Public letter to Obama

Obama for America
P. O. Box 8102
Chicago, Il 60680

Dear Mr. Obama:
I am a Democrat with concerns for my future and for my country. I hope some day to address you as Mr. President, so I want to share my concerns with you now.
Because I am a person of limited means, financial matters are a priority to me. I am divorced with medical problems in a lower wage job. Things, like medical insurance, are of paramount importance to me. I sometimes go without a prescription just because I don’t have enough money to pay my portion after insurance. I try to delay going to a doctor until things are out of hand. Right now I owe a lot of money to the hospital and can’t afford monthly payments. My insurance plan is supposed to be a good one, but every year, they trim back the benefits and raise the cost. Each year there are more drugs they won’t cover. I face unemployment in the near future because of age and medical handicaps.
I actually attended an employee meeting once where two young Anthem representatives told us they couldn’t make as much profit because we were living longer and older people have more medical problems. And we have the nerve to practice preventive medicine, trying to stave off cancer and other diseases. Shame on us for making costs go up like that!
The rising cost of gas has trickled down to every thing else. Prescription drugs and over the counter drugs have gone up this year, even generics. Groceries, including store brands, cost more. The part of my budget actually going to gas has almost tripled. With most of my money going to medicine and doctors and medical insurance, gas and groceries, how am I supposed to pay rent or fix the car, pay debts or save for retirement?
Retirement scares me. It’s less than ten years away. If I live long enough to retire, I will have only social security as income. That will be less than I make now. And they tell us it may not be around by that time.
So my number one concern is available, affordable medical and dental care for all Americans.
Number two is the cost of fuel.
Number three is unemployment. Many jobs are going to other countries. Both office work and manufacturing jobs are going elsewhere, so that companies can make more profit. It’s always about the shareholders, not the country, not the employees, not honor. I know many people without jobs, people willing to work, but who can’t find work because of age discrimination or plain scarcity of jobs. (It doesn’t matter what the law says, age discrimination happens every day. Whether it’s misconceptions about older workers, or because young managers don’t want to supervise people old enough to be their parents, it happens and it goes unnoticed.)
I’m also concerned about crime, drugs, and gangs. I don’t like that teachers prey on young students every day, I’m concerned that in our modern society, men still think it’s okay to beat up women and children, or that people still make comments like “She probably deserved it.” Kids think it’s ok to key a new car just for the fun of it. I’m concerned about the internet making new kinds of crime possible, like identity fraud, credit theft, and child entrapment.
I’m concerned about the environment and global warming. I want to save the animals and keep the rainforest intact. But I believe that animals were put here on earth to serve man. When preserving the animals is in direct conflict with the safety and well-being of humans, the animals lose. Human greed, however, should not deplete our forests or ruin natural habitats. We are to be good stewards of the earth, not the servants of every species.
I’m concerned about the overcrowded jails and prisons and the cost to the tax payer. Those institutions are full of people who have no idea of what they have done wrong or how they have hurt others. Ours is a morally derelict society, which is failing to give moral instruction to its young citizens. We are not teaching self-discipline. Our culture is being taught instant gratification. The people we meet daily, on foot and on the highway, are angry and ”in your face”.
I’m concerned about the lack of emphasis on English as our language. Immigrants need to learn survival skills in English. Businesses may court the Hispanic market because they want their money, but they need to remember this is an English speaking country. (If I move to Tunisia, I will have to learn French and Italian, because they will not force themselves to learn my language.) More classes in English proficiency should be offered in more communities.
There are many more concerns, but you need to know that one important concern for all of us is to have a president we can trust. With great power and responsibility comes great temptation. During the four to eight years you will occupy the White House, we expect you to be faithful to your wife. We expect you to live up to the honor of the highest office in the land. You must be beyond suspicion. You must be honest with us. We, the American people, can forgive almost anything, but don’t lie to us. Don’t let there be any need for cover-ups. Whatever may occur, always be a person that we can believe in. When all your big contributors and rich friends come around to seek favors, remember that all Americans look up to you for leadership in every way. Don’t give us any reason to become more cynical or to lose faith in the system. Put the hopes and dreams and concerns of the masses ahead of corporations and wealth.
God be with you.
Sincerely,


Citizen Registered to Vote