A couple of requests

Dear George:

Today it was finally decided who would be our president for the next four years. I'm not happy its you, but I will make an effort to support you and the best interests of our country for the next four years.

But I do have a couple of requests:

First, please try to work with the Democratic members of Congress. We all have to live together and ultimately we all want the same thing: health, safety, happiness and stability for our families and our country. Please listen to the Democrats, they have some good ideas and it would do this country a world of good to realize that both sides have our best interests at heart, we just go about it a little differently. And please tell Cheney to stop calling anyone who doesn't believe what he does "un-American."

Second, please do not appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade. This is an imperatively important piece of legislation for women - and although I can and do understand the viewpoints of those who oppose it the government does not have the right to choose what I do with MY body. And although some may say its not a good argument, if abortions were made illegal, they WOULD HAPPEN ANYWAY. Just not in safe, clean clinics by qualified doctors but in places where we have no way of regulating the quality of care they receive. 20 million women die across the world annually because of botched abortions in countries where they are illegal. And if you want to lower the abortion rate, make birth control cheap or free and readily available to ALL women, not just those who can afford health insurance because 45 million people in this country can't.

Third, the "go it alone" policy in foreign affairs is not productive. I would never give up America's right to defend itself to someone else but I do understand the importance of being respected in the world. America has a fantastic opportunity to be model of good citizenship and kindness to other countries. Bullying is not the answer.

Fourth, please do not try and push your religion onto other people. I am a Christian too but I do not see that the President of the United States should try to be a religious leader for the country, its not part of the job description. We live with people of many different faiths - there's a reason the founding fathers argued for the separation of church and state. Let's leave it that way.

And finally, please be willing to admit your mistakes when they happen. No one's perfect and its not a sign of weakness to consider new information and opinions, then adjust your course of action. Take off your blinders and listen to those around you, no matter what political party, state, background they come from. There ARE other ways of doing things that work if we're just willing to listen.

With that, I hope you do well. Thank you for listening.

Erin
Age 23
Chapel Hill, NC