Was "Black Friday" enough?

Dear Mr. President,

Did retailers sell enough on "Black Friday" to make up for a dismal year? I didn't go out early like some people I know, but everyone got what they wanted. Some people were able to get multiples of the specific deals they wanted. Last year, this would have been impossible. Is this a sign of the times? What type of results are you expecting for Quarter Four?

I think that this holiday season is going to sustain or break the economy. We are a nation of consumers, and if we stop consuming, then we will have successfully starved the beast, so to speak. I'm more than worried. I shouldn't be, though, since my industry is slightly isolated from retail exposure. Insurance is pretty well insulated from most problems, except of course the pending commercial real estate collapse. That is a whole other story.

So, what steps has the government taken to prepare the people for a potentially bad start to 2010? Have you started to nudge China to let them know that you may try to pass another stimulus package? I think this is inevitable, even though it won't happen. I guess what I would like to see is for you or some other government official to begin to prepare us for a really bad year if we don't have a stellar holiday sales season. I think you should make this a priority. Health care reform can wait. Our economic recovery cannot.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

Was "Black Friday" enough?

Party Crashers, so what?

Dear Mr. President,

Why is the main stream press making such a big deal out of the couple who entered your state dinner uninvited? All of the reaction seems to be that the shock is the fact that the couple slipped through the Secret Service when in fact it was the fault of your Administration directly. Your Social Secretary should have had better screens in place to make sure only invited guests were allowed inside.

Others made a fuss about the potential harm that could be done against you or other important figures. What they miss is that each guest, including the party crashers, had to be screened and had to pass through a metal detector. They couldn't have smuggled in a weapon. The most likely way to harm you would have been through a biological or chemical attack.

To me, a biological attack would be just as effective inside the grounds of the White House or any other place where you deal with the public. Any person that meets you at a town hall event or a Democractic Party fundraiser has the same ability to pull off an attack. Why is this such a big deal now? There is even precedent for people who crash official events such as this.

Perhaps the press is just giving this item too much attention to steer the focus away from health care reform. That makes more sense than blowing a gasket over two attention starved freaks.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

Party Crashers, so what?

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear Mr. President,

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you had some time to spend with your family today like I did. I also hope that you had some time to reflect on what you have to be thankful for. I have much to be thankful for, and I know that millions of others have a lot to be thankful for, as well.

This morning, my Dad and I dropped off about 50 carved turkeys to feed the homeless. I mentioned this yesterday, but today we were able to see the fruits of our labor. I am very thankful for being able to help those less fortunate than myself. I know that we made a difference today.

I hope that you are thankful for all the selfless things you do day in and day out. I also hope that after you make the announcement to increase troop levels that you maintain that promise and fulfill all requests that the troops make to ensure victory.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

Happy Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving Tradition

Dear Mr. President,

Every year, my family donates our time, money and talent to a wonderful group who feeds the homeless on Thanksgiving. We haven't always done this, but we are in our fifth consecutive year. We help the Mustard Seed organization of Fort Pierce, Florida by donating cooked and carved turkeys. This year, we were able to carve over 50 cooked turkeys, which my Father and I will drop off tomorrow morning.

This isn't a single family effort by any means. My family organizes the event with my Church. We donated about six turkeys on our own, but our friends and fellow church members donated the rest. A local hospital also kicks in a few turkeys to help our cause. All of this, and no government support.

You see, the individual is a powerful force. We don't need the government to step in to take care of those who are in need. This is an effort that started with my Mom, who told some of her friends, who told their friends, and so on and so on. Now, we have multiple families who look forward to helping out. I always see this as a prime example of why we don't need the government. When people work together to fix a problem, a lot can be done.

