The One Constant IS Change

While I am confident of our country's resilience, and I'm confident of the ability of the incoming president and his chosen leadership team, and I'm confident of the ability of our country's population to "ask what they can do for their country"; there are yet numerous unknowns. First of all, inviting Mariah Carey to sing at his Inaugural Ball? Is this a representative example of his presidential thinking? Does she even know how to stay on a single note for more than one beat? Her singing actually makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. (I'm sure part of the intensity of my dislike resides in the fact she reminds me of my ex-sister-in-law). Between this decision and his family's choice of dog, he is shaking my confidence right out of the gate.

So, you say, these are actually unimportant decisions and don't count in the big scheme of things but I'm looking for trends, let's hope he makes no third weird or poor decision in the near-term, which would most certainly take the charm.

What are the other potentially disruptive possibilities that keep me awake at night?
- Any physical harm coming to the president and/or his family (after revisiting scores of times, the view of the rifle fire that hit Kennedy, the potential for this terrifies me)
- Wondering whether US business executives (including the financial services industry) have truly learned crime doesn't pay
- Another US terrorist hit
- Full-scale depression
- Nuclear war (every third world country appears to be in a state of supreme unrest)
- Having the Inaugural Poet(m) fall flat on her (its) face
- Never having sufficient financial income to enable me (us) to retire
- Trying to decide what I can do to to fulfill my support of my country and my president; what about you?

There are terms coming out of the new administration that are actually oxymoron's in the current environment but are generating tremendous excitement and cockeyed optimism amongst the masses:
- transparency
- rigor
- expectations
- accountability
- planning
- sustainability
- fiscal responsibility
- protecting/supporting the middle class
'What does this new president think, he's running a business? FINALLY.

It's another sunny day in the neighborhood, the perfect setting for optimism and hope, two emotions that have been buried deep for the last eight years. I'm anxious to see if Obama can exceed a never before seen level of expectations of him out of the gate. Here's to Tuesday!