There's little disagreement, the state of the union is not good. The mortgage and banking crisis, increasing unemployment, a war in the Middle East, rising costs of fuel and health care, climate changes, immigration and other issues are putting economic and societal pressures on the citizens of the United States and the world.

With the hope of change, the American people elected Barack Obama as the next president on Tuesday, Nov. 4. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009, he will be sworn in as the 44th president.

Voters' hopes now have turned to expectations.

Obama garnered more than 62 percent of the votes in Green County, higher than the national average of 53 percent.

For the next ten Tuesdays, The Monroe Times will talk with Green County citizens about their expectations of an Obama presidency and for the country during the next four years. Nine issues addressed during the presidential campaign will be covered, and we will talk one week to freshmen in high school about what they expect President-elect Obama to have accomplished by 2012, when they get ready to vote in the next presidential election. 

Readers are invited to submit their comments on the issue each week as we count down the Tuesdays to Jan. 20.

To offer comments on the first installment, about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and national security, please submit a reader comment at the bottom of this story.