Patience

I feel compelled to write tonight just to get some of my recent thoughts on politics out there and into the world.
President Obama gave an incredible speech tonight. I was transfixed and amazed at the wisdom of this leader of ours. But it is not the speech that is driving me to write, I've been wanting to write about my thoughts for days now.

To be frank, I've been incredibly annoyed at the media (NPR!) for constantly saying "Americans are angry" (about jobs, the economy, bank bailouts, blah blah blah). So, I want to be clear. I am not one of those angry Americans. In fact, I'm not angry at all. I am patient. And I am amazed at the lack of patience many (half?) Americans seem to have. President Obama inherited 8 years of mistakes. Surely he could not be expected to fix all these mistakes in one year? To think otherwise is naive at best.
Although I was elated and relieved that Obama was elected (obviously), I was also very nervous. I remember telling Jay that I hoped people didn't expect a completely new America in one year. I hoped that Americans would realize change doesn't occur quickly, especially with our divided politics. And, sadly (at least before his speech) this seems to be the case.
I can only hope that his inspiring speech will strike a cord with some Republicans and Democrats. I hope that both parties can get past their silly and childish behaviors to take care of pressing items that need serious attention (ummmm - like health care and climate change). We can't bicker about loss of jobs if there is no livable planet to bicker on! That is an exaggeration, I know.... but sometimes I think we forget how important it is to take care of our habitat.
I could go on and on about politics. I haven't been thrilled with the stagnant waters around climate change policies, I can't believe the Supreme Court's decision last week, I am shocked that many Americans don't want health care reform (hellooooo out there? why don't we want to provide health care for everyone? who are we???), and I dream of equal rights for ALL people (black, white, gay, lesbian, Native Americans). But I know I can't always get my way. What I don't understand is why even reaching a compromise it so completely impossible. If both sides are a little unhappy, maybe that also means both sides are a little happy. And isn't that better than the stagnant and stinky water we are treading in now?