11/6/08

Interesting!

As a writer myself (though of nothing profound, life changing or earth shattering!) I really enjoyed this article. It gave me a new perspective on the way people see the ones they vote for, or endorse, or what have you.

And, to clarify what may have seemed to be a post about race earlier this week, while Obama winning is a historical event that leads us closer to equality, tolerance and the like, his winning (to me) had very little to do with the color of his skin. He offers hope, he does not promise a quick fix. He is not oily, slick or flashing shiny objects in our faces promising Band-Aid solutions to the huge issues our country faces. He seems open, honest and willing to admit there is hard work ahead to begin righting the wrongs. these are the reasons he had my vote. His color did not matter to me one way or another- he is the better man for the job.

So, yes, history making event that we should acknowledge, appreciate and learn from. BUT- hope, change and choices that will begin to return our country to a better place than it has been in the last eight years? What we need to remember and think about as time goes by.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I should let this go, but I just can’t. I don’t understand at all how electing Barack Obama leads us closer to equality or tolerance. To me, that sounds like saying the Palestinians will be happier if an Israeli is elected to head the PLO. But that is a different point.
Let’s look at President Elect Obama’s words. “I will give our military a new mission on my first day in office: ending this war.” Just like that. Just that quick. Poof! War over, there is an extra $10 billion dollars a month in our pocket. That sounds like a promise of a quick fix to me. It doesn’t get much quicker than a day.
On the banking situation, “First, if you can borrow from the government, you should be subject to government oversight and supervision.” “Second, there needs to be general reform of the requirements to which all regulated financial institutions are subjected.” “Third, we need to streamline a framework of overlapping and competing regulatory agencies.” “Fourth, we need to regulate institutions for what they do, not what they are.” “Fifth, we must remain vigilant and crack down on trading activity that crosses the line to market manipulation.” “Sixth, we need a process that identifies systemic risks to the financial system.” Looks kinda flashy and shiny to me. Reading more, I see that these plans mean more government spending and more government regulation. “This starts with providing a stimulus that will reach the most vulnerable Americans,
including immediate relief to areas hardest hit by the housing crisis…” Oh look, another quick fix Band-Aid.

Oily…”As I’ve said about the flag pin, I don’t want to be perceived as taking sides,’ Obama said. ‘There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.’ If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.” So our PRESIDENT doesn’t stand behind America 100%, he doesn’t support our patriotic symbols or songs because it might offend another country? I would prefer my president support ME, an AMERICAN even at the risk of offending some other country.

Open and Honest…What was his relationship with Larry Sinclair? What was his relationship with Bill Ayers? He is giving a tax cut to 95% of Americans. Well 30% don’t pay any taxes at all, so how can he give a tax cut to them? What he says just doesn’t add up.

So many people are talking about how great he is, based on skin color, policies, etc, and I have yet to find this greatness.

Autumn said...

OK, let me see if I have this right.

Ending the war and keeping money in our country and our pockets is a bad thing? And it may be a quick fix, but it's a FIX, a solution, not a Band-Aid for a minute or two.

Nothing you have posted proves as a Band-Aid. There are a lot of quick fixes leading to larger change- not a band-aid to be ripped off and forgotten.

The flag thing? Eh... he may very well not want to be perceived as yet another trigger happy US President who will send innocent men and women to their deaths (not just American soldiers or civilians, either) to fight battles we have no business fighting.

So, ending wars, keeping money in our pockets, tax cuts, watching trading so as not to have it be used or abused, bad thing. Giving relief to people who need homes, bad thing. Finding risks in our financial system... to maybe stop having financial problems? Bad thing.

Yup, makes perfect sense to me. Same as the way you first said his skin color shouldn't be what we remember... and yet you keep mentioning it.

Anonymous said...

Well, no. You don’t have it right.

You said, “… he does not promise a quick fix.” He said, “I will give our military a new mission on my first day in office: ending this war.” Then you said, “…it may be a quick fix, but it's a FIX, a solution, not a Band-Aid for a minute or two.” Well, as you admitted it is a quick fix and a Band-Aid when there is political unrest and an unstable government still at war that will pose problems for the world within a year. It is looking just like President Clinton when he half-heartedly sent troops to Africa as a Band-Aid, and now we have the situation in Darfur instead of him fixing it when he could. I never said ending the war was bad, I just offered a counter point to your incorrect point.

His banking reform is again a Band-Aid. It is the regulation of an industry that shouldn’t be regulated. The phone industry in the 80’s is a perfect example. The government stepped in, “regulated”, and got out. Now the phone industry is back where it was before the regulation, but having put the US behind in technology for dealing with the government beaurocracy.

“Sixth, we need a process that identifies systemic risks to the financial system.” What does this statement even mean? It sounds like he is saying the government needs to play chaperones to the banks and be proactive if it starts seeing problems. If the government had this ability, our deficit might not be in the trillions of dollars. A flashy Band-Aid is to spend money we don’t have to see why the banks are losing money. The government needs to stay out of private business.

“he may very well not want to be perceived as yet another trigger happy US President who will send innocent men and women to their deaths” This is where you really lost me. I tend to think of myself as pretty well informed, but I must have missed the day in news class where the US reinstituted the draft. I thought ours was still the largest VOLUNTARY Armed Service in the world. It must be nice for you to sit there with your pretty blog trying to decide how you want to decorate it this week, when our president has to make decisions about global affairs including sending our soldiers to war, how to deal with Iran, South Korea, and other countries that want the US wiped off the map and following a course of action that he thinks will best keep you safe at night to redesign your blog. And because of our soldiers, you have the right to call our leaders trigger happy and have people believe they spin some “wheel of war” to see who we are going to attack today. You didn’t say to whom you were referring as trigger happy, but I will guarantee that the decision of using our armed forces is not a decision taken lightly by any of our leaders.

“So, ending wars, keeping money in our pockets, tax cuts, watching trading so as not to have it be used or abused, bad thing. Giving relief to people who need homes, bad thing. Finding risks in our financial system... to maybe stop having financial problems? Bad thing.” It is sad I have to point out that these are your words. I never said these things were bad. I pointed out why your contention of Barack Obama is a great thing for this country is wrong.