Post election reflection

Greetings,

I was second in line at my polling station yesterday morning. The guy in front of me got there at 5:45 a.m.--there would be no beating him to the polls. I had to pause and blink my eyes a couple of times to assure myself that I really was voting for the First African American nominee. I cast my vote and late last night, after a day of volunteering and an evening with friends, Jodie and I bought airline tickets to D.C. for the inauguration!

But there is still work to do. While we voted in the first African American president yesterday, Nebraska also voted in a ban on affirmative action that is so broad it could prevent the government from funding things like Breast Cancer screening, Prostate Cancer Research, and domestic violence shelters.

WE must work to bring our nation together to combat the challenges before us. WE must create the spirit of care and concern for our neighbors that denies the rhetoric of "every man for himself" and lifts up the ideal that I prosper when we all prosper. One leader, no matter how strong, can accomplish what we need done. It takes a community, dare I say an organized community, engaged in the local issues that effect our common interests. It takes people engaged in the process, willing to hold leaders accountable for both their action and inaction. It takes faith in something more, that the way things are, are not how they have to be. It takes desire, hope, and determination. It takes work.

The vote is cast; now, the work begins. J+