15
He owes us damnit and I’m going to get what’s mine. Barack Obama has yet to be inaugurated into the office of the Presidency and he is already being bombarded with people saying that he “owes them” because of their support and they “plan on collecting.”
The special interest groups all are jockeying to be the first ones to “get theirs.” The Abortion rights people and the Catholic church are saying that even though they voted for Obama, it doesn’t mean they agree with his stand on abortion. The mayors of many cities are calling for Obama to send economic and work related aid to them. Black folks want him to “take care of us” and Hispanics want to make sure they “aren’t forgotten.” Women want prominent cabinet positions go to women. Lesbians and gays want him to stand up for our rights to marry and get equal treatment under the law. The young folks, those bright eyed and bushy tailed youngsters who for maybe the first time felt compelled to get involved in the political process, want to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Old people want to know that their retirement funds and pensions will be there when they need it. Homeowners want to save their homes. The unemployed want jobs. Business owners want to stay in business and be able to support their families. Unions want to know they still have a place in the new American economy. Other countries want to make sure that the “bomb first, ask questions later” policies of the previous administration is over. Have I left anyone out? I’m sure I have. Barack is being set up to fail.
Barack is coming into a job in a country whose economy is on the brink of a depression. Thousands of jobs are seemingly being lost every day. And it’s not just the mortgage industry that is losing jobs. DHL is planning on cutting over 9500 jobs in America. Sun Microsystems is planning on cutting 6000 jobs. Morgan Stanley is planning on cutting 10% of it’s work force. That would mean another 4400 jobs that will be lost. Yahoo announced that they will be cutting another 1500 jobs and that is in addition to the 1000 that were cut earlier this year. An economic report said there were over 127,000 jobs lost in the month of October alone. In a nation of over 305 billion people, 127,000 jobs doesn’t sound like a lot. But the job cutting has been going on for the last 15 months. And since the jobs are spread out over all industries, no one is being spared. Even Las Vegas, the city that was described as being “recession proof” announced today that profits are 5.1% lower from just a year ago.
The economic effect of these lost jobs is exponential. You can’t spend what you don’t have. If I don’t have a job, I am less likely to go out to eat. Or get my car fixed or buy a new car. I’m not going to get my hair and nails done. I’m not going to take my pet to the veterinarian. I’m not going to spend as much money at the grocery store. I’m not buying new clothes. And when we stop spending money, it forces businesses to layoff people and the whole cycle starts over again. How can one man fix that?
That a Black man was elected to the presidency of the United States has been a phenomenonal event to say the least. While there are some people, Republicans and racists, that see this as the worst thing in the world, many people see this as an opportunity to create a better America, both here and abroad. But rest assured Barack is in for one hell of a ride. And with the world both watching his every step and hoping for the best, it’s almost as if he holds the world’s future in his hands.
Back up and give the man a chance to even get the White house bed warm before you start demanding things from him. Because if he fails, we all do.
Comments
Add A Comment