Barack+Obama+Letter.

President-elect Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500   Dear Mr.President:

Congratulations on being elected President of the United States. I'm truly looking forward to seeing and experiencing the wonderful policies you will promote for our country over the next four years. It must be extremely exciting to be part of such an historic event.

The reason I am writing to you is not just to congratulate you, but I would strongly like to express my point-of-view on one of the most important issue facing our country. What is this issue? Poverty. The unbearable condition that many Americans are living in every day. Poverty is a difficult concept to relate to for many of us. We do not realize how widespread it really is. Children, adults, and seniors affected by poverty are homeless, hungry, helpless.

I understand that poverty is a global concern, but, in my eyes, we should focus on improving the standard of living for Americans before helping those in other countries. In 2002, almost 35 million Americans were living their life in poverty. 12 million of those Americans are children. But honestly, numbers and statistics do not mean a thing. Actually picturing and attempting to receive an understanding of the conditions the poor go through daily is what is meaningful. Most Americans cannot imagine what it would be like to live in poverty because they have never actually seen it. The only picture they have in their minds are those of third world countries where famine and disease is everywhere. They do not see the families in America who live in their car or the seniors who live in boxes in highway underpasses. As a society, we look away from the homeless begging on the sidewalks and "bums" rustling through trash baskets for cans. We need your help to open their eyes.

The United States has proposed a 700 billion dollar buy out of large companies. What are we spending on poverty in America? I think that 700 billion dollars could make a big dent in clothing, feeding and sheltering our impoverished. During this holiday season, food banks are low, 1 out of 4 families cannot afford heat, and the economy is headed for a recession. This should be a time of celebration and family, especially for the citizens of one of the most powerful and wealthy countries in the world. There is really no excuse for the conditions that we permit people to live in day in and day out. How are you going to help them?

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. It means a lot to me, I know this is just the voice of one eighth-grade student, but now more than ever America's youth needs to be heard. We're counting on you...

Sincerely,

Meg