I received my first letter from The White House today! It is a form letter, one which is neither surprising nor particularly interesting. Still, it was lovely hearing from the office of the President.
Dear Mr. President,
Today I write to express my support of your threat to use recess appointments to fill the critical positions still waiting on Senate confirmation. I think that, should the Senate continue to demonstrate such enthusiasm for holding up the business of the government by blocking your perfectly qualified nominees, you should continue to publicly redress their behavior by any means necessary.
I appreciate the history and the tradition of Senate rules, but this is absurd. To hold up the appointments of qualified individuals for critical positions in government for legislative pork is truly an example of the worst kind of partisan politics. I'm all for respecting the separation of powers, but there is a point where the majority has to be allowed to govern.
Anyway, Mr. President, since the State of the Union it seems as though the administration is doing a much better job of communicating to the public, especially when it comes to pointing out just who is holding up the agenda. I'll admit this may be a matter of perception- certainly my decision to write to you every day has required me to pay attention to the daily communication from the White House- but even among my peers there seems to be a general consensus that your administration has had a new surge of energy and focus in the last few weeks.
I'd like to applaud the political maneuvering that today got 27 nominees confirmed. I think that, in the event the others continue to be held up, the public would recognize recess appointments as the right thing to do.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Showing posts with label state of the union. Show all posts
Showing posts with label state of the union. Show all posts
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Day 29
Dear Mr. President,
I filed my Tax return today, and, to my great surprise, I'm getting a refund more than double what I'd anticipated. This is largely due to the American Opportunity Tax Credit which was, surprise surprise, part of the stimulus bill. I'm going to use half of it to finally pay off my credit card. My best friend, upon hearing of my refund, exclaimed, "let's stimulate the economy!", so you can bet we'll be spending the other half more quickly than we should. I have to say, it's difficult not to feel happy with the Recovery Act when I have such tangible evidence of how I personally benefit from it. I'm a fairly well-informed person, and even I had no idea how much the Recovery Act was going to benefit me. I think, had it been explained better, more people would have supported it, and been happy with your administration's efforts.
Anyway, my worries about credit card and student loan debt, my anxiety about returning to school, my general stress about the state of my finances is greatly alleviated by all of this. Thank you so much. I'm generally not opposed to paying taxes, but I won't lie- it was nice not to pay so much this year. I'm still glad you didn't concede to Republican requests for an across the board tax cut in your discussion with them today. Not cutting taxes for the very wealthy, for people like my former CEO, is an incredibly sensible thing to insist upon, and I feel that you did explain this very well. You do a much better job of admitting mistakes, taking blame, and discussing the ideas of your political rivals than I feel President Bush ever did.
The coverage of the State of the Union address continues to be divided along ideological lines, which is upsetting but in no way surprising. Today I watched Jon Stewart mention his perception of your administration as being a third entity, being isolated from congressional Democrats and Republicans. I don't know how accurate his impression of this is, but I think it indicates the sense people have of the Democratic party being fractured so badly it is unable to effectively lead. I sincerely hope that your State of the Union address helped ease this, and that congressional Democrats rally to the pass the proposals you outlined in the speech. I would hate to lose control of the House or the Senate in November, but if the Democrats don't see the ramifications of their in-fighting and start governing more effectively, we deserve to.
Listening to your speech Wednesday, and your answers to the Republicans today, I have to say you sound just like you did in The Audacity of Hope and its nice to know you're still that optimistic. I can't speak for any one but myself, but for me, at least, that optimism seems to be catching.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
I filed my Tax return today, and, to my great surprise, I'm getting a refund more than double what I'd anticipated. This is largely due to the American Opportunity Tax Credit which was, surprise surprise, part of the stimulus bill. I'm going to use half of it to finally pay off my credit card. My best friend, upon hearing of my refund, exclaimed, "let's stimulate the economy!", so you can bet we'll be spending the other half more quickly than we should. I have to say, it's difficult not to feel happy with the Recovery Act when I have such tangible evidence of how I personally benefit from it. I'm a fairly well-informed person, and even I had no idea how much the Recovery Act was going to benefit me. I think, had it been explained better, more people would have supported it, and been happy with your administration's efforts.
Anyway, my worries about credit card and student loan debt, my anxiety about returning to school, my general stress about the state of my finances is greatly alleviated by all of this. Thank you so much. I'm generally not opposed to paying taxes, but I won't lie- it was nice not to pay so much this year. I'm still glad you didn't concede to Republican requests for an across the board tax cut in your discussion with them today. Not cutting taxes for the very wealthy, for people like my former CEO, is an incredibly sensible thing to insist upon, and I feel that you did explain this very well. You do a much better job of admitting mistakes, taking blame, and discussing the ideas of your political rivals than I feel President Bush ever did.
