Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Obama's speech to Congress and the Nation

I loved it. I thought it was inspirational, logical, rational, struck the right tones - optimistic, challenging, uplifting... a great speech. The right speech for the right time.

I liked what he said - about not quiting and that the seeds of recover are in our hands if we don't succumb to cynicism and self-doubt. I think too often we look at our problems and can't see a way out. The glass is always half-empty... if we continue to focus on the bad - we will be discouraged.

"The answers to our problems don't lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities, in our fields and our factories, in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth," he said. "What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face and take responsibility for our future once more."

This is the message I heard - Don't give up. We can come back from this. We need to learn what went wrong and move on. We need to work together etc..

I also hope that other nations - esp. the ones in Africa and Indonesia - will take heed of Obama. And perhaps his actions will inspire a new generation of leaders who will emulate his example. God knows Africa needs good leaders who will help the people rather than exploit them.

Let's be hopeful now.



4 comments:

Andrew Hall said...

but the question is did it inspire you to put all your money onto the American stockmarket? Talk is one thing, but lets see the inspiration and optimism turn into action on wall street.... It'll probably drop further overnight on the back of this wave of patriotic warm and fuzzy good feeling.

Yauming YMC said...

Why should it inspire me to do such a foolish thing as to invest ALL my money into the stockmarket. Only morons or fools with egos to stroke do such things. The smart cookies would usually set aside a reserve 80% to 20% in fixed income cash - having all your cash in the stock market is like daily driving with an average speed of 200km/h on suburban streets. Its just a recipe for disaster.

Andrew Hall said...

you've interpreted it too literally... what I'm saying is talk is fine, its the action that is needed. That's exactly why I said the market will probably drop further. The reality is, sweet talking, patriotism etc. is fine, but America needs more than this, it's needs a solution. I'm not sure rhetoric is going anywhere there at the moment.

Yauming YMC said...

Yep. Its just hot air if he doesn't deliver. There's a lot of pork and waste to cut out and a lot of toes he needs to step on... well, we'll see.