I can almost smell the fresh air today. I am talking, of course, about politics and the elections. Though in some cases I do not agree with the results, the people have spoken and overall, I think (or at least hope) that we’re in for a fresh start. There are several reasons to believe this will happen:
- Don Rumsfeld resigned yesterday. I can’t fault him for the job he did. He was tough and unyielding. Yet, when things were not going quite right in Iraq, he “stayed the course” even when it wasn’t working. It is time for a breath of fresh air, a new look at the problems in Iraq. Rumsfeld had to go so that someone else could take a fresh look and get a fresh start on the Iraq problem.
- Both houses of Congress are now controlled by the Democrats. After 12 years of Republican rule, it was time for a change. Though the Republicans are supposedly for smaller government and less taxes, overall, the reverse has been true of their tenure in control of Congress. Government has doubled in size and our tax burden is much larger than it was 12 years ago. I don’t have much faith in the Democrats to shrink government or lower taxes, but they can’t do much worse than the Republicans did.
- In Florida, we have a new governor. Charlie Crist will be our next governor. He promises control of taxes and spending. I think he will be a fine successor to Jeb Bush, who did a very good job. And, in Florida, we don’t need you stinkin’ FEMA to manage our hurricane crises–we are prepared, thanks in large part to Jeb’s plolicies.
I could go on, but in the end, I am hopeful that we’ll see a breath of fresh air in the country. There were some downers in the elections, both locally and at the state level: a number of states passes a “marriage ammendment,” designed to keep gay people from enjoying the benefits that striaght people have. Thankfully, Arizona did not follow suit. Seminole county turned down a chance to increase taxes slightly but use the money for land preservation and recreation areas. Bummer.
But, overall, we have a fresh breeze blowing in the country at the moment. Of course, with this opportunity comes great responsibility for the Democrats. They still have to work with the other party. The religious right–unfortunately–still has too much influence. But overall, we can work together for the common good. Let’s see what happens. The Democrats have two years to make a difference. I hope they hit the ground running….