Dear Mr. President
Dear Mr. President-
It’s been a while since you heard
from me – in case you forgot, I’m one of the 69,456,897 who voted for you 3+
years ago. Like many others, I bought
into “Change You Can Believe In”
hook, line, and sinker. But that change thing isn’t working out the way
we thought it would. There’s a serious
problem going on in this country and you may not even be aware of how bad it is
or how many people are affected. We need
jobs. People are out of work. Families are hurting. Children are hungry. Joblessness has created homelessness. The economy is in a crash and burn mode, and
none of us see anybody inside the Beltway offering real, tangible solutions
that will make things better.
So here’s a little advice:
You need to define your presidency
by putting people back to work. Don’t
wait until after November when you’ve had your one on one with the gun-slinging
capitalist out of Massachusetts. Do something about creating real jobs now.
Bush the 1st once
spoke about “that vision thing” and we all know how his re-election worked out,
but you need to get to work on “that job thing” right away. There’s a lot of talk from Washington about putting people back to work
– a lot of back slapping at your own campaign site about tax incentives for
small businesses and tax breaks for clean energy. Investments in manufacturing technologies and
patent reform that will bring inventions to market faster. Seriously?
That’s it? That’s the sum total
of our economic solutions and remedies? Show
that to the guy who just ran out of unemployment benefits after 99 weeks – the
same guy who is over-qualified for most jobs he applies to and is unsure which
way to turn next. The guy who is looking
at food stamps and welfare because he’s out of options and out of luck and out
of work. I don’t think he really cares
about tax breaks – all he wants is a job and a steady paycheck.
That guy can’t take tax
incentives to A & P for groceries.
FDR had his New Deal, and from my
perspective, things aren’t much different now than they were back in the
1930’s. The New Deal faced vocal
conservative opposition. So will
anything you choose to do. So what? Do it anyway.
Get over to Capital Hill and do some lawmaking on jobs and the economy,
and if you have to go all LBJ on the opposition to makes things happen, do
it. FDR’s Public Works Administration
worked with private companies to build over 30,000 projects like bridges,
buildings, tunnels, airports, and roads – we have the same kind of
infrastructure and mass transit needs now that we did back then. Give that same out of work guy a hammer,
nails, and a paycheck and let him get busy.
We all wanted to believe in the
American Dream with the house, lawn, two kid family, and upwardly mobile
status. We all want to believe that things
are getting better. We all wanted to
believe in hope and change. Hope is a
good thing but the guy who is out of work and out of benefits can’t take hope
down to Chase or Wells Fargo and use it to pay his mortgage.
That bright and shiny future we
once believed in is a myth.
It all comes down to jobs. That’s the only solution we can believe in.
Well said, Kevin. I agree with what you're saying. We need to get this country back to work and empty campaign balloon promises from either side will be just that; hot air.
ReplyDeleteI would like to take all the money they use for campaigning and use it for finding cures for diseases. For keeping families out of the street after a mother or father and sometimes both have done their tour of duty. Find candidates that will do that and maybe we will be on the road to recovery. I'm fed up with politics. By the way there is never a new deal. It's always the same old crap.
ReplyDeleteCome see my copy of your book on my Pinterest page. You’re in good company.
Jeanette Cheezum
Well said Kevin. You are the first to mention the good things about the New Deal. I'm a Republican with many conservative friedns who because of Mark Levin are bashing FDR.I don't get it. The WPA spawned more long term jobs than any program to date. Yes, those people had to work and were paid a decent wage. My Grandfather was employed for I believe two if not three years. No, he didn't get rich, but he could house, feed, and clothe his family. Our infrastructure is in a dismal state of affairs across the board. There are plenty of men and women ready and willing to pick up and shovel and go to work. We need a man with backbone not supported with both numbers before making decisions. Do I like Romney/ NO. Do I like Obama? No. I want a man or woman to run for President of the United States and not the party line. I want someone who will make the hard decisions and not listen to a host of intellectual idiots who received their recommendations from more intellectuals living in think tanks. I want a man of character, honesty and a healthy spine.Then and only then, will America recover and reinstate themselves as a great country. Maybe that's asking for too much. I hope not.
