Obama: Change, change, change

With the Democratic and Republican conventions behind us, the time has come to look at what's ahead and what we can expect in the next 55 days with the ever-so-changing Nov. 4 election.

"For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own. Well, it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America," said Sen. Barack Obama on Sen. John McCain's ideals during the 2008 Democratic National Convention at the INVESCO Field in Denver.

The quote says it all.

In the past eight years, this nation has seen its currency whittle down to a lower status than the Euro, causing a recession we haven't seen since the early '90s. Thousands of American troops have died while fighting an unnecessary war; not to mention the major blows our homeland has suffered at the hands of terrorists.

We need change now, and a man who can guide us to it.

Barack Obama, nominee of the Democratic ticket, will be the man who can bring this change to fruition.

With a fresh and different perspective on policies that affect this economy, Sen. Obama has all the capabilities to find the necessary actions we need to make this country a dominant force as it once used to be.

Obama plans to tackle tough issues such as taxes, education, the energy situation and the nation's oil crisis. He has visions of a change that can better this country and make it prosper as it once did.

Being a community organizer in Chicago in 1985, Obama learned the meaning of bringing a community together. After spending time as the community organizer in the far south side of Chicago, Obama continued his helping hand when he became a founding member of the board of directors of Public Allies in 1992. Public Allies is a non-profit organization that helps "advance diverse young leaders to strengthen communities, nonprofits, and civic participation."

Once elected into the Illinois Senate in 1996 and popularly elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Obama has been on the forefront of reformation and change.

In the time since being sworn in as the Illinois senator, Barack Obama has voted for energy conservation, supported policies on national security and become the chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs.

With the 2008 Presidential election swiftly approaching, the time has come for us to make a decision. Do we want an extra serving of the atrocities we've been fed for the last eight years, or do we want a fresh and new beginning?

Both presidential candidates have their pros and cons. But one of them stands out with more cons than pros.

Sen. John McCain, although a hero for his decades of service to this country, has shown the populace that he has the wrong ideas as to what this country needs under the condition it is in.

In an era where needless war has plagued the thousands of families who have lost their loved ones, Senator McCain plans on continuing the sorrow until "the job is done."

We are in serious need of change and frankly John McCain is not the answer.

Like the recently appointed governor of New York, David Patterson, said at this year's Democratic Convention, "If he's the answer, then the question must be ridiculous."

In the next few weeks we will see more debates, more political advertisements that are attacking each party and more nonsense than we've seen all year. But the choice remains in our hands.

We have the power to choose what the next four years will be like. Democracy allows us this privilege along with Electoral College votes, but either way it's all up to us.

The last eight years have been horrible. More and more people are losing their jobs to outsourcing overseas. The costs of living have skyrocketed but our paychecks stay the same.

We are living in harsh times and now have the opportunity to fix that.

Whether you may be some hip young college kid or an elderly lady trying to cross the street with a pair of mobile binocular sunglasses, it is up to you to start making the difference. So make it a good one.