Don't Count On My Vote

September 28, 2009

President Barack Obama                                                               Via Fax

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20500

RE:       Your letter dated Sept 22, 2009

Dear President Barack Obama:

We have been writing to for the last 4 months. In addition to writing to you, we have written to our House representative, John Larson & Senators Chris Dodd & Joe Lieberman who represent Connecticut. WeI have requested to have an opportunity to meet with you in each letter. We give credit to Chris Dodd’s office for their efforts to investigate our concerns.

Yesterday, we received a response from your office to one of my letters. We are not sure which letter you are responding to because the content of your letter did not address any of the specific concerns we wrote to you about. It was a generic letter reiterating your position on health care reform, clean energy, and competitive education for our children, homeland security and fiscal spending.

Not only do we feel that your letter did not address the specific concerns raised in our letter or our request to meet with someone within your administration, we feel it is a waste of tax payer’s money to respond to your correspondence in generalities & with falsehoods.

The very last paragraph of your letter states that you feel all Americans must be involved shaping the policies that affects our lives. However, I am not seeing your administration or the current representatives from each state involving all their constituents. As an example, more than 50% of the people are not in favor of the Health Reform bills currently proposed in either the senate or the house, yet no one is saying, I think we need to rethink how we are approaching Heath Care Reform.

Our personal belief is that you are tackling much more than you should be at any given time. As a result, none of the goals you have can be effectively achieved. I also feel that the priority you have given to the issues that plague our country is not in proper perspective.

As an example, you know that our economy was in a state of collapse when you came into office. Although, legislation was initiated to improve the economy, it was done to quickly, without the promised transparency that would allow people time to understand what is being proposed and allows them time to communicate to their representatives prior to the m voting on a bill.  In my opinion Government is overstepping their role in businesses and hampering our free market system. We have a government that we cannot afford managing business that they should have been left to fail or survive by their own means. In addition, the very programs put into effect to help Americans survive this recession actually is hurting those responsible Americans who work hard, pay their bills & contribute to the tax base while helping those who have been irresponsible. We end up with legislation sold to the American people to help them while in realty helps only the industry(s) involved. (For example PL 111-22, which is not helping homeowners save their homes, it is helping the banking industry, and the home industry.  Enabling new buyers into homeownership at the expense of those losing their homes)

Most of Americans would prefer that before we, as a nation rush into addressing the Health Care system would prefer that they can see a positive change in the economy in their own lives. I am sorry but because Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner & Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke say the recession is over does not mean it is so. We firmly believe, that if Americans felt more financially secure first, then we heard a well thought out plan to change Health Care in this country we would be more open to the idea. It has everything to do with Trust. It has to do with priorities.

Global Warming is a concern; however, I would prefer to see our Government focus on National Security first and to keep our promises to our allies to support their safety. Again, it has everything to do with Trust. It has to do with priorities.

You mentioned reining in our deficit by cutting wasteful spending & ineffective programs. Yet we see you adding more wasteful programs, spending more money, not fixing or cutting the ineffective programs. We believe as you do that this must be done, I now look to you to do as you say. Be the responsible role model for our Senators and Representatives.

While we appreciate your response to our letters, what we would really appreciate is action in Washington that proves to Americans that you are doing the job you were elected to do and not using the office for a means to put your personal policies into play.

Sincerely,

Donna & Pete Cameron

CC:

Vice President Joe Biden

Nancy Pelosi

Harry Reid

Congressman John Larson

Senator Chris Dodd                      

Senator Joe Lieberman

Timothy Geithner

Ben Bernanke

Fox News

Hartford Courant

LA Times

NY Times

Washington Post

Chicago Tribune

Wall Street Journal

USA Today

Houston Chronicle

New York Daily News

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jennifer & Jeff Lajoie

P.O. Box 212

New Hartford, CT 06057

September 7, 2009

Barack Obama, President

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Re:       Health Care Reform

Dear President Obama:

We urge you to oppose any legislation that threatens our ability to freely make health care choices in consultation with my own doctor.

We have seen the effects of publicly-run medicine in other countries.  Americans should not have treatment delayed and denied because bureaucrats have tried to impose a one-size-fits-all program on the country.  Health care requires individual attention, which can never be effectively delivered from Washington. We need a free market approach to Health Care not a Government run plan (free markets, Competition & Choice).

Individuals need to control their health care and be allowed to choose from a wide variety of health plans and providers. They should be personal and portable, controlled by individuals themselves rather than government or an employer. It should include protection for pre-existing conditions.

We cannot allow a so-called public option to crowd out private health care providers. We urge

you to oppose any legislation that establishes this type of threat. We will not be able to support your re-election efforts or those of others who support a Government run Health Care Plan.

Sincerely,

Jennifer & Jeff Lajoie

CC:      Senator Joseph Lieberman

            Senator Chris Dodd

            Congressman John Larson

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

August 30, 2009

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama:

One would think that I have been possessed. I am a 51 year old educated woman, who until this year was a registered democrat. I have never been overly involved or out spoken politically in any of my years. I have always felt strongly about government having an active role to protect our country and our citizens, as well as, being a leader & model for all countries in this world. Hearing you speak for the first time at the Democratic National Convention, my thought was that we finally had a strong, intelligent member who could help our party gain the support it needed. Until this year, I have never written to a Presidents, Senator, or Congressman. I now find myself writing letters & making calls on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it does not seem to make a difference: my letters as well as those of other Americans seem to fall on deaf ears.

