Two
weeks ago, when the
election was over, I
was in Germany and
have to tell you
what I read and
heard hacked me off.
No, it was not the
outcome of the
election that made
me mad, even though
my candidate didn’t
get elected; I was
fine with the voice
of the people. We’ll
just have to wait
and see what happens
now. Putting your
campaign promises
into the real world
takes a lot of doing
and I’m anxious to
see if the current
president elect has
what it takes to get
the job done for all
of us.
What ticked me about
the Europeans was
the fact that they
were gloating over
the fact that in
their minds after
154 years, the Civil
War was finally
over. As if it had
been going on all
these years. Where
have these people
been?
I think it’s a great
testimony to this
country to have
elected Barack Obama
to the highest
office in the land.
I don’t agree with
his philosophy or
the concepts he has
put forth, but as I
said, once reality
sets in, we’ll see
if everything he has
promised will or can
come to fruition.
However, having said
that it surprises me
that the Europeans
seem to have a low
opinion of us as a
country and that
somehow we would
never be able to
elect a minority to
the office of
President; I don’t
see France or
Germany rushing to
elect anyone who
appears to be a
minority. In fact
all I hear from the
folks in those
countries is
complaining about
all of the people
moving in from other
places.
I grew up in the
south in a
segregated society.
As a kid I remember
seeing the signs for
different water
fountains, restrooms
and entrances into
movie theaters. I
can remember the
first time I ever
saw a black man sit
down in a restaurant
and order something
to eat. Personally I
thought segregation
was stupid. The
first black person I
ever got to know on
a first hand basis
roomed with me when
I was in the Army.
It didn’t bother
either of us. Both
of us drank beer,
liked the same kinds
of food and music
and wanted to go
home. Nothing wrong
with that in my
book.
After I became a
plain clothes cop in
Houston, Texas I can
honestly say we
enforced the law
equally among all
races and weren’t
partial to anyone.
When you get
birthday cards and
Christmas cards from
people you have put
in jail, then you
have this feeling in
your heart that you
must be pretty fair
to all concerned. I
can remember many
Christmas eves when
we would round up
all of the ladies of
the night and turn
them loose and tell
them to go home and
stay off the
streets. These were
not all white women.
My impartially to
doing my job led to
many a discussion
with some of my
supervisors who
didn’t always agree
with our methods of
policing. We didn’t
care, as far as we
were concerned the
law was the law,
regardless of
anyone’s color. I
also know that many
a police officer was
allowed to go into
back rooms of black
restaurants and eat
some of the best
barbeque and pork
chops I have ever
had in my life. We
never felt out of
place or that we
were treated any
different from
anyone else. It was
just the way it was.
If you wanted good
food, this is what
you did.
All of us were just
trying to make a
living for our
families. That’s
what this country is
all about and how we
got here in the
first place.
Life isn’t easy and
it certainly isn’t
fair. I cannot say
to someone of
another race… “I
know how you feel”
because I don’t.
Being a male
Caucasian in this
country certainly
has had advantages,
but do I feel that I
am better than
others? Not hardly.
I also feel that we
as a country have
made great strides
in leveling the
playing field for
all of our citizens
and to make up for
injustices made in
the past. We have
along way to go, but
so does the world.
We’re not perfect,
we’re just humans.
Since countries are
comprised of human
beings, it seems
only natural that
they must grow as
the country matures.
Young nations as
well as children
make mistakes as we
all have in the
past. We learn from
those mistakes and
move forward. Not
backward.
Last week, an
African American
lady in our hometown
wrote an article in
our local paper
expressing her
pleasure at having
been in a
supermarket and
having a white
cashier smile at her
while she was
checking out. I felt
sad when I read
this. Obviously this
lady had never met
me, I smile at
everyone and the
majority smile back.
Yes, the war is
over, it has been
for a long time, we
need to move on and
show the world that
we are a bigger
people than they
seem to think we
are. I don’t think
they have been
looking as well.tel in Berlin. I
woke at five this
morning to see what
CNN had to say about
yesterdays election.
By the time I got
the television on…
it was all over but
the shouting.
At breakfast this
morning, the English
papers were
reporting the event.
Now the long knives
start to come out.
Not much of a
honeymoon if you ask
me. No, the papers
in this part of the
world, who had
previously been so
pro-Obama now are
starting to question
what effect his
election will have
upon the European
community. Will his
election and his
lack of experience
work for or against
the other nations in
the world? Questions
were raised
concerning the
amount of money
Senator Obama had
raised for his
campaign. How could
a junior first term
senator raise over
600 million dollars
in such a short
time? An
unprecedented
amount. Where did
this money come from
and who will Senator
Obama be beholden to
as a result? Where
do any of these
candidates of any
election come up
with the huge sums
they need to get
into office? You and
I both know the
answer to that
question.
The Americans at
this conference were
being asked many
questions. The
European’s
attraction to Obama
had quickly
translated into a
growing fear that
his promises cannot
or might not be
fulfilled without
major changes to the
United States
economy. There can
no argument that our
economy has a direct
effect on the world.
It’s fairly easy to
identify those of us
from the States, and
at least ten
Europeans have
advised me that they
are certainly glad
that the race is
finally over. They
seem to be as tired
of it as most of
are.
The issue at it now
stands is whether or
not the new
administration will
actually get
anything done. One
of the more watched
you-tube videos this
past month was of an
Obama supporter
claiming that she
hoped he was elected
as she believed if
this happened she
would not have to
pay her mortgage or
ever buy any gas for
her car.
Bunkie, this isn’t
going to happen. I
hate to disappoint
her, but she
shouldn’t be looking
for this kind of new
deal anytime soon.
If it does happen,
we’re all in bigger
trouble than I
thought. I hate to
burst this woman’s
balloon but in case
she didn’t know it,
the government is
not a for-profit
entity. In spite of
what we see on
television, they do
not ‘make’ or
‘create’ any money.
Oh sure, they
‘print’ money, but
they don’t actually
earn any money. We,
the taxpayers and
business owners are
the ones who
actually create the
wealth in this
country which is
then passed along to
the government as
required. Contrary
to what a lot of
people believe the
word ‘profit’ is not
a four letter word.
If there was no
profit in being in
business, very few
of us would do so
for any length of
time and more of us
would go to work for
the government in
some form or
fashion. The basic
laws of economics
suggest that unless
you have more
revenue coming in
than you have
payments going out,
you will go broke.
We’ve all been in
the situation at the
grocery store where
we had to take
something back as we
didn’t have enough
cash or credit to
pay for everything
we had in our
baskets. Now,
multiply that
concept millions of
times over and see
if we give our more
than we bring in,
the shortfall has to
come from somewhere.
This somewhere is
either through
inflation (printing
more money) or
increased taxation.
In business we would
either increase the
revenue by
attracting more
customers or reduce
our cost by becoming
more efficient. When
was the last time
you heard of any
governmental program
becoming efficient?
We should admit that
the election does
show that the United
States has made a
great deal of
progress along
racial lines. I have
always contended
that racial issues
in our country were
blown out of
proportion by those
who could benefit
from continual
conflict. Be that as
it may, the
Europeans took the
position that a
change from the
previous 43
presidents would
indeed be a good
thing. We will all
have to wait and see
if looks and
charisma can achieve
anything of major
significance.
For our sake as well
as the rest of the
world, I certainly
hope that it does.
