Senator Obama, I have placed my faith in you to lead our great nation out of the crisis we are in. And to do so by standing firm to the principles you have campaigned on, and the ideals you say you believe in so strongly. Your plan, as you have hundreds of times stated, is based on the idea that America must be revitalized from the bottom up, not the top down. As we stand teetering on the precipice of financial meltdown, we of course must come to the aid of Wall Street, and save our financial institutions. But not without using this rare leverage to finally stand up for the middle class! The innocent, hard working people who will not otherwise be helped in our time of need, as the rich and greedy, (and in some cases corrupt,) are immediately bailed out using our money! (That certainly won’t make our mortgages any easier to meet.) HOW CAN WE ALLOW THE BIGGEST INFUSION OF GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE IN THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY TO PASS, WITHOUT INSISTING, WITHOUT DEMANDING, THAT THREE IMPORTANT GUIDELINES BE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL PLAN? 1) A moratorium on foreclosures. We can’t justify protecting poorly run banks, while not showing similar concern for millions of Americans losing their homes. 2) Legislation to allow unfair or unreasonable mortgage rates to be re-negotiated, or assisted by the government, so well intentioned people can stay in their homes, and banks can still get paid back. If we can spring into action creating out of thin air nearly a TRILLLION DOLLARS, a bailout of never-before-seen size and magnitude, then we can also pull out of thin air legislation to help homeowners in a never-before-seen way. (Especially since Secretary Paulson doesn’t even claim the 700 billion number to be scientific! He says he just needed something huge! So then, for argument sake, why can’t we make it 350 billion for the banks, and use the other 350 billion to directly help from the other end? Because if people defaulting on bad mortgages are a big part of what caused this, why can’t we use some of the money to make sure they don’t default? This would give the same liquidity to the banks that they would receive if the government gave them all the money directly, but it would also help the homeowners, therefore infusing our economy on both ends with the same funds!) For if we are going to stand up for those in need, and fix this country from the bottom up, then let us truly make a stand, and actually give some help to those on the bottom. 3) A true, common sense cap on CEO pay for those assisted by any bailout. Not just preventing golden parachutes, but their actual salaries too! If they have run their companies into the ground, it follows NO LOGIC to allow them to continue to be paid multiple millions a year! During such a tumultuous time that they directly helped cause, why on earth can't they live on a cap of $500,000 a year??? While our nation is at risk of ANOTHER GREAT DEPRESSION! OF COURSE THEY CAN, AND NO ONE CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT OTHERWISE! So it should be an easy sell. If we’ll be forced to make cuts where it hurts, obviously we should also make cuts where it doesn’t hurt. That’s just common sense. Because I wasn’t there for the first Great depression, but I assure you that standing in soup lines ain’t that great. And neither is jumping out of
windows. Please Senator Obama realize that at this rare and frightening moment, you can lead us. You are certainly better suited than your opponent, who admits he doesn’t understand the economy that well, lets the headlines dictate his positions on it, and then pulls grand stunts that he doesn’t even follow through on! (As a side note, hypocrisy your campaign must make more clear.) You Senator, with HALF OF THE ENTIRE NATION BELIEVING IN YOU, have the influence to truly help us avert this nightmare. Leading us to pass a responsible package like this would immediately get America headed back on the right track, while taking care of the common man, bringing common sense back to Washington, and responsibility to Wall Street. All things we desperately need, and things you say you intend to do. And it would do so while proving your leadership IN ACTION, silencing the critics who claim you are all talk, and leading to landslide victory for you in November. (And a landslide is important, as I fear anything else could lead to another President we aren’t sure we really elected.) I know in my heart that you believe what you say. That’s why I believe you will help us in our urgent time of need. We desperately need your leadership right now. You are the most inspirational leader I have seen in my lifetime. Please inspire us to make this right!
Sincerely, Ben Gleib Concerned Citizen
September 29, 2008