43 -> 44

I had a much more stinging blog written for today but I deleted them in the name of Hope!

Tomorrow we as an American people will swear in the 44th President of these United States. The fifth of my lifetime, and the third I will be able to remember. The first black man to hold the office; the office of a country founded upon slavery, and whose capital was built by dark skinned men and woman who were not paid for their labor.

To me personally this has a much deeper significance than what it appears to be on the surface.

Bill Clinton is the first President I can remember. Yes I have vague memories of George H.W. Bush but he was never my President, he was for all intents an purposes he my parents President. Bill CLinton was there when the idea of politics entered my brain; when news became comprehendible to my young mind. Needless to say when Mr. Clinton left office in lieu of Mr. Bush it was as if a part of my life (or life as I knew it) was over and a new part was beginning.

George W Bush can be characterized as the first President I found fault with, not because he was any worse than Mr. Clinton (a debate for another post) but because it was through his presidency that I identified with my own political feelings and not those of my parents. My political awareness awoke if you will. Political goals and ideals yes, but not really life goals and a vision of my future.

That’s where President Obama comes into my life, his term in office will see me; graduating college, looking for a long term job, paying back thousands of dollars in loans, paying all my bills, potentially having children, and buying a house among many other unforeseeable things. It’s not to say that the policies of previous President’s will not effect my future, because they will.

It’s just that now I am my own person, I live on my own, I am starting to make my own money (ok maybe in 2010), I am independent. When I have problems I am not going to look to my family as much as I should start looking inward and for issues I can not fix I will have to start looking to my government (for big issues, not a clogged toilet or something).

For all the fuss and fun surrounding Mr. Obama (which I myself have partook in) he has not shown me anything. He has not done a single thing yet, all of that begins tomorrow, and a tough job it will be. I hope he does well because in the end my life is kind of riding on it.




Oh and the sn is not changing.