Uniting the States of America

The election is over. Barack Obama is our President-elect. Congratulations to Obama and all of his supports for a fantastic campaign, and for helping to make American history. America having its first African-American president is a source of pride as well as a testament to the progress we have made as a nation. In forty years, we have gone from African-Americans being unable to eat at certain restaurants to having an African-American as the leader of the free world. Not enough can be said about the millions of men and women that have helped pave the way for the progress that has been made and I can not begin to understand the joy being felt by African-Americans.

For the millions of Americans that did not vote for Obama, it is now time to respect the democratic process that we love and cherish as Americans. It is time to support our new president and do everything in our power to help him be the best president that he can be. That does not mean blindly following him, but it does mean giving him the respect owed to the president. No one should oppose Obama because he is a democrat. No one should hope that Obama fails for political or personal reasons. All Americans need to be united around our leader and support him in making our nation a better place.

However, that does not mean that Obama is above criticism. If an American disagrees with the decisions or the policies of Obama, then it is that person's right to voice the opposition. As long as the opposition is done with respect. For example, I am opposed to the idea of another stimulus package, so I will oppose Obama in instituting another stimulus package. I am not opposing Obama, I am opposing his policy and decision.

(On a side note, people need to stop being so disrespectful to President Bush. You can disagree with someone without being disrespectful. History will be the judge of his presidency, there is no need to heap insults on the man that has served our nation for the last eight years. The American people have voted in new leadership. Piling disdain on the Bush administration is in no way constructive for our country and makes those insulting him look like children ganging up to pick on the unpopular kid.)

As far as unity is concerned, our country would be better off if our political parties could work together. Unfortunately, neither party is willing to make the first step with any conviction. Speeches are words, and words can lie. Actions are different. One of the parties needs to act in a bipartisan manner instead of just criticize the other party for not being bipartisan. A huge step in the right direction would be for Americans to stop saying idiotic things like "I hate Nancy Pelosi" or "Sarah Palin is stupid". Until Americans get over making politics about people instead of making politics about ideas, then we aren't going to get any unity.

At this point, it would make the most sense for Republicans to make this gesture. The GOP is out of power and needs to make changes in order to change that. The GOP needs to spend the next two years working with Democrats to solve problems. The GOP needs to spend the next two years making its message about the issues and not the individuals in the Democratic party. The GOP needs to work with Democrats on fixing the economy, reforming the tax code, securing energy independence, and defeating terrorists. Bipartisan solutions that have the public in mind are the solutions that stand the test of time. Partisan solutions that are put in place in spite of the other party die as soon as power changes. We need our representatives to put common support behind the solutions for our nation. Americans are entitled to a government that is solution driven, not power driven.

People can rally around a common cause or a vision, as long as they don't hate each other.

-The Banker-