Sometimes, I wonder why I write to the White House. It's not like the President will actually read it. Sometimes I doubt, given the volume of e-mails that must go there, that a live person will even read it. Still, I know that if I do and say nothing, I won't be able to look my son in the eye as he comes to inherit the world we're building for him now. If we, the people so wonderfully referenced in our Constitution, don't continue to push for reform in all policy areas, but instead give up and in, America will continue its decline.
We're nowhere near first in education. We've been surpassed in health and life expectancy years ago. Other countries have taken up the industrial and technological mantles. We rank first in precious few areas, and most aren't things to be proud of, like our defense spending, health care spending, and debt. I just hope I'm not the only one pleading with our President to throw bipartisanship under the bus, as the Republicans have so disrespectfully done, and deliver the policies our country NEEDS to remain strong in this new century.
Sorry, going a bit off topic here. In any case, over the fold is my letter to the White House, and more thoughts of mine at the end. Thanks for reading!
"If I had not been at the table, there would have been a bill through the committee the week of June 22, and it would have been through the Senate by now because there's sixty Democrats." - Chuck Grassley, August 13, 2009.
I just want to know why you're negotiating with people like this on health care reform. He's reveling in his obstructiveness, and while you're praising his bi-partisanship, he's trashing your efforts at inclusiveness at town halls.
I know I don't know everything swirling around this reform effort, despite my work to be completely informed. What I do know, however, is that many people like me voted for you because we knew that things needed to get done, on health care, climate change, the economy, and many, many other items. Watching others trying to derail your efforts to score cheap political points at the expense of the American people is painful. What I would like to be sure of is we won't be let down. We've helped elect you, give a majority in both houses of Congress, and many of us are worried that even with this, we won't see real, meaningful legislation passed because of obstructionism on the Republicans' side, and a lack of intestinal fortitude on our party's side. I don't know how much more of a mandate one would need, or how much more clearly a populace could communicate that we are tired of the direction we were going in, and that we reject the vision of the future that the Republican party's policies would bring about.
I suppose, in closing, that I'm asking that you remind the Republican party, as they loved reminding us for the last eight years, that elections have consequences, and that you will work with them, but this open disrespect and mockery of your efforts at bipartisanship will not be ignored. Please, please, don't let the naysayers, those devoid of solutions but quick with criticism, stop you and Congress from doing what needs to be done to restore America's place as first, in health, education, economy, and freedom. I hold you in the deepest awe and respect, Mr. President, and congratulate you for all you've accomplished thus far, and hope that there's much more to come. Thank you.
My sincere hope, fellow Kossacks, is that we group together, and show that we refuse to live in a country that only caters to those with the money for obscene levels of "campaign contributions" and attack ads. That we refuse to accept a broken and unfair system just because we don't own a propaganda news network. That we remember we helped deliver the most decisive popular vote total in recent history, and it didn't take some rich corporate sponsor, or lobbying organization to do it. We've been deceived by years of watching the well connected and rich game our system, duped into cynicism and apathy, made to forget how much we, together, can do.
Civil rights had the Million Man March. It took real effort, pain, and sacrifice to do the right thing against those who would embrace the status quo. Martin Luther didn't march alone down those Alabama streets, he wasn't alone at the sit-ins, or in jail, even. I view now as just a pivotal and possibly historic time, if we are willing to seize it. There's a litany of issues that we can ill afford to ignore, and for those who would say that it's too much to do at once, well, tell that to the other failed civilizations on the dustbin of history before us. Climate change isn't going to "hold on" just because we lack the fortitude to do something about it. Our country's continued educational decline will not cease because "we already have too much to do." Our life expectancy will continue to drop, our health care spending will increase, because we've been saying "not too fast" and "one thing at a time" for many, many years now. We are currently watching the results of years of rising income inequality, corporatist driven regulation, and mind boggling anti-intellectualism, all because we're afraid of the consequences of doing too much.
If we continue to embrace that fear, they won't be much left worth saving down the line, I'm afraid. I know many won't agree with me, but I feel there's too much writing on too many walls to be ignored. Again, thanks for reading, and I'm sure I'll hear some interesting thoughts in the comments!