What is Washboard Express?

Washboard Express is a way for me to express my own opinions, to be a provocative gadfly, by writing a "letter a day" to the President. I may miss a day here and there, because sometimes my family with be my first priority, but my goal is to write a total of 365 letters, representing one full year. To say I have opinions about most things would be to understate the obvious. Those of you that know me, know this is true, those who don't know me, will learn that it's true. The Washboard is a reference to going back to basics and "keeping it clean," so if you would like me to post your comments or opinions on this blog, I only ask that you be respectful. So go ahead, express yourself, and I look forward to an exchange of ideas and opinions.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 54...Dear Mr. President...You tried but..."The Republicans blocked it."


Day 54

Dear President Obama,

In the past few weeks many of my letters have been a bit harsh and critical of issues that I believe are being handled incorrectly. Than being said, I want to acknowledge some of the things you have tried to do for ‘the good of the people’ but that the Republicans have either blocked outright or tried to block.

I find this interesting too… all of the so-called ‘Tea Party’ Republicans, meaning the ‘freshmen,’ voted against all of these bills.  Many of these bills would have benefitted the working ‘middle class’ citizens as well as the poor, and yet people still consider the Tea Partiers to be on their side, when in fact they are on the side of the wealthiest Americans, Big Oil, and the largest corporations. Go figure… I still don’t get it.

#1.  Health Care for the 9/11 Responders… One would think that this would be a no brainer, after all, these were the people that risked their lives to save others. It would have provided billions in health care for these brave men and women, but… “The Republicans blocked it.”

#2.  Benefits for Homeless Veterans… This would have expanded benefits for Veterans with children and the homeless vets. These people have already served their country and many of them in heavy combat areas, but… “The Republicans blocked it.”

#3.  Liability for Oil Spills… This would have raised the liability on what companies could be charged to clean up after an oil spill… seems logical, but… “The Republicans blocked it.”

#4.  Immigration Reform… At first the Republicans called for “comprehensive immigration reform” and when you agreed, they suddenly didn’t like the word ‘comprehensive’ and voted against their own bill. So… “The Republicans blocked it.”

#5.  Affordable Health Care for America Act… Still very controversial, but a darn good start, by preventing insurance companies from discriminating against you based on a pre-existing condition, and requiring .85 of every dollar to be spend on actual health care, etc… etc… Republicans blocked this for months before it finally passed. However, Republican candidates have vowed to repeal it if elected President.

#6.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act… sent billions of dollars to state and local governments, employing hundreds of thousands of people working on various roadwork and other infrastructure projects. Republicans opposed this, but now that it is viewed as a success, they want to take credit for it.

#7.  The Fair Pay Act of 2009… Nothing new here, equal pay for women doing the same job as a man, but… The Republicans “attempted” to block this too.

There are many more I could list but they will have to be in another letter. Suffice to say you’ve done your best, and would have done so much more with just a scintilla of cooperation from the Republicans, but don’t give up… I still support and appreciate all you do, and are trying to do for the American people.

Most Respectfully,

Your Gadfly Granny, 
Marcia Reimers

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