Post Election Thoughts

I've had a chance to let last night's election results sink in a little,
although we still don't know who Illinois' next Governor will be. I'd like
to reflect for a few minutes on what I think the results mean for our
country, and what I think they could mean for people who are blind.

The Republican party, decisively, took over control of the U.S. House of
Representatives. While I, as a Republican, view that as good, I also
realize this is what the Republicans want, so now, they have to govern. The
U.S. Senate still has a Democratic majority, and President Obama is, stil,
the President.

While I hope I am wrong, I foresee quite a bit of gridlock in the next two
years. I hope this won't lead to a Government shutdown, but it could. I
think, by their votes on election day, the American people said a lot of
things. But one thing they said is they want Congress to do the people's
business.

Republicans aren't going to be able to do everything they might want to do,
no Congress ever does. Repeal the Healthcare bill? Yeah as much as some
would like too, President Obama still wields a veto pen and the Republicans
don't have enough votes to override his vetos. I think a lot of emphasis is
going to be on doing things to help spur the economy. That wil likely mean
extension of tax cuts, things that are good for small business, and maybe
some changes in the health care legislation.

For those of us who are blind, there are a couple of things we need to go
after. One is to re-introduce our Pedestrians Safety Enhancement Act, which
deals with quiet or hybrid cars. This bill enjoyed strong, bipartisan
support in the current Congress and I think it will again. I believe the
transportation bil is up for re-athorization in the next year or so, so
we're going to have to advocate for things like Amtrak, operating funds for
public transit and other important things as strongly as ever. We'll need
to talk about the cost benefit of having good public transit and a robust
Amtrak system as part of that advocacy.

It will be interesting to watch the group dynamics in Washington over the
next few years. But before I close, for those of us who are blind, I think
our biggest challenge is in the states where a number of Governorships
changed hands. States are in difficult financial times. Rehabilitation and
other programs that many people who are blind or visually impaired need will
be targeted for budget cuts. We will need to work harder than ever to make
sure our state leaders recognize that strong programs such as rehabilitation
help put people who are blind to work, which allows us to be taxpayers, not
dependent on other taxpayers.