Letter #150... Dear Mr. President... Please Don't Forget about Kelly.

Dear Mr. President:

We cannot save our way to prosperity, and we cannot to cut programs and services and create jobs at the same time. We need to create instead of cut, and grow instead of shrink. 

Where are the Republican "Job Creators"

The conversation you need to have with the American people is about jobs, jobs, and more jobs… when people have jobs the economy will change. But, as long as the Republicans can force you into talking about ridiculous things like gay marriage, abortion, women’s reproductive choices, or whether or not you intend to take away their gun rights, the more likely they are to win in November.

For President Clinton, it was “the economy stupid” and for you Mr. President, it is  “jobs, jobs, and more jobs.” The economy will rebound when people have jobs that pay a living wage. Those 15 million people without jobs are not sitting around waiting to be saved by their government… they want to work. Many of those people are college graduates that have been out of work for several years and have long since exhausted all benefits, and are faced with employers that advertise the “unemployed need not apply.” What are these people to do?

Kelly

In a recent online discussion with a woman named Kelly, who’s been out of work for 3 years, and was saying how difficult it is to find the silver lining when bad news on the jobs front just keep getting worse. The weak jobs report not only had an adverse effect on the market, but also people like Kelly. She wrote that she is scared to death that she will NEVER be able to find a job again – nothing more than a temporary, part time and low wage job. Kelly agrees that we MUST throw the GOP bums out of Congress, but she can’t pretend like everything is fine because it’s getting increasingly worse… her ability to look for work, to buy food, shampoo, toothpaste, and prescriptions… and she lays the blame right on the back of House Republicans – and the corporate CEO’s who keep outsourcing our jobs.

Kelly is not without hope, she has goals and dreams that she is actively pursuing, thanks in part to the fellowship training program through the Center for Progressive Leadership – about starting a non-profit to help people like her. Kelly says, “if I can’t find a job – and corporate America has made it clear they aren’t going to give me a job, then maybe I have to try to find a way to make my own job. A job that will use the experiences of the last 3 years to make a difference in the lives of people who have been forgotten by so many others…”

Please don’t forget about Kelly, and the15 million others that need your help.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny