This will be short and sweet.
I am self employed, and up until 2009 I have always made a great living doing what I do in the arts. 2009 was I year that I suddenly made less money than I made....... since I was 18 years old. I'm now in my late 30's. Yes, its that bad for me, and nearly everyone I know. I had hoped that you would lead us out of a bad economic state after the disaster of the Bush years. How sorely I have been mistaken. And now you are embracing the ideas of Rush Limbaugh, in an attempt to retain your political relevance. With whom?
Your idea to freeze spending in the middle of a recession is not only bad politics, its a bad idea, whom many on even the right think is a terrible idea. The government right now, is creating the only demand! Without it, where will spending come from! Not from me! I haven't made any money. Nor have millions of unemployed workers. Same for millions of small business owners like me, who saw the bottom fall out of their business in 2009.
I had some friends in the early 2000s that left for Europe, convinced that this country was falling apart, culturally at the time, at the seams. Now it is financial as well. All decisions are political. NOT rational. They were right. I should have left with them then.
I have made the decision to pack my life up and find another part of the world to live and do what I do as an artist. I place with values, and not the kind that they teach in church. Where a common humanity exists, not the kind exposed by the Leitenant Governor of South Carolina. And with unemployment at the level that it is, I'm afraid that there may be millions more like me. I have that flexibility as an artist. Most Americans dont.
Will the American poor and middle class become the new migrant workers, looking for an economy in the world that will offer them a chance at a decent life? Take a drive around the state of Michigan, especially Detroit. Also Cleveland, Buffalo, Youngstown, and all the way thru the core of this country, where factories employed millions, now all shuttered. Where do all of these people work now? They DO NOT work. There are no jobs for them.
Mr. Obama, you were a wonderful candidate for president. You and your beautiful family are the American Dream. However, as much as I hate to say it, you are a terrible President. When I child says that they want to grow up and BE president someday, the election is not the end point. And thats the way it feels with you. The day you were sworn in seems to be the end of the dream that we all had for your greatness. You have let us down every step of the way. You have no balls. You will not call an irrational opponent on any of its BS, and instead want to remain "presidential". You hand your power off to Senators that really could care less. And you sit back and seemingly do nothing. Except NOW you have an idea to suddenly take government OUT of the solution for economic recovery.
Mr. President, you have lost me. I should have voted for Hillary.