Monday, January 19, 2009

Dear Mr. President

I recently stumbled across a website that Pepsi was hosting at http://refresheverything.com And they've got a pretty cool idea going there. They've asked people to upload a video of a letter to our soon to be President, Barak Obama. What a great idea! I know that Mr. Obama will probably never see these videos, but the idea of getting our voices heard and just being involved is a good thing. So I made a video. You can find it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKVbvVZYZQg For those of you who don't have a flash player or something like it, here's what I said:

Dear Mr. President,

You should know that I did not vote for you… sorry. However, now that you are our Nations leader I sincerely hope that I was wrong about you. Please prove me wrong. You talk about change, well, I hope that you make me change my mind. But allow me to mention a few things I hope you don’t change:

Don’t change what America stands for.

Don’t change the 2nd Amendment. I have a right to own a firearm.

Don’t change our taxes too much… Just because I’m poor doesn’t mean I want a rich person paying my taxes, that’s degrading. And let me pay my own hospital bills.

Don’t change the meaning of good: It is not good to punish success and reward laziness. (Taxes, Healthcare, etc…)

Don’t change my desire to fight for a better life. If you make living in the gutter too comfortable, I’ll stop trying to get out.

Don’t change the pledge of allegiance, or what it says on our currency. We are one nation under God, and I do trust in Him. I hope you will too.

I am proud to be an American… Don’t change that.

Please remember that you are not a celebrity. It is not your job to be cool. I personally do not think that my Presidents face belongs on the cover of the same magazine that featured Kid Rock surrounded by four naked women, Britney Spears topless, and three very naked Red Hot Chili Peppers. I don’t want your face on my t-shirt, or your name on my shoes. I don’t want my President to be a fad.

I will support you Mr. Obama, I will pray for you, and I honestly hope that if “Yes you can” change anything, I hope you change my mind about you. You have my sincere Congratulations, and my heartfelt wishes; best of luck to you. And by all means change all the bad stuff, just don’t lose the good.

-Travis Cox, St. George, UT

7 comments:

Mellissa said...

Hear Hear! Well said.

Devin and Andrea Hatch said...

Travis,

Wow, sweet video! I agree with you on basically everything you said. I know I should support Obama because he is now our president, but it's hard to bring yourself to support someone who, like you said, wants to change a lot of the things I love about this country. That would be cool if your video "won" or whatever for the Pepsi thing. If Obama did get a chance to watch it, maybe it would help him get an idea that a lot of people don't want some of the changes he thinks we're all craving. I hope everything is going well for you guys.

Devin Hatch

Trav said...

Thanks guys!

Casey Unrein said...

Travis, I just caught this through mutual friends on facebook. I am unabashedly inspired when hear Obama speak and see him work. I find him to be on point on many subjects including community, responsibility, sharing, equity, courage, justice, hope and change.

That said I do not agree with all of his policies, plans or ideologies. I am compelled to challenge him on multiple issues, but what I don't challenge him on are core values of social responsibility and mutual growth.

If I can provide any response to your message myself, it would be this: Mr. Obama will not change your mind. You must change your mind by challenging those policies and sentiments that you feel are wrong and supporting those that you feel are right. Change is not built on outside factors, but rather on internal factors. You must be an agent of that change.

Contemplate letting go of your fear of the moral hazard of laziness and instead finding inspiration in the incredible human drive to accomplish and be successful. Would you stop creating and bettering this world if you had a free income? If no, then why would others? If yes, then what purpose do you serve?

If they agree on nothing else, McCain and Obama agree on one thing. One must serve a purpose greater than themselves. The only difference that may exist is whether this purpose is set to encompass all sectors of society or simply a privileged few with whom one is connected.

Lastly, I have seen in no account where Obama is contemplating riding US society of the word God. In fact I have seen him only expound upon the need for God. I disagree with this activity whole-heartedly, but believe me, Obama is far less of a threat to that tradition than I am now or than I will be in 10 years.

Open to any conversations, alliances, changes and/or actions you would like to take. Please.

Emily and Bryce said...

Travis,

My wife and I don't know you and you don't know us, but, those are our thoughts exactly. Great Video!

Bryce and Emily Fox

Brock said...

I came across your video through a friend. I have to say you voiced my sentiments exactly. Very well said.

Brock Norman

Lindsay Murdock said...

I've had so many people comment to me personally or through email about this video! It seems to have struck a cord with a lot of people!!

Tell Whit I said hi!