Notes from the Bright New Future

Barack Obama is officially the President of the United States. I actually watched the inauguration, and enjoyed performances by the likes of Aretha Franklin. I even enjoyed the benediction given by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with MLK Jr, despite my aversion to religion in government.

Here are some of the highlights I found in Obama's speech:

Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

...

...and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

...

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

...

And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

...

And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more.

...

With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

...

And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

...

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

Obviously, I particularly enjoyed the parts where he placed responsibility on the people, and where he mentioned the environment! Read the full text of the speech here.