Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or indifferent, few can argue that President Barack Obama is entering the White House facing the worst American economy since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president during the Great Depression in 1932. And few students do claim they are not affected by the slumping economy, either during an after-graduation job search, dwindling supply of money from parents or the shrinking amount of loan money for college education.
   
With that in mind, we need to band together to support Obama in his mission to create and save several million jobs during his first few years as president. Last week, House Democrats unveiled an $825 billion stimulus package, which would include $275 billion in tax breaks and $550 billion in spending.
   
The U.S. is losing jobs, money and much more; an injection of money is needed to jump-start the economy and rejuvenate investment and confidence in the markets.
   
I'm not a very econ-savvy person, but an economics professor once told me the federal government cannot generate revenue on its own. The revenue comes from the people the government, taxes so money will have to come from the wealthy people who need it least. Those people will have to sacrifice some of their luxuries to help fellow Americans who have lost their homes, jobs and savings. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue – it is an American issue.
   
But since it is our money, we need to keep Obama and his administration and Congress accountable. Obama has said he will be the most transparent candidate for decades, including posting the contents of a stimulus bill online for the general public to study. Now the public will have to live up to its civic responsibility – to hold politicians accountable and ensure its tax dollars are going to reasonable sources.
   
Obama needs the public's support, but he also needs to be challenged. On Sunday's, "Meet the Press" TV show, political commentator Tavis Smiley mentioned that great presidents are not born, but are made great by the decisions they make and what they learn from those decisions. If Obama makes a bad decision, he needs to know; but he also needs to know when he has made the right decision. It can't just be one man – and his associates – to be left to figure out the mess our economy is in. He needs help with what should be done and what should be pushed to the side.
   
We want him to succeed; we need him to succeed. Years of making risky investment decisions and ignoring the symptoms of a depression have left the economy in shambles. We can no longer expect it to stabilize itself like it has in the past.
   
Obama and his administration have the immensely delicate task of stabilizing the economy, but they should not have to solve it by themselves. They need guidance, support and criticism not from Republicans or Democrats, but concerned Americans.

Scott Girard is a senior in print journalism. Please send comments to opinion@spub.ksu.edu.