As local families prepare to travel to Washington, D.C., to witness an historic inauguration, and others prepare to celebrate it here in Maine, there are many reasons to face the future with a dose of trepidation.

The economy continues to limp toward an uncertain future, with no one knowing whether 2009 will bring a turnaround or an even deeper recession. In the meantime, with the unemployment rate at its highest level in years, many are looking for new jobs that don’t exist right now, and with the stock market still low, many are facing retirement with savings that have vanished in recent months.

State and local governments are beginning work on next year’s budgets with dwindling revenues, and as the federal government pumps money into the economy, its already high deficit is only escalating.

In the Middle East, Israel is once again locked in a violent conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and U.S. military personnel remain mired in Iraq and Afghanistan, with no clear end to our involvement in view.

For all these reasons and more, we need leadership now at every level of government, and it must start at the highest elected office in the land. The problems we face call for new ideas and innovation, and demand a measure of optimism if they are to be overcome.

Reasons for optimism might not be as apparent these days, but they exist. For those who can afford them, it’s a great time to buy a home or a car, not to mention the gas to drive it. Restaurants and retail stores are discounting prices to attract customers. The days of the stock market riding a roller coast of gains and losses of hundreds of points seem to have ended, and yet prices remain low.

Although it may be difficult to enjoy, those who are unemployed have what is perhaps the most valuable asset of all – time – which can be spent pursuing a new hobby or passion, volunteering in the community or training for a new career.

The country will soon have a different president with new ideas. While President-elect Barack Obama’s political ideology doesn’t align with half the country, he has successfully engaged and inspired previously disaffected groups of people, such as minorities and young people.

Obama is clearly enjoying a honeymoon period, but this is a time when the whole country could use a bit of his soaring rhetoric. If nothing else, it could give us yet another reason to be optimistic.

Brendan Moran, editor