Change We Can Believe In

Critics and cynics doubt that Barack Obama will truly bring change to Washington, and who can blame them. After 8 years of the Bush shenanigans, one would think that the next administration would take some notes and follow in line.

Well, it seems that Obama is heading down the path of a transparent, open government by the people … for the people. He asked Americans regardless of political affiliation to chime in on their concerns and questions. The transition team has responded to some of the Open for Questions campaign inquiries.

• Q: "Will you lift the ban on Stem Cell research in your first 100 days in office?" James_M, Nashville, TN
• A: President-elect Obama is a strong supporter of Federal funding for responsible stem cell research and he has pledged to reverse President Bush’s restrictions.

• Q: "What will you do to establish transparency and safeguards against waste with the rest of the Wall Street bailout money?" Diane, New Jersey
• A: President-elect Barack Obama does not believe an economic crisis is an excuse for wasteful and unnecessary spending. As our economic team works with congressional leadership to put together a plan, we will put in place reforms to ensure that your money in invested well. We will also bring Americans back into government by amending executive orders to ensure that communications about regulatory policymaking between persons outside government and all White House staff are disclosed to the public. In addition all appointees who lead the executive branch departments and rulemaking agencies will be required to conduct the significant business of the agency in public so that every citizen can see in person or watch on the Internet these debates.

• Q: "What will you do to promote science and mathematics education to Elementary and Middle School students?" JasonWyatt, Raleigh, NC
• A: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will put children first by investing in early childhood education, making sure our schools are adequately funded and led by high-quality teachers, and reforming No Child Left Behind. They will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.

• Q: "Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the U.S.?" S. Man, Denton
• A: President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

• Q: "What will you do as President to restore the Constitutional protections that have been subverted by the Bush Administration and how will you ensure that our system of checks and balances is renewed?" Kari, Seattle
• A: President-elect Obama is deeply committed to restoring the rule of law and respecting constitutional checks and balances.That is why he has pledged to review Bush Administration executive orders. President-elect Obama will also end the abuse of signing statements, and put an end to the politicization that has taken place within the Department of Justice and return that agency to its historic and apolitical mission of fair and impartial administration of justice.

According to the transition team, "more than 20,000 people cast nearly 1,000,000 votes on questions posed by the community." This is not the last that you should expect from the Open for Questions campaign as the transition team has indicated that they are committed to answering more questions in the near future. The questions that were answered in this session were the top questions deemed by the community.

Does this mean much? Not really, but it is a good sign of change to come from this new administration and anything that deviates from the Bush Doctrine is a step in a good direction.