I will never forget Nov. 5, 2008.

I remember crying tears of joy as President-elect Barack Obama gave his election victory speech on that cold Chicago night to more than 240,000 people.

America — a country that used to view African Americans as nothing more than farming equipment just a handful of generations ago — had now elected their first black president.

What a triumphant day for this country.

Not only because of the cultural significance but because, at least for me, America had finally elected a liberal who was going to reshape America into a land better than it had been previously.

I saw in Obama three things I felt were sorely needed in our country that were now going to be remedied — three things Obama campaigned for, in the most fervent of ways, from coast to coast.

The first thing was universal healthcare.

Never again would being poor or having a pre-existing condition mean you could be denied medical care.

No more would middle-class families have to struggle with second jobs and loans to pay for medical care.

The second was a reprieve and an end to the most dangerous ideology this country has ever entertained — neo conservatism.

Neo conservatism is a fancy way of saying that the best way for our country to be safe and prosperous is to actively spread our ideas and way of life around the world, even if it takes force to do so.

After nearly a decade of fighting, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were finally going to end, and Guantanamo Bay would close.

America was not to be trigger happy.

We were going to be proud of the way we do things — our way of life — but not arrogant enough to think that every other country should imitate us. After all, we’re supposed to learn things from each other.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the average American was going to receive a helping hand from Uncle Sam with better schools, improved roads and the return of manufacturing jobs.

Now, I did not believe just any president could achieve everything Obama was promising, but I did believe — like many Americans — that his most cherished, fundamental beliefs would translate into at least a few major pieces of legislation.

Unfortunately, it’s been three years and Obamacare is nowhere to be found, at least not until 2014.

We are still at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Guantanamo Bay is still open and will probably continue to stay open despite officially closing.
We have even managed to pick up a third conflict in Libya.

Middle class Americans are struggling, with issues like jobs and affording a college education, more so now than they have since the Great Depression.

What a disappointment.

But here’s the lesson learned, and it is one our parents could have probably told us before we voted for Obama.

No politician can solve our problems.

If anything they will only add to those stuggles and the issues we are facing.

They care about being re-elected — it is a job for them.

They simply do not care about us enough to put talking points aside and compromise on the tough issues facing this country.

Now is the time to stop trusting our future to big government and big corporations.

Americans need to start taking care of themselves and each other because nobody is going to do it for us, especially the liars in Washington.

BY DAVID WOODSON

Newscast Editor

dwoodson@imail.iu.edu