On Tuesday, January 20, many KHS students gathered in the library to witness a historic event. Anytime our country inaugurates a new president it is historic, but the 2009 event seemed to have more attention and fanfare than the ones most current students are old enough to remember. This is due to the troubled times our country entrusts President Obama to fix, the fact that he is our first African American president, and the changing of tide to the Democratic Party.

There are big problems with our country’s economy, environment, and wars that people look to President Obama to improve. For his supporters, he is a symbol of hope. Obama’s platform has always revolved around change, change that will have major impact on our country in the next four years. He has a tough job ahead, one that involves controlling a national debt and recession, a war on terrorism, and ecological issues all while trying to take care of a nation that could change for good or bad at any moment.

Regarding his impact as our first African American president, a lot of great accomplishments have come from a handful of "first" African Americans, and he is now among them. In his inaugural speech, Obama kept this comments regarding this fact simple, but he did confirm that it shows how much America is capable of changing.

For the past eight years we have had a republican in control. Kansas, for the majority, voting as a republican state is in for quite a difference. Many people in this area struggle to accept this change. When something new, such as politics, changes, citizens can become really skeptical and potentially doubtful. Having some disbelief in our leader shouldn’t be a concern for the government. Clearly democrats and republicans have different views. We as Americans need to view the best interest of President Obama’s plans for the betterment of our country.

Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and own opinions, but when politics are thrown in that can stir up some heated debates. Putting down leaders with negative thoughts won’t help the situation. Change can turn out good or bad, but how we handle it will most definately have an effect on any outcome.