Turn hope into action -- right now

Hope is a fine word, an amazing word. It can be a step, helping you reach a higher level. It can be a crutch, helping you down the road to destruction.

It is a word we have heard quite often lately.

People hoping they find a way to pay the next mortgage payment while they watch their favorite sitcoms.

Folks hoping to find the money to pay a credit card or two or three or 10, while they continue to charge. Students hoping to pass a final for which they haven't studied.

And every politician is using hope over and over again in speech after speech.

Sen. Barack Obama hopes all this religion talk will go away. Sen. Hillary Clinton hopes she can find enough votes to achieve the nomination. Sen. John McCain hopes he can convince the conservatives he is one of them, while convincing the moderates and independents he is one of them.

I hope the people of this great nation temper their hopes with action. Take responsibility for your life instead of hoping someone else or the government will make it better. Take control of your life; don't float along down stream with no idea where you are going or what will happen to you.

Stop the destructive behaviors instead of hoping they will go away. You and only you have the ability and responsibility to change your life.

And finally, I have a challenge. All three presidential contenders are senators. Instead of promising what they will do when elected, they should do it now.

Show us how you can bring both sides together and work it through the House and Senate and send it to the president.

Show us you are as good as your promises, so we can believe you are what you claim and not just hope you are.

We need hope, but we also need action.

Dennis J. Horcher | Elgin