Yes we can!

Today is an exciting day for Obama and his family. Historical, certainly. He is our first mixed-race president, after all. Think about it - it's been barely 40 years since segregation legally ended (1968). This is the guy who, as a child, had to drink from a separate fountain from the whites. And now he's our President. A lot of people are saying that we've made great strides as a society since then.

I don't really agree. Yes, we've made some progress toward true equality. But race inequality still exist. Actually, that's a topic I'd like to explore another time. Back on topic at hand.

People are also saying that today marks a change in our trend. I do agree that most people, on the whole, are more optimistic. This is a guy whose whole personality and set of values and mores are so vastly different from what we're used to. Not necessarily better. Just different. It's...refreshing.

Am I excited? A little. Optimistic? Not yet. I'm reserved. After I hear and see with my own eyes what Obama does in not just his first 100 days but also his first 100 minutes, I'll let myself feel excited. Obama is so pro-green, so pro-biofuels, in support of women's rights, etc. I truly hope that he achieves what he said he would. I want to believe that he will. We'll see.

President Bush, though well meaning, did some damage, unfortunately. He banned stem-cell research, supported turning over Roe vs. Wade (hasn't been yet) - and appointed the Supreme Court Judges that would support his views. He also supported drilling for oil along our coasts and in Alaska. He also fought each and every request to declare an animal endangered - why? Because it would've cost his supporters money to comply with the regulations to preserve the endangered critters' environment. Those are just a few examples of what Bush did or supported that goes wholly against my views.

And there was the no-child-left-behind act. This is a good example of a good intention gone awry. A lot of people supported this without fully realizing the consequences. I don't fault Bush for this, but his name is on the bill. The program needs further fine-tuning.

In the first 100 minutes - yes, minutes - Obama is expected to revert several rulings that Bush made. A full report probably will be made tomorrow (Jan 21); I haven't heard anything on the news yet regarding this.

In short...this is a post about nothing.