Dear Barack Obama...

Dear President-Elect Obama,
First of all, it is refreshing to see a young, hope-filled person coming into power, and I hope the difficulties to come will not harden your optimistic outlook. As one of the countless voices in a sea of thus-far undistinguished faces, I pray my words may not be discounted. You, Mr. Obama, were one of us, your powerful voice was once unheard like mine, and now that you have a platform for all the world to hear, it is my wish that you can restore the ideals that once made this nation a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. The "hope" you've so vigorously preached in your campaign is the very same hope the founding fathers had when establishing our proud nation, and it must live again in the government.

Mr. President-Elect, our economy has fallen, it is quite obvious, but to revive her, no amount of money invested in corporations will do. The market moves by the will of the people, and if companies are no longer serving the people, but themselves, then the market will continue to be unstable and unprofitable. Remind the people that this failing economy is a sign of their own power. Companies are not serving their purpose, and the people's response is a withholding of their funds which has driven the stock market to fall. This is not a time of fear, but awakening, companies must now see that they must be responsible for consumer satisfaction. Mr. Obama, use this down-turn as a rallying cry for the American consumer. People have been taken advantage of and exploited by businesses focused on profits instead of utility, this recession is the voice of the people declaring, "No investment without the consumer's consent!"

In this time of global chaos, our troubles at home often take precedence over the troubles of the world, but Mr. Obama, as you more than any other president before you should know, America is a country made up of all the people of this world. We cannot abandon our brothers and sisters suffering overseas, but if we provide aid, it must not be in the mistaken manner of our past. We can not support one side while abandoning another. If troops are to be deployed they should not already have targets painted on their backs before they land. If America is needed abroad we should be there to help all people, regardless of nation, regime, or creed. The terrorists we have been so viciously hunting are born out of our own violence. They are not mindless demons, but desperate people motivated by tragedy, heartbreak, or starvation to do the deplorable acts for which they are hunted. By not understanding that these radicals are bred out of hate and destruction, inequality and oppression, we can never hope to make the world safe. It may seem a much more difficult task to combat intangible enemies like hate, injustice, and oppression, but those are the true enemies, and though people may demonstrate those vile aspects, no victory can be won by the loss of life. This may seam quite ideological, and perhaps naive, but true hope means believing even during the darkest times. Hope is not misplaced, I have seen catholics and protestants embrace in friendship, I have read of Israelis and Palestinians acting like brothers on a soccer field, I have watched as countries who have openly condemned the United States chanting with pride your very name sir, while waving our flag which was once burned in those same streets.

Mr. Obama, I will be honest, I did not vote in this last election though I was of age. I did not vote not because I am unpatriotic, but because I wanted to see the will of the people unfold before me. I did support you then as I support you now, but I wanted to remove my voice from the masses to see if they would echo it, and it seems that my faith was not merely echoed, but resonated throughout the nation. You sir are our voice, America's voice, and America, unlike any nation before her, and any nation since, is a nation of the world. This world is hungry for change.
It is hungry for comfort and equality, and it is hungry for peace. Mr. Obama, I believe that it is time for this starvation to end. We have the ability, the passion, and the resources of the entire world within our borders to make this change, and I hope, with all the passion you have hoped, that you may lead us there.


Sincerely,
Andrew Moravick