Editorial January 19, 2009

Editorial January 19th

Rarely have many expected so much from one man. Barack Obama will be inaugurated tomorrow as the 44th President of the United States. He is being looked at by many as their saviour. African Americans are hoping the first black president in U. S . history will bring their status to a new level, providing them with new hope for their future as part of the American culture. That in itself is enough for one man to have on his shoulders. But the reality is that the entire U.S. population, indeed the entire world, is looking at Obama to save them, from wars around the world, from the terrible economic situation everyone is facing, from every problem that exists. And Obama, as potentially great as he is, cannot do it all by himself. Nor should he try. The American people will be asked tomorrow to do their share. Back in 1961, another young President had a lot resting on his shoulders. He told Americans they had to pull their weight. John F. Kennedy said "ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country." Barack Obama will probably have a similar message. Obama will spend trillions of dollars to try and spend the U.S. out of the recession. Those deficits will have a massive impact for years to come. But they will only work if corporate executives get involved and reorganize their companies to face the future. That includes keeping their own salaries in line. They will only work if workers come to the table and agree to concessions that allow more productivity. They will only work if a new spirit evolves that speaks more to the positive than the negative. They will only work if world leaders sit down in a spirit of peace and cooperation to find workable solutions to end the conflicts, and end the strife in places like Darfur and other parts of Africa and Asia. Martin Luther King, whose birthday Americans celebrate today, said "I have a dream". It will take more than the vision of hope Obama's inauguration gives us to make that dream a reality. Everyone will have to be a part of making that dream come true. I'm Doug Collins and that's One Man's Opinion.