It was November of 2008, and the Presidential Election was finally on our hands. As it was becoming more clear that Barack Obama would win the vote, the city of Chicago went nuts. There was a massive celebration, and hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets and witnessed the speeches and all of the festivities.

Over a year later and closing in on a full year in office for President Obama, what's next? The city and the area came out in waves of support and served as the home base for Obama during his run to the top of the American political world.

Now though, many of the same problems that plagued the country then are still going on, and improvements have been hard to come by. The economy has been slowly improving, but it takes a few steps back for every few steps forward. The Iraq war will be closing down, but in its place we have a new, larger investment of troops, money and time into Afghanistan. The health care bill looks like it will be passed, but with so many revisions and comprises, will it really provide any of what was originally promised?

These are all legitimate concerns, however it's important to not make hasty decisions. One year out of a four year term is not enough to judge a person on. And even in that short amount of time Obama has made a difference in many areas of note.

Therefore if you're a Chicago based supporter of Obama thinking of leaving the bandwagon don't do it just yet. All of those hopes and positive vibes you shared just over a year ago are still there. Just allow for some time for real change to work its way through the system.