Whose hopes are we talking about?

Once again, current events, this time the financial crisis, are pressing voters into short term decisions, but it is important to address the current crisis with a positive vision of how the system should work in the long term, and a memory of the steps that led up to it over a decade or more. The history is the history of systematic deregulation and disbelief in the positive contribution of government, accompanied by a national disenchantment with the political process and dropping voter engagement. Now everyone is aware that this election will be critical, but the urgency is not temporary. Every election poses the issues of change. Every election challenges us to consider what it is that we hope for.

But hope is an issue for every age group, not only for youth. Of course older Americans hope that the savings and the benefits they have counted on (and paid for) will be there for them — indeed, we hope for better coverage and less red tape. Many of us hope to continue on the job — unemployment is especially grim in late middle age — and even more of us hope to continue contributing to society and are looking for ways to do so. Meanwhile, we hope to live as healthily and autonomously as we can, and to die peacefully and with dignity. Many hope for an afterlife or for a reunion with loved ones beyond death, but this is not the business of politicians.

If the past eight years have taught us anything, it is that for the fulfillment of these hopes we must look to the political process to ensure a framework within which citizens are given honest information and can make responsible choices. As a nation, we need to think of the long term. Older Americans need to make it clear that we cannot turn repeatedly to the quick fix that depends on borrowing from the future — anyone who has lived six or more decades knows that change can be surprising and business as usual is not enough. We also know that good behavior depends on sensible laws and regulations widely supported and understood.

So when Barack Obama speaks about hope I know he is speaking to all the generations, and I believe it applies to every area of policy. It is time for young and old to join hands in the hope that we share. We are all in this game for the longer term — for today’s children and for generations we will never know. That’s what HOPE means to me.