Give Obama time to solve problems
By Kay James, Kay's Comments
Since every other columnists, editorial writer and commentator in the country has commented on our new president-elect, I had to follow suit.
I was pleasantly surprised and relieved to see Barack Obama elected. The first ever African-American was selected as president by a majority of Americans - from every ethnic group, from rural and urban, from first generation and those descendant from the first settlers. He is also someone who can give a speech that makes sense talking in full sentences.
I was surprised because I thought the polls indicating he would win might be wrong. Many of the pollsters rely on landline phones to take the surveys. Many people no longer have landline phones. Some questions had been raised as to the validity of the results because of that, but apparently, the pollsters compensated for that.
I was relieved because I feared that another election would be contested and the losers would cry foul. Being a worrywart, I envisioned riots stemming from the charges and counter charges that might be leveled from each side. The size of the victory made that impossible.
Considering the nasty false allegations about Obama that flew in the last days of the election, I was pleasantly surprised to see that so many of my fellow Americans could see through the twisted lies and allegations.
I was somewhat disappointed to learn that turn out was not higher. From the hype about early voting and lines at the polls, I thought turnout might reach 80 or 90 percent. It did not. In Wisconsin, the turnout was lower than in 2004.
When I went to the polls in my township at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, I did not stand in line. I was the only voter in the place. Only 25 people had been there before I arrived, which probably is a record for us. During some elections, only double that number has voted all day.
Now that the voters have been counted and the celebrations over, I have heard at least two media outlets ask people what their expectations are. The expectations are high, perhaps too high. One young voter said he expected to see his college tuition lower. While the country may be able to help with more grants and loans, I doubt many colleges will lower tuition. A more realistic hope might be that tuition at colleges does not increase as rapidly as it has in the last few years.
The most pressing concerns or expectations are that Obama will solve the country's economic problems, make us energy independent and bring our troops home. We will have to wait a little more than two months, before Obama can do a thing. He is only president-elect at this point.
As we saw this summer, a lot can happen with the economy in two months. The economy could be worse by the time Obama is inaugurated, or it could be starting to recover. I hope it is recovering, but not being an optimist, I doubt it. I also doubt that the fixes will be easy or quick. Getting into this economic mess took years and recovery may at least take months. As one Vietnam veteran commented in a New York Times article, "It's a lot easier to screw things up than to make them better."
The signs in the last week have not been good. The country is being asked to give the insurance giant AIG more money, the carmakers want money and I could use some too. I wonder if I could get in line for a bailout too.
Withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan may not be as easy as issuing an order that the troops fly home. However, I think this one may be easier than the economy.
Energy independence will not happen overnight either. We will need innovation and changes in lifestyle. Neither comes quickly or easily.
Health care is also a major issue. The vote in Dane County where a referendum asked for universal health care passed overwhelmingly indicates people want the health care system in this country to change. Few have solutions that are financially viable and the economy does not help.
The issue is not just the numbers of uninsured. The number without insurance is expected to rise because of the economy. Some people will not be able to afford their insurance. They are having to make a choice between health care and basic necessities such as food and housing.
Today's health care can put even people with insurance into financial dire straits. People are afraid to change jobs because they might lose their health insurance.
Lots of serious issues face this new president. I hope people at least let him get in office before we start complaining.
Kay Lapp James is editor of the Wisconsin Dells Events. Contact her at wde-editorial@capitalnewspapers.com or phone (608) 254-8327, ext. 3567.