PETERSON | Obama makes statement

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On Tuesday evening, President Barack Obama drew out an idea for how the United States will get out of the economic travesty that has ravaged our country as of late.

Any normal person would consider Obama making modest proposals to slowly recover our losses and not suggest anything too risky. However, that night’s presidential address clearly sounded like there was opportunity beyond measure still to be found.

Of course, the giant elephant in the room (that wasn’t the Republican Party) was the housing crisis. What would Obama say to alleviate our fears of declining home values, foreclosure and the crushing reality of being displaced suddenly and tragically? Obama made clear his intention to establish lower interest rates between loan-issuing banks and for those who lived responsibly within their means but were still being let go by the banks to fend for themselves.

Obama also laid out plans for creating millions of jobs for Americans who are hoping to stay employed or to become newly employed, preventing any further bleeding of jobs that various public and private entities have been forced to shed in order to balance their worksheets.

Additionally, Obama appealed to the American audience within the halls of Congress and across the nation that the time to act and change our old ways is now. He stated that our energy infrastructure, health care system and education programs are mired in the archaic paradigms of the 20th century. For too long we have kicked these issues down the road, and now, when the economy is in its most dire shape, we have become too hamstrung to fix it because of the costs of inadequate sources of energy, bloated health care payments and dilapidated school districts and colleges.

The best way to reach ourselves out of this mess is to take an existing problem and solve it as tirelessly as possible, all the while showing as much confidence despite the bellowing squall around us. Obama has exhibited unnatural amounts of confidence, and we all can take a page from his example. Besides, what alternative is there other than looking for the best out of everyone else around you?

In much the same way that JFK challenged his fellow Americans to, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,” Obama challenges us to do what is necessary to repair the damage that has been done and to quit distrusting others on the account of what has transpired. Sure, a lot of people are hurting and are vehemently reluctant to rely on an economy that short-changed them, but continuing to do nothing about it is not going to fare any better.

The time for making a difference has come, and there has never been as crucial a moment for difference-making than right now.