Nov 05 2008
Yes we can… Obama wins!
Published by Jason Welker at 1:42 pm under Hope
And this is what he said to the world.
…This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America
About the author: Jason Welker teaches International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement Economics at Zurich International School in Switzerland. In addition to publishing various online resources for economics students and teachers, Jason developed the online version of the Economics course for the IB and is has authored two Economics textbooks: Pearson Baccalaureate’s Economics for the IB Diploma and REA’s AP Macroeconomics Crash Course.
Jason is a native of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and is a passionate adventurer, who considers himself a skier / mountain biker who teaches Economics in his free time. He and his wife keep a ski chalet in the mountains of Northern Idaho, which now that they live in the Swiss Alps gets far too little use. Read more posts by this authorNo related posts.
I unfortunately didn't hear Obamas speech, because I was asleep, when he was elected president. Quite extrordinary though how someone lived through so many time periods.
About what Obama said about the challenges: He will have a very hard job to fulfill, what he has promissed the people. He has to dramatically do something to the US Ecconomy to stop recession, which is happening right now in the US. However I'm really wondering how he is going to do this, because the 172 billion dollar package looks like it's not going to be enough. I'm also very sceptical about Iraq. America probably won't waste as much money in a useless war, however what will happen, once the soldiers are gone? Civil War and a return to tyrany and dictatorship, seeing that the Iraqian government is corrupt and not stable. Obama will also have lots of problems with the russian government, who wants to remain the domminant power in Eastern Europe. Obama faces countless of problems, of which some are barely solvable. It will be interesting to observe him working out solutions for these problems.
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This was an excellent speech. We have been studying a lot of Obama’s work in AP English Language and this has got to be one of his best speeches both in writing and performance. His use of rhetorical devices can rarely be matched by any other public speaker in today’s headlines. His style is quite similar to that of Martin Luther King Jr.; it is highly sophisticated yet understandable to the general public. I am a McCain fan; however I eagerly anticipate his time in Washington. While I disagree with many of his policies I feel that he might just be what the United States of America needs during this present time. I am interested in how he plans to jumpstart the nation’s economy through the use of tax cuts, tax reliefs and fair trade. As Justus has previously stated, Obama, is going to have to face various problems and make decisions that at times will not please everyone.
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I think Obama like Chris said writes extremely well, not only does it sound sophisticated but it is also understandable. I unfortunately did not hear all of Obama's speech but from what I have read above it sounds as though it was a fantastic speech and a huge moment in history for everyone. However in terms of Obama's policies I would like to address the some of them as we have been discussing one in particular in AP Microeconomics with Mr.Welker. In terms of his taxing policies I am two sided on the issue, I personally do not agree with the rich being taxed so heavily as I feel that in most circumstances they have worked hard to earn that money and do not deserve to have to give it up. However I do not see any alternative to the rich being taxed 38% of their income. I would like to know what other think on this matter and whether they think there are any other solutions to the issue?
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To reply to Joshs post,
I think it is fair enough to tax the very rich, because they can do well compared to middle class with a 38% income tax. For example, a family earning 10000 a month has a harder time paying around 20% of the income to the government compared to a rich person who needs to pay 38%, because the actual income left after the tax is still more than the family would have. I can't think of any alternatives that would encourage economics growth and be relatively fair to all members of the economy. Perhaps a measure of the work that they have done would be helpful, because by that someone could be assessed on how much they have actually done, therefore a rich person who just takes millions for a minor amount of work would have to pay more of that income compared to a person who gets only thousands and works in a factory.
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Unfortunately, I could not hear his speech because I was asleep. However from what I just read I feel it was a very comforting speech. Obama does have a lot of ground to take care of and no matter who was elected this is a very tough job. It is truly amazing to see America progressing and maturing however, I believe Obama is putting his life on the line. America may be growing but no matter where you are there is still racism and there is still hatred. I believe Obama will do an excellent job as president. He is a very smart man and can be very persuasive as Chris said we have been talking a lot about this in AP Language and been analyzing his speeches and he is truly a great speaker.
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Great speech, as I've come to expect from the rhetorical genius Barack Obama. Quite a change from what we've been used to the last 8 years. Now, in response to Obama's proposed tax policies, I suppose it's "fair" (although nothing is ever fair) to tax the super rich of society, although a person making $250,000 isn't exactly "super rich" in today's society (Obama's plan calls for raising taxes on households in that income class). One prevalent argument that I've heard in opposition to Obama's tax policy is that it hurts small businesses. I would be interested to find out exactly how valid this is. I read an article by Grover Norquist (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11670.html) that may have been biased but still presented some interesting points concerning the President-elect's tax policies. Apparently, under Obama's plan, "2/3 of all small-business income would be taxed at a 50% rate." I believe this is the conservative's concern when they warn that Obama's tax policies will discourage people from opening up small businesses. According to the article, the new policies would lead to increased tax evasion, the closing up of Main Street since small businesses create a majority of the jobs in America, and the wasting of plants and equipment.
I also think it is important to remember who people work for–companies. While it's good to have tax policies that benefit individuals directly, giving them more money to spend, we can't ignore the fact that people's incomes originate from their employers. We can not underestimate the importance of employing economic policies that benefit companies, leading to more jobs and better paychecks.
If I was writing this a couple days ago, I might include a summary of McCain's proposed tax policy, but as it doesn't really matter now, I'll just let you read the article for yourself.
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