Dear Mr. President,
Let me start of by saying that I am very grateful that you are now our President. I cannot think of a worse future for the United States than one under McCain/Palin leadership.
I would also like to express appreciation for the fact that you have instituted the Lily Ledbetter equal pay act, that you increased my paycheck with the payroll tax rollback and that you seem to have brought the world (and all its possibilities) positively to our door again. I must say, it's nice, this side of the 'Hope' thing.
This letter comes on the heels of seeing Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, so please forgive any excess of passion or emotion. However, I consider the ability to support, house, feed, care for and educate my family as the highest priority I have in this life.
So, that is why I say this to you, President Obama: Trust us. We, the People. Maybe you get it, coming from the background you have. I really hope you do, because what is going on in this country is a travesty.
People are truly hurting, Mr. President, but the good news is you can do something about it. You can institute real reforms, re-regulate the banking industry, and put them in their place. You, alone, with the might of the government behind you, can do that.
What we have seen is the power of money. And believe me, money has a lot of power. In this country, it seems to have most if not all of the power. And their hubris lies in thinking they can buy you, Mr. President, that they can buy access to the highest office in the land. Have they, Mr. President?
When Tim Geithner will take the calls of bankers over the calls of other people in government, what message does that send? When you appoint someone like Mr. Geithner, who has failed at everything he has done in the financial world, I rely on you to explain to me why he was the best (only) choice. When you appoint Larry Summers as an advisor, I trust that you have looked at the facts and determined Mr. Summers is an advocate of the middle class, working person. Is that so, Mr. President, are these men my advocates, people who will fight for my right to make money, to earn a living, to provide for my family?
I am wondering if you do trust us, Mr. President. Or are you worried we are fickle, these Americans who voted you in? I implore you to not give into the cynicism or to reduce your administration to a footnote in history. I ask that you do the right thing, and I warrant that the American people will do the right thing by you. We know something good when we see it; and I believe, perhaps with a tad of naivete, that in the end the greedy, corrupt and evil will perish and the hardworking, good and just with prevail. I understand this makes me different than most in DC, or even Chicago, and perhas even in politics all together, but it's all I have to hold onto in a chaotic world - A world where someone can take a way my livelihood with the stroke of a pen to short up short term, shareholder gains. A world where I can't afford to take my daughter to the dentist, and worry about getting my throat checked because if it isn't something simple, I'm screwed. A world where I can even be put out of my home by a bank that doesn't even hold my mortgage, because they bought that mortgage from someone else who bought it from the original bank, and all these transactions happened under a nebulous cloud of secrecy and deceit.
So, I am begging you: Trust us. Please trust us so that we can trust you. Please appoint people who care about what happens to me, to my daughter, to members of my community, to residents of my state, to citizens of this country. I understand politics, I really do, and so I know this letter will seem a waste, and completely futile. But, I really hope its not.
I really would like you to take a stand. And I know what I'm doing is unfair, but I'm asking it of you anyway. I know there's a lot to be done, and not a lot of resources or choices. That is unfair, but it also means we need to make good decisions the first time out, and failing that, we need to make better decisions going forward.
I'm not asking to be among the wealthiest, Mr. President. I just want to live. I want to eat, without deciding what I'm going to give up to make that happen. I want to be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors. I voted in good faith, and I am still hanging on to that faith, so yes, a lot hangs on you. I imagine you are up to the challenge, but I am not convinced yet you have surrounded yourself with the best and brightest. I am not sure you have yet rooted out the corruption that has rotted the infrastructure of this country. Please, prove me wrong, Mr. President. I really, really want to be wrong about this.
I know some will say you have given many speeches, and perhaps you have. You have re-instituted diplomatic relations in key areas, you have done some good for this country, and in the world.
I am willing to do my part. I am willing to work, to volunteer, to gladly pay my taxes and fees and to carry a fair share. But as you said yourself, "I can't do it alone." The man in the White House needs to help me, help others like me.
Jobs. Foreclosure relief. Close Guantanamo. Stop the wars. Fight for us. Regulate the banks. Return our rights to us. Stop warrant-less wiretaps. Prosecute criminals. Reform health care.
Let us both work to restore the dignity and humanity to this country, and let us both work to make America the place we knew, and FDR knew, it could be. What is now, is not working. It's time to weed out graft, corruption, backroom deals, secret meetings and return government to its original purpose: to be 'By and For The People.' Let us take back our country from corporate interests and return it to those who made this country great: Its citizens.
Thank you for listening.