We're coming off the heels of a historic election. Not only will President-elect Barack Obama serve as the first African-American president of the United States after a landslide victory, but he will inherit an economy like no other seen in the last several decades.

This is a bull the Obama administration will have to commandingly grab by the horns to have any chance of lasting eight years. And credit unions will be along for the ride, lending money prudently just as they always have, while others who haven't can't. Certainly we will lose some credit unions (and already have) to this economic fiasco, whether they were mismanaged or just victims of circumstance. Policymakers in Washington top to bottom are well-advised to keep credit unions' responsible stewardship in mind as they decide their next moves to straighten out the erratic path the nation's financial sector is taking right now and avoid so-called "unintended consequences."

Not only do credit unions work for the good of their 90 million members, who are also the constituents of the elected politicians, but they are also politically active and aware.