Dear Mr. President,
As I become better at knowing where to look for information about what's been going on over the past week or so in politics, I find that I feel pretty overwhelmed by the inundation of information that various news sources and your own social network team produce. It's like looking at a mountain at the end of each week from a place that seems like it ought to be half-way up only to find that I've still barely started on the climb. It's a sobering experience, but I am grateful to still be learning and growing in my knowledge of the world and our government from week to week as I write these letters.
On a more relaxed note, I hope that you and your wife and family are also having a relaxing and enjoyable Easter Sunday--or at least that you got a chance to spend some time away from the grind that is our political dialogue--never-ceasing and relentless. I was also moved by your proclamation today regarding today's Holocaust Remembrance Day. Probably my favorite lines of the proclamation were these:
While hate may never be permanently defeated, it must always be confronted and condemned. When we recognize the fundamental human dignity of all people, we help to build a more just and peaceful world. In the memory of all those who were lost, and in honor of all those who survived, we must continue to work toward a better, freer, and more just future for all humankind.
That said, I wish you'd done more for Vietnam War Veterans Day this past week. My step-dad was a Vietnam War vet, and while I can't say for sure that talking to him that day about his own thoughts and experiences of the war, I felt like there was a burden being lifted from his soul--if only for a short while. We can't choose to discard moments of our own history; we must remember them and learn from the lessons that those moments seek to teach us. I hope next March 29th you'll remember them, too, as you have done here with the Holocaust. Death, violence, killing, war--these things leave scars on all those who experience them, winners and losers alike.
I'm glad to see that your Infrastructure Plan is getting underway, and I can see the timeline getting more settled into place as the days pass. I do find it amusing, though, to see lawmakers having to deal with other issues--like legalizing marijuana, for instance, peppered throughout the infrastructure conversation. I know Chuck Schumer has a reason for this, and I expect it has more to do with setting up some sort of legal standards like we have for alcohol use. In that I certainly can't fault him since we've got states that have made it legal now. But setting good precedents, having good and sound legal arguments on the issue could actually lead to some bipartisan legislation, as well. I guess what I'm saying is that you probably shouldn't discount the issue, even if there are more pressing concerns to deal with right now.
I expect I am not alone in being worried about what this weekend's holiday celebrations are going to unleash in the coming two weeks and subsequent month. My hope is that with the push to vaccinate, we'll see a rise in COVID-19 cases, but not as big as it might have been, and hopefully nowhere near as deadly. Still, I am worried, and I know it's going to be a hard time come the end of April and beginning of May. My hope? That I'm wrong; that would be pleasant. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
So...there's a lot to your infrastructure plan--I mean, a whole lot. And while I know it's hard to talk about specifics when the legislation is likely going to be turned into a punching bag before its done, I hope you'll get Mayor Pete out there on your Facebook and other social media pages to talk to us about it. Most days I barely have time for the TV, much less the news; so, it would be nice to catch up with him on social media since I know he's got a lot to say about everything. I'm also excited to hear about the school reopening plans, and the group testing efforts sound cost-effective while continuing to keep people safe. I'm looking forward to seeing how that continues to work out, and hopefully we'll get more media and news stories about that soon, since I expect a lot of parents would really like some good news right about now.
One of the things that I don't see union leaders understanding is that there's going to need to be retraining as we move toward a greener economy. I think they need to hear more of that, and also some concrete examples they can offer to their own people on how to re-train. Which also brings up another concern I've been reading a lot about this week--student loans and student debts. Our student loans and debts programs probably need as much of an overhaul as our tax codes do. And I think it's more important than our tax codes, really--especially if we're going to be asking people to switch careers to greener, less climate-damaging jobs. Part of the reason that many union workers aren't able to transition from their old jobs to new ones are related to the costs of re-educating themselves. We can't say we want to end their jobs and then offer them nothing in the way of a path forward; that's just not acceptable. So keep that in mind, please.
