Remembrance and a New Path Forward

With the 10^th Anniversary of the September 11^th attacks approaching, we all remember where we were and what we were doing.  The attacks were the first time in my life time that America was being tested physically.  The reports of what was going on across the country filled our senses; TVs and radios were on all day as we watched and listened to the news of unfolding events.  We learned of unspeakable tragedy as thousands of people lost their lives in attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and we learned of the heroic sacrifice that everyday citizens made aboard Flight 93. In the days following the attacks, America showed her strength as a nation. The unwavering patriotism of the American people came to the forefront of our society.  Flags hung in windows and outside of houses as symbols that we would not surrender and America would not be brought down.  It was this patriotism that united a country and a society. Congress convened together, not as members of different parties, but as Americans and sang “God Bless America” on the steps of the Capitol.  We were proud and we stood firm in solidarity.  America would not be broken and we will never give up.  This atmosphere of hyper-patriotism was reflective of our core strength as a people. 

We have come quite a distance in the 10 years after 9-11.  The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down, but new economic disasters threaten our way of life.  We need to revisit the patriotism, the strength, the unity that we exhibited a decade ago.  We need to channel these values and work together to fix our current situation.  We need to put aside partisan differences and do what is best for the American people. Our neighbors are hurting for work, losing their homes, and struggling to feed their starving families.  Let’s work together to restore the strength of the American economy and to make this country the strongest and most powerful in the world.  We need to make smart decisions that perpetuate our strength and resilience.  We need to teach our students with the best education available to keep us competitive in the world. We need to lead by example and show our citizens that the country can live within its means just as each individual and family does.  We can grow this economy, we can make America strong once again, and we can show that the American Spirit that lives inside each and every one of us will not fade.  We can do these things, we must do these things, but we can and must do them…together.

Approaching the Ceiling

With the 2012 Presidential Campaign already under way, the main focus is clearly the economy.  The recovery has been a sluggish process marked by one step forward and two steps back.  Contenders are falling in line and there is a long list of Republican candidates looking to remove President Obama from the White House.  My question is “Why are there no Democratic Challengers vying for the same goal?”  Evidently nobody within the same party feels disenchanted with this President.  I applaud President Obama for certain social advances made under his leadership: the repeal of DADT, universal healthcare (although it has adversely affected the cost of my coverage), the justice department no longer defending DOMA, and  a better approach to foreign policy than we had seen in the previous 8 years.  This leads to my assessment that Mr. Obama is not a bad President; rather, I believe he would have been a great President, at a different time.  The social triumphs are great; if Don’t Ask Don’t Tell were not in place when I graduated from high school, I probably would have served in the military. I do not agree with the wars in which we’re involved, but I am a proud American who would have loved the opportunity to serve and defend my country.  My main argument against the Obama administration is that the primary focus should have been on jobs and the economy. 

When the housing bubble popped and the mortgage meltdown led to the largest financial collapse since the Great Depression, we needed a President whose main priority on day one was the recovery of our failing economy.  The bailouts were approved under the outgoing Bush administration and the unemployment rate has since fallen slightly, but we needed the CEO of the most powerful nation in the world to approach the situation with a clear plan to reinvigorate the job market.  This is where the promises of “hope” and “change” fell short.  There are countless Americans still out of work and more and more families are struggling to make ends meet.  This is unacceptable in the most powerful nation in the world. 

The biggest piece of political theatre has been over the debt ceiling.  Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling by the first week of August, or the US will be unable to pay its debts.  The idea of United States of America defaulting on its debt is unprecedented.  When talks between congressional leaders and Vice-President Biden broke down in June, it was predictable.  Joe Biden isn’t exactly the most tactful.  Now that talks have broken down between Speaker Boehner and President Obama we are staring down the barrel of default.  Congress needs to cut its spending, reform entitlements, and increase income.  The Bush tax-cuts (the tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans) were intended to be temporary; which is how they were approved in the first place.  This perpetuates the idea of “the rich get richer.” The very wealthy can afford to pay their fair share.  We have to be certain that taxes will not increase on small businesses and hard-working middle class families.  I am sick of Washington covering their asses rather than working to help the people they were elected to represent.  We do not want to push this debt ceiling vote into next year; 2012 is going to be the next big political contest with the President and several key congressional leaders up for reelection.  We do not need more distractions from dealing with the financial future of our country.  We need financial reform and a plan to help us pay down our debts and reduce our deficits.  We cannot afford this game of financial “chicken.”  Congress needs to stop using the livelihood of their constituents as fodder for their political warfare.