Frankly, I am very disappointed. The $800 will hardly do me any good. You have provided bail out money for large companies who have a history of failing, continue to fail, and you continue to bail them out. Typically the automobile manufacturers, the insurance companies like AIG, the banks, who by the way are licensed to steal money from hard working folk like myself.
If my business had failed, I would have gone bankrupt without credit and without a helping hand such as the one your government is providing these large companies.
Where is the fairness? I have lived within my means all of my life. I sent my children to school without public assistance, paid my taxes and penalties when required. In the meanwhile some of the people you appointed are known to have failed to pay their fair share. Even in Congress, Mr. Rangel, head of the Ways and Means Committee has been accused of failing to pay his fair share among other pending accusations that the Ethics committee has failed to investigate. Yet, Mr. Rangel continues to serve.
How would you like me to react when I see that manufacturers, banks, insurance companies, and individuals who have acted irresponsibly are being rewarded while people like me are not reaping the reward of having acted responsibly.
Is this what our sense of justice is?
Thieves such as Bernard Madoff, who have been indicted for stealing 50 billion dollars from hard working folk as well as rich companies, pension plans, rich individuals, retirees, has the gall of requesting that 62 million dollars in his wife’s name not be used to compensate the victims of his fraud. Where did a middle class person from Laurelton, Queens, NY get to accumulate such as vast sum of money? Now he wants his wife to keep the reward of this Ponzi scheme to keep it while he serves out his time in jail? How do you expect honest working people to feel when we see so much injustice being committed.
No, Mr. President it is not about the republicans or democrats, it is about fairness. We the middle class have been denied the opportunities by previous administrations. We have been holding the bag while banks and powerful politicians in Washington continue to steal our hopes and dreams.
You, Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Reed are not really trying to work in a bipartisan way, and in the process we the hard working middle class is paying for your vendetta against each other.
Mr. President, it is time to stop the bickering. Your stimulus package and your present budget proposal have violated the promises you have made during the presidential debates and continue to reward a sector of society that hardly contributes to the wealth of this nation.
Wall Street is reacting to the insecurity exhibited by your appointees and by your failure to keep your promises. If you want us to trust you, you must keep the promises you made. You are serving the same interests you spoke against during the presidential campaign, and like in the past, went the same as many other politicians. This, for the Americans is a policy of NO CHANGE!
Like always, in Washington business is as usual, and so far you have not CHANGED anything. Please restore the faith and trust I put in you when I voted for you in November. When I argued with my friends and yes, even my father and my children, that things would be different if you got into office. So far, they were right and I was wrong. Nothing has changed.
Sincerely,
June M. Lipsky
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
June—
Thanks for the letter. Please know that the only thing I spend my days thinking about is how to help hard-working Americans like you. I share your outrage about the big banks, and the only reason we are helping them is to make sure that the whole banking system doesn’t collapse and result in even more hardship for ordinary Americans.
As far as keeping promises, the budget I’ve outlined only gives tax breaks to middle class folks, and moves us in the direction of health care reform and energy independence. That’s what I campaigned on, and that’s what I intend to deliver.
I understand your frustrations; I’m frustrated too. But don’t give up hope—we will get this done!
Sincerely,
Barack Obama
Ms. June M. Lipsky
East Meadow, New York
1.28.2009
Dear President Obama,
I am in 6 graid, I am a girl, I am elevin years old, I am the only child.
I live with my mom in — and my dad livs in —.
I am a artist, I draw cartoons. my dad werks on the boats, and my mom werks at the marina. somtimes I pick up trash at the beach.
my contry is the u.s.a, and its fine. my contry is grait be cawse we all are safe, my contry is beautiful, we all runto the beatch and pick up sheals, I run to the beatch with my dog rozi. I want to cainch my contry into…somthing thats in the future in 3001.
me and my mom are homeless. I want a circle house with a bedroom upstears, my mom and me would live thear. the kitchen is supposed to be big. the house neads to be in the forest near a big lake.
ail, see you laiter!
Sincerely,
E—
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
E—
Thanks for the beautiful letter, and the great cartoons!
I will be working hard so that all families have a nice place to live, and I will keep you and your family close to my heart.
Barack Obama
8/9/2009
Subject: Health Care
Dear President Obama—
I am very concerned about what I am hearing about your new Health Care Plan. My wife and I care for our only child, an 8 yr. old boy, Mason, who has a form of muscular dystrophy is wheelchair bound, ventilator dependent and feeds through a g-tube. Needless to say he is a very happy little boy and the love of our lives. I work full time and am blessed to have health insurance through my employer. This insurance pays for all of our sons care and the medical equipment we use in the home. Our son requires in home nursing care which is also covered by our health insurances and MediCal. My recent concerns are rumors that I am hearing about our proposed health care plan that would no longer allow children like my son to be cared for in our home and lead to he and children like him being institutionalized in order to contain health care costs. Please help me to alleviate these concerns. I have faith in you as our President and truly appreciate all you do.
