Letter 107... Dear Mr. President... Ralph and Gloria... Occupy Sacramento

Letter 107

Dear Mr. President:

Until now I have been reluctant to write about the OWS movement, and yes, I am calling it a movement because I’ve been moved by the people that I’ve seen in the news and on multiple web sites. On Oct. 15^th my husband Gary, and I, joined the Occupy Sacramento movement and were able to meet and talk with people about their motivation for being at the protest that day.

In so doing, we met Ralph and Gloria Hickman who brought a hand lettered sign that read: No Jobs, No Money, No Medical – No HOPE… I told them that I write letters to you almost every day, and asked them if they would mind telling me their story. They readily agreed because they want you to understand that their plight is the plight of many all across the country, the plight of the 99%… here is their story.

Ralph is 62 and Gloria is 61, both have worked most of their adult lives, but because of their health issues and the economy they have both been out of work for some time, aside from collecting cans and plastic bottles, their only income is Ralph’s SS income of $856 a month. Ralph has emphysema, lung cancer, lymphatic cancer, heart problems, and severe pancreatitis. Gloria has high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma. Over the last two years both have applied multiple times at a free clinic… have qualified 4 times, but have yet to see a doctor. Ralph has had to be hospitalized 3 times recently, and because they make just over the minimum amount, he does not qualify for Medical and is not old enough for Medicare. Their medical bills from the hospital have already exceeded $30,000.

Because they are unable to afford even the most basic medications for their medical conditions, they have been forced to purchase their drugs on the black market. Most of which is pain medication for Ralph because of his cancer. And even though the medications have expired dates, Ralph says it does allow a little relief from the pain.

Yes Mr. President, Ralph and Gloria are part of the 99% that we keep hearing about, and unfortunately their story is not unique. We saw people in wheelchairs, people with canes, and people with obvious medical conditions. It would have been easy for Ralph and Gloria to stay home and feel sorry for themselves, but they felt it was important to “show the real faces of the 99%.”

Although the 1% would like us to believe the 99% are drug-addled hippies, or people that are just lazy whining ne’er-do-wells. These people are families with children, seniors, college students, teachers, nurses, people who have lost their homes, and people of all ages, ethnicities, and circumstances.

Yes, they were people like Ralph and Gloria, people that have no work, no money, no medical and…NO HOPE. Is this the picture of America you envisioned Mr. President?

What is your plan for all of the Ralph’s and the Gloria’s that need immediate help? I want to know… and they need to know… What is your plan Mr. President?

Most Respectfully, 

Marcia Reimers 

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 106... Dear Mr. President... Just an Ordinary Joe...or Maybe an Extraordinary Joe.

Letter 106

Dear Mr. President:

Today I want to tell you about Joe…  no, not Joe the plumber, but Joe from Tennessee. Joe is a wonderful guy with a great attitude about life in spite of his myriad of problems. The thing about Joe is, he’s struggling along with millions of other Americans, but he’s not complaining… he’s not even resentful of his plight, but I believe Joe’s story needs to be told, and I believe Joe’s face is the face of our seniors, and I believe we need to do better in protecting all the “Joe’s” of this country because they are the ones who built it with their blood sweat and tears.

At 68 years of age Joe has heart problems, severe diabetes, and a degenerative eye disease. He is currently collecting Social Security and two small pensions. Joe’s wife, Eileen, is 61 and still working and taking care of Joe as well. Joe has Medicare and Eileen’s insurance, but the co-pays are very high, as are the prescription drug costs.

Although Joe qualified for a “mobility chair” somehow the paperwork from his doctor was incorrect and he didn’t get the chair… undeterred he found an inexpensive used chair and invested a few dollars to make it usable. As Joe says, “We live to stay healthy… we can barely afford to live, between rent, food, and medical care, we can’t afford to buy clothing or go out to dinner.”

