Pushing the buttons of fear

Dear Mr President:

I am proud and blessed to be an American, and to live my life in this wonderful country where so much that makes life wonderful is so taken for granted. I hope (and pray) with all my heart that the leadership of our country will preserve this life for our children.

During the course of your administration, I have had to answer several questions posed by my young daughter, now age 11. Should we really be afraid of terrorists? Why did we go to war? How can we take better care of the planet? When can we move from an apartment to a house? As diverse as these questions appear, the answers usually add up to one simple understanding: don't be afraid.

A previous great leader of the United States stated that “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” That attitude doubtlessly saved the America inherited by my parents, and that was the America given to me. Unfortunately, your administration would want us to base our national direction on the reactions of fear. We are to fear for our national security from an enemy that has no army or navy. We are to fear the demise of our social order because of the “agendas” of disenfranchised citizens. We are to fear horrible deaths because of the existence of weapons of mass destruction. Your party has covered all of the bases when it comes to pushing the buttons of fear.

Now I will tell you what I, in fact, fear. I fear an America where the natural consequences of my old age will become an unmanageble financial burden for my daughter. I fear an America where there is no longer enough integrity in our press to report facts and not fiction. I fear an America where the meaning of “Christianity” has been changed to mean political partisanship. I fear that my daughter will not receive a college education.

As diverse as my own fears may seem, I point them out to you to let you know that when it comes to leading the America I love, you appear to be painfully unaware of my priorities. Furthermore, you could still have garnered at least my allegiance if you had taken the time to carefully communicate the reasons for your priorities. With all respect, nothing you've done to date makes any sense.

God bless America,

John
Age 48
Grand Prairie, Texas