Dear President Elect Obama

Congratulations on your landslide victory yesterday. I, like a majority of Americans are elated you won. We went to the polls in record numbers and supported your run for the White House. We believe in you!
I believe in you because you seem to know the road won't be easy, because you want to help average Americans, because you care about the environment and you are not a close minded religious fanatic. I believe in you because you have an open mind about dialogue with other nations, and because you want to end the war and protect us from terrorism. I believe in you because you have shown that the American dream is possible, and that gives us all hope. I believe in you because you have defied all the odds against you - being black, from a broken family and poor - and are now the president elect of this country.
As a result, I have very high expectations of you. I expect you to hold your ground and be strong against adversities you will face. I expect you not to fall in to populism. I expect you to win back the respect of other countries for the U.S. by showing respect for other nations. I expect you to assume the new world order, where the U.S. can no longer make unilateral decisions.
I do not expect you to solve the economic woes of this country in a few months - or ever - I believe that economic cycles happen, and the economy will bounce back when it has to. But I do expect a responsible fiscal policy.
I do not expect universal health care tomorrow, but I wish for a system with high quality health care, where the first question I am asked is not "who is your insurance carrier?". A system in which people are not bankrupt because they get sick. A system where nobody is denied basic care.
I hope for a country where everybody's human rights are respected and nobody is discriminated against, where people can worship - or not - however they choose to, and won't be looked down upon for not having the "right" beliefs or preferences or origin or language.
I expect you to guide our country in to a situation in which I am confident that my son will have quality education, access to health care, a job waiting after college and will not be sent out to war.
My best wishes,
Helga