The Changing of the Guard

At 12:00 noon on Tuesday of this week, January 20th, there was finally the change the majority of the country was waiting for and the whole world was watching. The man who had become one of the, if not the most, unpopular Presidents in all of the United States' history stepped down from his role as President. President George W. Bush stepped down and in stepped a very momentous and historically significant man, Barack Obama.

The inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama was the second most-watched inauguration ever, apparently behind only Ronald Reagan. It was really a moving day for so many people and there were many eyes not left dry. Many were really emotional at the idea and even just the prospect that a black man had been elected Presuident of the United States. President Obama even mentioned in his first speech after being sworn in how remarkable it was that a man whose father, just 60 years ago, might not have been able to just get served in a local diner (based solely on race) was now the President of this nation. Other people on Tuesday were just excited to see the "regime change", seeing that the Bush Administration was on the way out. The whole day was televised and all of the millions of people that were crowded into the nation's capitol were noticeably excited and hopeful that this would be the start of change we've been waiting for and that our hope would survive tough economic turmoils.

Now, it's only been a few days of President Obama at the helm and he has already been taking quick action to show that he would make good on his promises to the country. The actions to close Guantanamo Bay Prison have begun. This was a big issue for many during the election. Also, other CIA secret prisons in other countries are being shut down. There hasn't been too much time to take a whole lot of actions, but I am very hopeful, as are so many others, that we are fighting through very tough times that may get tougher, but heading in the right direction!

Seattle's Viaduct Replacement

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Through downtown Seattle, Highway 99 cuts through the downtown corridor via the "viaduct", an elevated two-level "bridge" through downtown and running along the waterfront heading to the south. This structure was damaged in the 2001 Nisqually quake and a replacement or repair option has been in discussions for years. Options have ranged from replacement to solely surface streets replacing it to a tunnel option. Well, the decision has been made this week and the tunnel option has been selected.

There has been some protesting of the tunnel idea. One disagreement with the tunnel option is that it is solely a car option. Tim Eyman, however, Seattle's answer to the state initiatives no one needs, has another problem. This is that it has been mentioned that there may be an increase in the price of car tabs. He has pushed through two initiatives for $30 car tabs and though I'm not sure how he ever expected road projects to be completed without funding from the cars and car drivers that use the roads, that has never seemed to be an issue for him. I wonder if he'd rather the project be scrapped? The viaduct is an essential route connecting many commuters and would cause more and greater crippling traffic if it were eliminated.

I think that most Seattlites have wised up and tired of Eyman's "brilliant" legislation ideas, but unfortunately he is not among that majority...

The Governor Gregoire Mystery Revealed

After a day or two of pondering about the whereabouts of Governor Christine Gregoire of Washington state, the "mystery" is over. At least as of yesterday, Governor Gregoire's location was unknown and her staff would not comment on where she was. There was a buzz around Seattle about the possibility of her being called into a position in President Elect Obama's cabinet, especially after Bill Richardson's stepping down from his upcoming position as Secretary of Commerce. The buzz began to turn, in just a day, to who would fill her role, be it the Lieutenant Governor, and/or how soon a reelection would come up for the position. Dino Rossi could pose a much bigger threat to a "new" Gubernatorial candidate than to the incumbent Gregoire, for whom the election was already close.

Well, after all the speculation, worrying, and wondering, Governor Gregoire is visiting troops in Iraq. She was seen boarding a plane to Washington DC, which had fueled speculation, but from there she flew to Iraq. At least Washington's concerns about new gubernatorial prospects become a non-issue, while Obama's cabinet continues to have empty seats as Inauguration Day quickly approaches...