To add insult to injury, Joe and Eileen have a cumulative debt with the IRS of $18,000. Joe says they have an “account” with the IRS but whatever payback they make in the form of monthly payments is wiped out by the newest years return. They have interest and penalties involved for each year and are trying very hard to get it cleared up. As Joe puts it, “We are resigned to paying the IRS; after all, we incurred the obligation…” and the IRS doesn’t really care that we can barely afford to live. I don’t believe that Joe has tried to ‘mediate’ his tax bill because as he says, “We don’t want to get into trouble with them.”

So as Eileen continues to work and take care of Joe, Joe reaches out through Facebook to connect with ordinary people like himself. As we became “FB Friends” it was clear to me that Joe’s story was one I wanted to share with you Mr. President. I wanted you to hear about just one person reaching out, without complaint, but with a clear sense of obligation and commitment to continue to pay his debts.

And then it occurred to me Mr. President…. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Wall Street bankers, the hedge fund managers, and the big wig CEO’s felt that same sense of responsibility to this country that Joe does? And just maybe, if they did, we wouldn’t be in the mess were in now and there wouldn’t be the need for the OWS protests.

I’m not sure if Joe will ever get to enjoy his “golden years” with Eileen but you can be sure, he’ll keep plugging away without complaint, because that’s just who Joe is.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 105... Dear Mr. President... Too many distractions... time to end the Wars.

Letter 105

Dear Mr. President:

With all the distractions around us evolving minute by minute it’s hard to stay focused on the things that are really important. Specifically, I’m speaking about the men and women still stationed around the globe, fighting to keep the peace (if you can call it that) in Iraq, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

While many are focused on the Occupy Wall Street protests, or the increasingly crazy GOP candidates debating everything from 9-9-9 to names on rocks in Texas… we still have men and women putting their lives at risk everyday for America.

While the need to put people back to work and get our economy moving again is critical… it is also critical that we remember our service members and the sacrifices they continue to make day in and day out.

Just to put things in perspective for a minute… the cost of the war as of September has been $1,252,755,589,828.00 and counting. Yes, that number is Trillion… with a capital “T”. The U.S. military deaths in Iraq are 4,475, and in Afghanistan it’s 1,777. That’s just the “military” deaths, it doesn’t include contractor or civilian deaths. (Statistics compiled and provided by Grandmothers of Peace International)

I realize you have a lot on your plate just keeping this country from completely going into the toilet, but these men and women must not be forgotten. They need to remain in the forefront of everyone’s mind… to do less is to make their sacrifices just another footnote in history… we simply cannot do that. It’s not fair to them, it’s not fair to their families, and most of all it’s not right.

So perhaps Mr. President, it’s time to bring our men and women home so we can collectively focus on jobs and the economy. We can no longer ask our service men and women to put their lives on hold, or ask their families to continue to sacrifice while we squabble over the terminal gridlock in Congress. Squabble over who’s being an obstructionist, who signed what pledge, and who’s right and who’s wrong.

When peoples lives are at stake, those lives must take precedence over everything else that’s going on in this country and around the world. If it was Malia, or Sasha wouldn’t you feel that way Mr. President? Put yourself in the shoes of the parents with kids serving in Afghanistan, and ask yourself this… I’m I doing everything possible to end that war? Have you put those men and women at the top of your priorities list, or have they already become less important that the 99%’ers?

It’s time to end the wars, stop the hemorrhaging of American dollars in wars that cannot be won, and most of all… stop the loss of even one more American life.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 104... Dear Mr. President... Lungren is lying to seniors... again.

Letter 104

Dear Mr. President:

In my letter last Friday I mentioned that I could feel the tide turning and the Republicans getting nervous after receiving a call from a GOP pollster asking my opinion about your performance so far.

While I’ll admit to not being crazy about the escalation of the wars and the billions of dollars wasted on those wars… the one thing I cannot fault you on is your support of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for seniors.

I know you have proposed a deficit-reduction plan that includes cuts to physicians and hospitals in rural areas (that traditionally receive more in benefits) and requiring prior authorization for expensive imaging services that are often unnecessary. However, you have always made it perfectly clear that those cuts would have to be coupled with a slight tax increase on the wealthiest Americans.

