Where's The Pork?

I got an e-mail from a man I used to work with, stating that all of the items in the stimulus bill that are going to our state are nothing but "pork". So, being the curious soul that I am, I read the list of projects set out for the state of Arkansas. There were a hundred some-odd, and, for the life of me I can't see any pork. They are all projects that will go to infrastructure, and will require hiring workers to carry them out. There are improvements or replacements of bridges, dangerous highways, lane widening or adding more lanes, all very much needed. If you have ever driven Arkansas' highways, you know what I'm talking about.

I fear that my friend and others like him have just not been listening. President Obama is starting to do everything he set out very clearly in his campaign speeches. They are the things that we elected him for. He said we were going to spend our way out of the recession, starting with infrastructure. He said he was going to address education and health care, entitlement programs and the environment, at the same time because they all depend on each other to succeed. Besides, in spite of what the Republicans think, we CAN do more than one thing at a time. We're multitaskers. Just ask anybody.

Still, we have people who are apparently thinking, "I didn't know he was going to do (THAT!") Insert whatever program you don't like.

It has been a little over a month since Pres. Obama took office, and already he has accomplished more than any single president since LBJ. Okay, Clinton did a lot of good things, but he completely muffed it on health care, dooming us to sixteen more years of higher and higher costs and coverage for fewer and fewer people. George W. Bush managed to get a deeply flawed prescription drug plan passed that helps the insurance and pharmaceutical companies a lot more than individuals. If you want to call that progress, go ahead. I won't sign up until that donut hole is plugged, and the program actually benefits me.

We have become such an impatient society, with our desire for instant gratification, that we can't seem to realize that real change, real improvement, takes time. I'm willing to wait and watch and then, after all of Obama's ideas have had time to take hold, we'll see how well (or not) they are working.

Until then, I hope he keeps going around the Washington media and taking his plan directly to the people. I'm going to read the various websites that have been developed to explain all of his plans. And, I am going to stay positive.

Stay tuned.

So Far, So Good

It's just my humble opinion, but I heartily approve of President Obama taking his show on the road. He's taking his plans to the people, and going around Congress and the Washington media. When I say "Congress", I mean Republicans and Democrats alike in both the House and Senate. They are all so out of touch, I don't think they would have enacted the stimulus package in such a short time if they hadn't been urged by their constituents.

Obama knows who should really be calling the shots - and it's us. If we like what we're hearing from him, and, even if we don't, we have to let our elected officials know about it. Otherwise, all they will do is ponder and posture and end up doing nothing, just like the last eight years.

This, people, is real change. Now, all we have to do is express our support and give the plans time to work. There's no instant gratification here. A system as bogged down as ours is will recover slowly. It took many years to get us into this mess, and it won't turn around over night, but I'm convinced that it WILL turn around.

'Way to Go, President Obama!