President Elect Obama takes office on Tuesday and I am super excited about it. I’ve looked forward to January 20th 2009 since the November 2004 election! The fact that I am enthusiastic about the person taking President Bush's place is a great bonus!
In general, I am so looking forward to having a president who doesn’t divide up the entire world into two categories good/evil or us/them, one who is not so ideological and divisive, but is instead practical and willing to find common ground with others, one who will uphold America’s basic freedoms and values instead of making a mockery of them in the name of fighting the war on terror. In short, I think it will be nice to be proud of my president instead of being exasperated or embarrassed by him.
(I do have to say that President Bush has done a fabulous job during this transition period. His administration has worked really closely with the incoming administration.)
Here are some specific things about the incoming Obama administration I am already super excited about:
1. President-Elect Obama’s nominee for Attorney General, Eric Holder Jr, told a Senate committee that waterboarding is torture. This is something that members of the Bush administration refused to admit. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28672011/
2. The House and Senate are already working on a bill to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and it should be ready for Obama to sign shortly after he takes office. President Bush vetoed a similar bill twice. CHIP is a joint state and federal program that provides low cost health insurance to children whose famlies make too much to qualify for Medicaid but can not afford private health insurance. According the U.S. Census Bureau, 11.7% of children in this country have no health insurance. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28542769/
3. Obama has promised to close the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (Actually John McCain promised to close it too). And here’s a really radical thought, he is actually going to charge the people held there with crimes and make them stand trial or, if there is not enough evidence, release them.
I know that many of you are not nearly as excited as I am (I wish we could all be thrilled about the outcome of every election), and you may have found this post annoying and are eagerly awaiting January 20th 2017, but I can't help it. I am just so dang excited!!!
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