What Obama Won't Do For You

"Thanks to Barack Obama's victory, I can now work less hours and get more food stamps!"

You're sitting in a bus headed to work the day after the November 2008 elections. Today isn't a normal riding day, as the passengers are "alive" and talking to each other. You'd think that you were riding with a whole bunch of lottery winners.

The person sitting behind you is expressing relief that someone is finally going to take over the mortgage payments. The person right next to you talks about how great it'll be to receive a monthly stipend from the government; courtesy of the greedy rich people now forced to pay their share. The person behind you talks about how they finally will be able to drive to work, now that someone will be giving him money to put gas in his car. The person in front of you tells you that you should sit in the back of the bus.

You feel like you're in the Twilight Zone.

The above may sound strange, but it's happened across the country. The first statement was made in a Laundromat; a woman told her friend that now that Obama was elected, she could reduce her work hours as her food stamps benefits were about to go up.

The media did such an extraordinary job at fooling the electorate that some myths need to be addressed.

1. President Obama has no plans to create a perpetual financial stipend for the public. His economic stimulus plan extends unemployment benefits and provides tax credits. These are one time actions based on Congress' desires. You'll get $500.00 if you're single, or $1,000.00 if you're married. This'll happen once; or more if Congress wants to provide another economic stimulus. The tax credits will go to taxpayers regardless of race.

2. President Obama never said anything about forcing Caucasians to suffer racial injustice. No plans are in the works to force whites to sit in the back of the bus; or to cater to another race. The "oppressed race" will not be immune to racial discrimination charges; nor will they have "open season" to promote its own at the expense of another race.

3. President Obama isn't the beginning of what will be a long succession of African American presidents. The next president could be Caucasian, or have Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian ancestry. The next president could be a woman with Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry. The American Electorate will decide on the makeup of the next presidents in line.

4. History books will not be revised to reflect Jesse Jackson's, or Al Sharpton's, version of American History.

5. Barack Obama will not dish money out left and right, nor will he flood money to a "disadvantaged" race. Congress, not the President, has control over the budget. This includes collecting revenue, disbursing it, and managing the budget. Please note that the Democrats had control over congress since January 2007.

6. Barack Obama isn't going to singlehandedly pass one law after another. Again, it's Congress' job to create bills; which become law after the President signs it into law. The President doesn't create the majority of our laws.

7. Drastic changes? Again, please note that a Democrat Congress has been creating the laws since January 2007. President Obama is a Democrat; consider the odds of a Democrat President turning this country 180 degrees in another direction when a Democrat Congress has been making laws since 2007.

Such drastic change would bring us closer to what conservatives want. If that happens, "Oh yes we did!" would quickly change to, "Oh no he didn't!"

Travis is a freelance writer that specializes in information market, political writing, fundraising and communications.