Reflections after Election Day
People who know me would say I am a cynic. In fact, the only thing that prevents me from being a conspiracy theorist is my lack of faith in humans ability to organize themselves in concert and keep their mouths shut.
I certainly don’t know what is going to happen. It is hard to imagine that in many critical ways Obama will disappoint. Despite the Democratic majority, and in spite of promises to the contrary, politics will still exist in Washington. Times are hard and I deeply believe that no-one really knows what we need to do to fix the failing economy.
That said, I have more hope for change than I have had in a long time. The people are calling for a real healthcare system and now, finally, we have someone who wants to give him one. Obama’s proposed tax package is very progressive and he has as mandate to pass it: I just heard on NPR that Obama actually managed to get a majority of the votes from people with incomes exceeding $250,000, the very same group he is planning to tax so the rest of us can get social services and tax relief. Pretty amazing.
And, of course, something has changed in the US when an African-American can get elected President. Yes, he is a man of priviledge and education, but the fact remains that a black man with the name Barack Hussein Obama is going to be President. I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime.
I don’t know where I am heading with these thoughts, but that there is room for optimism for the first time in a long time, despite the dark clouds that still hang above us.