America And My Dreams

A few impressions on the election now that we have all had time for it to sink in. I feel much like Paul Krugman who said.
I'm not feeling giddy as much as greatly relieved. .... I have a vision maybe just a hope of a great revulsion: a moment in which the American people look at what is happening, realize how their good will and patriotism have been abused, and put a stop to this drive to destroy much of what is best in our country.
Much about the Democrats and their track record gives me reason to fear they will not step to the plate on many issues. Most hopefully though this will put an end to ideaologues appointed to the Supreme Court and other positions in the government. I am somewhat less hopeful that we will be able to come anywhere close to fully revealing the illegitimacy and unconstitutionality of this administration. From habeas corpus stealing, wiretapping and spying on Americans. That to me is what I most want to see. The restoration of our rights as Americans and seeing the country living by the high ideals it once represented. I'm not that worried about anybody going to jail if we can expose the wrong doing enough for the American people to understand. The violators living the rest of their lives in shame and the restoration of our reputation around the world would be enough for me. This to me would be the greatest accomplishment but it will be hard because....
Yes, it has already started. A number of sheeple on the right are already whining about "endless investigations" etc. Certainly if that was all that was happening that would be bad for the country. There are no doubt tons of other things that need to get done. I would hope we could do more than one thing at a time though. I can think of nothing more important than investigations into all the wrong doing that has taken place. Especially since some wingnuts have been brainwashed into believing that non occurred! The fact that they are vociferously opposed and think it need not happen it is one big reason it needs so badly to happen.
I feel good about the idea that we will see a raise in the minimum wage. I am also hopeful that our government will actually start to do some things that will do something that will actually make us safer from terrorism. Protecting ourselves starts at home. It appears some action is imminent.
Can we make America more or less self sufficent again? Can we get off oil and on to renewable energy? Can we stop the bleeding of jobs going overseas? Can we incentivize small business so it has an honest chance against corporate titans? Can we find a way to make health care a reasonable proposition for all? These things I am less hopeful about at least in the short term. I hope I am pleasantly suprised.
Of course Iraq was said to be a or "the" major issue. Quite likely it was. I think no one to speak of has the answer yet. I think we need to involve the Arab league. As it has devolved into a civil war and with Iran on the doorstep the only answer that will be acceptable will be one in which the Arabs have a primary role. They need to have a stake in it. An American solution will never be accepted by the greater middle east and it is apparent that the Iraqis are no where close to being able to solve it democratically.
Finally, another great hope that I have is that the right wing talk show nutcases Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Boortz, Beck, O,Liely et al will be taken for the knee jerk reactionaries that they are. Their venom and personality/character assassination driven drivel is doing nothing to advance the countries dialouge on anything. They are useless and actually harmful to the country coming up with solutions to our problems. Limbaugh has already come out and said something to the effect that he is glad that the current cabal lost because he no longer has to defend them. Why the hell did he do it in the first place if he didn't think they were doing the right thing!? Who will ever know what he really believes? What ever he gets paid to say? It is not a true discussion it is an advertisement. Everyday. Just a three hour commercial.
There of course are a multitude of issues that need to be dealt with but I think these are the overriding issues that will provide the framework to return our country to its status as a respected superpower. What do you think?