I shared my story

Someone on NPR mentioned the amount of unsolicited advice Obama is getting from everyone these days. I hope with all my heart that the guy keeps his eyes on the prize and doesn't get distracted by all the nonsense. I'm so sick of hearing about the parties, party loyalty, party agendas, party majorities and minorities. Do these people completely forget that they're in office to serve us and not themselves? The Democrats are now saying that they think Obama might be getting ahead of his own party on environmental reform. Excuse me? Does he need to ask THE PARTY for permission to serve the American people? With over 2 trillion dollars estimated damage to real estate, a warning by the governor to prepare for rising sea levels, impending droughts and power shortages, polluted air that kills more people than car accidents, this state for one cannot afford to wait for action on global warming.

So I went on change.gov, Obama's website, and added my voice to the mix. Of course he's asking to hear from the American people, proving once again that he cares more about us than party politics. Here's what I wrote:

Dear President-Elect Obama,

I grew up in California, attended UC Santa Cruz and have lived all over the west coast. I'm a brand consultant and a writer/director. I voted for you and was continuously inspired by your attention to the issues. I was a student who campaigned for Bill Clinton in 1992 and met him later while in a Women as Leaders program in college. He disillusioned my generation when he made big promises that he didn't fulfill. Please don't do that to the young people who voted for you. Now IS the time for change. Here are my requests in no particular order. Thank you!

I would like my country to:
- Seize the opportunity to change an economic system based on consumption to one based on production.
- Stop bailing out failing businesses.
- Commit to effectively reducing carbon output, incentivize businesses to be cleaner and greener, encourage green technology R&D and entrepreneurship, and invest in a plan to get off of fossil fuels.
- Provide universal healthcare and eliminate the single biggest financial burden to both American families and American businesses.
- Have a serious debate on eliminating income tax.
- Acknowledge the national health crisis caused by over-consumption of processed foods comparable to health hazards caused by cigarettes and alcohol.
- Stop paying corn subsidies and growing corn for ethanol, and instead support the rise of small local farmers who are growing better quality and ethically raised food in a more environmentally responsible way than factory farms.
- Focus on issues instead of party politics.
- Make Election Day a national holiday.
- Lead by example, not by force, in human rights, animal rights and democratic process.
- Stop selling billions of dollars of weapons to nations involved in conflict.
- Stop justifying the sale of arms with "if we don't do it, someone else will."
- Stop lying to us about the real reasons we go to war.
- Overhaul the weapons acquisitions process to focus on producing weapons for wars we're already fighting, instead of trying to invent the weapons of the future.
- Spend half as much money as we spend on the military on education and health care.
- Make primary and secondary education a priority.