So you an imagine my utter surprise to open my morning paper to see a half page ad from Congressman Dan Lungren saying that “California seniors can count on Congressmen Dan Lungren to stand up against the Obama Medicare plan.” What! In addition, it said that, “President Obama’s Medicare Plan would balance the budget on the backs of seniors!” They asked people to call Lungren and thank him for standing up for seniors and fighting to protect and preserve Medicare.

I have the misfortune to live in the 3^rd Congressional District that Congressman Lungren pretends to represents, and he is no friend of seniors and no friend of mine. I’ve been to his town hall meetings and listened to his utter distain for the plight of seniors, the poor, the uninsured, and all things remotely associated with anything that benefits ordinary citizens.

The American Action Network paid for Lungren’s half page ad, and I’m quite sure that with the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United, it’s just the first of many more to come.

You need to keep the heat on and continue to play hardball on the tax issue, so that Republicans like Lungren, know you mean business when you said you would veto any deficit-reduction package that reduces Medicare benefits for seniors but fails to raise serious revenues from the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations.

I will send the original newspaper ad via snail mail so you can see the first of many false claims the Republicans will be hurling your way in the months to come.

Thank you for continuing to support ordinary Americans, and particularly us seniors, we need an advocate in the White House sticking up for seniors… YOU!

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 103... Dear Mr. President... I feel it in my bones... at last!

Letter 103

Dear Mr. President:

I can feel it in my bones… the tide is changing and change is coming. At last I feel the voices of the American people are being heard. The “Occupy Wall Street” protests are finally catching the attention of politicians and people around the world.

When I started writing my ‘Letters to the President’ and posting them on my BLOG at: www.washboardexpress, people asked my why? What’s the point? What good is it going to do? Do you really think the President will see even one of your letters?

Naysayers all… except, my husband Gary… he knew it was the only way I could express my frustration at what was happening to my country. Over the months I have begged, cajoled and chided you for not speaking up about the issues confronting ordinary Americans. You may not have seen any of my letters, but I have too believe that I’m not the only one telling you to “speak up”… “get tough”… and call the Republicans on their obstructionist politics.

You did just that yesterday during your press conference… I cheered when you called out House Speaker John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, noting that McConnell has said "his number-one goal was to beat me… not put Americans back to work, not grow the economy, not help small businesses expand, but to defeat me. And he's been saying that now for a couple of years." As Etta James sings her famous song… “At Last.” At last, you’re taking the bull by the horns and pushing back… At Last!

It must be working because the Republicans are starting to get a little nervous… just last night I got a call from some GOP poll group out of D.C., asking me what I thought of your performance so far. Initially, not realizing this was a GOP pollster, I replied that your performance so far was mixed… some good, some not so good. Then he started to talk about your “failed” economic policies… and that’s when I realized just whom I was talking too. I reminded him about GM and Chrysler being saved, and other measures that you’ve tried to do to help the American people, and how the GOP has thwarted your every effort.

He then said something about Americans only realizing $13 dollars in real savings under your policies… and that’s when I lost it. You see I’m not like you Mr. President, I don’t remain calm when attacked, and I didn’t remain calm when you were attacked. I attacked back, firing both verbal barrels at once. My husband blanched at my verbal assault on this poor guy, telling him just what I thought about the Republican controlled house, and yes, I did use a few colorful expletives in the process of my re-education of this hapless guy, but I was in a zone and there was no going back. When I finished, he wished me a nice evening, and I wished him one as well. I’m quite sure he put a line through my name and put me on a “do not call list.”

Did I feel better… you bet I did! Right down to my core and through all my bones… I felt great!

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 102... Dear Mr. President... The missing 'chicken in every pot'

Letter 102

Dear Mr. President,

The “chicken is every pot” is about to come to a screeching halt for unsuspecting consumers all across the country.

“A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” is a quote often said to have come from a campaign speech by Herbert Hoover, but it was actually a Republican promise of better days ahead, day that would surely lead to the eradication of poverty. Now that same Republican Party has turned its back on a certain segment of our population that helped put the chicken in that pot… Latino’s.

