After receiving a fundraising appeal from Obama for America I have drafted a letter to the President and I would appreciate feedback on his draft from people here. Your suggestions and comments would be helpful.
Dear President Obama,
I recently received your fundraising letter that included remarks from your address on fiscal policy at George Washington University April 13, 2011.
I was very disappointed in the remarks that were highlighted in the mailing:
“A vision where we live within our means… where everyone makes sacrifices…”
These statements are disappointing for two fundamental reasons.
First, the idea that we are not currently “living within our means” validates right wing framing of our economy. We do not have a spending problem - we have a revenue problem. Taxes on corporations, taxes on unearned income, taxes on wealth, taxes on capital gains and taxes on the wealthy are at historic lows. If we define “our means” to be our current tax revenues there is no hope for recovery or advancement. If that is our approach we have already given in to half of the right wing agenda.
Second, the notion that “everyone makes sacrifices” completes the other half of the right wing vision. Today, the wealthy and corporations are not being asked to make sacrifices. Only the poor and working middle classes are being asked to make sacrifices. If you want a vision in which everyone makes sacrifices then you should define those sacrifices clearly. And even then, the poorest among us should not make sacrifices. If we define “everyone making sacrifices” as our vision, we have given in to the other half of the right wing agenda. The right wing wants the poor and working middle class to make sacrifices, but they will not even contemplate tax increases or benefit cuts or subsidy cuts for the wealthy and corporations.
A strong Democratic vision for America would be a vision in which those best able to sacrifice will sacrifice, and that we will invest in our citizens, our society and our future as needed. We must refute the right wing agenda and stand strongly against it. We cannot start from the right wing agenda and expect to move our country forward.
I strongly supported you in 2008. Your vision then was “Yes we can”. I believe we still can, if we stand up for our values, if we refute and oppose right wing framing of fundamental economic issues.
Sincerely,