The man still has the warm sparkle of bright promise. This is good and hopeful, we need that now. And I love that he speaks of dramatic change. But is the change that is really needed addressed? We need to change more than just the set of rules, we need to change the whole game. Exploitation economics is a near future dinosaur. We need a support system that includes a healthy Earth and healthy children. We need to clean up the environment and clean house on the environmental offenders. Sacrifices are needed for change. Our high standards of comfort are unsustainable. More roads equal more pollution. President Obama says "buy American". While that's good, how about 'buy local"? If we don't want a socialist government, than we had better look out for each other instead of "look out" for each other. Our communities should get our first support. Our jobs and careers are there to support ourselves and our communities. What should be our true centers of focus. Expansion economics are another bone in our future dinosaur. National brands contribute greatly to the gulf between the casts. They grow while shedding employees. These people could easily be absorbed within the communities. If the communities manufacture these goods within. This will get our attention as to what the problems are with the land and water. The powers that be can no longer be. They've had they're run, they're job is done. It's time now for some serious folk.

High standards of comfort are NOT unsustainable. There need not be any correlation between comfort and sustainability. If we developed comfort from a sustainable perspective, instead of from greed and capitalism, we wouldn't be where we are now. While it is true we cannot sustain high levels of resource consumption combined with environmental pollution, blanket statements - like "Our high standards of comfort are unsustainable" - not only miss the point, but they perpetuate false ideas that are harmful to actually solving the problem. You certainly won't convert any non-believers that way, and just may turn more off.

Citizens of the U.S. need a sense of community, a sense of patriotism which includes joint sacrifice and working together. President Obama is both being honest and calling for this approach and attitude. Thee is so much to do and none of it really can be put off as it has for too many years. All of us citizens need to assist in any way we can to solve our country's problems. President Obama's critics, especially the wealthy ones, should put their money where their mouth is: invest in something; contribute money to essential non profit organizations attempting to assist the many people impacted by this painful economic downturn(and get a tax deduction at the same time); quit whining about paying some more taxes -- no one is suggesting you give up all your wealth, only a somewhat higher percentage of it similar to what you paid under your hero, President Reagan.

maybe we should all stop pretending that "corporations are people" and see what happens with that.