So I just returned from D.C. where I was part of the enormous security detail protecting the president and his family throughout the inauguration festivities. It was a great event. And I enjoyed the experience immensely. I voted for President Obama, and for that I am proud. Im not a Democrat, but I certainly related more to the party and their candidate than the Republican Party. I feel like I really need to get something off of my chest about the new president that I have been thinking about since the 5th of November. I have both positive things and negative things to say about the events and the president. Always wanting to end on a good note, I will start with the negative thing first.
One Hundred and Seventy Million Dollars. 170M. $170,000,000. That is how much money was spent on the inauguration event as a whole (parade, ceremony, balls, security, coordination and planning, etc.) I understand that ceremony is good for the moral of the people, and that this is a historical event, but I wanted to remind everyone that we are in a financial crisis. Hers is a quick breakdown that I did to show how 170Mil could be better spent;
-At $8005, The Annual in-state tuition for the University of Maryland, 5,309 young men and women could be sent to college for 4 years.
-Using an enlistment bonus of $10,000 (This is actually a LOW estimate) this could be used to help recruit 17,000 new soldiers into the U.S. Army.
-The average starting salary for a teacher in the state of Maryland is $33,760 annually. That is 5,035 new teachers.
Alright, now that the utter waste of the inaugural events is out of the way, lets move on to brighter things. The positive thing I wanted to mention is so minor that many may not have noticed it. However, I would be willing to bet that many in the minority groups affected noticed the rhetoric of the new president and how validating it has been. During the acceptance speech, late on the 5th of November, Barrack H. Obama stated in his victory speech;
"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
GAY!The leader of the free-world recognized this minority group in an important, significant, political event. How validating this must have been for those in the GLBT community who were paying attention to the new president-elects unifying speech. Yes, I realize that President Obama is black, and yes, I realize that we elected a young senator based on hope and change. My point with this is that the change goes much deeper than him NOT being white and NOT being George Bush. For those who have yet to really understand how encompassing the rhetoric of change is, I hope this helps.
Another important point (for me, personally) came yesterday during the Inaugural Address. Barack Hussein Obama presented his speech to the American people shortly after becoming president with a somber, yet optimistic view of the road ahead. Gone unnoticed by all but perhaps the Non-theistic of the world, was a small little recognition that came almost as a last minute addition to the no doubt thoroughly rehearsed speech.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.
Wow, non-believers. ATHEISTS. Recognized. Finally. Non-believers make up approx. 15% of the U.S. population. That is a HUGE minority group. That is more than American Jews, Muslims, Buddhist, Hindu, UU, Eastern Orthodox, Seven day Adventists, Church of God members, Evangelicals, Assembly of God members, Jehovahs Witnesses, United church of Christ, Church of Christ, Mormons, Anglicans, and Pentecostals COMBINED. Despite their numbers, Atheists still are one of the most despised groups in the country. Some public recognition by the man who seems to be the most beloved man in the country right now is appreciated, Im sure.
Before I moved on, I wanted to mention one other quote from the Inaugural address that I really enjoyed. (The speech as a whole was a fairly mediocre; I think that a great many people were expecting a whole lot more) During his address, the new president took time to address the Muslim world. (Despite being an Atheist, I found this a little silly, as if Muslims didnt live all over the world.) The President redeemed this sloppy message with a quote that I hope will go down in the history books:
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
One Hundred and Seventy Million Dollars. 170M. $170,000,000. That is how much money was spent on the inauguration event as a whole (parade, ceremony, balls, security, coordination and planning, etc.) I understand that ceremony is good for the moral of the people, and that this is a historical event, but I wanted to remind everyone that we are in a financial crisis. Hers is a quick breakdown that I did to show how 170Mil could be better spent;
-At $8005, The Annual in-state tuition for the University of Maryland, 5,309 young men and women could be sent to college for 4 years.
-Using an enlistment bonus of $10,000 (This is actually a LOW estimate) this could be used to help recruit 17,000 new soldiers into the U.S. Army.
-The average starting salary for a teacher in the state of Maryland is $33,760 annually. That is 5,035 new teachers.
Alright, now that the utter waste of the inaugural events is out of the way, lets move on to brighter things. The positive thing I wanted to mention is so minor that many may not have noticed it. However, I would be willing to bet that many in the minority groups affected noticed the rhetoric of the new president and how validating it has been. During the acceptance speech, late on the 5th of November, Barrack H. Obama stated in his victory speech;
"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
GAY!The leader of the free-world recognized this minority group in an important, significant, political event. How validating this must have been for those in the GLBT community who were paying attention to the new president-elects unifying speech. Yes, I realize that President Obama is black, and yes, I realize that we elected a young senator based on hope and change. My point with this is that the change goes much deeper than him NOT being white and NOT being George Bush. For those who have yet to really understand how encompassing the rhetoric of change is, I hope this helps.
Another important point (for me, personally) came yesterday during the Inaugural Address. Barack Hussein Obama presented his speech to the American people shortly after becoming president with a somber, yet optimistic view of the road ahead. Gone unnoticed by all but perhaps the Non-theistic of the world, was a small little recognition that came almost as a last minute addition to the no doubt thoroughly rehearsed speech.
We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers.
Wow, non-believers. ATHEISTS. Recognized. Finally. Non-believers make up approx. 15% of the U.S. population. That is a HUGE minority group. That is more than American Jews, Muslims, Buddhist, Hindu, UU, Eastern Orthodox, Seven day Adventists, Church of God members, Evangelicals, Assembly of God members, Jehovahs Witnesses, United church of Christ, Church of Christ, Mormons, Anglicans, and Pentecostals COMBINED. Despite their numbers, Atheists still are one of the most despised groups in the country. Some public recognition by the man who seems to be the most beloved man in the country right now is appreciated, Im sure.
Before I moved on, I wanted to mention one other quote from the Inaugural address that I really enjoyed. (The speech as a whole was a fairly mediocre; I think that a great many people were expecting a whole lot more) During his address, the new president took time to address the Muslim world. (Despite being an Atheist, I found this a little silly, as if Muslims didnt live all over the world.) The President redeemed this sloppy message with a quote that I hope will go down in the history books:
To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
Additionally, I wonder if I would have been one of the 5,309 kids that could have been sent to college for four years. If so, I shake my fist at the price of the inauguration activities. :]