After a recent court ruling in Alabama by Federal Judge Blackburn, upholding provisions in the law that allow local police to ask for immigration papers during routine traffic stops, and requiring schools to ascertain the immigration status of students at registration time, Latino’s are leaving the state in droves. Overnight thousands have pulled their children out of school, left their jobs, abandoned their homes, and pets that they are unable to take have been given to friends or set free.

Local property owners report their occupancy rate has dropped by as much as 25%, restaurants and stores are considerably slower… not just in the drop in paying customers, but also in the workers that provide services for those customers.

One poultry plant held a job fair seeking people to do the work many Latino’s were doing, and although they had plenty of applicants, time will tell if those hired will continue to do a job that most wouldn’t do before the recent recession.

Republican Senator Arthur Orr, of Decatur, said that labor shouldn’t come from outside, even though that labor pool actually cut costs for most businesses.

Meanwhile, farmers, contractors and home builders say the law has already had a devastating effect on their businesses, leaving crops rotting in the fields and critical shortages of labor. Poultry processors and home manufacturer must now choose from a pool of inmates to fill the jobs previously held by many Latino’s, even Latino’s that were fully documented.

I guess only time will tell if the law will bring jobs to the citizens of Alabama and protect the taxpayers as promised, or whether it will bring economic disaster as many fear. So when the price of chicken goes up and we can no longer afford to put one in our pot, we’ll have nobody to blame but ourselves and our xenophobia.

Most of all Mr. President… it is a sad commentary on our society that human beings are driven from their homes, their jobs, their schools, and their community because they live in fear of being expelled from a country that has targeted them as the enemy, when the real enemy goes unchallenged and unpunished… corporate greed combined with xenophobia.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny

Letter 101... Dear Mr. President... How you could lose 101 million votes.

Letter 101

Dear Mr. President,

There are about 101 million reasons why you need to address two very insidious things currently taking place under the noses of the American people. Those 101 million reasons are potential votes that you could lose in the next election.

While many people are distracted by the circus-like shenanigans happening on the GOP campaign trail, efforts have been underway by the Republican Party to usurp yet another election in 2012, an election you must win Mr. President.

Since Republicans won control of many Statehouses in November 2010, fourteen (14) have passed laws requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. The Republicans claim it’s to stop voter fraud, although the Supreme Court, even while upholding an Indiana law, said they found no evidence of voter fraud. So why the rush to pass these restrictive laws… It’s very simple… to make it harder for the young, disabled, rural, elderly, homeless, minority and low-income Americans to vote. It’s the most significant rollback in voting rights in decades. Although this should come as no surprise, as most of those affected are traditionally Democratic voters… it should most certainly be a wake-up-call for all Americans.

To show you how absurd these laws are, one only need look at the Texas law that allows persons with a license to carry a concealed weapon would be an acceptable form of ID, but not student ID cards. Does that sound fair to you Mr. President?

The other nefarious plot by the Republican Party is cloaked in secrecy under the law passed by the Republican Congress in 2006 that requires the USPS to “prepay” 75 years of health benefits for its workers. No corporation has ever been required to prepay like that. No government agency has ever had to prepay like that, so why did they pass such an egregious law targeting the USPS, even though the USPS has not received one thin dime in tax money since 1970?

Could it be that Republicans want to force the USPS to close thousands of rural post offices, and laying off thousands of postal workers in order to gain yet another advantage at the polls? Many rural areas depend on ‘vote by mail’ ballots delivered by the USPS, and without those post offices, many will not be able to vote. Neither UPS nor FedEx are required by law to service rural or sparsely populated areas, as is the USPS. As Ralph Nader recently pointed out, closing regional offices hurts rural people, it hurts the poor, it hurts the elderly, and the disabled. Yes, that’s right… the very same group that traditionally vote for Democrats.

So Mr. President, if 101 million votes are not enough to catch your attention, then I don’t know what is… I just know that you really need to address these issues now, before it is too late to stop this assault on American voters rights.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers

Your Gadfly Granny