By Syd Gross, Community Voices

What an exciting New Year awaits us. Finally, we have a president who has promised change and appears ready to deliver on his promise. I am so optimistic about the year 2009 that I have decided to adopt a few resolutions with the expectancy that they will be achieved. I have never been a believer in adopting resolutions for the simple reason they are never fulfilled. This year is different. This is the year that an intelligent, sensible, articulate, leader is now in the White House. The fact that he is also a black man is just frosting on our cake of hope.

This year I hope:

1. God will continue to bless all countries without discrimination.

2. That the United States will become the country that we like to say it is.

3. That we reject the belief that all that we read or hear is the truth unless the facts support the belief.

4. The color of a person’s skin does not define the person.

5. The sexual orientation of a person becomes irrelevant.

6. In formulating social policy, we reject the concept that any one group possesses the absolute truth.

7. That the peace lovers prevail in stopping all wars.

8. That our political parties finally realize that the common good is achieved through compromise and concessions and not by making irrelevant accusations.

9. That we recognize that while not all people are created equal in talent and ability we do recognize that we all have equal rights including the right to equal dignity as a human being.

10. That the greed in capitalism be replaced by the grace God has given us.

11. That even the Republicans realize that “no new taxes” is not a solution to our budgetary problems. We hope that even our governor will come to realize that to balance a budget you not only save where you can but you also increase revenue where you can.

12. That we adopt a fair tax system based on ability to pay as determined by income and not on the basis of the homes we own.

13. That we abandon the Bush Doctrine of trying to impose democracy on other countries by the use of military force. We will recognize that democracy can be imposed only through the will of the people.

14. That we acknowledge that people of all nations have the right to practice their faith based on what they believe and not based on what we want them to believe, so long as basic human rights are protected.

15. That we acknowledge that not all people “can lift themselves up by their “ bootstraps,” but some may need the help of all of us.

16. That a good education is the best gift that we can give to our children.

17. That we recognize and acknowledge that not all parents are “good” parents and it is the responsibility of society to assist parents in providing their children with an ethical and moral foundation based on respect for all living beings.

18. That our government does not promote any ideology but only good policy.

19. That we rely less on the good will of God and more on the good will of our fellow man.

20. That we give Barack Hussein Obama a fair chance to become one of our greatest presidents.

Happy New Year everyone!

(Syd Gross is one of 10 people in the Savage community who write for Community Voices. This column features a different writer each week and is one of several opinion and commentary pieces appearing regularly in this newspaper.)