Dear Mr. President:

I am a decided undecided voter.

In regards to the race for President, I have decided not to vote for you on Nov. 6. However, I’m undecided on which of the remaining two presidential candidates will benefit from the mark I place adjacent to their name.

In the form letter you had mailed to me (it was sent from Chicago, not Washington, DC) back in September, you said, “this November is your chance to render a verdict on the debate over how to grow the economy, how to create good jobs, and how to pay down our deficit.”

If you don’t mind me asking, but wasn’t that your vision of “hope and change” when you solicited votes and won an election four years ago. Let me asked one other thing….how did all that hope and change work out?

I recall you making a promise to cut the deficit in-half during your first term in office. What was it….$10 trillion when you raised your right hand and took the oath of office? What is it now? The latest number I’ve seen is somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 trillion.

Although I struggled with math while in school, I’m pretty sure that $16 trillion isn’t one-half of $10 trillion.

Perhaps to refocus my attention away from that fact, your letter, I’m assuming in reference to your statement about growing the economy and creating jobs, said, “everything else is just a distraction.”

So, am I supposed to take my eyes off the burning inferno that is our national debt and focus my full attention on more of your hope and change banter….or your new slogan, “Forward.”

I’m sorry, Mr. President, we as a nation cannot move forward until we address the shortcomings of the past and present.

Your letter said, “this election is about our economic future.” You are correct. Based on your past track record, if six trillion was added to our debt during your four years in office, does that mean there will be $12 trillion worth of new debt by 2016 if you are reelected? We can’t keep borrowing money to fund new programs that apparently are not working. We need to stop spending more than we take in.

As I prepare to cast my ballot next week I’m seeing so many signs of a failed presidency.

I received nearly 200 emails, some are political in nature, every weekday (a bit lower on the weekends). None have touted support for your reelection. Perhaps you might think that as a white, southern male, my email inbox would be full of like minds, but that’s not the case. I have received correspondence from all walks of life, to include those of your political party, that speak of your shortfalls as the leader of the greatest nation on the planet.

I work alongside a liberal Democrat. Although he and I share different political views, that fact has not deteriorated to the point to what is so typical in American today – “I’m right and you’re stupid.” He has publically stated that you will not receive his vote. But don’t worry, he’s not voting for Romney either.

Another lifelong friend voted for you four years ago. He told me a short time ago that he was embarrassed over that fact….“I fell for Obama’s promise for change, then he changed the promise,” said my friend.

There’s another stout Democrat in our area, a very powerful public official, who has made it clear his ballot will not be marked beside your name.

Mr. President, I’ll leave you with this old-fashioned bit of advice, left generations ago by my (and others) forefathers – “You cannot get the water to clear up until you get the pigs out of the creek.”

Hopefully that effort will begin on Inauguration Day, 2013.

 

Cal Bryant is Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. He can be contacted at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.