Congratulations, Senator President-Elect Barack Obama. You have won the Presidency. Good luck with that; you’re going to need it.

Truth is, despite the historical nature of having elected the first African-American President in this country’s history, not much in the US has changed. The economy is still reeling, there is still conflict in the Middle East, and the world still doesn’t care that much about us, even with “their boy” being elected. We’ve still got miles to go, and it’s not going to be easy. So, in the spirit of coming together, allow me to make a few suggestions as to what needs to be done going forward.

1. Social Justice - You’re probably think I’ve gone soft on this, but there’s more a potential for the Obama administration to screw up here than you think. If there is really going to be change made by the Democrats, it has to start with being truly just. This means actually administering according to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. Champion rights for gay people. Give immigrants a fair shot at becoming US citizens (but please, still require a working knowledge of the English language). Be truly pro-choice, and let women have children if they want to have them. Most importantly, don’t let the rich get away with crimes. Make up for the mistakes of the bailouts by holding people accountable for their actions. Doing such may hurt us in the short term, but in the long run, it will do us a world of good.
2. The Iraq Debacle - It’s not going to be as easy to fix this as one would think. We are too far in to just pull out in one shot. The best withdrawal plan I’ve heard of is a phased withdrawal; it might take a longer period of time than some people are comfortable with, but I believe it will be less harmful overall than if we just disappear in short order. The situation in Iraq [i]will[/i] destabilize if we just up and pull out.
3. Religious Freedom - This is somewhat of a subset of the first mention point, but it is a bit of a concern. We cannot allow the United States of America to be even further unbalanced by persecution from any fringe group, be they fundamentalist or radical atheist. If Obama is truly the intelligent man he appears to be, surely he must recognize that the fringe groups are not the rule in all religions but rather the exception. He must condemn the extremists as separate groups from Christianity, Islam, and atheism. He must recommend that the greater community find ways to co-exist.
4. Rebuild Independence -The only way the US can repair its relationships with other countries to become stronger within itself. This includes finding ways to develop its own energy and become less reliant on other nations. It also means that we must start producing and sending out as much or more than we take in. We’ve been falling behind in trade due to importing cheaper goods from China and other countries. Our own goods are taxed so as to make them too expensive to send out. This must change. Once the US is able to stand on its own two feet again, the world will take notice. We have not been able to do so for almost 60 years, since the second World War.

These are but a few of the things I would like to see happen in the next four years. Maybe some of them are pipe dreams, but I truly believe we’ve got a lot to do if the US is going to continue being a superpower, or even to regain that status. I’ll probably post up more in later days as I can think of them…and I’d like for all of us to write up, if only for ourselves, the causes we would be willing to fight for going forward. If nothing else, it’s an exercise that will hold a mirror up to ourselves, to see where we as individuals need to improve ourselves. After all, the rebuilding of America will start with us.