My Open Letter to the President

Dear President Obama,

It is the day after election day and I am wondering how you are interpreting the results of our national vote. Certainly the country has sent a message to congress by returning the GOP to power in the House of Representatives and reducing the number of Democrats in the Senate. Yet I am wondering, with the rest of America, what kind of message you received and, more importantly, how you will respond in the days, weeks and months ahead. Here are a few thoughts that I have for you on this day after the election:

• I want you to lead, Mr President, in the ways that Presidents Reagan and Clinton led.
  I would like you will take the lead in working with Republican leaders. President Truman once said that the buck stopped at his desk. I hope you will adopt a similar attitude with regard to working with congress. 
• I hope that you will no longer demonize Republicans as "the party of No". I am tired of the name calling Mr President. I want you, as our leader, to set an example of civility. Please do not refer to your political opponents as enemies. We are all Americans and are not enemies of each other. 
• My main concern about our country is the financial legacy that we will leave our children and grandchildren. Please Mr President, earnestly work with congress to balance the budget and reduce our national debt so that our legacy will be one of fiscal responsibility and health.
• In less than four years I will be eligible for Medicare and Social Security. I know that these programs are entitlements and I also know that they are also political hot potatoes. Please take courage and work with congress to fiscally solidify these programs for current and future generations.
• Lastly, please work with the congress to find ways to keep our jobs from being outsourced and foreign workers insourced. Please find ways to protect American workers from greed focused corporations that do not think twice about using unethical practices in their quest for profits both here and abroad.

I am sure that I could list other concerns but I do not want my letter to simply be a laundry list of grievances. Frankly, I am tired of being cynical about our government. I am fed up with seeing polls that reveal such a mistrust and disdain for the congress. I beg you to take leadership and work together with congress to turn this trend around.

I also want you to know that I pray for you, your family, our congress and all who lead in civil government. I know that the job can sometimes be difficult yet I also know that collectively we can do so much more than we can individually. With that I close wishing you much success, and God's blessings, as you lead our nation.

Sincerely, Bob