I'm a little disappointed in the 2030 date for broadband everywhere in the U. S., but I guess it's better than nothing. I read one comment about your clean, public transportation plan where someone from a rural area basically outlined the biggest problem you're going to have coming from that demographic of the country; they basically said they don't want it, and they don't need it. And while the first is something that can be changed, it's more the second idea there that I feel needs addressing as it plays into the first. I expect a lot of people out in the country are worried about losing land for construction projects (without realizing the loss of land for things like gas and oil pipelines.) They're probably also worried about people coming into their cities and counties that they don't know--or worse yet, are foreign investment companies looking to profit off the venture. Trust is an important factor in getting rural areas to accept these kinds of ideas, and it's important to listen to their concerns, because they make up a pretty big portion of the country; they may not be as populous as big cities and other suburban areas, but your plan affects them, too. And instead of dismissing their fears, I believe it's important to acknowledge them and have a real conversation about them. One of those fears might be the worry that people who don't have similar ideas and values might use that public transportation to upset the balance of those small towns and rural areas; they may want to urbanize a place that has always been content with not-big-city ways--worried that they'll have to start fencing things off, or worried about increased crime rates. Adding increased public mobility to our country's infrastructure can have a lot of benefits (like increased tax revenue, or more money for local businesses,) but if the negatives outweigh those benefits, how is your plan then actually helping to build America back better?
Let's see.... You talked about who you're going to nominate for the open positions in the Department of Defense, which is a good thing. I think lawmakers were starting to worry, especially about the civilian oversight positions being unfilled. There was a note about the new "Cyber Czar" also not being filled as part of your executive administration. And may I just say that I think a lot of kids are laughing at the title? Cyber tends to denote "cybersex"--which, well, ...anyway. The title is a horrible one. I'd definitely look into changing it. Maybe call it the National Information Technology Director? Or the National Cybersecurity Director? Or even just National IT Design and Repair Director? Kidding about that last one, but honestly anything would be better than Cyber Director--literally anything.
Saw the picture you had of your first Cabinet meeting. How'd that go, by the way? I didn't see much press coverage or even mention of it on your Facebook page. It didn't look very cozy or chummy, though; it looked like you were all attending the Evil League of Evil's Board Meeting. And while I get that spacing needed to happen due to the current pandemic, it didn't really lend a vibe to me that these people were close to you in any way, which I guess is something I always believed a Cabinet should be with the President.
Also, I really love that you have so many plants in the White House. I hope you'll shine a light on the people that do that for you and your administration. They definitely deserve some recognition, especially since I heard that one of the grounds keepers (?) got bit by Champ. I guess just like people, dogs and cats have a hard time with moving. I hope Champ starts feeling more comfortable in his new home soon, and I hope the person he bit is all right, too. Sometimes it's important for animals to get to know the people that they're spending time around a lot; so, hopefully you can help make Champ's transition a bit easier by exposing him to more people so he can start feeling more at ease. That said, I think he's getting a bad rap. Maybe have someone who's worked with him a lot talk about how animals deal with transitions; this can help send a more positive message out to the animal-loving community and maybe help those who don't have animals (or are outright afraid of them,) understand our furry friends better.
I love that your wife is continuing to work as a teacher; I think this is positively amazing, and while I don't want to interfere with her day job, I hope she can start highlighting teachers from around the country--their concerns and their hopes and ideas on how to improve education. It's just exciting to think that she could help lead that kind of conversation for our country, but I understand if she's kind of busy at the moment.
I'm glad that we're starting to work more with our European and Asian allies again, and I'm glad that it's starting to help bring us back to the negotiating table with other countries like Iran. I was really excited to see that you removed sanctions from the International Criminal Court. I think that's definitely a step in the right direction. And while I understand that we aren't a member state and part of the Court's jurisdiction, I feel like shutting them out entirely was the wrong message to be sending. So, I hope in the future we can find a path forward with them--or maybe even join as a member state one day.
And since I don't want to spend my whole day writing this letter to you, Mr. President, as I'm sure we both have things we'd rather be doing this holiday, I'll leave it here for now. It's definitely going to be a bumpy couple of months ahead, but summer is looking brighter and brighter all the time. Thank you for continuing to serve our country in the best way you believe you can. I guess I'll be seeing you next week, Sir.
Until then, I remain,
~~ Jenni
Pittsburgh March 31, 2021 (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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