I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in an email on August 19, 2014. My email of July 30, 2014 was the one that generated this response. Below is my email and then the form letter I got back in email form from President Obama.
What It’s Like To Get Invited By Obama For Dinner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of1VCFNYb7w
President Obama spends the night in downtown Kansas City
Kansas City is ready to host President Obama
President Obama has dinner at Arthur Bryant’s
Raw: Obama Eats Ribs in Kansas City
Calling Kansas City
Published on Jul 29, 2014
Press Secretary, and Kansas City native, Josh Earnest places calls to hardworking Americans in Kansas City who wrote to the President and invites them to dinner with President Obama during his trip to America’s heartland.
___________________
Open letter to President Obama (Part 637 1/2)
(Emailed to White House on 7-30-14.)
President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day, and I recently noted that you even have flown to meet some of these people who have written you. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here. In fact, I was astounded that you have made it a point to reach out to some of those who have written you and have dinner with them. I am hoping that I may fall into that group at some point. I saw the press reports from Kansas City on 7-29-14 on your visit to Arthur Bryant’s BBQ where you had dinner with 4 people who had written you earlier. I want to commend you for choosing such a fine place to eat too. In the South we love our BBQ too.
_________________
Abolish the Dept of Transportation and return the responsibility to the States!!!
I’m a big believer in federalism, both as a matter of policy and politics.
So you won’t be surprised that I’ve called for the abolition of the Department of Transportation. On more than one occasion.
But when you’re trying to convince politicians to give up power and money, it takes a lot repetition. So, to paraphrase what Ronald Reagan said to Jimmy Carter, here we go again.
Dan Mitchell Urging Abolition of Department of Transportation
I want to emphasize one part of the interview. I’m agnostic on the issue of whether America as a whole needs more infrastructure spending, but I’m sure some parts of the nation could use more roads.
But that doesn’t mean that Washington should be in charge of that spending.
My colleague at Cato, Chris Edwards, is an expert on these issues. Here’s what he recently wrote about the various schemes in DC to fund more transportation spending with higher taxes.
HTF spending on highways and urban transit adds up to $53 billion a year, while the HTF rakes in $39 billion in revenues, mainly from the federal gasoline tax. That leaves a gap of $14 billion. President Obama wants to fill the gap with corporate tax revenues, but that bad idea is dead on arrival in Congress. Senator Bob Corker (R., Tenn.) has a different idea. His bill, co-sponsored by Senator Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), would hike the federal gas tax by 12 cents per gallon. …Corker’s position is the opposite of conservative. If Tennessee needs more money for roads, it can raise its own gas tax any time it wants.
And here are some of the numbers that Chris put together showing that highway spending has been rising rather than falling.
Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason adds more context.
About 27 percent of highway and transit spending currently comes from the federal government, via the HTF, while states kicking in about 38 percent and 35 percent coming from municipalities. The HTF isn’t set to “run dry” in August, as many are reporting, but it did tell states to expect an average 28 percent reduction in aid at that point unless Congress acts. …there’s nothing stopping states from taking this matter into their own hands. Since 2013, seven states have raised fuel levies, reports Reuters… When left a little more to their own devices, it seems states get innovative. They develop localized solutions. They experiment.
Let’s close with one interesting piece of data. The International Institute for Management Development recently published its World Competitiveness Yearbook.
The good news is that the United States maintained its hold on first place. That’s a lot better than we’re doing in the Economic Freedom of the World rankings.
But what’s particularly relevant and fascinating is to see America’s scores in the various sub-components of the Yearbook. The United States may rank only 22 out of 60 nations for government effectiveness, but we beat every nation for infrastructure.
So if we have an “infrastructure crisis” in the United States, it certainly doesn’t show up in either the hard data or the business leader opinion survey that generate those rankings.
P.S. Back in 2011, I shared a couple of serious videos about bitcoin.
On a lighter note, here’s “bitcoin girl” encouraging more people to use this private money.
Bitcoin Girl Music Video (Official)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEthXBHsEac
But since I don’t want anyone to accuse me of bias, fans of the Federal Reserve can enjoy this alleged film clip from Ben Bernanke’s childhood.
_____
Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I do respect your commitment as a father and a husband, and I am sure many men across this country have been inspired by such examples. By the way the program MEN’S FRATERNITY which was birthed in my home church has gone international and emphasizes many of the attributes that you have in your own life.
Sincerely,
Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, everettehatcher@gmail.com,
______________
Here is the response I got from the White House on August 19, 2014:
____________________
 |
||
|
Dear Everette: Thank you for writing. One of the best ways to create good jobs is by rebuilding America’s infrastructure—our roads and bridges, railways and ports, airports and schools, pipelines and water systems, and our power grids and broadband networks. How well we manage this task will determine how competitive we are in the years ahead, and it will directly influence the quality of life in communities across our country. Investing in American infrastructure projects makes sense. In today’s global economy, infrastructure is vital to business and first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. That means our country must build and maintain the most up-to-date transportation systems, power grids, and communications networks in the world. Doing this will create ladders of opportunity and produce jobs here at home—putting people to work and spurring economic growth. That’s why earlier this year I launched a new, nationwide competition to build safer roads and bridges, accessible mass transit, better ports and harbors, and faster rail to move both goods and people. And with the budget I submitted to Congress, we can support millions of jobs across America while promoting a more efficient transportation system. My Administration will continue collaborating with local and state governments to provide grants for projects that encourage economic activity by generating new jobs and bolstering local businesses. And by making smart investments, we’ll establish a transportation system that’s resilient and capable of withstanding disasters and the worst impacts of climate change while cutting down on commute times, saving on gas, reducing carbon pollution, and boosting economic development. Again, thank you for being in touch on this. The bottom line is we have work to do and workers ready to do it. Our bridges shouldn’t be old enough to qualify for Medicare, our pipes shouldn’t be collapsing, and our roads shouldn’t be full of potholes—so let’s get started. Sincerely, Barack Obama
|
||
Related posts:
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response Nov 1, 2012(part B) on Healthcare (part 17)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on Nov 1, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on July 30, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response June 18 2012 on green technologies (part 15)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on June 18, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response July 10,2012 on welfare, etc (part 14)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on July 10, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response July 16,2012 on small businesses (part 13)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on July 16, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have linked several […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response July 18, 2012 on Social Security (part 12)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on July 18, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response June 22, 2012(part B) on Healthcare (part 11)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on June 22, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on government spending) July 6, 2012 (part 10)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email July 6, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response, but if I had […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on expanding unemployment benefits) June 22, 2012 (part 9)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on June 22, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response June 15, 2012 on Healthcare (part 8)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on June 15, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response May 23, 2012 on gun control (part 7)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on May 23, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on spending and national debt) May 9, 2012 (part 6)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on May 9, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on abortion) April 16, 2012 (part 5)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on April 16, 2011. First you will see my letter to him which was mailed around April 9th. […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on how to jumpstart the economy) March 7, 2011 (part 3)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on March 7, 2011. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response Jan 27, 2011 (part 2)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on January 27, 2011. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response (on deficit spending) Jan 25, 2011 (part 1)
I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet. (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on January 25, 2011. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]
_____________
The Daily Hatch 