I waited to write this month’s Yadda, Yadda ... because I wanted to know the outcome of the what proved to be the most historic election, certainly, in my lifetime. Given the fact that Kentucky was one of a few states that voted for John McCain. I am sure that there are many among us who were not so thrilled with the outcome. I can certainly respect that. In fact, I am a registered Republican, and although I voted for Barack Obama, I can relate to your misgivings, and political differences.

I too am worried about the halls of power being in the hands of Pelosi and Reed, and neither a far left nor a far right agenda are what the electorate wants. We are closely divided and we are at our best when we govern from the center. Unfortunately, over the past three decades we have been mired in political grid lock that stops us from really solving any of our greatest challenges.

Ok, I admit that I drank the Kool-Aid, and bought into Barack from the beginning. Yet in him I see an authenticity that I have not seen in a political figure in my lifetime, and I am not alone. How does one explain the phenomenon that brought people out in record numbers at every event for two years. There is something special about this man.

Now, I am not one who believes that government can change the woes of our society but I do believe that we are starving for leadership, and for a vision that challenges us to bring together the best and the brightest and work together to build a better world.  We all want affordable healthcare, yet we all know it cannot be a total government program. We all want social security and yet we know that we cannot sustain the cost of the baby boomers with the rate of population growth, We all know that we desperately need a national energy policy and that trading our souls to the devil for gas is insane. We all want great schools yet we know that throwing federal dollars at education does not produce great schools.

What we need is a consensus builder— a leader who can break through the grid lock of special interests and reach out to the opposition and make the tough choices that can actually get something done. For all of our sakes, I hope and pray that this man can deliver on that promise of change this may be our last chance. Ten trillion dollars in debt, no manufacturing base, kids without education to compete in a global marketplace, and a loss of respect around the world — how long can we let these things linger before we are no longer the beacon of hope for the world? So when my president asks what can I do for my country, I am ready to answer the call and say, “YES WE CAN.”

Mark Stevens