by M.L. Bushman

Created on: May 30, 2008

So, You Wanna Be My President

Well, Barack, Hillary, and John, this one's for you.

If you want to be my President so bad, why aren't you three senators on Capitol Hill doing something to earn the pay you're still taking from me and the rest of the taxpayers you desperately hope to represent? You could at least visit once in a while. Get one of your drooling minions to trot out some legislation to help me, a single mom, deal with the rising cost of oil due to speculators and inside trading, among other things.

Oh, didn't you know that inside trading on the commodity futures markets is not illegal? It's all kinds of illegal on the regular old stock market. Why isn't it illegal on the futures market? Now there's one bill any of the three of you could've introduced to the Senate six months to a year ago, or even earlier, but none of you did. Apparently, the wealthy speculators, the oil company execs reaping those multi-million dollar bonuses that financially support your campaigns are more important than the country full of people you mean to lead. I mean, what else would you have me, a taxpayer and a voter, believe?

I read this morning where "lawmakers" have been pressing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to look into speculation, even manipulation, in the price of oil, and finally, the commission announced they've been looking into these allegations for six months. Unfortunately, there was no list of so-called lawmakers published with the articles that allowed me to check to see if any of your names were there. Based on what little work all three of you have actually done for the last twelve months, I would wager not. Why not? Why haven't any one of you introduced legislation that requires those who purchase oil futures to demonstrate they have the intention and the ability to actually take possession of the oil they purportedly wish to purchase in the future?

Wow, with all the job losses out there due to the rising cost of oil and the rising cost of living because of the unfettered speculation in the oil futures market, has any one of you thought to lobby for extended unemployment benefits? Not that I can see. You're too busy trying to impress upon me, the voter, how good you'd be for the country. And still taking the salary we voters never get the chance to approve or deny. I wouldn't be surprised in the least, however, if the three of you suddenly materialized on Capitol Hill to vote a raise in your pay.

Do you know how obscene and offensive it is to me, a single mom, to read about all those millions of dollars you're collecting to fritter away on your campaigns when I had to cancel my life insurance simply to put gas in my car to look for a job? I would love to have any one of you, or even all three of you, come and explain to my nine-year-old child just what it is you've done to help her mother give her the things she needs. I would wager it'd be one of the few times in your lives you'd be speechless. My child doesn't understand spin, or double-talk, or using strings of big words to say absolutely nothing. But I do. Oh, I sure do. And you three are full of it.

You can talk change all you want. You can promise this or that or even the moon until you're blue in the face. Your actions, or inactions, speak far louder than your words.

So, you three wanna be my President, huh? Then go back to the Senate and show me how well you can work for me-the single mom, the voter, the taxpayer and your countryman-and I might, just might, consider you for the job.

Or I may just write in the American People as my candidate to ensure they get at least one vote in the upcoming election. Sure can't count on you three to vote for them, now can I?

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