Letter to Obama

On September 8, exactly one month ago, I sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging a flat tax, and for those on welfare and unemployment to complete some kind of community service in exchange the benefits they receive. Here's my letter: (sorry for the small print).

Today, I received a response. Here it is:

This is clearly a standard letter. Along with it came a picture of the Obamas, their dog Bo, an interview of Obama about general questions a kid might ask him, a diagram of the White House, and an art guide to the White House. This all came in an official looking 8.5" x 11.5" envelope marked, "First Class Do Not Bend."

The package included some interesting information, but the letter was disappointing. It was irrelevant to my own letter, and an insult to my intelligence and the intelligence of people my age across the country. Notice that they couldn't even put my name on the letter, instead addressing me as "student." To me, addressing me as student it the equivalent to me addressing him as "adult."

Many kids ask Obama questions like, "What is your favorite book?" These are answered in his "interview," or FAQs for the President if you ask me. But my letter was nothing like that, but it was treated that way. I wonder what stock letter they would have sent me if I claimed to be an adult.

In my father's study, there is a letter on the wall to President Reagan from a student asking Reagan his advice for her. He gave her a personal response. If she had written Obama, his stock letter probably would have satisfied her, but my point is that Reagan took the time to respond.

One more thing: The postage was $1.68 plus the cost of color ink and nice stationary for an irrelevant letter.