Dear Mr. President,

Great men withstand the pressures of society, the world, even their peers, in pursuit of goals and reforms that they know to be true. Even before he was elected President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” I would go even further to suggest that when a cause is honest and just, the concessions that are made must never compromise the original objective. If anything, the elements conceded must only be given up as a sacrifice for a greater purpose. FDR had to sacrifice universal healthcare in order to pass the Social Security Act of 1935. However, today it is vital that this administration makes no compromises unless they are explicitly demanded and totally necessary. And we must acknowledge that this administration has not made significant, powerful changes in the United States. Expanding Bush’s stimulus package, negotiating a health care bill that gives no new public option whatsoever, and the new tax cut proposals that will include the cut the taxes of the rich as well as the poor—all of these are actions that leave the American people hoping, but nothing yet has fulfilled or justified their hope.

To go down in American History, not as the first African-American president, but as a great political leader that made a difference, I have two words: No War.

Roosevelt saw regulation as cooperation between individuals, or private entities, and a government that seeks the liberty of the community—disassociating mandated guidelines and parameters from socialism, totalitarianism, or any other brand that society may put upon something like universal, government-funded healthcare. And he also observed that the deficits of the Great Depression were “caused by payments for past, present, and future wars.” The most effective way to truly rise out of the Great Recession is to end the war in Afghanistan and possibly speed up the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. There are times for war, but now is the time to focus on the domestic crises that have arisen before we attempt to solve problems halfway around the world or win a war that has cost time, money, and lives. Society will support this magnanimous effort and if you take this step towards peace, you will regain more public trust and confidence so that you can promote change.

Change in the form of peace. If you withdraw from Afghanistan, you can show the public that you’re thinking of new things to do that are right. Then you can campaign for effective financial reform, fair tax cuts, reduced carbon emissions and pollution, gay rights, migrant workers’ rights, and better healthcare reform.

Don’t give up a just cause, even if you don’t support it now. The war on Afghanistan is a losing battle that isn’t ours to fight right now. Show the people that you will support them and they will start to support you.

Sincerely,

Noah Schlottman

Resources:

Obviously, the New Liberalism by George Packer and The Test by Steve Coll from the New Yorker.

Payne, Scott. "Obama's Loss Is Conservatives' Gain." Editorial. The Washington Examiner. 07 June 2010. Web. Dec. 2010. <http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/examiner-opinion-zone/obama039s-loss-conservatives039-gain>.

 John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters, The American Presidency Project [online]. Santa Barbara, CA. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15250.

Smith, Jean Edward. FDR. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

Burns, Steve. "Why Wasn't the War an Issue in the Election?" Editorial. OpEdNews. International Humanities Center, 09 Dec. 2010. Web. Dec. 2010. <http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-wasn-t-the-war-an-issu-by-Steve-Burns-101206-797.html>.