Dear Mr. Obama,
Tomorrow, when you are sworn in, you will be faced with an intimidating host of problems. However, your work will be more than fixing the slew of issues left for you--you will also have to make new progress, and as you have reminded the U.S. citizens many times over, give us reason for hope. You will begin to create change for the better, which is the very root of hope. Hope doesn't lie in righting the wrongs of the past--it lies in the future, and the opportunities that the future holds. I, personally, want you to focus your efforts on foreign policy, the environment, and gay rights.
Our last president has left us enemies strewn across the globe. However, with you as president, we are being granted a fresh start. Our last three presidents have been from two families, and have served multiple terms, which means that we haven't had a new person, free from a legacy, in the White House in over two decades. You are our new chance, our fresh start, our way to show the world that we are done with the conservative, militaristic ways of our last president. We can show other countries that we are ready to coexist peacefully with them. We will no longer play police for the world, using it as our excuse to exploit these countries for monetary gain. We can now focus our efforts on helping those who are actually in need, and are asking for help, such as Darfur. On January 20th, you can take your oath, knowing that you lead a country that has the power to do real good for the world, and not look to gain or profit from others.
The environment is a major problem that we, as a world, face together. Although this predicament, concerning pollution, and global warming, has been growing over the years, the U.S. has recently been happy to push it to the back burner, as the economy has greatly overshadowed it. Of course, the U.S. wasn't helping the should-be worldwide battle against global warming, even before we had, supposedly, greater concerns than our ability to breathe. I want you, as president, to investigate alternative energy sources. Encourage citizens to bike to work, walk to school, to carpool. Ask the citizens of your country to reuse their grocery bags, recycle as much as they can, and start a compost pile. Declare a certain day each month as conservation day. Raise awareness about the amount of energy that could be conserved if the light was turned off every time a person walked out of a room. There are so many small measures that can yield great results.
Lastly, I encourage you to remember the Pledge of Allegiance when you take your oath tomorrow. Help us believe what we say, that we are, "One nation.....with liberty and justice for all." It amazes me that something so basic, a person's right to love and marry who they choose, could be denied in a country that claims to treat every individual with justice. Not once during the pledge have I heard anyone say, that we are, "One nation....with liberty and justice for heterosexuals." However, until we create equality for all, including gay marriage rights, we might as well say that before class every morning. As you restore the economy, and try to gradually end the war in Iraq, don't forget those in your own country who aren't being granted the rights supposedly promised to them.
Thank you for listening. I am sure that you will do amazing things, and I'm excited to be a part of this piece of history.
Sincerely,
Luna Adler