However, everything has changed. I am very worried. I never expected the government to take care of me; I expected the government to take care of our country, keeping us strong economically, protecting us from our enemies, and, keeping us a leader in social concerns across the world.

I take my role in society very seriously. I work hard to contribute resources to our family, and I put time & money where I can to support my church & others less fortunate. I aim to inspire my children to do the same. I live by understanding that God gave me many gifts; I need to use them wisely. I am where I am in life today with the support of many people & I give back, by trying to help others achieve their goals. It is not a big contribution to society, but it is my contribution.

Others, like you have the ability & desire to give even more of yourselves to the same causes. I commend you; it is not an easy task. You give up your privacy rights and you are always in a situation where it is not possible to please everyone.

Unlike most, I do not blame you or the Democrats for the situation our country is faced with, nor do I blame the Republicans. It has been many years in the making with contributions from both sides of the aisle. To say you inherited the situation is incorrect, as you were part of the process that brought us to this point.

You said you wanted to have a transparent presidency. I am one of the few who can see right thru you. Here are my thoughts:

Our Country was built on Capitalism. My parents, grandparents, and great grandparents like many Americans, started their own business or went to work for others who did. They worked hard every day at their jobs, and then came home to care for their families. If their business was not successful, they failed.  They either fixed what was wrong with the business model, or they closed the doors and found another way to take care of their families. They did not ask the government to support their business. They may have relied on the government to support their families in order to avoid losing their home & to keep food on the table... These Americans were not too proud to dig ditches or take in ironing to support themselves. We now find our Government bailing out the big business in this country. Our auto makers are making products that Americans are not interested in. They are making them at a cost so high we cannot afford to buy the cars even if we wanted to, and to make matters worse, there has been little effort put into making the vehicles more fuel efficient or to rely on a cleaner, less expensive fuel. The auto industry has contributed to its own demise & should have been allowed to close. Would that have hurt our economy? Of course! But some of those hurt contributed to its down fall & needed to pay the price. Government could have played a less costly role, by retraining those in the auto industry for a new line of work. I have always been told perception is everything. Why is it that the intelligent managers in the Auto Industry were never told this? Do you really expect your constituents to be happy about the bailout as they observe Auto Industry Executives jet around the country in private planes or off playing golf somewhere? Making matters worse, you take a great idea, without any responsible planning and initiate the cash for clunkers program. Great idea – help the auto industry sell cars, and get the gas guzzlers off the road. However, auto dealers have not been reimbursed and are on the verge of bankruptcy as a result & they have lots full of used cars they are not allowed to sell & do not know where they are supposed to send them. I must say I do not feel very good helping my neighbor buy a car that I am not able to afford for myself.

Having saved the auto industry it was time to save the banking industry. It was a bit cleverer this time. It was disguised in a program called “Making Home Affordable”. It was sold as a program to help individuals hurt by today’s economy & years of abuse by the banking industry save their home from foreclosure. I think you need to know how this program is being run and even more importantly who is being helped with this wonderful program of good intentions.

The banks, never mind the people do not understand the program or how to implement it. I cannot comment on the Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac part of the program, as it may be more defined as it affects the guaranteed loans. I can tell you anyone with a non guaranteed loan is in for the fight of their life. Many banks began by saying that this program was only for guaranteed loans. If you were lucky, to speak with someone who realized this was a falsehood. You would be told you did not qualify for one reason or another.

      If you recently lost your job, even if you have some cash reserves to help you & a spousal income you will not be able to modify your loan because you will not have the income to support it. You will be told to short sell your home.

      If you have equity in your home (more than 80%) you will not qualify because the banks will not lose money if you sell the home right now (It’s the secret Net Present Value test).

      If you call a counselor at the Hope hotline for answers on the program, they will insist on doing a credit counseling session first – so they can determine the best way to help you. The advice I received was that before I defaulted on my home mortgage I should default on my student loans. Quite frankly, I was stunned.

      You will not qualify if you have cash reserves in your bank account at the date your bank statement closes – Does not matter even if the very next day those funds are used to pay your monthly living expenses and your cash reserves are depleted.

      The program is supposed to review the income of the borrower. However, I was told it encompasses earnings from all adults in the home, so if my adult children or my mother in law are living in the house, for example & they have income it goes to determining if you qualify for the refinance or loan modification under this program.

To my limited knowledge, very few will qualify for this program. Those who qualify will not have lost their jobs: they will have little or no equity in their home, the value of their home will have decreased as a result of the housing market decline (that has affected all home owners). This program is not doing what we were told was the intention; to help people who have been the hardest by this economy preserve their home equity. So once again, those of us who are working hard are supporting our neighbor’s efforts to stay in a home they could not afford to buy to begin with.

