I want it to be January 20, 2009 again...

[Gravitycollapse]

I want to be sitting at the ASU downtown campus with hundreds of my fellow students watching the inauguration in awe. I want to feel optimistic. I want to believe that our government can change.

But I understand that, to a certain extent, I was a naive freshman. And I was suffering from blind optimism. Is my shame and disappointment now merely an unwarranted response to an unhealthy expectation? Maybe. But I think it might also be the case that I had a healthy expectation from a system of government that lives an unhealthy lifestyle.

Regardless, I will likely never again feel like I did that morning. I guess that's called maturing? But I'd rather it wasn't a truism of life that we are perpetually let down by our leaders.

[Whisp]

1. spare me.

[msongs]

2. it could'a been mccain that got romney care passed lol nt

[Fumesucker]

3. Nov 22, 1963

That was kind of the beginning of the end of my naive period.

The end of the end came on Jan 20, 1981.

[bigwillq]

4. I don't.

We can only go forward, not back.

Do your part to change what you can.

[roamer65]

5. The Great Recession needs to stay in the past.

No thanks. Let's go forward.

[marions ghost]

6. The things you want

will not be handed to us quite that easily. So now you know the scope of the problem. Your expectations are healthy--a government should work for the people and the people should be able to trust the government. But our government works for the greedy few. Continue to put some energy where you can, to oppose this. That is all you or any of us can do.