Thank you,
Scott, Staceyanne & Mason Fontana
Chico, CA
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Scott, Staceyanne & Mason—
Thanks for your note. I promise—nothing in our health care plan would take away Mason’s care. In fact, we are trying to strengthen the system so care will always be there for him.
Barack Obama
Mr. Barrack Obama
The President
The White House
September 25, 2009
Dear Mr. President:
Congratulations on your election. It has been very interesting to watch your Administration grow and move forward. I am writing to you today as a concerned citizen from middle class America, because I know I am not alone and I want to enlighten you to what happens in the real world to people who have been working hard to see this country prosper.
Three years ago, my family was living a comfortable life. We had a home, cars, a boat, and were able to pay our bills and still provide the little things for our two growing boys. Then my husband lost his job. While he finally found employment in January 2008, it is at about one third of his previous earnings.
We began to fall behind on our bills and I was forced to draw from my retirement and credit to keep us afloat. All the while, my husband, a highly successful salesperson, was trying to get a job and couldn’t even get an interview with a local discount store. To make a long story short, after about a year and a half
struggle, the repossessions of a vehicle and a boat, and numerous attempts asking for help from our Mortgage Holder, we lost our home in March of this year. We were too late for your help as much as we desperately wanted it.
So, now we are in a rental unit. We are living paycheck to paycheck. Trying to stay afloat in that two year time frame cost me $80,000 out of my retirement and approximately $200,000.00 of debt from a second mortgage and credit card debts we incurred through that period. Now we can barely pay to put food on our table or clothes on our kids for school. We need to file bankruptcy—it is the only solution. The problem is we cannot file for Bankruptcy protection without $2000.00 to pay for it. If we were able to file, we could make it and start again, but there is no money to file and we have run out of options for loans.
Mr. President, I make a good living and I have been at my job for 14 years. While my husband’s income trickles in we have to live off an income that was never designed to be the main income. I just am at a loss as to what to do. We are not buying extras—no new clothes for me in two years, not eating out, and no extra amusements for the kids—and yet we cannot get a leg up. I know there are people out there in worse shape. Recently, when I called the power company for help paying a past due bill to keep the power on at my home, I was directed to a number of charities to ask them for help. I could not bring myself to do it, knowing I make a lot more than most people.
We are not the only people in this situation. We are willing to accept responsibility for our actions and take the hit of filing bankruptcy, but we can’t afford to do that and keep a roof over our head, so it seems like a catch 22. I cannot sleep and have developed medical conditions over this. I live in constant fear every morning of waking up to find all the money in my checking account—what little there is—gone from a garnishment from which I cannot defend myself.
After all this, I have a very important question to ask you: What does a person who is trying to recover in this economy supposed to do when they can barely afford to pay their bills and need to file bankruptcy, but they cannot afford to do it? I am not condoning bankruptcy, but it is the only solution for us. Where do we go for help? We did nothing wrong and tried to make good on our obligations, but no one will help us. My husband was even fortunate enough to find some work, but it just isn’t enough.
My 13 year old son asked me to write to you. He asked me why you won’t do anything to help people who are struggling like us. What do I say to him Mr. President? When he cannot have the new school clothes he needs and I have to explain to him that we cannot afford what we used to take for granted, what do I tell him? No child should worry about money or offer to find a way to work to help his family. But, at 13, he is well aware of the stresses on our family despite our efforts to shield him. How do I prove to him that you are the person and lead an administration that will help us?
I am very interested in your reply. My guess is you will never see this letter and some staffer will respond on some form letter. But, I am trying to show my son that our leaders are hearing our pain and responding. You probably have no way to help us either—I have pretty much given up on hope and just hope I don’t lose my job because I am in financial danger—you see, I work for Bank of America where associates are held to higher standards and cannot even receive help with Overdraft fees because we should know better. They also hold the second mortgage note that we had to default on, so I just hope I can keep my job. The stress never stops — —. I just pray a lot and hug my kids a lot and hope we can have a roof over our heads as winter comes.
Thanks for taking the time to read the rambling of a frustrated and scared citizen. I know you have bigger and better fish to fry. If I get a reply I will make sure my son knows it. It is important for kids to respect the President and to know he cares.
I would like to leave you with a quote of inspiration as you plow through the many issues you deal with each day, as it sometimes gets me through my day, “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” (Jim Watkins).
God Bless you and America
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
Dear —
I know how tough things are, and I am doing everything in my power to speed up the recovery. The economy took a big hit from the financial crisis, but the steps we have taken have halted the slide into Depression, and I’m confident that if we persist, your family and the country will see brighter days!
