Doing the Right Thing

It’s a great day for Americans. By a razor-thin margin, health care reforms have finally passed, paving the way for future success! Credit for this remarkable first step goes to President Obama’s tireless efforts and persistence at the risk of losing votes. Today’s success was due to his insistence of “being a good one-term president instead of a mediocre two-term one,” which led him to do the right thing in the face of widespread oppositions.

Of course, reform always upsets somebody and carries the risk of eroding support, especially in this case, when the rich are going to have to foot the bill. But Obama has remained committed to social justice, so he should have no problem recovering lost votes when health care reform ends up benefiting the majority of citizens.

Our president, Ma Ying-Jeou, could learn from Obama’s example. As citizens of Taiwan, we all hope and anticipate reforms on his part — after all, votes are temporary, but reforms are permanent! Like Obama, President Ma should be acting in the long-term interests of our country instead of obsessing over popularity figures, because only those who are willing to sacrifice short-term gain can make a lasting contribution to their country!