State of the Union!

I  admit it.  I am an Obama fan, and I can't wait to see him on television tonight.  This is not always an easy thing to admit to here in Oklahoma, as my right to make decisions about my own reproductive health care slowly dwindles away.   

I don't know what the president is going to talk about tonight.  I haven't been paying as much attention to what's been going on politically since they passed the HCR bill. I know despite the continued unemployment that the economy is picking up a little, which I am glad for.  I know the House passed the repeal of HCR in a waste of time and money because the Senate probably won't even look at it. I know the top 2% of the wealthiest nation on earth have managed to keep their taxes from being raised again.  I know my husband's paycheck has increased by fifteen dollars a month, which I am grateful for, although I'm concerned it's coming out of the social security benefits. If we had more disposable income, we would put it away for retirement ourselves.  However, we're hoping it will help us juggle our bills so that we might afford health insurance. I know my Senators still don't believe in global warming.  I know that Sargent Shriver's death has reminded of the documentary that I saw about his life and work, and how he believed that we could eradicate poverty in the United States.


So, things look hopeful, but I think it would be nice if we could follow the president's vision for the future, instead of wishing things could stay the same as they were in the past.  My husband told me once that the past doesn't have to be maintained.  I have to say that I agree.  Let the fifties rest in peace. And frankly, I remember the eighties as a mean, mean time.  Those ways of life just weren't and aren't sustainable.  We've come too far to go back to that now.  Let's continue building a United States where every one has the opportunity to better themselves.  It doesn't ignore personal responsibility or hard work to increase opportunities to those fellow citizens who are struggling and who might otherwise fall through the tears in the social fabric.