Health insurance was next. You are right, Health insurance does need reform. It does not need to be run by the government. It has already been proven that the government cannot effectively run a business. Most years the Federal government & the State governments cannot balance their budgets. The post office loses money, our social programs cost more than the country can afford. Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security have failed. Government run health insurance programs have not been successful in any other country. Yes, we do need reform. We need to look at what is wrong with the current situation & take the time to fix it, leaving health decisions in the hands of the individual & their doctor. We should be looking at tort reform, medical research, lowering the cost of drugs. We should be encouraging people to come into the medical profession, employers to offer medical insurance and more options for insuring your family (for example higher deducible major medical plans). We need to encourage those in the medical field to donate time to treat the uninsured. This will cost money, but more money than a government run program? It is one thing to want to have good health for our citizens and it is quite another that we should be paying to cover health needs of those who broke our laws & are not in this country legally, and if it were to be a true government plan, shouldn’t you & all the government employee be on the same plan.

Our founding fathers did not write the Declaration of Independence for us to now become a socialistic government. We need to return our markets back to the basics off Capitalism and keep Government out of Business.

The stimulus program is not working. Unemployment and foreclosures are far higher than you predicted. Your administration underestimated the cost by trillions of dollars.

Our Legislative bodies are passing laws to enforce laws already on the books, are passing bills that they have not even read, they are adding to the bills items that do not relate to the bill (pork?) I do believe it is time to institute term limits for all politicians, to simplify the laws & the tax codes making them fair & balanced for everyone.

As you can see, I am not happy about where we are today; I am in worse position economically than I have ever been in my life, I will take responsibility for my role in this situation and make the changes I need to make to be in a more stable financial situation. I do not expect the government to make that more difficult for me to accomplish. While I believe that we all need to help others less fortunate than ourselves, I do not feel that I should be penalized for doing so.

Mr. President, please do not make that more difficult for me and others, accept responsibility for being a part of the government that got us here, not the legacy you inherited. Find more effective ways to help us not hinder us in fixing our own situations. You may be good with being a one term President – I am good with that as well. However, I ask that you leave the country as you found it. As a democracy, capitalistic, free society, with rules & regulations that protect our country and our assets while allowing us as the freedom (our forefathers fought so hard for) to make the choices affect us & our families.

I realize you have accepted a daunting task, and you are under scrutiny. However, I would like a response from your administration. I would like to see the programs you are putting in place work as I believe you intended them to work. I would be happy to take the time to meet with your staff to help them understand in more detail what I am trying to present to you in this letter.

Sincerely,

Donna Cameron

Washington Post

 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
August 19, 2009
 
President Barack Obama
 
RE:    Scheduling an Appointment
 
Dear President Obama:
 
I have been a staunch democrat for my entire voting life. This last spring I registered as a republican and I have been on a campaign since then to try to get my voice heard on issues that are affecting my family personally as well as most middle class families, as I do not feel that our elected officials truly understand.
My husband is impressed; he tells people that you were able to do what he has not been able to in many years (make me a conservative). He also tells me I am doing what we as Americans are supposed to do ~ let our elected officials know what we care about. Despite my continued efforts, it has not made a bit of difference. This is what is happening to our family:
 
·         Our tax dollars are bailing out the banks, yet he banking industry does not appear to be working within the guidelines of the Home Preservation program. WE have had our HELOC blocked & we have not been able to refinance or modify our first mortgage.
·         Our tax dollars have bought into the auto industry and they are financing a cash for clunkers program that enables our neighbors to get cash down on a car achieving only 4 MPG more than what they are currently getting, and they do not even need to buy American cars, and many of the cars are luxury vehicles.
·         Health insurance does need reform, but it does not need to be run by a government that has not successfully run any business for profit, ever. Government needs to play their part in reform not management. (tort reform, subsidizing drug research, student loan interest rates for those going into the medical field & donating time to clinics & hospitals, encourage not discourage employers & individuals to provide coverage, develop a catastrophic coverage plan – not a sniffle plan – I could go on). Manage the areas of health care for which you are responsible for example, Medicare.
·         Education ~ public schools are not working for our child, we choose, because we had no other option, to send our son to private school. We can not get much assistance from financial aide because the $100 K we are paying off for student loans from our older children’s college education does not count as a legitimate expense. Can you believe I was even advised from the Home Preservation hot line – to default on our student loans?
·         Retirement ~ please save Social security for those who have paid into it. For the new comers, either make it continue to work for them or find another alternative for them.
Please understand we do believe in helping those who can not help themselves, those who need help to get started. However, we need some personal responsibility from everyone in America & everyone needs to do their part to get us out of the crisis.
I would like to see you do your part. Make me want to be a democrat again. Please hear what I have to say. I would like to spend a few hours with you. I know that amount of time is unrealistic, but I would be grateful for any time that I might be allowed to meet with you and your staff. You need to see what we are going through personally & what road blocks we are encountering trying to utilize your programs. You will see what is happening to us is also happening too many around us.
I am an educated woman, and as such, I understand the restraints on your time. However, I implore you to clear a mere amount of time so that I can demonstrate to you in person the frustrations that many of us feel every single day.
 
Sincerely,
 
Donna Cameron
 

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