By Senator Bernie Sanders
President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office at a pivotal moment in American history.
After eight years of the Bush administration, our middle class is in decline, poverty is increasing, the national debt is at an all time high, and millions of Americans are losing their jobs, their homes, their health care, their ability to go to college, and their savings.
In fact, as a nation, we face the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. While American prestige is at an all-time low within the international community, our over-stretched military is fighting two wars simultaneously while al Qaeda and the terrorist organizations are on the rise.
From an environmental perspective, global warming is a growing threat to the planet and we have barely begun to make the energy revolution we need, away from fossil fuels and toward energy independence, renewable energy, and a more sustainable economy. That's the bad news.
Issue January 20, 2009 - 