God Bless,
Barack Obama
CHAPTER 3
The Mailroom
Fiona was an old lady with a beehive hairdo, tiny glasses at the end of a drooping chain resting on a magnificent bosom, and a bulbous chin sprouting random whiskers that shook as she barked, “No trespassing!” through a brass mail slot from which only darkness and the musty smell of mold spores could be detected.
Or something like that. In my mind I had Fiona out to be a menacing gatekeeper, and so I felt somewhat cheated when she appeared as a perfectly pleasant young woman, early thirties; she had a delicate stature, absorbing dark blue eyes, and the precise diction of a literature professor.
“We will begin with a tour,” she said upon welcoming me at the White House security gate on a cool autumn morning. In emails she had said I would have to agree to certain terms before I would be allowed into the mailroom. These mostly had to do with understandable privacy concerns—I couldn’t disclose the contents of any letter I read unless it was cleared with its author—but the fortitude with which she announced the rules made the larger point: Fiona cared deeply about people who wrote letters to the president.
It would be some time before I would appreciate the astonishing fullness of Fiona’s zeal.
She led me to the loading dock of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building or “EEOB,” as people called it, a massive block-long structure that never seems to appear in press photos or cable news backdrops when they show the White House. Which is strange because it’s so hard to miss. The EEOB sits just steps away from the door to the West Wing. It’s an annex of the most extreme variety, a humongous creation with dramatic pavilions, ornate crestings, elaborate chimney stacks—architecture so exuberant that when it was built back in the late nineteenth century, a lot of people complained that it looked like a big cake. Mark Twain said it was the ugliest building in America; historian Henry Adams called it an “architectural infant asylum.” This went on for a while—Truman would later call it “the greatest monstrosity in America”—and its architect, Alfred B. Mullett, would end up killing himself. Nowadays, people take the EEOB for granted, like you would any big old awesome courthouse in a midsize city. It houses more than five hundred government offices, everything from the National Security Council headquarters to the Secret Service locker rooms to the vice president’s ceremonial office.
The mailroom was on the ground floor, just off the loading dock. The door says, “Office of Presidential Correspondence.” If you send a letter to the president, it ends up here—after having first been screened off-site, at some secret location, to make sure it doesn’t contain anything that would blow up or poison people. “So it arrives already opened, flat, the envelope stapled to the back,” Fiona told me as she opened the door to an office they called the “hard-mail room.” It was a sprawling space that had the tired, unkempt look of a college study hall during finals—paper everywhere, files stacked along walls, bundles under tables, boxes propping up computer monitors dotted with Post-its, cables hanging. Hushed young men in ties and hushed young women in sweater sets and hose—you dress up if you work for the White House—held pencils between their teeth or behind their ears, most of them with their heads bent, reading. There was an equally crowded work space, “the email room,” in a satellite office just outside the White House gates on Jackson Place. In total, the Office of Presidential Correspondence—“OPC” was what everyone called it—required the orchestration of fi
fty staff members, thirty-six interns, and a rotating roster of three hundred volunteers to keep up with about ten thousand letters and messages every day. As the director of the entire operation, Fiona was the one who kept it all humming along.
“Why don’t you sit down and read?” she said. It felt more like a command than a question. Ten interns were crowded around two long tables, but there was an extra seat.
Grab a bundle, sit down, and read. It was pretty straightforward: Read.
A girl doesn’t want her mom to be deported, and can the president please help? A guy finally admits to his wife that he’s gay, and now he would like to tell the president. A car dealer writes to say his bank is shutting him down, and thanks for nothing, Mr. President. A vet who can’t stop seeing what he saw in Iraq writes a barely intelligible rant that makes his point all the more intelligible: “Help.” An inmate admits to selling crack, but he wants the president to know he is not a lost cause: “I have dreams Mr. President, big dreams.” A man can’t find a job. A woman can’t find a job. A teacher with advanced certification can’t find a damn job. A lesbian couple just got married; thank you, Mr. President. A man sends his medical bills; a woman sends her student-loan statements; a child sends her drawing of a cat; a mother sends her teenager’s report card—straight As, isn’t that awesome, Mr. President?
Dear Mr. President,
…YOU, sir, are the PRESIDENT of the United States. YOU, sir, are the one person that IS supposed to HELP the LITTLE PEOPLE like my family and others like us. We are the ones that make this country what it is. You say that jobs are up and spending is up. YOU, sir, need to come to my neck of the woods and see how wrong that is. Because here in Spotsylvania County, it’s not. I live in Partlow, a rural community of Spotsylvania, and I tell you what…jobs are few and far between. My husband and I just want to be able to live and be able to buy a cake or a present for our kids when it’s their birthday or for Christmas. That’s another thing—my boys didn’t even have a Christmas because we did not have money to buy them presents. Have YOU ever had to tell your girls that Santa isn’t coming to your house?…
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