1. I watched the Christmas Lights Guy wander around on his balcony, which ended not with him taking the lights down, but with him turning them on.
2. I made a delectable plate of lentils and rice.
3. I found out that www.whitehouse.gov has a page that allows you to send e-mail to Obama and the gang.
Despite all the complaining I do about the banality of the Web, I have to admit that's pretty cool. I'm not naive enough to believe that anyone important actually reads these, and the illusion that you can quietly stay in direct contact with the PUSA from the comfort of your own home probably is more harmful than beneficial, I like the gesture. Calvin Coolidge never accepted e-mail from the public, and when was the last time you heard someone fondly reminiscing about the good old days of the Coolidge administration?
Below is the e-mail I sent. In retrospect, I wish I would've changed a little bit about it before hitting SEND, and I didn't even think to mention things like the electoral college (speaking of which, the electoral college is a disgraceful embarrassment that should have been abolished years ago [or, better yet, never established], but there should be enough time before the next election to take care of this, and the war and depression are probably a little more urgent).
Hey, you know all those people who are risking their lives in order to kill innocent people in the Middle East? What's the name for them - the military? Do you think you could be a pal and bring them back to America?
Great. Thanks a lot. Oh, by the way, the sooner you can get on that, the better, so no dillydallying. I know you didn't start it, but this is pretty important.
On that subject, it would be super if you cleaned up a few other messes, like the economy or noninclusive, for-profit health care.
Let's do it in this order: stop having American troops murder people, then give Americans enough health care to not die, then maybe let them have enough money to live. That's not to say you should give money to the rich folks who already have loads of it, by the way. Seems pretty obvious, but your predecessor seemed to have a little trouble with that one.
Fantastic. I hope I'm not asking for too much. If you finish all that (and I encourage you to hurry), don't hesitate to have some fun making higher education affordable to all Americans or allowing people to marry the ones they love, regardless of gender. You know, the types of things most people in this country want.
I would also like a pony and a new bike, as I have been very good this year.
Say hi to Michelle and the kids for me.
Much thanks, your pal,
Jake
So, yeah, not perfect. Plenty of other issues to bring up and minor corrections to be made to my statements - like, distribution of tax spending should decided on a smaller, perhaps even individual basis, so I can make the personal choice not to contribute any money to war. Also, higher education should be made more affordable and available not just to Americans living in America; education should be a collaborative goal across nations, with the option of exchange at a low cost, though charity begins at home, and I wouldn't mind seeing America take the baby steps necessary to offer tax-funded education to its people, like the first-world countries do.
Yep, there is always more to say. I've just begun, but you know who should speak up? You. Give it a try.
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