Heartland for Change Tour
On Sept. 7, I attended the Barack Obama campaign stop in Winona as part of their “Heartland for Change Tour.” The focus of the discussion was the economy and jobs, but the very interested and engaged group that gathered at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse was equally interested in many issues that connect to these, such as health care, taxes and education.
Of course, in a roundtable discussion lasting a little more than an hour, the fine details of Sen. Obama’s proposals couldn’t be discussed, but I was very encouraged by the accessibility of campaign representatives and their desire to take the discussion to communities around Minnesota (they had been in Red Wing earlier that morning).
The all-important first step to good leadership is the willingness and ability to really listen to people and to seek out their opinions and hear their concerns.
These days, working families worry quite rightly about the weak economy, the risk to their job security and falling real estate values. They are concerned when they see jobs being sent overseas and the companies that outsource them being rewarded by tax breaks. The United States has a tremendously flexible and well-educated work force, and we truly need government policies that keep jobs here, create new jobs, and invest in new and emerging industries (such as renewable energy) that will ensure America’s future economic growth.
As a college professor, I worry about the job market that my students will enter upon graduation. In recent years, this has become increasingly challenging, both because fewer jobs exist and because the burden of student loans that graduates carry is growing steadily as student aid is cut. And now, thanks to the tightening of credit, even the loans are harder to obtain. These young people are eager to work hard, but they are increasingly squeezed out of the market.
We really do need change on several fronts. Sen. Obama and his representatives don’t pretend that these things will be easy, but they are, in my opinion, focusing on the right problems and working to formulate real solutions. I am very encouraged that similar conversations are happening at the local level across our state and country. This is exactly how real people address real concerns and find lasting solutions.
Of course, in a roundtable discussion lasting a little more than an hour, the fine details of Sen. Obama’s proposals couldn’t be discussed, but I was very encouraged by the accessibility of campaign representatives and their desire to take the discussion to communities around Minnesota (they had been in Red Wing earlier that morning).
The all-important first step to good leadership is the willingness and ability to really listen to people and to seek out their opinions and hear their concerns.
These days, working families worry quite rightly about the weak economy, the risk to their job security and falling real estate values. They are concerned when they see jobs being sent overseas and the companies that outsource them being rewarded by tax breaks. The United States has a tremendously flexible and well-educated work force, and we truly need government policies that keep jobs here, create new jobs, and invest in new and emerging industries (such as renewable energy) that will ensure America’s future economic growth.
As a college professor, I worry about the job market that my students will enter upon graduation. In recent years, this has become increasingly challenging, both because fewer jobs exist and because the burden of student loans that graduates carry is growing steadily as student aid is cut. And now, thanks to the tightening of credit, even the loans are harder to obtain. These young people are eager to work hard, but they are increasingly squeezed out of the market.
We really do need change on several fronts. Sen. Obama and his representatives don’t pretend that these things will be easy, but they are, in my opinion, focusing on the right problems and working to formulate real solutions. I am very encouraged that similar conversations are happening at the local level across our state and country. This is exactly how real people address real concerns and find lasting solutions.
posted by Patrick O'Shea | 12:53 PM
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