this great nation of ours.  The significance of Mr. Obama's election should not be lost on any child; it should be taught that hard work, determination, and perserverance can out-best negativity just by adhering to the ideals of dedication, honesty, & integrity.  This kind of learning cannot only be taught and/or learned in the classroom; it also must be taught at home and through real-life interactions.

     Third, American citizens need to hold themselves accountable for their actions; this is also an important way for our nation to heal the scars that have formed because of bias and outdated stereotypes.  I'm not just talking about racial bias; this also includes stereotyping/mental illness bias, poverty bias, sexual preference bias----the list could go on and on.  We've quite possibly shown the world that we have healed beyond our racial wounds of decades ago, yet we still have other bias/prejudicial behavior that has gone unchecked.  It is time to shore up those areas as well---to show ourselves and the world that we are now holding ourselves accountable for all of our societal ills, not just the racial ills we have faced since the time of slavery.

     Finally, we have to stop making excuses for our irrational fears (such as Mr. Obama being Muslim or "palling around without terrorists"), irrational prejudices (the recent banning of gay marriage in California), irrational actions (such as criminal actions), and irrational decision making (George W. Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq on faulty intelligence reports).  We need to make sure that if we must offer an excuse for any behavior, that the excuse will be believable once it is held up to a microscopic evaluation;in other words, there had better be a damn good reason for our excuse.

     Yes, as a nation, we have come a long way since the civil rights movement of the 1960's.  However, there is much more tolerance and good will to be learned; there is much more that must be taught to our children and grandchildren in order for us to be a united nation.  And it's going to be a very slow process, with very slow progress----just as the civil rights movement itself had been.  But, as President-elect Obama stated last night in Chicago---we can do this.  We as a people have it within our grasp; we just need to grab the ball and run with it.