Obama spells out urgent need for economic stimulus plan and Music City Charity Inaugural Ball

Two hours ago at George Mason University, President-elect Barack Obama tried to remove congressional obstacles for quick passage of his $850 billion economic stimulus plan by outlining the consequences of delaying needed help by even one, single day.

In doing so, Obama spelled out the critical need for the Music City Inaugural Charity Ball Jan. 20 in Nashville, which is much more than a single, celebratory event. It is a call to action under the ball's theme: "Spirit of Unity."

We who are organizing it do not know if Obama knows about the event that will be the largest ball outside of Nashville. That does not matter.

But he will get to know us and Nashville after he sees the kind of economic help we'll be providing to those who are hurting from layoffs to home mortgage foreclosures here at home.

Obama said each day delayed allows for more layoffs of Americans. Each day after this ball here is going to provide computer literacy and high-tech job skills training for more than 1,000 Nashvillians in need in 2009. Every day here means one more person gets employed and get puts on the way toward the American Dream.

Obama urged people in Congress to put "the urgent needs of our nation above our narrow ones." The Music City Inaugural Charity Ball is urging participants to do just that and come together across racial, political and religious lines to support Obama's presidency and each each other.

Obama urged all of us to again trust in government. The Music City Inaugural Charity Ball is going a step further. We are reshaping our government, first with coming together across diverse lines to defeat an EnglishOnly referendum on Jan. 22. Nashville would become the first major city to ban other languages in government operations. That is un-American and is a step back in a global marketplace. We will not let this outrage stand.

There are more connections to make between what he is saying and what we are doing locally.

But what our president needs is action, no matter if it is coming from Republicans, Democrats or Independents. And that is exactly what we're about at the Music City Inaugural Charity Ball.

Go to www.volunteernashville.com to order tickets and get involved in helping our nation and city avoid calamity and catastrophe in human misery and misjudgment.