Understanding Change

This week someone said something that I thought was really perceptive- she said that the reason why so many people voted for Obama, particularly young people, is that they wanted to get there name in the record books. People who lack self-esteem, people who lack self-worth, people who haven't yet made a difference in this world, all wanted to point to electing an African-American and say "see- look what I was a part of- look what I did- look at the change I made."

That's a good point. Now days are searching for self-worth, and what better way to gain some personal worth, when professionally or personally you are doing poorly, than to say that they put Obama in the White House. Your job is unproductive, your personal life is unfufilling, so you can point to your vote and say "look what I changed!"

This feeling might have been something we could all be a part of- for instance, many recall 9-11 and our response to it as the 'change' that will forever effect our world. But if you have forgotten 9-11, or believe that it was our fault we were attacked, or have been soured by the Iraq War, you might instead say that voting for Obama is the event that changed the world. And they are probably right.

Obama being our President will change things. He will raise taxes on the rich, which will mean lower investments in companies, resulting in lower job creation, lower profitability, and lower competitiveness overseas. Obama will lower real supplies of energy by drilling less for oil, bankrupting coal producers, making nuclear energy tougher with more environmental standards, and this will mean higher gas and heating costs. Obama will put in place economic protectionism, which will drives up costs for everyone. Obama will sponsor more government regulation of businesses, meaning less innovation and more red tape. Obama will change our foreign policy, which will mean we will be challenged internationally. He will change our policy in Iraq, emboldening our enemies, giving up on millions of free people, and giving terrorists bases to train. He will change the courts interpretation of our god-given rights, taking away our liberties and freedoms, pressuring for more 'fair speech' and more politically correct speech. In every way, America will change, and not for the better.

I for one believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that's as simple as it is. It's too bad America has to change to a country that doesn't believe in these things.