One of the big buzz topics today is Barack Obama's speech on race in America. What struck me is that he also lighted on some economic concerns. I think it interesting that he does understand how many Americans are feeling. And it really resonated with me because I grew up white and middle-class, and Barack Obama addressed some of the concerns that I hear from my relatives and acquaintances:
They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense.Some of the ideas I like in Barack Obama's economic plans for the country include the following:
The trick, of course, is making it work in a real-world situation where partisan bickering comes in (don't get me started on the issues I have with our two-party system). The other trick is getting regular, every day citizens energized enough to voice their opinions and hold politicians responsible for their promises. Too many of us sit back and insist that nothing can be done. They do nothing, and then nothing is, in fact, done.