Dear President Obama:
Hi, it’s us. The unemployed. The millions of Americans who don’t have jobs. Not to mention the under-employed, those who are working part-time or have jobs that pay half of what they used to make. We’re looking for work, Mr. President. Just as important, we’re looking for hope.
I know, you haven’t asked us what we’d like to see in your jobs speech. But since everyone else seems to be giving you advice, and we’re the ones who have the most riding on this (other than you, of course….there is that pesky re-election thing you have to deal with) we thought we’d let you know what we think.
Mr. President, GO BIG. Go really big. Go unbelievably and unprecedented big. We’re talking New Deal big. We’re talking Great Society big. We’re talking defining moment in your presidency big.
We know you can do it. You’re a smart man, Mr. President. You have smart people advising you. You all know we’re in a big mess and it takes big ideas to get us out.
I know what you’re going to say, Mr. President. Those Republicans won’t pass anything that doesn’t involve a tax cut. They won’t approve anything that involves spending money. After all, there’s a debt crisis.
But Mr. President, the jobs crisis is the real problem facing our country. So you need to put on your economics professor hat and give the American people a lesson in reality. The fact is, the debt will shrink as the economy grows. Give us a math lesson. Point out how the economy will benefit every time someone stops collecting unemployment benefits and begins collecting a paycheck. Point out how people who return to work will buy cars, and houses, and spend money at stores and restaurants….and oh yes, will pay taxes.
Speaking of tax cuts Mr. President, here’s one for your plan. Give every American company a tax credit for every unemployed person they hire. If that person has been out of work more than a year, make it a bigger credit. If it’s a small company, make it a bigger credit. Give companies a financial incentive to not just hire people, but hire people who need jobs.
I know, Mr. President, you think if you go big your plan won’t get passed. Well guess what? No matter what you propose the Republicans won’t say yes, because they care more about making you lose your job than helping me and millions of other people get one.
But there is a way to get the Republicans to approve your plan. Of course, it means you have to do something you don’t like to do. You have to go on the attack. Forget Mr. Nice Guy. Forget compromise, which is usually just caving. Forget give and take, which is just giving in. Mr. President, go after them with everything you’ve got. Make it clear to everyone that they’re not voting against you. They’re voting against us, millions of us, including every single person in their district who is unemployed, under-employed, or has a job but is scared to death it’s not going to last. In other words, the voters.
Take the fight on the road. To John Boehner’s district. Or Eric Cantor’s district. Or how about Michele Bachmann’s district? Get out there and stand in front of that bridge that’s crumbling, or that factory that shut down, or that school that’s laying off teachers. Stand there and tell everyone about all the jobs your plan will create IN THAT DISTRICT ALONE. Then ask Mr. Boehner, or Mr. Cantor, or Ms. Bachmann, or any other Tea Party Republican how they can vote against those jobs in their districts. Use Mr. Boehner’s own words against them: “Hell no you can’t!”
You’ve lost too many fights. Too many times you’ve given up before the fight even began. This fight is the most important of all. Fight for your beliefs. Fight for us.
Mr. President, you may not win the fight. You may not get everything you want, and everything we need. But go down swinging. We voted for you last time because we believed you would make things better. We want to vote for you again. We want to believe in you again.
We’ll be watching your speech Mr. President. Watching, and hoping. Give us a reason to have hope.
Sincerely,
The Unemployed
No comments:
Post a Comment