Change is here!!!!: Let's hope we are also ready to change

It has finally happened; the first African American has been sworn into office and with that we begin a new chapter in American History. Throughout his campaigning, Barack ran under the mantle of change and hope. Few can argue that he is a charismatic and skillful orator as well as a respectable human being. However, we will now see if he can really deliver on his promises of fixing the nation and unite us all as well as repairing the image of our country abroad. Whether one is a liberal or a conservative, a rather narrow view of Americans in my opinion, there is no question that there are many challenges facing us today that require swift and bold action as the president himself has said in many occasions. Yet, that requires smart policies and thoughtful leaders as well as proactive citizens more than sweet words. So will the new president come out as the savior of the nation?, or as the villain who precipitated our demise even more? Personally I think neither will come true. Obama is clearly a smart individual who has surrounded himself with many other talented and experienced people (whether they are the right picks is a different story), but that won't be enough. It will also require a dramatic attitude from us, the citizens of this country, to kick our country back in the right track. We must spend less time watching reality TV shows or other TV programs and read more and learn even more. Many times we blame politicians for the woes of the country but we always forget that we elect them. We also forget that they commit frauds and perpetually disappoint us because we never ask questions. We never fully read propositions or new laws and we are easily swayed by TV ads rather than by logic and healthy debate with fellow Americans. Obama has a plan for America, whether it is good or not time will tell, but one thing is for sure, no matter how many ideas, no matter who they come from, they will not work unless we make them work: We will never accomplish anything meaningful as long as we relegate our responsibilities to our politicians and leaders. Our leaders, and especially our new president, are here to carry out the will of the people, but we must also make sure that our will is reasonable and educated. We cannot let our emotions, biases, or other feelings, speak for ourselves. Neither can we demand something without first giving it some genuine thought and debate. I sincerely hope Obama does a good job, I'm not expecting miracles or anything remotely close to that. What I expect is someone who will put the nation first, the rule of law, and the ideals on which this nation was founded. I expect a president who will listen to new ideas and if they are sound and good will have the character to carry them out. I expect a president that will not go fixing the country by himself but that will engage the rest of us to fix it. I also expect the rest of the government to act on behalf of the people and support Obama when it makes sense to do so, and when his policies are beneficial for us. I also expect them to oppose him when they are pernicious to our country.I expect a president that will accept when he is wrong and quickly correct course. I expect a president that will lay out a good foundation for the economy and other issues that matter to us and not one that will save us in the short term and doom us for the future. Nothing will get done right away but there are certainly ways to start making real change happen. So how do we know that Obama is doing something good for the country? The answer lies in what policies he enacts. Since nothing will improve right away the decisions and laws he puts into effect will give us a good indication. Nevertheless, and this is the gist of it, "We must carefully study those policies and ideas". We must research them thoroughly and not just listen to what the news experts say. More often than not they only give a one-sided version of the truth and usually care more about their own personal gains as well as the success of their network than us. We need to read, read, read, and read even more. Not all of us will understand all of the details but we can certainly grasp more by doing so than when we are being spoon-fed tiny bits of information when they deem appropriate. We all have busy lives, we need to cope with many problems, not just the economy, but if we care about our country, our children, and ourselves, we must do a serious effort. Real change does not come from the outside but from within. Obama may have run under the slogan of change, but now it is up to us, Americans, to carry that slogan to the finish line, and maybe, just maybe, Mr. Obama will meet us there. Real change is up to "US".