Excerpts From Letter Three

This first week in February on executive pay, who should get TARP funds, immigration, Republicans not giving an inch and my tug-o-war analogy and "isms" that shouldn't be.

                                                                 Peter Lawrence

                                                                 PO Box [redacted]

                                                                 [redacted]

President Barack Obama

White House Residence

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

2/3/09

Dear Mr. President,

I saw your decision on capping pay for executives who receive bailout money for their corporations. We are very happy about that though I would have been more harsh. I would have advocated for taxing all bonuses over 1% of pay at 110% unless they are returned to the company before the fiscal quarter. Capping executive pay will just make them find another way of getting the money. I'm sure you will have someone watching them very carefully to see how they will make their attempts.

As far as who should get TARP help? I would rethink qualifications. For instance, the banks that hired outside the US using H1b visas should be promptly investigated. They hired almost 22,000 people from overseas over the last six years to take banking jobs here in the US that could have easily been given to US citizens. Their idea is that if you flood the work force then you can pay less to everyone because there are fewer jobs available to more people. Each and every one of those visas should be examined and, if warranted, rejected by Homeland Security's Immigration section. There should also be an immediate review of the H1b department protocols before any other visas are given out. When I read that story I felt a dull pain in my stomach. After abusing the H1b system, those sociopathic executives were then able to ask me, and everyone I know, to bail them out.

I know you have been trying to reach your hands across the table with appointments as well as other ways but I don't see it helping. The Republicans have dug in and are holding on to their gains made over the last forty years. I think The People spoke loudly last election and feel you could be considerable more liberal in your ways which wouldn't be that liberal if you really looked at history. What I mean by that and when I said, "The Republicans have really dug in", is an analogy I use to explain to my friends about liberalism and conservatism. I hope you'll view my words and truly understand them. As a child, did you ever play "tug-o-war"? I'm sure you did. There's the line in the sand, a long thick rope and a red flag tied to the middle. On the Right side are the Republicans, on the Left, Democrats. For forty years the Republicans have been tugging hard on that rope and that red flag has been moving in their direction. Now that the Left has more power the Republicans are saying, "See that red flag? That's the center". My point is that President Clinton was almost far right of center and you seem to be acting center right while The People have been hoping for someone Left of center to help guide our country out of the mess from forty years of Republican rule. I'm not advocating for The People to be far left or right; for either way would lead to the demise of the democracy and our Constitution. I just think it's time to go Left for a while to offset the damage done.

We are fighting for our lives here. It's either We The People or they the corporations. Even Teddy Roosevelt saw the dangers nearly thirty years before the great depression. I would hope we've learned from Harding, Coolidge and Hoover on what not to do. Yes, it's true that things are different now but I'm reasonably sure we could get some direction from FDR. Please, Mr. President, I urge you to look into two things for the stimulus. No money for those corporations that are American in name only or that hide their monies in tax-free havens. And a restriction of all goods from any corporation that does not have a certain level of manufacturing within the US. As I said before, creating axes and axe handles, not just inserting them into each other. Other countries require a certain level of manufacturing and it works. Those who would add "ism" to the word protection are only doing it to make it sound unpalatable. But We The People need protection from those corporations who are required by law to have no soul when catering to their bottom line. When other countries say it's sending the wrong signal, please explain to them that it's nothing against them; it's because of corporations who take our jobs overseas. And it's corporations who play one country against another under the guise of each country's flag. In the past we've required our government to buy from The People and it should be so now. For our own security we need the steel and other manufacturers to have the capability to supply us with what we need because there may be a time when other corporations, who are in other countries, cannot or will not. We must strengthen their capabilities to sustain us.

Very Sincerely yours,

Peter Lawrence