The coverage of the State of the Union address continues to be divided along ideological lines, which is upsetting but in no way surprising. Today I watched Jon Stewart mention his perception of your administration as being a third entity, being isolated from congressional Democrats and Republicans. I don't know how accurate his impression of this is, but I think it indicates the sense people have of the Democratic party being fractured so badly it is unable to effectively lead. I sincerely hope that your State of the Union address helped ease this, and that congressional Democrats rally to the pass the proposals you outlined in the speech. I would hate to lose control of the House or the Senate in November, but if the Democrats don't see the ramifications of their in-fighting and start governing more effectively, we deserve to.
Listening to your speech Wednesday, and your answers to the Republicans today, I have to say you sound just like you did in The Audacity of Hope and its nice to know you're still that optimistic. I can't speak for any one but myself, but for me, at least, that optimism seems to be catching.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Day 28- State of the Union
Dear Mr. President,
I loved the State of the Union address. I thought you were eloquent, uncompromising and honest. I was cheering out loud at my laptop several times. Your proposal for student loan payment caps, if enacted, will help me save the money I need to pay for school. My degree feels like a real possibility for the first time in a long time. I was also impressed with your commitment to health care, your call to action to both parties. Promising to repeal 'don't ask don't tell' was a needed boost to the left's confidence. I think, on the whole, the speech was excellent.
What unsettled me was the number of people I talked to who had no idea the speech was even happening. From the clerk at the grocery store, to the people in the ER waiting room, who asked my roommate if we'd been attacked, I was shocked by the people who weren't aware of the night's significance. Where does that disconnect come from? Even my politically minded friends have difficulty seeing how the things you say in your speech affect them. Are we too comfortable? Too cynical? Too shallow? Or is it that we've been let down too many times?
For example, I read the transcript of your Q & A in Florida today. One young woman asked you a question about your lack of response or condemnation for the Israeli and Egyptian treatment of Gaza. The audience booed. To your credit, you calmed them down and asked them to be respectful. Unfortunately, you then proceeded to disrespect the woman in an even worse way, responding as you did with a talking point, and not one that answered the question. She asked why you did not condemn human rights violations, and you responded by pontificating about all the reasons we are Israel's ally and how complicated the situation is. Mr. President, she was not asking you to denounce Israel or outline the conflict's complexities. She was asking why you did not condemn specific actions. Any reasonable adult can tell you that this is a question that can be answered without renouncing our allegiance to Israel. The answer to this question is either "I do condemn these acts, but I understand why Israel and Egypt are concerned" or "I don't feel that the you, the UN, the ICRC, and much of the international community are correct in characterizing these actions as human rights violations, let me tell you why...." Maybe if my generation felt that a straight answer from a politician was possible when it comes to tough issues, more of us would pay attention when you speak.
Anyway, Mr. President, I was quite proud of your speech, even if I'm disappointed by the Q & A. I hope that you consider just how answers like the one you gave this woman contribute to the "deficit of trust" you addressed last night.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
I loved the State of the Union address. I thought you were eloquent, uncompromising and honest. I was cheering out loud at my laptop several times. Your proposal for student loan payment caps, if enacted, will help me save the money I need to pay for school. My degree feels like a real possibility for the first time in a long time. I was also impressed with your commitment to health care, your call to action to both parties. Promising to repeal 'don't ask don't tell' was a needed boost to the left's confidence. I think, on the whole, the speech was excellent.
What unsettled me was the number of people I talked to who had no idea the speech was even happening. From the clerk at the grocery store, to the people in the ER waiting room, who asked my roommate if we'd been attacked, I was shocked by the people who weren't aware of the night's significance. Where does that disconnect come from? Even my politically minded friends have difficulty seeing how the things you say in your speech affect them. Are we too comfortable? Too cynical? Too shallow? Or is it that we've been let down too many times?
For example, I read the transcript of your Q & A in Florida today. One young woman asked you a question about your lack of response or condemnation for the Israeli and Egyptian treatment of Gaza. The audience booed. To your credit, you calmed them down and asked them to be respectful. Unfortunately, you then proceeded to disrespect the woman in an even worse way, responding as you did with a talking point, and not one that answered the question. She asked why you did not condemn human rights violations, and you responded by pontificating about all the reasons we are Israel's ally and how complicated the situation is. Mr. President, she was not asking you to denounce Israel or outline the conflict's complexities. She was asking why you did not condemn specific actions. Any reasonable adult can tell you that this is a question that can be answered without renouncing our allegiance to Israel. The answer to this question is either "I do condemn these acts, but I understand why Israel and Egypt are concerned" or "I don't feel that the you, the UN, the ICRC, and much of the international community are correct in characterizing these actions as human rights violations, let me tell you why...." Maybe if my generation felt that a straight answer from a politician was possible when it comes to tough issues, more of us would pay attention when you speak.
