Letter to the Editor

On Friday, the St. Louis Board of Alderman unanimously passed a proposal to rename a portion of a street named after President-Elect Barack Obama.

Are you kidding me?

The Messiah hadn't even taken the oath of office and political officials were trying to name streets after him. These people would make you believe that Obama himself would be paraded through the streets of Washington D.C. on a donkey in front of cheering crowds on the way to his inauguration.

Here's a novel idea ... let's wait and see if Obama does anything worthy to have anything named after him.

The aldermen say the naming is strictly honorary and would not be recognized on official maps or by the post office. It's a nice gesture for grabbing some cheap headlines and publicity for their next campaigns, but couldn't they honestly be spending their time on issues that are more substantial?

The St. Louis city schools, which comprise the largest school district in Missouri, are a discredited disgrace. Jobless and foreclosure rates are soaring. Instead of spending time trying to make yourself look good by hopping on Obama's wave of popularity, why don't you spend some time addressing these issues that affect your constituents?

And these aldermen are not alone. Similar moves are in the works in South Florida, Long Island, N.Y. and in Perry County, Ala.

Have we lost our minds?

I hate to be a buzz kill, but what has Obama really done? Sure, his speeches are filled with hope and a promise for a bright future.

For the record, I supported John McCain for two reasons, the first of which is solid and the other I admit is a bit irrational.

The first reason was experience. Obama has written more memoirs about himself than he has substantial legislation. I'll take the war hero and more than a generation of experience, thank you.

The second reason is that Obama is from Illinois. I will never, no matter the party affiliation, vote for someone from the most crooked state in America (see Rod Blagojevich, enough said).

I hope I'm wrong about Obama, because this country needs a strong leader to put out the many fires that are raging.

We are facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and the War on Terror. And don't forget the issues in Israel, North Korea and Russia to name a few.

More than at any other time in this country's history, we need a dynamic leader that can pull both parties together to bring about true change. Is Obama that guy? Truth is, we don't know.

Missouri is known as the Show-Me State. Has Obama shown us that he is worthy to have a street named after him? No.

St. Louis especially should be sensitive to bad decisions regarding street names. Part of Interstate 70 through downtown St. Louis is still named Mark McGwire Highway. If that doesn't say embarrassment, then what does?

Worse yet, these lofty honors only set Obama up to fail.

I mentioned earlier just a few of the major issues this administration has to deal with. One man can't fix them all.

Unfortunately, a huge portion of the people who voted for Obama think he can wave a magic wand and fix everything.

Here's reality: he can't. The economy will get worse before it gets better and the troops will not come home overnight. Obama doesn't have that kind of power and he is already back tracking on several of the promises he made during his campaign.

It's put up or shut up time for Obama. Can he unite Congress to bring about the change he preaches about, the change he believes will get this country back on track?

Let's find out before we start making him a deity.

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