An open letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President,

As a life long democrat, who volunteered my time to help elect you, I'm very disappointed in your administration. You're too timid. You weren’t timid with the Somali pirates or Osama bin Laden, so why are you timid domestically? In searching the web, the best explanation I can find is in one of your quotes:

"When I say something the markets react, all of society reacts, other countries react. I've got to be careful with what I say. I can't just say it for brinkmanship. I've got to say it in a way so that I get what I want said, but I don't upset markets and so on."

If you speak the truth, the markets will respond positively. If you spout crazy nonsense like the Republicans do, the markets and the people will respond negatively.

Why don’t you like to “own” a plan? Why do you play second fiddle to Congress? Why don’t you use the bully pulpit more? Why doesn’t our leader lead?

Perhaps I’m being too critical. I know our political system is broken. There’s been a corporate takeover of America. Many members of Congress are corrupt, selling off votes in return for large campaign contributions. This is destroying democracy. Fix this problem and all other problems are infinitely easier to solve. Isn’t there anything you can do about this? Why don’t you at least sign the executive order to require disclosure of political spending by government contractors?

Regarding the deficit, I’m sure you realize healthcare is the biggest problem. My wife and I pay $12,000 per year for health insurance, with a $10,000 deductible. And we’re perfectly healthy!?! The drug companies and insurance industry have half the Congress on their payroll and are bankrupting our country. Medicare for All with some teeth to control costs and the power to take on Big Pharma is the only way to prevent financial ruin. You took that option off the table before negotiations even began, and now you’re talking about RAISING the Medicare eligibility age?!?

After decades of giving corporations and the rich everything they want, our economy is in ruins. As Warren Buffett said, "There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." Trickle down economics doesn’t work.  A healthy middle class means a healthy economy. Please push for a WPA-style jobs program to fix the infrastructure, and other jobs programs. Don’t break your campaign promise and expand NAFTA to Colombia-Korea-Panama. You’re just giving away more American jobs in return for corporate contributions to your campaign.

Finally, please have dinner with Paul Krugman. Your rhetoric about austerity and business confidence is right-wing nonsense. Your emphasis on austerity is already causing unemployment to rise, and may well cause a premature end to your presidency.

I sincerely wish you the best,

James Crist

Madison, WI