Post-election Hopes

Amidst the massive wake of euphoric celebration after a very historic presidential election result, uncared for temporarily are the compelling realities in the workaday economic life of the US.

But we know that very soon we will all be rudely wakened to the continuing unfolding challenges that today bedevil our lives – who knows until when. Everyone is agreed that we were in a fulsome quandary of our times, collectively shiftless and unsure what to do and when resolution will come.

We are heartened that some of our campaign fears have been allayed by early reassurances by Obama operatives that he will govern as a centrist, moderate, or any similarly-packaged label, and definitely not as a classic liberal with its expected or assumed political agenda and goals, certainly not in these scary times of uncertainty. That he will be true to the glowing campaign rhetoric that propelled him to this exalted position.

Our hope and the changes we expect are anchored on these reassurances. And I would not be mistaken to assume that the general electorate expects the same, especially in this country which has traditionally been noted as shying away from too liberal politicians.

At the very least, we desire reassurances in our following personal circumstances. What will be done to plug the continued downward trends of our home prices which definitely affect every one of us maintaining a house? What about the countless millions of us who have hitched our pension nest-eggs to the suddenly uncertain markets? What will be done to stop the hemorrhaging and start the upward recovery, hopefully soon enough for many of us to enjoy our hard-earned retirement.

And the many more economic concerns occasioned by the economic crises brought about by a host of interdependent factors, chief among them, the avaricious greed of some of our entrepreneurs unleashed by lax oversight, or worse, the pandering or regulation laxity by critical government officials in exchange for personal financial considerations or jockeyed political leverage.

Some of us have temporarily fled the once easy comforts of our sainted country, to seek both solace and possible financial recovery in other places and from other possible sources. I count myself as one, and I am particularly grateful that I have precious options others do not enjoy, who will now temporarily focus on economic activities in the old homeland if only to attempt at recovering losses and assuaging difficult financial situations occasioned by the downed markets in our adopted country. Hopefully, by sheer grit and without need of government assistance, we can recover enough to be able to get back on track and continue with our lives in our adopted country.

It is good to note that after two weeks of stay here, one can discern with some certifiable degree that the crippling ripple effects of our homegrown economic crises have not yet had their full impact in these faraway islands. Consumer prices have held steady, or are rising in expected tranches, and even real estate prices have been so far shielded from the disastrous effects of those in the US mainland.

We hold on to our lives with bated breaths, expecting and hoping for some self-driven deliverance.

Because this too will pass.