More thoughts on Obama

What were your feelings on the day Barack Obama was inaugurated as President?

Sass:

Well, I stood in the middle of the room as I watched him take his oath of office. I smiled as the mistakes were made. I felt that made him just seem so human. I had tears in my eyes as I watched history being made. Not because he's a black man, but because he's a good man. I firmly believe he's the right man. It wasn't lost on anyone, the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday being the day before the inauguration. My kids even pointed this out to me. And my 9 year old daughter said it best when she said, "maybe with Barack Obama's help, we can all just get along."

What's the one thing you think he most needs to address in his term?

Slyde:

Well, I’d say the economy, since its clearly our biggest immediate issue, but the recession is really on such a global scale, that I’m not convinced there is much ANYONE can do, besides just wait for the natural cyclical nature of things to right itself. That said, he needs to get our men out of iraq, and back home, like yesterday. If he can do that in this term, and that turns out that that was ALL he could do, I’d still consider us ahead of the game…

CP:

The domestic economy followed closely (and tied to) the US involvement in overseas conflicts.

Shania:

I feel the most important thing President Obama needs to address is the economy, since everything else depends on it. Secondly, health care and education. I could expound for pages on these and many more subjects, but in the interest of brevity I'll leave it at that.

Dizzblnd:

First and foremost, the economy has to be addressed. Figuratively speaking, he is the dog that caught the tire.... lets just hope he knows what to do with it. I do not expect a fast fix. I DO expect that he can help fix what has been so wrong since the 50's . All of this mess we are in... is a result of the world living on credit. Living beyond our means for so long to keep up with the Joneses when we KNOW we can't afford it. Continuing to throw money at the problem to fix the money problem is counter-productive and oxymoronish. I hope he understands that.

Sass:

That's a tough one. I think there are so many urgent situations, to pick one would be a challenge. I don't want to downplay my feelings on the war in Iraq. I believe it was a poor planned, hastily decided conflict. I believe at the root of that war is George Bush's need for power and oil. That being said, when I see a soldier in the grocery store in uniform, I thank him or her. I pray for them and their safety. So I think that's really important. But for me and my family, right now, the most important issue to me is probably healthcare. I don't have a firm grasp or understanding of other country's healthcare policies, but I see too many people not getting treatment for illnesses because they have absolutely no ability to pay. Too many children go to school sick, hoping the nurse will pass them some medication for that fever they're fighting, because she's their only hope. I look at my own son, and with our current system, if my husband were to leave his job, my son would go uninsured. When he becomes an adult and gets his own job, he may not qualify for health insurance due to his congenital heart defect. He takes daily blood pressure medicine that, without insurance, we'd continue to give him but we'd struggle to pay.

Thanks to all my American friends for taking the time to answer my questions. I've enjoyed reading your responses and I'm sure my readers have too. Right, guys? ;-)