Some would argue that the government has the ultimate buying power and has more ability to pull off a large project than any individual could ever dream of. Well, I couldn't disagree more. Tomorrow, the effort of a handful of people will feed over 100 others in need. Show me one government project which can do so much with so little. Once you do, I will vote for a Democrat and support the collective.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

A Thanksgiving Tradition

Afghanistan decision expected in one week

Dear Mr. President,

News of your decision regarding troop levels in Afghanistan have been leaked to the Press, and I am glad. I have been bothered by the delay in deciding what to do, mostly because I feared that you were playing politics with the decision. In the end, I think we will all be able to support your decision. Most of my criticism was for delaying what seemed so obvious to me, and that was to increase the troops. All indications are that you will do just that.

I will support your decision to increase troop levels in Afghanistan, since that is what General McChrystal has asked for in the first place. I think that the delay is still absurd, especially since after three months you are going to go ahead and meet his request anyway. I wish that we had been able to get our troops overseas sooner, so we could end the conflict quicker as a result.

Please make sure that you include enough support for the increased troops. This means more than just funding. We need to make sure that we are able to meet their diplomatic needs as well, since the United States is not the only foreign country with troops in Afghanistan. We must be able to train their domestic forces for a transition. I suppose we will learn more by next Tuesday, but wanted to thank you in advance.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

Afghanistan decision expected in one week

Senate campaigns becoming national in scope

Dear Mr. President,

Due in large part to your wide success in the general election of 2008, Senate races across the country are becoming national in scope. Even though a Senator represents one State, they vote on bills with national implications. Until this point, I would have never dreamed of donating money to a candidate from another state. I will be doing just that over the next year.

I will donate money to support a candidate in Washington State. I've had the pleasure of working with Chris Widener over a period of almost a year, and in that time, I've seen a dedication to unity and principle unlike what is currently in Congress. Besides, he is a Conservative running against an incumbent Liberal. I believe it is time for all citizens to play close attention to races in other states so the Senate as a whole can operate in our best interests regardless of what state we reside in.

While Chris is only in the exploratory phase, I am confident that he will earn the distinction of serving the people of Washington State in the general election for a Senate seat. I support not only Chris Widener, but other strong Conservatives as well. Marco Rubio is one example and he is in my back yard. I would hope that people on Washington State would contribute to his campaign to help us keep our Governor from winning the Republican Primary. You will remember Charlie Crist; he hugged you and also embraced your stimulus package. We don't take kindly to that down here, and I'm sure that Washingtonians wouldn't either. This is why I support Marco Rubio.

So, I suppose I should thank you. Thank you, Mr. President, for turning local Senate races into national elections of principle. Also, I'd like to wish luck to all the Conservatives who are forming exploratory committees at this time. We need all the help we can get.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

www.chriswidener.org
http://dailypresidentletters.blogspot.com

Senate campaigns becoming national in scope

Good intentions lead to unintended consequences

Dear Mr. President,

I spent the day with my family helping to set up my Grandmother's house for Christmas. She is unable to take care of setting up her house for the holidays, so every year my family comes over around Thanksgiving to set up the house for her. It is a great time to get the family together to do something nice for someone who cannot do everything for themselves. This is not why I am writing you.

While riding to my Grandmother's house, my Dad and I were talking about the health care reform bills. He said the bills will lead to universal health care, but I said that is an illogical argument. He didn't disagree, but he pointed to retirement plans established by the government. He mentioned 401k plans, Roth IRA, Keough plans, and the myriad other plans available.

I asked him to continue and put the pieces together and it was simple. He told me that retirement plans started out simple enough and had only the best intentions in mind, but as with all bills that Congress writes, the bills came with unintended consequences. Some people like to call them "loop holes." Because of this, Congress had to come up with revisions, and those rivisions included riders and pork projects which mutilated the bills. These led to other bills and more unintended consequences to what we have now.

He is a CPA and admitted to me that he can barely keep up with all of the different retirement plans and all the different ways they can be set up, but did remind me that there are individuals and firms in our country whose soul source of income is setting up these plans. My Dad said this is why health care reform will lead to universal health care.

I couldn't disagree with that. Good intentions can lead to our worst nightmare. This debate over health care reform is our worst nightmare and will lead to universal health care within my lifetime. Please veto any bill that is presented to you to be signed.

Sincerely,



Jon Taylor

Good intentions lead to unintended consequences