The New Year is already 2 weeks old and so much has already happened. The economy has been the worst since the Great Depression. Unemployment numbers are at the highest since World War II. Our Nation faces insurmountable challenges here and abroad. As homeowners helplessly watch their home values go down, millions face the trauma of foreclosures. Budgets deficits from State and Local Governments would force these entities to cut services to millions of Americans who are in great need of these services. Meanwhile employees are facing the insecurity of their job security that in return decreases productivity and profits for employers. Consumer spending has dropped considerably while consumer debt increased into new heights.
While our domestic troubles seem to grow with each day, international crises come from all angles that would make anyone feel hopeless. With two wars that seem to have no end and the escalating violence at the Gaza Strip our Nation faces difficult political and economic decisions that one would not wish upon their enemies.
One must ponder: where or when did everything go wrong? More importantly, how can we resolve these issues? At the dawn of the new administration, Americans and people from the world over are setting their eyes upon the new President with a mixture of fear and hope, a sense of anxiety and relief, a cautious optimism of a better day.
While President-elect Barack Obama’s inspiring story is about to open a new chapter, we as citizens of the world have our own story to write. Would we lose the lessons learned from the past and repeat our follies in the future? On the other hand, would we finally start being accountable to ourselves and living our lives a renewed sense of personal and national responsibility? This is the challenge of our time. Our response to the challenge would determine whether we could afford healthcare, college, cost of living and a decent retirement. Now is the time for us to stop pointing fingers and instead join hands in unity to face our problems head on until we find a more agreeable solution. This is the time when our actions would reflect the future of our lives, our children and our humanity and we can only hope that our actions today would make us reflect with a proud sense of accomplishment as we share our story to our grandchildren.
A NEW YEAR BEGINS
HOPES, DREAMS, CHALLENGES TO FACE
TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE
Filed under: Haiku, Opinion, Barack Obama, Blog, budget, challenge, deficits, family, foreclosures, Great Depression, Haiku, Homeowners, laziness, President-elect, State, Stress, World War II
