An open letter to this election year’s candidates for
office:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It has certainly been a trying year on the political scene. Over the last twelve years or so, certainly
since the 2000 election year, partisanship has taken hold of our system of
government to a degree not seen since the Great Depression. In this information age we have seen
politicians from both parties caught spouting lies and nonsensical “data” like
never before, all due to the fact we have ways of checking their statements
against the facts. The press has been
only too eager to add their spin on such gaffes, making sorting through the
drudge to get to the facts all the more difficult. Regardless, it has been an entertaining yet
depressing year for both parties. From
Obama’s inability to construct some form of coalition that allows for passage
of legislation to the Republican Party’s inability to get its candidates to
stop speaking out of ignorance, it would be a miracle if voters have any confidence
in any candidate in the field at this point.
There are things to look for, however, and that is what I am about to
give you now.
I am not a politician, nor do I profess loyalty to any particular
party. I do consider myself a bit more
liberal than conservative on most issues, so bear that in mind. It was during GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s acceptance
speech that I was prompted to write this letter, because I think there is a
pervasive lack of understanding, either through ignorance or willful neglect,
of your constituency. This
misconception, I might add, applies to BOTH parties. I am 37 years old and a father of three
children. I have been married for
thirteen years and once my thesis is complete I will have a Master’s Degree in
history to complement my Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies Education. My household’s income is less than $40,000
annually and that is with my wife and I both working full-time jobs. I just finished working a temporary part-time
job to help make ends meet, and I am currently scrambling to find another. The city in which I live is in one of the
most economically-depressed areas in the state and the nation. Put simply, we are living day-to-day and
hoping to keep the ship afloat.
Why do I bring this up, you ask?
Well, it is quite simple. Both
candidates for President and nearly every Congressional candidate I hear talks
about the same thing: bringing success back
to the American people with jobs, and income, and whatever promise-of-the-moment
they care to make. Mr. Romney made it
very clear how he feels America can once again be the land of opportunity for
those willing to take a chance. It is
certainly a valid point, and a laudable outlook on the future.
But his America, and President Obama’s, and Nancy Pelosi’s, and Jim
Boehner’s…is not my America.
My America does not involve starting my own business. Nor does it include the opportunity to take a
chance on something. I have no margin
for error. My goal has never been about becoming
independently wealthy. I do wish to find
employment sufficient to provide a comfortable living for my family and allow
my wife to work only if she so chooses, rather than because there is no other
option. Who doesn’t? This, my fellow Americans, points at the
heart of the problem. I want to be a teacher.
I want to show future generations the brilliant successes and abject
failures our country has endured. I want
to help the young people of tomorrow understand why the people who run these ads every two years are so hateful to
each other, though some campaign attacks simply defy explanation. Here is the bottom line for you, Mr. Romney
and you also, Mr. President:
What about me?
What about my family? What about
our America, an America where we, too can see success? We own our home, but we are upside down along
with millions of other Americans. We own
two vehicles but insurance costs for two GOOD drivers are still prohibitive. We have an attic fan that we run for most of
the spring despite rather severe allergies simply because we cannot sustain a
$200+ per month electric bill that comes with our air conditioning.
You see, ladies and gentlemen, I do not hear anything about what you plan to do to help my family. I hear no plan for improving our schools and
opening up more teaching jobs, well, unless we are talking math or
science. My wife is one of the most
valuable people in this country because she can act as an interpreter for the
deaf community. She is certainly more
powerful as a woman than Ann Romney because she has raised a family while working full-time to help support it
instead of staying at home thanks to being independently wealthy! Please tell me how WE get to see this America
of jobs and opportunity. Explain to me
how WE benefit. What policies have you
suggested that simply cannot take the
risks???
I frankly do not care what party to which you pledge allegiance. I simply want you all, be you Blue or Red, to
remember me.
Because I am middle-class
America, ladies and gentlemen. I am he
of whom you speak. I am “Joe the
Plumber,” the greeter at Wal-Mart, the store manager at Gamestop or Hastings,
the bank teller who cashes your checks, the cashier who grimaces with you every
time you pay for fuel. I am that person,
and there are MILLIONS LIKE ME.
WE ARE AMERICA! We make this country move. We pay our taxes, we spend our paychecks on
groceries and fuel, and the occasional movie or steak dinner. WE ARE AMERICA, and our voices MUST BE
HEARD. We MUST not be SILENT, we CANNOT be SILENCED, and we want
to know, ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to help this country, WE ARE
PART OF IT TOO! We educate your
children, we sometimes even care for them as if they were our own. We WORK for a living.
So once again, I ask one simple question. It is the only question to ask in this
situation, and I ask it on behalf of all those who struggle daily to get by,
who live paycheck-to-paycheck and who honestly do not give a rip about what is
happening to the top 1%. We only want to
hear the answers to this:
What about us? What’s your plan?
Sincerely,
The Middle Class
