Working Together for a Better Tomorrow. Let's keep the citizenry engaged!

Now that election season is over, the nation is slowly going back to normal life. I worry that in a few weeks, the nation will become complacent again and forget about the challenges and the needed change that we all were so deeply engaged in for the past few months. A strong democracy happens not only from a strong leader, but an engaged and informed citizenry. This is OUR responsibility!

The United States of America face numerous challenges in the upcoming months and years. Rebuilding our reputation from the extreme damage the Bush Administration has done is the most pressing. Will Russia hold the same disdain for an Obama Administration as it held for the current one? Will Obama end the NATO expansion in Eastern Europe? Is a rebuilt international reputation possible without addressing the crimes committed in the previous administration? Will we be able to tell another nation not to torture or invade another nation when our leaders did the same with immunity?

With a recession, and the potential of a deep depression, creating a more sustainable economy that lets our nation prosper needs to be accomplished in the next few months. An economy built on credit is doomed to failure, but so many powerful interests depend on this type of economy. Will an Obama Administration be able to address these two diverging interests? Should we be reexamining our monetary policy?

Getting America off oil is a long term, but vital mission that needs to be undertaken. Will Obama be able to direct the country towards an ethanol based energy infrastructure? Or are the Oil interests to powerful to allow this to happen?

Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Russia, Venezuela, Columbia all needs a new type of diplomacy to stabilize the world powers. From Darfur to Zimbabwe, Africa needs to be addressed in a more direct way, more then just giving them AIDs vaccines.

I feel that Barack Obama understands these issues, but does the average American fully understand the issues at play today? They realize we face huge problems, but do they grasp the enormity of it all? In this time of transition, I feel it is all of our responsibilities, to help educate the American population of the problems the world and our nation face today. A fully engaged public can help direct the government to address the issues that are vital to our future, but have been downplayed and disregarded throughout the Bush Administration, and even previous administrations.

Let’s help make this new age of "Change" the time that history looks back and says this is the point when mankind moved past the age of distraction and petty politics and worked towards the betterment of mankind. Lets end the age of Lewinsky, OJ, Gay Marriage, and Abortion and move towards a future where ending world hunger and extreme poverty, stopping unnecessary war, and improving all of our lives are the headlines of our newspapers and what is discussed around the water cooler.

Lets work together to make a better tomorrow. It is OUR responsibility!