Dear Mr.President (Take 2)

Dear Barack Obama,
Congratulations on your election to the highest office in this land. Your campaign has brought hope and inspiration to millions of Americans, both young and old. However, you have been given possibly the most difficult position of any president before. The issues, both foreign and domestic besieging our great nation are overwhelmingly urgent. We have a energy crisis, multiple environmental issues, including global warming and a rapidly eroding ozone layer, a collapsing economy, an ongoing war in Iraq, the growing threats of Iran, Russia, and China, a massive federal deficit (to be paid off by my generation), a trade deficit with China, ever-present terrorist threats, and the ongoing military presence in Afghanistan. These are but a handful of the issues that you, Mr.President, must deal with efficiently, and effectively. To ask this much of a man is too much, some would say, but this is exactly what you will pledge to do when you take the oath of office.

The entire world will be watching you as you try to deal with these varying and difficult issues. No matter what decision it is that you make, there will be critics who have been waiting for their opportunity to lash out at you. You will not be able to please everybody, and sometimes it may seem that what is "right" is impossible to tell. However, one thing that you can do to help solve these problems, is encourage transparency in your government. A former White House aide said in an interview, that there were very few meetings that could not be televised for the entire world to see. Doing this would include and engage the people in the decisions being made, and the problems being faced. We could empathize with you, and encourage you as you lead us through some very dangerous waters. Will you allow for us to help you? Or will you deal in secrecy, with a veil over the workings of our government, excluding us from decisions, trying to lead the world all by yourself?

It's up to you, Mr.President. You have the hope of millions riding on your shoulders. People are desperate for the hope and change that you have promised time and time again. You have the opportunity to be the greatest leader this country has ever had, the man who opened up to the people, who bounced ideas off of us, who allowed us to have a say in the decisions that directly affected us. You can be a man known for his honesty, for his clarity, and for his openness. All you have to do is allow your government to show a little transparency.