Today: Mar 28, 2024

The future of America

Jennifer Hoffer – Staff Writer

The polls have closed, the hype is over and the campaigning is finished; well, at least for the next four years. Barack Obama was re-elected as President of the United States.

Although voting in the state of Connecticut does not really amount to much, people voted just based on American pride.

“The right to vote is something special in the United States,” said Dan Spinelli of Orange.

“I mean, most people around the world don’t have that right. I feel like it’s my responsibility to go out there and vote.”

Derrick Graham, also from Orange, said that voting is his right.

“I think my vote needs to be voiced, whether it counts or not,” Graham said.

wggb.com | Photo Courtesy

“I do think my vote matters it doesn’t necessarily matter in who’s elected as President but my selection of senator matters.”

Nancy Litwin, also of Orange, said that it is important to vote because of the fact Americans have a say.

“It’s exercising our rights, it gives us choice, it’s based on our decisions,” Litwin said.

Litwin went on and said that Americans are missing out if a vote is not taken place. She said she understands that Connecticut’s vote really does not matter but just the fact of exercising a right that Americans have should be taken advantage of.

“If people choose not to partake in it, they kind of don’t get the full fulfillment of being an American and having a say and exercising their rights,” Litwin said.

Spinelli also said he acknowledges both sides of voting and not voting in the state of Connecticut, but he takes pride in being an American.

“Even though Connecticut has one of the smallest voices in the election because our electoral votes are at a minimum, I feel like it’s my responsibility to vote for the good of myself and for this country,” Spinelli said.

Goldblatt, who is on the Orange Board of Selectmen, being a politician, said that this election is important to vote in.

“You vote solely because it’s your right and privilege to vote,” Goldblatt said. “I have never missed an election, and I was not going to miss out on this one; it’s historic.”

Goldblatt is anxious to see what the next four years will bring with Obama as President. But Goldblatt said that he thinks Obama needs to keep doing what he has done the past four years.

“A lot of people say that Obama hasn’t done anything in the past four years and that’s just not true,” Goldblatt said. “He inherited a mess from George W. Bush and he’s done a lot of good things.”

Rose Guarino of Orange said one aspect of Obama that she supports tremendously is Obamacare and said that every one out here in the United States has the right to have medical coverage.

“I personally have had an experience with a family member who had a illness; a preexisting condition and was unable to find insurance once he lost his job,” Guarino said. “This is America we should all have health insurance.”

Guarino said this is something that she doesn’t think Americans want to admit happens; but it does.

“There are many people in this country people don’t realize who die from having illnesses because they don’t have health insurance coverage,” Guarino said.

Goldblatt said and emphasized the impact Obama has to have on the economy in America in the next coming years.

“I think in the next four years Obama does have to focus on the economy and the job market,” Goldblatt said. “Something has to improve here.”

As a politician, Goldblatt said that there are far too many people jobless and the reason is because jobs don’t want to hire.

“There are so many people that are out of work and who can’t get jobs,” Goldblatt said. “There are companies that are hiring people as temps, temporary employees because they’re not hiring those full time employees. They don’t want to have to commit and give their employees benefits; it’s just too expensive.

Guarino said the job increase and the hiring of jobs would lead to better healthcare benefits for people.

“People need not the jobs just for money to pay their bills, but they need it for health insurance too,” Guarino said. “Not that they wouldn’t be able to get insured now that Obamacare is going to be made law, but it may be cheaper for them if they got health care coverage through their own employer. But something has to be done.”

Guarino said she fears what the future holds for her two children in college.

“I’m terrified for them because I don’t think they’re going to get jobs when they graduate,” said Guarino, “and that’s a terrible, terrible thing.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Latest from Blog