DearMr.President, and First Lady Michelle,
I guess something struck a note in you the other day. You seem to have a knack for communication, except when it comes to our budget. There are lots of people who would like to just go in and say, “Pass the budget.”
With two sides unwilling to compromise, we need our public to step in. Our constitution implies that we are doing everything together. Communication has never gotten more complex; and, I think about all the letters I have written to you, requesting only one thing, the opportunity to meet Dr. Chen. The idea of an Appalachian peasant meeting the prestigious doctor seems absurd, unless you consider the years it took me to get my degree, and why I am Faculty.
If I were President today, I would tell Congress there would be no Christmas break, unless your budget got passed! That is strong language from a peasant. You need to understand my emotion for all the down-trodden people, as they tend to coagulate.
I would tell Congress, there are millions of Americans who will not have a home, or Christmas this year. We just gave over a thousand dollars to one, literally starving family. Both parents got fired, dismissed for serious illness. The mother is taking computer classes to get her Master’s degree, in effort to get another job. She was a manager.
This is why we need your budget passed before Christmas. If you have it in your heart, please read my letter to Mr. Boehner.
I have written you many letters – many handwritten – and you have never directly answered me. Sometime, you need to look at a couple of my handwritten letters and reflect on all the arthritic pain that goes into my efforts.
You should reflect on what you say sometimes. Ronald Reagan said, “Tighten your belts,” I lost everything but a back pack. I could not believe my ears when you said it. The saying dates back to Europe. The belt originated to carry personal affects. Notches in a belt measured hunger. They referred to the most inner notch as the death notch.
Last weekend, I served lunch to 300 people – about a quarter of the town – and it was the only meal for more than a handful of them. There were people there with their belts tightened to the death notch. Some parents have stopped feeding their children because they have no money. They leave the children at the mercy of our system, which is poor. School lunches which used to be hot, are the only meals some children get.
What happened last week is very sad, and people across our nation morn. However, the children I served are worse off than the slain children are. They have to continue living, in hunger, while Congress stalemates a budget!
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