What an event......I’m writing this shortly before the inauguration of Barack Obama as president. I can’t believe the number of students that are attending from Fort Bend. Seems like every local newspaper has run a story about some student who is going to the event. Additionally, a group from Lamar High School and a group from Needville are also attending. Although from accounts, the trip seems arduous -- crowds, weather, standing, etc. for hours waiting for the event to begin. Still, a wonderful historical event for them.

I supported Barack Obama. I voted for him. But I can’t believe the news coverage of this inauguration. I’ve never seen anything like it. Of course, the election of an African American with the middle name of Hussein who had only served a short time in the Senate--nobody had ever seen anything like that before either. And, I want to point out, he won by a decisive majority, thus breaking the 50-50 elections we have had for the previous eight years.

Every news program has covered this inauguration for the past two days. Every channel. I would get tired of watching the same old thing over and over. I would turn off the television. But a couple of hours later, I would turn it on again to see if anything new had happened. It’s a sickness.

But even watching from home, one can’t help but be excited about an event that will bring so many Americans to witness such an historical event. This is not an inauguration; it is a coronation.

I hope all those of us who attended the event or watched it on television are willing to put forth the effort to put our country back on track. And I fervently hope that we give the new administration the chance to make a difference. We have some real problems, problems that we’ve not felt so much in Fort Bend yet. I hope we won’t nit pick every move made in the next few months. We can’t solve our problems by declaring political war.

One can’t help but get chills and get excited about the sheer number of people attending the inauguration.

What are you gonna do?.....FBISD leaders have given their superintendent Dr. Tim Jenny a 3% or $7,000 a year raise. I questioned this in the face of the economy and was told that the board of trustees like what he is doing and want to keep him. So granting his small raise (he makes about $250,000 per year) is a signal to him about his job performance.

So what are you going to do if you want to keep good people? Pay ‘em.