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President Obama, I am here to talk to you about the current economic issues which we are facing. I would like to start off by telling you about the great depression. The great depression was a time in America in the 1930's, in which many people lost their homes and jobs - so much so that the unemployment rate actually reached 25%. This is very similar to the recession we face today, because although it is not quite on as massive a scale, we are still facing the exact same issues, and the numbers are increasing by the day. Our unemployment rate is at 7.6% as of February, thus putting millions more Americans out of their jobs. The home foreclosure rate in California, which holds 12% of America's population, is at 1.82%. Another leading cause of the Great Depression was the fact that we had just come out of a war, which put great stress on our economy. This can easily be related to the war in Iraq, which half of our taxpayer dollars are going toward funding.

To deal with the unemployment issue, Franklin Delanore Roosevelt passed the New Deal (among a series of other acts), which allowed Americans to come together and do the jobs that needed to be done in order to help fix America's economy, as well as creating more jobs and getting necessary things built. He administered the National Recovery Administration, which allowed businessmen and workers to abide by certain rules, and in exchange, got many benefits (such as a higher minimum wage, child labor laws, and trade unions). About 23 million people were part of this movement.

I understand, Mr. President, that you have plans to do something very similar to this. It is called Organizing for America, and it's purpose is to get Americans involved in rebuilding our economy, among other things. It is a website which will set up different activities all over the U.S., and will allow for people to see how they can volunteer in their community. What I would suggest is not only making an online video (which you have done), but addressing the nation on live television, and making sure that they know that this exists, and getting them excited about this and willing to help. Tell them exactly what this will accomplish, and how many people would be needed to volunteer for these goals to be met. Make sure that as much of America is as cooperative as you need them to be, so that you can pull us out of this recession, before our economy sinks even lower, and turns into a full blown depression.

Thank you for your time, Mr. Barack Obama.

About The Great Depression, Modern American Poetry, http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/about.htm
Employment Situation Summary, United States Department of Labor, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm
E. Scott Reckard, U.S. Home Forclosures to Hit Record Level Due in Part to California Woes, Los Angeles Times, http://articles.latimes.com/2008/sep/06/business/fi-mortgage6
Great Depression in the United States, MSN Encarta, http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761584403/great_depression_in_the_united_states.html
Cost of War, National Priorities Project, http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home
David Dinkins, FDR And The New Deal, eSSORTMENT, http://www.essortment.com/all/fdrnewdealfra_rgst.htm
Nartional Recovery Administration, Spartacus Educational, http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USARnra.htm
Chris Cillizza, Obama Announces "Organizing For America", The Washington Post, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/01/obama_announces_organizing_for.html