The big election of 2008 is over. Winners and losers have, for the most part, been determined. But, come to think of it, there really aren?t any losers in an election.

When it comes to the races for seats on councils, commissions, boards, legislatures and everything else involving people, those who toss their hats into the political ring in the first place are winners 8 no matter what the final vote count.

Just stepping up to campaign for public office fulfills one of the fundamental requirements of maintaining a truly free and democratic society 8 the willingness of citizens to assume the mantel of responsibility and leadership.

With regard to ballot measures and propositions, the act of getting an important issue to the ballot is a significant step toward a fully engaged citizenry. It?s how we govern, and these propositions 8 no matter what your partisan opinions of their merit or lack thereof 8 are tangible evidence of a society that strives for order, common sense and excellence.

Now, after most of the votes have been counted and the campaign signs are disappearing, is when the real work begins. It doesn?t take long for the glow of a successful campaign to melt away, as the magnitude of problems to be solved becomes so readily apparent.

Those we send to Washington carry with them a mandate to get America?s ship of state back on course. Too many Americans have lost or will lose their homes. This nation has an army of people, some 47 million strong, without health-care coverage 8 with new recruits lining up every day.

An economic meltdown has dissolved the retirement nest eggs of millions of U.S. citizens. We continue to be mired in two wars, half a world away, without any real exit plan.

This election revealed, as have elections in the recent past, another skeleton in our national closet 8 a bitterly divided country, in which there is not enough tolerance on either side for people whose political ideals and religious beliefs differ.

There certainly is value in diversity of thought, but at what overall cost to this great nation?

Meanwhile, the winners in Tuesday?s vote need to start developing a strategy to bring America back up to the standards to which we have all become so accustomed. There are roads to be built and bridges to be repaired. There is the most expensive health-care delivery system on the planet, but whose effectiveness is far below less-developed countries, and as we mentioned earlier, leaves too many people behind.

There is a financial infrastructure so riddled with corruption and greed that it threatens to bring the world economy to its knees. We can talk all we want to about not having more government, but who is going to oversee and regulate financial markets, if not our government?

It is, after all, a government of and for the people.

Many of the same issues that face the nation also confront state and local governments. We can only hope we cast our ballots wisely, and chose men and women who can best serve the public interest.

When viewed in the worldwide context, America remains one of the few, true superpowers. Most leaders of foreign governments, and the citizens of those countries, still defer to our collective wisdom, and seek us out for advice and aid.

They have come to rely on this nation?s resourcefulness and the pervasive, indomitable, can-do spirit of the American people. Our elected leaders cannot allow that place on the world stage to be undermined or destroyed by avarice and self-interest.

Yes, those we have chosen for service in public office have their work cut out. Time to put away the victory speeches, and get to work.

November 5, 2008