One Bahamian's view of the US election

by Sidney Sweeting, DDS

Like millions of Americans and countless millions throughout the world, I was happy to finally witness a black man elected as President of the United States.

While travelling to University at the age of 17 and seeing two water fountains in the bus terminal, one labelled white and the other coloured, I asked a fellow traveller why the water was colored and when I returned from school and was setting up a practice someone asked if I was going to have a white office. Again, in all innocence, I told them I was planning to paint it blue. I recall how shocked I was, as a very young boy, someone telling me that I should not call a black man "mister".

I mention these true stories to empasize that I have always deplored any form of racism.

I do believe however, that a vote for any candidate for political office should be based on his ideologies and not the color of his/her skin and I heard too many people in the US state that they would vote for Obama because he is black.

It is unfortunate that too much of what he said in the many debates smacked of socialism, He did not call it that, of course, but a National Health plan and 'redistribution of the wealth" is socialism regardless of what name it is given and when any Government starts down the road of becoming the nanny of the people it leads to bigger and bigger Governments and "any government that is big enough to give the people everything they want is also big enough to take away everything they have."

Finally, the elation over his victory seems to have led too many people to believe that he will perform miracles. Even the headline in Insight column in the Tribune this week "The last great hope of the US and mankind" suggests that people need to be reminded that Barack Obama was not born in Bethlehem and he cannot feed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves.