We cannot wait for change

Presidential nominee Barack Obama made a stop along his campaign trail this past week and spoke at the College on Mar. 31, in Memorial Hall, to a very enthusiastic and overwhelmingly large crowd. He spoke as plainly as he could in order to address the very mixed crowd that surrounded him. He addressed issues important to college students, senior citizens, and parents. He emphasized his main arguments on education, health insurance, and of course, the war in Iraq.

His slogan is "Change we can believe in" and that is the focus of his campaign. He catered to the common man, reiterating that if our voices are not heard, there will be no change. He opened and closed his speech with why he was running for president: "because it is time for change... if we are ready to shake things up... the time is now." He wants to be an advocate for the people "to stop talking about the outrage and start doing something about it." He wants to create a country that is fair for all Americans, one that supports the worker and his family. That is why he has chosen to run now as a relatively young candidate. There is no time to wait. This is not for glory, but for what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called, "The fierce urgency of now."

He outlined his platform, beginning with health insurance and social security, stating that no one in this country should be without proper healthcare. With his plan, no one will be excluded because of a pre-existing condition and if they cannot afford it, it will be subsidized. For those who cannot afford prescription medication, a negotiation for cheaper drugs will occur. Obama believes that this should "be a healthcare system, not a disease care system."

As for his plan to improve America's education system, he believes that every student should have access to a well-rounded and comprehensive education from the very beginning. He wants to focus on more than standardized testing. He wants students to experience art, music, literature, and all those subjects that can help make students into good citizens. He is more concerned with America producing good people, than he is with good test scores. The test scores he'll take of course, but he wants more than numbers - he wants a cultivated personality.

As for those attending college, he wants to make it a privilege that every citizen can afford. As an incentive he wants to offer a four thousand dollar tuition credit to all students, every year. However, students will have to earn the credit through national or local service work, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter or joining the Peace Corp.

Amid the cheers from the numerous colleges represented at the speech (Muhlenberg, Cedar Crest, Lehigh, Lafayette and Moravian), Obama stated, "If you invest in America, we will invest in you and together we will march this company forward."

His other plans to help the working and middle class families include tax breaks to middle class families as well as fair trade and support for all businesses, big and small. He believes that "if you work in this country you should not be poor," and is therefore going to do all in his power to maintain that ideal.

As for his views on the war in Iraq, he remains as opposed to it now as he was in 2002. According to him, the country has put ten million dollars a month into Iraq for the past six years. That money, he says, could be going back into our own country to rebuild railroads, roads, and the American infrastructure as a whole. According to Obama, by bolstering our economy we are helping our national security because then we can be strong in a crisis. By strengthening our own country, it may not be necessary to shatter another.

He believes that not only is it time to end this war, but the mindset that got us into it. He wants to make sure that 9/11 is used as a way to unite the country rather than a war excuse. He wants to create a sense of diplomacy with all world leaders. He wants America to be seen as a force that promotes peace and justice throughout the world, rather than unnecessary violence.

He wants to bring our troops home, preferably within sixteen months of taking office. By withdrawing one to two brigades a month he hopes to have our entire forces home safely. But he will not stop there. He wants to make sure that the "tremendous strain" on our military families is lessened through the issue of their benefit checks as well as proper healthcare for veterans. "No more homeless veterans, no more post traumatic stress syndrome!" he said, to a wildly applauding crowd.

The crowd devoured his every word and if the noise level was any indication of the success of his speech, then he could certainly call this stop a successful one. Those in attendance and those who later caught the coverage on such channels as CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox News or CNN saw a man who is passionate about his beliefs and bringing change to a country that desperately needs it.

The impression one was left with was that of a hard-working politician who believes in the power of good judgment while asking the right questions. The Democratic nomination in the state of Pennsylvania will be decided on Apr. 22, when the primary votes are cast.