The Country wanted Change

During the Nov. 4, election, for better or worst sixty-three percent of Franklin County voters, voted for the status quo, while the vast majority of the electorate across the Country voted for Hope and Change.

While I concede that every voter has the right to vote, as they will, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the sixty-three percent of Franklin County voters really understood the message coming from the Campaign for Change.

The message of Change that I heard reverberating across this country sounded like a middle class tax cut, universal healthcare, and a strong economy. Here at home, the message echoed was sympathetic toward the plight of the local seafood industry, as it relates to the reduction of freshwater flowing down the Apalachicola/Chattahoochee/Flint River system and a pledged from the candidate to make protecting Florida’s water resources a priority. Throughout the World, the message heard was a message of hope, trust and an end to the Iraqi War.

This is something that every hard working American struggling to make ends meet, should have been able to embrace, especially our local seafood workers.

In addition, this message of Change came from the only candidate (based upon the election results) whom most American’s believed had the necessary qualifications to handle the job. His credentials included a law degree from Harvard Law School; he was a practicing civil rights attorney, a junior U.S. Senator from Illinois, a three terms Illinois State Senator, a constitutional law professor, a graduate of Columbia University and the first African-American to serve as the president of the Harvard Law Review.

His extraordinary display of character is also commendable.

As he stood steadfast on the issues, the opposition launched untrue charges of Muslim, Arab, terrorist, unpatriotic, liar, and antichrist at him like a volley of Iraqi Scud Missiles.

He showed even greater character after the election and during his acceptance speech when he pledged to unite all Americans, regardless of whether they were blue, red, democrats, republicans, blacks, or whites to find solutions to the problems plaguing this country.

The speech sounded to me as if the President-elect was advocating one America, united and working together for the benefit of all. I don’t know about Franklin County, but the Country and the rest of World understood that this is exactly what America needed.

When I really think about it all, I’m reminded of the song released by rock singer Sheryl Crow in 1997, titled, “A Change will do you good”.

Click play on the player to hear the title track "A Change will do you good".