Anyway, Mr. President, I was quite proud of your speech, even if I'm disappointed by the Q & A. I hope that you consider just how answers like the one you gave this woman contribute to the "deficit of trust" you addressed last night.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Day 27
The post is a reflection of my own opinion and certainly does not represent an official statement on the behalf of my employer.
Dear Mr. President,
As eager as I am to listen to the State of the Union tonight, I can't help but be distracted by the looming rumors of layoffs at my work. Some news sources are reporting that up to 15% of employees will be laid off tomorrow. I'm on vacation this week, and likely won't know if this is true, who will be going, or if this is the end of it, until I return to work on Monday. I'm afraid for my job, I'm afraid for my coworkers' jobs, and I'm angry at our erstwhile CEO who earned millions driving our company to near-bankruptcy and has just left for a higher-paying job with another corporation.
This CEO may have felt he was doing his best to save our company. I don't pretend to know what went through his mind this year. I can say this; while dramatically increasing demands for performance, he cut hours, benefits and eliminated performance-based pay raises for employees. There are hard truths to be faced; some of what he did was necessary. Some employees needed to be pushed to work harder and deliver more concrete results. Some had to be let go. But some of his expectations, some of his decisions and investments were obviously, unforgivably, appallingly unwise. When this man visited my store, he humiliated a coworker of mine in front of other employees and customers. That was not necessary or helpful. The cuts in benefits and payroll may have helped in the short run, but drove away qualified employees and alienated customers. We, the underpaid working class with no safety net and often no insurance, we are the face of this company, the part of it that interacts with customers and the part that represents our brand to the world. How is demoralizing and downsizing us going to help anything?
The writing of this letter was just interrupted by a phone call. It was my coworker and roommate, who is, not for the first time since I've known her, being taken to the ER for an asthma attack. She has no insurance. Would regular preventative care and access to the medications that control asthma help her? I'm not a doctor, but common sense tells me that it would. I'm going to cut this letter short to go meet her, but, if you are reading this, sir, please spend a moment to think of my roommate, a 23-year old woman from Hawaii, who is in the emergency room today because she cannot breathe, and whose first concern now is how she will pay for her prescriptions to keep another attack at bay. I'm asking you to think of her, because I know our CEO won't be.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
Dear Mr. President,
As eager as I am to listen to the State of the Union tonight, I can't help but be distracted by the looming rumors of layoffs at my work. Some news sources are reporting that up to 15% of employees will be laid off tomorrow. I'm on vacation this week, and likely won't know if this is true, who will be going, or if this is the end of it, until I return to work on Monday. I'm afraid for my job, I'm afraid for my coworkers' jobs, and I'm angry at our erstwhile CEO who earned millions driving our company to near-bankruptcy and has just left for a higher-paying job with another corporation.
This CEO may have felt he was doing his best to save our company. I don't pretend to know what went through his mind this year. I can say this; while dramatically increasing demands for performance, he cut hours, benefits and eliminated performance-based pay raises for employees. There are hard truths to be faced; some of what he did was necessary. Some employees needed to be pushed to work harder and deliver more concrete results. Some had to be let go. But some of his expectations, some of his decisions and investments were obviously, unforgivably, appallingly unwise. When this man visited my store, he humiliated a coworker of mine in front of other employees and customers. That was not necessary or helpful. The cuts in benefits and payroll may have helped in the short run, but drove away qualified employees and alienated customers. We, the underpaid working class with no safety net and often no insurance, we are the face of this company, the part of it that interacts with customers and the part that represents our brand to the world. How is demoralizing and downsizing us going to help anything?
The writing of this letter was just interrupted by a phone call. It was my coworker and roommate, who is, not for the first time since I've known her, being taken to the ER for an asthma attack. She has no insurance. Would regular preventative care and access to the medications that control asthma help her? I'm not a doctor, but common sense tells me that it would. I'm going to cut this letter short to go meet her, but, if you are reading this, sir, please spend a moment to think of my roommate, a 23-year old woman from Hawaii, who is in the emergency room today because she cannot breathe, and whose first concern now is how she will pay for her prescriptions to keep another attack at bay. I'm asking you to think of her, because I know our CEO won't be.
Respectfully yours,
Kelsey
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