The real challenge

The presidential election is over.

President Barack Obama has been elected to a second term.

Now it is time to decompress and let the emotions of the campaign subside. Roughly half the nation will celebrate. The other half will not.

Then, and soon, the entire nation must come face to face with its greatest challenge.

That challenge is to get the country and its government working again.

And, that can only happen if the country unites to solve some pressing problems. There will have to be compromise and a spirit of working together for the common good.

Meeting this challenge cannot be left up to the politicians. Elected officials from both parties must be redirected to tend to the business of the country, not the business of their respective parties. Citizens must demand that they do.

Rigid ideologies, whether conservative or liberal, need to be replaced with practical, pragmatic ideas and solutions.

There is much to be done. The nation faces global unrest, the impending fiscal cliff, escalating debt, an aging infrastructure, crushing entitlements, high unemployment and a deteriorating educational system. Climate change and diminishing resources add to the daunting mix.

Half the nation cannot solve these. Half the nation cannot even address them. We already know that. The current divide has paralyzed government.

Only the entire nation working together can bring about success. Realizing this may, in fact, be the first real challenge for the future.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher