By Brian Townsend

The 21st century started with what turned out as a dotcom bubble. Heady days interrupted by the attacks on September 11, 2001. The attacks so unnerved this nation that it entered into its own ‘dark ages.’ People were willing to give up their freedom for security, taking their marching orders from leadership comprised of common men without common sense. They talked a nation into a preemptive war; with the world’s greatest warriors led by inept civilians (Dick “shoot my friends in the face” Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld). Government positions were given as political favors, a fiasco that was ruinous as the former chair of the Arabian Horse Association caused the suffering of thousands as the head of FEMA during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Government oversight was a dirty word as industry after industry either failed or exploited those they served.

Out of the darkness has risen a day of enlightenment. The nation has started to gain its footing again with soberdemands of the people. We want security and our freedom. We want our standing in the world repaired with the moral force that got us there in the first place. People want oversight so that our monetary system and those who manipulate it do not cause the collapse of hard-earned savings and investments. They want to feel secure in their homes and they believe access to health care should be treated as a right, not a privilege.

The election of President Barack Obama was a watershed moment. He will not by himself take us out of these dark ages, but he represents the people’s effort to engage their government once again. He represents the people’s desire to regain the powerful notion that we live in the greatest nation on earth. We have to earn that place once again. We cannot stand and watch as so-called leaders fill their pockets with our treasure.

Hopefully this new decade will see a resurgence of the popular will demanding the best of ourselves and the best from our leaders.

Happy New Year!!