By David Israel, Business Manager

Today from 11:30 until several minutes after President Barack Obama was Inaugurated, not much work was getting done in our office.  I was glued to my computer watching our great nation shift power from one political party to to another.  No matter which side of the row you sit on, you have to take great pride in the fact that our country can change power with an oath and a handshake.  No violent over throw, no bullets or bombs; just pomp and circumstance.

Living in Chattanooga and watching CNN from my computer was an amazing experience that really brought tears to my eyes.  I can only imagine what the 2 million people standing in The National Mall in Washington were feeling.  Everyone who attended witnessed an historic moment in our nations history (you wouldn't find me in that crowd for any type of money!) which is pretty young compared to the rest of the world.

 I take great pride in my country and look forward to our new President making some good decisions for this great nation of ours.  The job will be tough, I have no political aspirations myself, and I am sure mistakes will occur.  But, this is a time for our country to come together as one to fix some of the problems that face our country and our world.

Personally, I hope that President Obama will provide incentives for home buyers, tweak the $7,500 first time home buyer tax credit and create options to help out those facing foreclosure.  Real estate could easily lead the recovery and interest rates don't get much better than today's rates.

After all to quote our new President, "We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

I look forward to seeing action speak louder than words in the days, weeks, months and years ahead!