I agree with this opinion column written by Kalamazoo poet, writer and radio commentator Buddy Hannah, found at:

http://blog.mlive.com/kzgaz...

Hannah offers several things to ponder. Below is an excerpt:

" ... After savoring my moment of pride and being thankful to be able to witness such an historical day, I had to ask myself, what now?

I understand that, yes, history has been made, but making history will not solve the problems we face in this country.

History-making aside, I had to ask myself which one of the two candidates for president will best represent America and the American people?

Which one of them can put together an administration that will be for and about the American people? Which one of them will have a plan that will end the war and bring our troops home? Which one of them will come up with a plan that will ensure that every American is provided with quality health care? Which one of them can bring about the change this country is so badly in need of?

I'm proud of what Obama already has accomplished and overjoyed with the thought of what he might accomplish come November. But I know that if he does becomes the first African-American president in the history of this country, that will not automatically solve all our problems.

This is not just about a black man making history. Rather it's about high gas prices and the future of energy in this country.

It's about jobs and homes being lost. It's about our schools and the future of our young people. It's about the homeless and the hungry. It's about having an agenda, about having a plan, one that will work for all Americans.

By no means am I downplaying the history that has been made and the history that can possibly be made come November. But the reality of it all is that the color of Obama's skin -- or John McCain's, for that matter -- will not revive the economy. Nor will it determine their leadership abilities or their judgment."

Hannah slams the point home here:

" ... Yes, history has been made, but that's only part of it. Because come Nov. 4, I, like many Americans, will cast my one vote and hope it was for the right person. And that will be based solely on what each candidate has presented to the American people as being his plan for straightening out that which has been bent completely out of shape ...".

_____

I plan to do the same thing in November.

-- Michael