We are a town, province and nation of whiners!

Like many people, I had to tune in to the inauguration of President Obama the other day. I have been following his campaign since the early days and I think it is a fascinating story.

Watching the faces that panned across the TV screen coverage from every major network concisely conveyed the hope and sense of fulfillment that all Americans but especially African Americans were and are still feeling today.

The story is a great one and much too complicated to address here but I wanted to note a couple of personal observations as they relate to the euphoria and of the days after.

Obama will never have a higher approval rating than he did this week. On day one of sifting through the ‘in basket from hell’ he has put the wheels in motion to secure the closure of Guatanomo Bay and several other high profile public policy issues were swiftly addressed. It would seem that the new President has hit the ground running.

Obama’s oracle like presence will insulate him somewhat from the harsh realities of public life, at least initially. When your approval rating is in the nineties there is way more down side than there is up. It will be interesting to see how long the honeymoon lasts.

I do not recall ever seeing imagery of happy Canadian faces joyfully praising any domestic political leader in such a manner as was seen this past week. Sure, after a big political win here there is usually televised fanfare in the hotel ballroom and a couple of nice fuzzy speeches but there is rarely the sense of admiration and genuine respect that has been shown for Obama in Washington over the past few days or from appearances by him all over America during the past couple of years.

Conversely, Canadian political leaders at all three levels of Government are targets for endless barbs cast by a nation of malcontents - spoilt citizens - never satisfied with any issue or policy it seems.

Our national and local media, including this paper, likes to continually search for an angle of controversy and to find a political loser to beat on publicly. The excessive need to find and showcase a political scapegoat appears to be business as usual around here.

Letters and commentary with clear political goals are published to fan the fires of disdain . The cycle is endless and often masks larger and more important government policy that is actually of benefit to constituents.

There are not many places in the world that can match our way of life in Tsawwassen, British Columbia and Canada but yet we seem motivated to seek out and promote negativity whenever we can.

It doesn’t matter who is in Government, the berating of our governors is an a-political bloodsport, considered a simple matter of everyday discourse. It would seem as though we are ready slaves to our all consuming angst. Our observations of the world around us are portrayed negatively for the most part and positive political moments are fleeting - lost in a perceived sea of despair.

Although the Unites States has a plethora of economic, social and policy issues to deal with, their citizens are to be admired for their genuine public expressions of hope and unbridled patriotism.

It would be nice to see that here one day.