November 7, 2012

Mr. President
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,
Northwest Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The American dream. This is something everyone wants to achieve. They want to have a family, a nice house, and a job. But in this terrible economy, the majority of this American dream will not come true for many citizens. Because this ideal, American dream has been betrayed by bad economic policies, something needs to change.

According to the NBC News article “Dismal, prospects: 1 in 2 Americans are now poor or low income” by Associated Press, virtually half of all Americans are considered to be low income or living in poverty. This means that many families are barely making ends meet and barely supporting their families with food, clothes, and shelter.

Low income results in more hours spent working. The CNN Money’s article “Your tax bill: 107 days of work to pay off” by Blake Ellis, states it takes 107 workdays each year for the average American to pay federal, state, and local taxes. This means starting on January 1st, low-income American workers don’t earn a penny until April 18th. This explains why our country is having difficulty taking care of their family and creating their American dream.

Now in our current debt, every dollar counts—more than ever. Since the United States is about sixteen trillion dollars in debt, which is increasing every day. This is not a problem that will go away overnight. It needs a well-thought out plan that will be both beneficial to the country and fair to the citizens and their rights.

As President, drastic and risky decisions need to be made, in order to make the future of America bright, and debt-free. To make that happen, the corporate tax rate needs to be cut. According to Foxnews.com, the United States has the second-highest corporate tax rate in the world, next to Japan, at about forty percent when combined with local taxes. By cutting this, you will stimulate private sector growth, keeping investments in the United States. This will, in turn, allow the federal government to recover its losses from the increased tax revenue.

Another solution is to renew unemployment benefits. The article “5 ways to make a bad economy better” from Foxnews.com states that combined with state benefits, the unemployed receive up to 99 weeks of government aid. Although some people think that the prolonged benefits create a disincentive to find work, I believe that this unemployment insurance is helpful to both the families receiving it and the economy. It will help the economy because since jobs aren’t available, it’s better to have the unemployed people spend the money.

By putting both of these solutions into action, our economy can get back on track. And by keeping our country out of debt, you will bring people out of the red. As a result, people will continue what they started when they came to the United States—living the American dream.

Thank you,


Maria D.