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making decisions, which he has said would be his number one priority.

The American people are aware that certain information must be protected in order to ensure the safety of this great nation, but we the people should know what the standard is for how those decisions are made and those decisions should never violate our freedoms. We have a constitutionally mandated right to know how our government conducts its business and furthermore we have a right to say when the government has failed to conduct that business properly. That cannot be accomplished without complete transparency.

President-elect Obama must stop all secret rendition, and spying on the American people. He must be willing to uphold the rule of law by allowing the press to shine a spotlight on his policies and administration. He must suspend all acts of torture and allow the prosecution of the people responsible for these human rights violations. Obama must put a stop to this war without boundaries. He must not pardon individuals whose testimony may lead to the criminal prosecution of anyone in his administration, including himself. He must read through Bush's policies of the last eight years and veto anything that doesn't uphold the standards of the constitution. But, he can not do it alone.

The founding fathers created the three branches of government, to insure that no one person ruled the United States. America needs the strength of Congress and their willingness to uphold the law, without regard to partisan sentiments. We need an efficient Congress to ensure the welfare of the state and to bring about a government without shadows.

President-elect Obama is on the right track with his weekly radio addresses, taking a cue from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, but more can be done, nothing that doesn't severely impact our national security should be discussed behind closed doors, not if he wishes to uphold his promise to the American people. Policy that takes away from the moral authority of America should be struck down and the rule of law upheld. The policy of transparency must extend to all branches of government in order to ensure justice, peace, and the continuation of our great nation.

Learn more about this author, EJ Englin.
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