Goodbye Bush – Hello Obama

Goodbye and Good Riddance to GW,
A Hearty Welcome and Best Wishes to Obama

Looking back on the year 2008 through the rear view mirror reveals a bumpy ride and long and treacherous trip. Lots of ups and downs, some steep hills, some deep valleys and a lot of rough road. Looking forward, the view is hazy and there are severe storms threatening on the horizon, but the potential for great good is peeking through the clouds.

It was with profound relief that I saw America finally wake up to the disastrous failures of GW Bush and throw him and his cronies out of power. But the disasters caused by eight years with GW at the helm, especially the collapse of the financial industry and the resulting recession, have driven the ship of state on the rocks. It is going to require a Herculean effort to right this leaky vessel.

If there is any justice left in the world, Bush and his cronies, especially Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Karl Rove, Libby and Tom Delay will pay for their crimes with long, contemplative prison terms. A small minded man who was pathologically delirious with power and totally unqualified for the job, lacking both experience and judgment and stupid enough to believe that he was always right because he believed God spoke through him, Bush was an unmitigated disaster.

The highlights of the year would have to include the rise of Barack Obama to the presidency and the end of the Bush Error. Especially, since this also signals the long-awaited end of prejudice against black Americans. Obama offers a level of intelligence and commitment to the constitutional rights of Americans that has been missing in action during the Bush entire eight years of the Bush Administration.

The lows are the obvious financial collapse, rising unemployment, the foreclosure crisis and the continuous state of war imposed by the Bush Administration's support for the Project for a New American Century. (link)

I haven't felt this optimistic about the future of America since President Kennedy was assassinated, but it is difficult to be hopeful that President Obama will be able to change the course of history, considering the monumental issues he faces. He will require the support of all Americans and the assistance of intelligent, knowledgeable leaders with a similar desire for the improvement of the country and concern for the plight of the world's people. We can only pray that they will be up to the task.

The Obama Administration will need to focus on the issues that benefit the people, including the restoration of Constitutional rights, low cost healthcare and medications, the rebuilding of America's infrastructure, improved transportation systems and an affordable education for people at all ages and financial levels.

Global Peace should remain the aim of all Americans, although this is highly unlikely for the near future in a world still festering with hate and prejudice. All cultures, communities and religious organizations need to unite and maintain a continuous effort toward this goal.

Economic reform must be achieved in order to rebuild trust in the financial industries and provide a balance between the ultra rich and the extreme poor that will restore the market place and the middle class.

Our corrupt and incompetent government agencies are in dire need of reform. The influence of big money at all levels of politics and government must be eliminated. The Food and Drug Administration is a good example. The agency's dismal failure to support U.S. Standards for imported foods has resulted in countless, needless illnesses and death. The FDA's policies have also enabled Bush and Company to push through laws favoring the pharmaceutical industry and its outrageous prices for medications that the ailing and the elderly require to sustain their lives.

The pharmaceutical industry should receive government financial support for the development of new medicines and technologies, including those suppressed for eight years by the Bushies' outrageous policies, but only in return for affordable medications that will no longer drive elderly Americans and those in ill health into bankruptcy or an early grave.

The healthcare industry also needs reforming, including the inclusion of dental, optometric and mental services, as well as the elimination of the profit-sucking layer of the insurance industry in favor of a self sustaining system that will provide healthcare to people at all financial levels

A reliable retirement system, such as those offered to the people in Europe and Scandinavia, that provides a secure retirement with adequate healthcare is essential for a decent lifestyle in old age.

The stranglehold of the polluting petroleum and coal industries must be ended for the good of the planet. America's dependence on foreign oil and carbon-based energy must be eliminated through the development and employment of new, non-polluting technologies.

Jobs remain the key to rebuilding America. Putting Americans to work is essential for the restoration of our economy and the focus on new technologies and the reconstruction of our infrastructure will offer employment opportunities at all levels.

The reduction in prices and improvements for America's communications systems are also necessary for an informed society. This country pioneered most of the existing communications technologies, but we have fallen way behind the rest of the world's developed countries in terms of prices and availability for the poor and middle classes. An honest media without political and financial prejudices is also essential for a free and informed society.