Inauguration Eve

 

So far in this new year, each Wednesday has been a historic day.  January 6^th was the day that Electoral College votes were accepted by Congress and the election of Joe Biden as the next President was finalized and certified.  It was also the day that a mob of President Trump’s supporters stormed and overran the US Capitol.  A short week later on January 13^th, the House of Representatives impeach President Trump for an unprecedented second time. 

Tomorrow, the third Wednesday of this new year, will also be a historical day.  It is the day Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as the President and Vice-President of the United States.  While January 6^th was a day that will live in infamy and January 13^th was a day that showed how fast and determined the House could react after their brush with thugs who meant to do them harm, tomorrow should be a good day.  We are inaugurating a President who will bring much needed decorum back to the office.  We will have a President that tweets and insults people less.  We will have the first woman Vice-President ever… and a woman of color as a bonus.

Tomorrow, Wednesday the 20^th, is also the first day of my classes for the Spring term.  I have two undergraduate classes that start bright and early in the morning.  It will be good to back in the swing of things albeit in the half online half face-to-face mode of teaching we have been doing for the past year.  I have two classes Operations Management at 8 am and the Principles of Microeconomics at 9:15.

Both the Inauguration and my classes will be virtual events tomorrow.  My classes are that way due to these pandemic times.  The inauguration is will be virtual even though 26,000 people will be in attendance.  Those 26,000 in attendance are not citizens who have travelled to Washington from the corners of the country to witness the transfer of power from one President to the next.  No, the 26,000 I am talking about are all law enforcement, National Guard, and military personnel and troops on duty with one explicit mission: to ensure that the event runs smoothly without any of the mayhem that happened a fortnight ago. 

Besides the 26,000 troops and officers, 200,000 American, state, and territory flags have been installed covering the entire National Mall.  They are to represent all people who otherwise would have been there to witness this historic event.  This impressive field of flags will be illuminated in the evening by 56 pillars of light which also represent the 56 states and territories.

Earlier tonight, on the eve of their inauguration the President-elect and Vice-President participated in a memorial service honoring all that have died due to the Corona virus.  This solemn acknowledgement is a most welcome break from the past and signals what will be a different and hopefully more effective response to the pandemic.

On this quiet snowy evening in Chicago, I am typing this piece while sipping on a half-full glass of good American bourbon in honor of our new President.  I truly hope he can move us to a better and more unified state of the union.