ReplyDeleteJeff
(copied from Goodreads)
Well written and on point. The focus in this economic recovery needs to be job first and everything else after that.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
ReplyDeleteAgree with what you say and believe that Obama should have been more forceful in his first two years. WPA did much good and saved families along with the HOLC. GOP control of HofR since 2010 election makes pushing a WPA this election year a fruitless task. Sadly, but pragmatically, the first priority must be on getting reelected, especially since Citizens United decision gives money power of the GOP a major edge. Absolutely essential that Obama is making the next nomination for a Supreme Court Justice and not Mit Romney. Immense power hangs in the balance here that will affect any program that Obama should be able to pass. Remember that the Supreme Court was a major obstacle to implmenting and sustaining New Deal meassures until there was a change in the SC rulings, the so-called "switch that saved nine."
Very true and dead-on Matt. The Citizens United decision scared the hell out of me, and the power of corporations to influence elections is not only huge, but one that I think a lot of people don't understand. I really don't want to see Romney making the next nominations to the SC.....
ReplyDeleteTHE RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE (PART 1):
ReplyDeleteDear Kevin:
Thank you for writing. I have heard from many Americans who are losing their jobs or facing long-term unemployment and struggling to pay their bills. Every day, I make sure we are doing all we can to create good jobs and to help Americans support their families and pursue the American dream.
This is a make-or-break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it. At stake is the survival of the American promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, and put enough away for retirement. The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive, and I will not stop working to build an economy that works for everyone—where every hard-working American gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and plays by the same rules. To see my full blueprint for an America built to last, with an economy based on American manufacturing, energy, workers, and values, I encourage you to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/economy.
Our economy is growing stronger, adding over 2 million private sector jobs in 2011 alone—the best job growth since 2005. Yet, there are still far too many Americans who need jobs. We need to bring about a new era of American manufacturing by making it easier for our companies to create jobs here at home and to sell products stamped with “Made in America” all over the world. To turn this vision into a reality, we hosted the “Insourcing American Jobs” forum in January 2012 to bring together business leaders from across our country to discuss one topic: how to encourage companies to bring jobs back to and invest in the United States. To help them do so, I have put forward new tax proposals that reward companies that choose to bring jobs home and invest in America while eliminating tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas. I also set a goal of doubling our exports of goods and services by 2014, which will create new manufacturing jobs, and we are ahead of schedule to meet that goal.
RESPONSE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE (PART 2):
ReplyDeleteWe need to reach for a new era in American energy, with an economy fueled by homegrown and alternative energy sources designed and produced by American workers. We are taking every possible action to safely develop a massive, newly accessible supply of natural gas in the United States that will last nearly 100 years and support more than 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. We are also working to create jobs in renewable energy and ensuring our all-of-the-above energy strategy does not put the health and safety of Americans at risk.
An economy built to last also demands that we cultivate the skills of our students and workers so they remain the best in the world. Employers today are looking for skilled, educated workers, and we have a responsibility to provide our workforce with the tools to prepare for the jobs of today and to compete for the jobs of tomorrow. We have made a national commitment to train 2 million workers for good-paying jobs in high-growth and high-demand industries, and my Administration is helping community colleges redesign training programs to become community career centers. With the extension of the payroll tax cut, we also made sure no working American will see their taxes go up this year and the millions of Americans still looking for work will be able to get help with unemployment insurance.
As our troops return home, we need to ensure they can find jobs to put their unparalleled skill and experience to use. My Administration has helped 600,000 veterans and their family members go back to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, hired over 120,000 veterans into jobs with the Federal Government, made it easier for veterans to access employment services, and set up online tools to connect veterans with job openings that match their skills. In January 2012, I proposed the Veterans Job Corps, which would put veterans back to work protecting America as first responders and preserving and restoring America’s land and resources. We have also proposed an expansion of entrepreneurship training opportunities for separating service members and veterans. America’s businesses have accepted a challenge proposed by First Lady Michelle Obama’s and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative to hire 135,000 veterans and military spouses, and we have put in place two new tax credits for companies that hire veterans. Supporting our troops and helping veterans find work is good for our communities, good for our economy, and good for our country. To explore the many programs in place to help fight veteran unemployment, visit www.JoiningForces.gov.
Our Nation is recovering from one of the worst economic crises in generations, and we still have a long way to go to make sure every American who wants a job can find one, every family can regain the sense of security that has been slipping away, and our communities can get fully back on their feet. From passing the Recovery Act to saving the American auto industry, my Administration has laid a strong foundation for growth, and we continue to take bold action to do what is right for our economy. Today, the tide is finally turning. Businesses have created millions of new jobs, more companies are bringing jobs back and investing in America, manufacturers are hiring, and our economy is growing stronger. While it will take time to fully repair the damage done by the worst recession in our lifetime, I am confident our Nation will not only recover, but also prosper in the 21st century.
Thank you, again, for writing.
Sincerely,
Barack Obama