Time to get moving

By Fester:

Let the reconstruction begin....

I am looking forward to a lot of fights with potentially positive pay-offs instead of strictly damage control and damage limitation pay-offs. 

Addendum (by Cernig)

Here's the text of Obama's inaugural address in full.

No detail, but then it's not that kind of occasion. Still, what a great speech to set a tone and agenda to live up to.

Economic Stimulus, healthcare, energy, education:

The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

Accountability, sensible regulation, transparency:

...And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

Warmongering, torture, rendition, illegal detentions:

...As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.

Iraq, Afghanistan, nuclear proliferation, global warming:

...We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

Soft Power, diplomacy:

...To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. 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.

Third World aid, corporate imperialism:

...To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.

That's one heck of an agenda. Even before it's started, some conservatives are saying they hope it fails. Rush Limbaugh, for instance. I won't call him disloyal, or a traitor, as he and his ilk so often did as they accused others of hating Bush so much they wanted America to fail. He's entitled to his opinion (presumably that America should have more of the same failed agenda from the last eight years) even if it's the opinion of a bedwetting, naysaying jerk.

Comments

[Jspencer]

I just looked outside. The dent is still in my truck and it still is twenty degrees. Guess I will have to be patient.