Love Is In The Air

My husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary on election day this week with a great dinner and a fun time at a local casino. We are very lucky to still be together considering we married so young with a family already in tow but we had amazing role models that kept quitting from being an option. Both of our parents were married in 1967 and are still going strong today. They taught us that marriage isn't something that is supposed to be easy but is a commitment that requires persistence, friendship and above all else loving the other person even when you don't feel like it. I often tell people that being a single parent was easier than being married as marriage requires discussion, compromise, and a selflessness that for me isn't always a natural way of behaving. However, the part I don't tell people and probably should, is even thought it isn't easy, my husband Jackie inspires me to be a better wife every day and my life would be empty without him. (all at once now....awwwwwww)

Technology Election Impact
Many are claiming that a critical factor in Obama's selection as President-Elect was his ability to leverage cyberspace and create a grass-roots effort using social media. He generated significant buzz and interest in this election by using online tools such as Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/barackobama?ref=s) and Twitter (@barackobama). The question now becomes will he make technology a priority once he takes office? So far, the answer seems to be a resounding yes...Contactless News (http://www.contactlessnews.com/2008/11/06/obamas-impact-on-federal-it-projects) reports that Mr. Obama plans to select a Chief Technology Officer to oversee government technology efforts including cyber security and improving the IT budget process. This will be the first time in history the USA will have a CTO. In addition, two technology experts, Google.org's Sonal Shah and former IAC exec Julius Genachowski have already been appointed to Barack Obama's transition team. You can read about the President-Elect's technology plan in depth at http://www.barackobama.com/issues/technology/.

Energy Election Impact
A big thank you to those who voted for the Missouri Clean Energy proposition I wrote about a few weeks ago. The initiative passed 66% to 34% and will require our utility companies to get 15% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2021. The initiative was one of 7 in the nation that was recognized as one of the best statewide initiatives in the country according to www.ProgressiveFuture.org/progress-or-peril. Credit to the initiative author's who had the foresight to write a proposition that was solid and realistic vs. the two California energy initiatives that both were defeated on Tuesday. At the national level, having a democrat majority in both the house and senate along with a democrat president is speculated to have a favorable impact in accelerating the transition to hybrid vehicles, smart grids, and alternative energy sources. Given our current economic and budget deficit situation, I am cautiously optimistic on just how much push Obama and congress will be able to afford.

A great post by my friend, Banky for President this week regarding the election and how we as a people have the greatest impact on this country moving forward vs. any one man. Check it out if you get time at http://www.bankyforpresident.com/2008/11/05/yes-we-can. As always thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment or send me an email at lqualls4444@yahoo.com.

Be who you are and learn to be better,
Lisa