Maintenance Man

By Guest Contributor Christian Boulden

Many consider President Barack Obama to be a Maintenance Man, as it’s been nearly a generation since we’ve seen our country in the peril that is our current reality. While many past presidents get the opportunity to establish their agenda and maintain in cruise control, President Obama has had to come in with his boots and tool-belt on, working to undo in one term what has been developing since the 1980s.

As we near the halfway point of our president’s tenure, Americans, as much as any other time in recent memory, has been paying close attention to the progress (or lack thereof) that America has made since January 2009. What we’ve seen is that America has a long way to go before it can pat itself on the back and say, “Job Well Done”. Our economy still leaves a lot to be desired, we’re still at war, and unemployment is at levels reminiscent of the Great Depression—particularly in communities of color. There is a great deal of work to be done but there are few things that should rank at the top of the priority list.

The first order of business should be to improve the way parties do business—there’s work to be done on both sides. It’s really hard to accomplish anything in Washington because things are extremely partisan and people are unwilling to reach across the aisle to compromise, to work. Recently, Democrats have been resigned to tow the line in an attempt to avoid ruffling feathers. Democrats are also losing seats in very important states, adding pressure to an already tight congressional race season. Conservatives have bickering about and continue to attempt to blocking everything, which leaves a sour taste in the mouths of many Americans. If you’re going to ‘take your ball and go home’, each time you don’t get your way, how can you expect anything to get done and garner support?

Once our representatives are ready to get to work they must focus on improving the job crisis. We must minimize the number of jobs that we outsource to other countries. With a jobless rate at an estimated 9.7%, something has to be done particularly in our urban communities across the country which continue to be hit the hardest by the current economic tide. In these communities individuals have been under and unemployed for decades. Now more people are unemployed and are in need of education and employment assistance and support. Additionally, as Obama stated in his campaign, “…our nation’s infrastructure needs attention” our roads, highways, and bridges either need building or repair. We must also improve our public education system and improve technology to get American citizens up to speed so that they may be able to catch up in the global market.

President Obama certainly has a ton of work to do; so let’s get to it “Mr. Maintenance Man” because this house we call America needs fixing.

Mr. Bolden is a National Activist here in Washington, D.C. via New Orleans, Louisiana. The self-proclaimed "Activism & Awareness Architect" continues to draw emphasis to issues that are important to those in the urban community ranging from politics to financial literacy. Christian has also appeared as a Keynote Speaker, however most notably known for the "Steel Sharpens Steel Summit" which is a series of panel discussions he created specifically catered to the enlightenment and enrichment of the Urban African-American Male Teen. Christian is a graduate of University of Mobile (Al).