I'm one of the many Americans impacted by runaway medical costs, out of control energy prices and other expense increases that are outpacing wages. I'm also one of the many Americans that voted for change in the last election.
I admit I didn't know what form change would take and didn't care. Our path is headed into the abyss and I want any course change. Could a new course end up in the same place? Absolutely. But from my perspective, we know for sure where this is going – a new course at least has a chance to go someplace different.
For weeks, I've been increasingly discontented because I haven't seen any real changes. Instead of political bickering, posturing and rhetoric decreasing – despite having a Congress and White House of the same party – it has increased. Misdirection, spin and outright lies have been cast about with increasing frequency and we are spending more time blaming than trying to solve the problems.
Perhaps this represents change, but it's not the change promised, voted for or believed in.
I've been holding President Barack Obama, in large part, responsible, not for the increase in negativity, but for the lack of positive advances individuals and families have been able to make.
I understand the workings of government – president suggests and recommends policy and legislation, but Congress creates and passes it – but believe in the big hammer the president keeps in his desk, the veto. There were things I thought he should have vetoed because they did not do enough, or go far enough, to rescue the American PEOPLE. These things include all of the stimulus spending to financial institutions, any legislation limiting credit card companies that was not immediately effective upon signature, mortgage assistance offered only to those already months behind and not to conscience consumers trying to avoid problems and any efforts to generate consumer spending that didn't provide cash up front to sustain the additional debt consumers were taking on.
As I look at many of the things done to keep America on her feet, the tally so far has big business getting taxpayer dollars in the billions to sustain them through tough times, but families getting perhaps an extra year to 18 months in unemployment benefits (that are taxable in part and not enough to sustain mortgages, energy costs or prolonged job searches). And all of it financed by a long-term increase in the national debt, which will be paid with our tax dollars, an ever increasing obligation even as government services decrease.
I've always maintained a willingness to pay more taxes over time if we used the debt being created to radically improve the economic standing of the PEOPLE – not of capitalism. We should be putting money in family pockets, which will drive consumer spending (creating jobs and putting people to work) and fix financial markets as bad debts are repaid.
I know my ideas are not the only ones with a chance to make a positive impact on the circumstances of families and the country, so I remain at a loss regarding why no real progress has been made by the PEOPLE. The skid may have slowed, but we are still losing ground.
A friend gave me a different perspective to consider, as I continued to leave huge hunks of responsibility for the lack of change at Barack Obama's feet. The sole responsibility for things not being better does not rest with the president. We, the PEOPLE, are at fault too, and not just for being poor financial stewards in the beginning.
We came out and voted, believed, listened and researched President Obama, but, we didn't take as much care with the other representatives we sent to Washington. If they marched under a Democratic or Independent banner, we sent them on, not really paying attention to whether or not they would do what we wanted and needed once elected. Those officials have had a big hand in preventing improvements and not halting our slide.
Our continued devastating circumstances now threaten our resolve, threaten to make us apathetic. We came out and voted, we believed our votes could make a difference – that belief needs to be sustained and carried into our daily actions. Despite how hopeless it may seem, we need to stay involved, we need to make our voices heard, we need to make our dissatisfaction known.
If we want change, we have to demand it, from the people we elected to provide it. And that is not just the president. We have to step up and do our part, for the president and for ourselves. We can't stop now. The goal is too important.
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