Another Note from President Obama

To whom it may concern,

Here is the second response from the Obama Administration:

Dear Friend: Thank you for writing to me. I appreciate hearing from you and value your input. Each day, I am moved by the messages I have received from people across the country. Far too many Americans are struggling--falling behind on mortgage payments, coping with illness, or losing a job without warning. My Administration is working to address the serious challenges our Nation faces. I am committed to taking immediate steps that generate job creation and economic recovery, and I am determined to make investments that lay a new foundation for real and lasting progress.

To build this new foundation, we need health care reform--this year--that reduces costs, protects health care choices, and assures quality, affordable care for all Americans. I encourage you to visit www.HealthReform.gov to learn more about my commitment to enacting comprehensive health care reform in 2009.

I am also dedicated to building a clean energy economy that creates millions of jobs, helps us achieve energy independence, and reduces pollution as we tackle the effects of global warming. Please visit www.Recovery.gov to read about the more than $60 billion in clean energy investments my Administration has made to jump-start our economy and build the jobs of tomorrow.

To prepare our children to thrive in the global economy, we must guarantee every child a complete and competitive education. For information about my education reform agenda, please join me online at: www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/education.

At the same time, we have an obligation to rein in our budget deficit by cutting wasteful spending and ineffective programs. We can do all this, and change the way business is done in Washington, by building the most open, transparent, and accountable government in our history.

While we repair our communities, we must also recognize the important contributions of our service men and women in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other nations. Our military and their families have borne an enormous burden for their fellow citizens, serving with honor and succeeding beyond any expectation. For those who have been injured or lost their lives in pursuit of our freedom, we owe them our undying gratitude. I am committed to assisting our servicemembers, veterans, and their families and honoring our debts to them.

The only way to solve the problems of our time is to involve all Americans in shaping the policies that affect our lives. I hope you continue to explore www.WhiteHouse.gov, which is regularly updated and more interactive than ever before. Thank you again for writing. Sincerely, Barack Obama To be a part of our agenda for change, join us at www.WhiteHouse.gov

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

How Did This Environmental Disaster Happen?

To whom it may concern,

Can someone please explain to me how Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp appealed their plan to dump mine tailings into a lake on federal land in Alaska all the way to the Supreme Court and win? Seriously, how can this possibly comply with the Clean Water Act? Now that another inane and asinine policy of the Bush era has doomed a lake in Alaska, can we please overturn this policy that allows the US Army Corps of Engineers to make such rulings? With 1.5 million ounces of proven gold deposits, I think that the mining company can afford to dump the waste elsewhere.

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Where is the Federal Land Use Policy?

To whom it may concern,

Land use policy and control is an inherently localized manner. But the federal government has had an increasing impact on local decision through court cases, tax structures, and transportation projects. Land use and transportation are inextricable interconnected, and the Federal Highway Reauthorization Acts always impact the way cities across the country continue to develop. While local leadership in many parts of the country has successfully guided these funds into mass transportation and alternatives to the automobile, the vast majority of the funds go to the expansion of our highways. And it is these subsidized highways more than any other factors that induce sprawl in America. Sprawl that devastates our farmland, our environment, our social network, and out economic efficiency. We should shift subsidies from single family homes to transit oriented development. Or even reward those who live without a car. If this administration wants to seriously alter the economy and our carbon footprint, then they will have to change the way that this country develops. We must focus on mass transportation, infill development and the revitalization of our existing infrastructure. You see these connections being made in places like California where greenhouse gas emissions laws are starting to encourage more compact, walkable neighborhoods and open space preservation. How will the federal government support and influence the private sector to shift into this new focus on the city?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Israeli Settlements

To whom it may concern,

The Israeli-Palestinian Road Map to peace is a very complicated process that requires both peoples to embark on simultaneous courses of action. From the very beginning, this Road Map has been riddled by false starts, false promises, and political upheaval. The process is inherently flawed in that it requires a diplomatic quid pro quo between two groups that have never worked hand in hand. And diplomacy never works when forced. Unfortunately, this universally accepted approach is very susceptible to failure because it removes the opportunity for compromise by setting a rigid path to peace. Unless you lose a war, peace is very much an on-going process. In that sense, the Road Map only leads to frustration, resentment, and mistrust when neither side is willing to make the first step. Recently, the lynchpin of this process has been Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Road Map calls for these settlements to be halted and removed in order for the peace process to move forward. But this is wholly unnecessary. If Jewish settlers choose to move into the West Bank, then they should be allowed that choice, within land use law and environmental constraints. When that land then becomes Palestine, they will have a new choice; to become exiles in their own “land” or to join the Palestinian government. These enclaves should be viewed as less of a roadblock to peace and more of an opportunity for social integration. Once incorporated, these Jewish settlers would be forced to work with and hopefully in their new government. In the end, both States must recognize that they will not and should not be all Jewish or all Muslim, but as the cradle of the three faiths of Abraham, they will be multi-cultural and multi-ethnic. Why are we now beholden to this Road Map, and will you forge a new peace process?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Constraining State Ballot Initiatives

To whom it may concern,

Across the nation the State Ballot Initiative has been a growing force in local, regional, and state politics. Traditionally, these ballot initiatives have been used to advance issues that are not always popular with politicians. Political “third rail” issues like medical marijuana or gay marriage end up on state ballot initiatives through a relatively easy process. Through a ballot initiative, minority voices with powerful allies and large purses can bring an issue before the public. In some instances, this is the most direct form of democracy where the populace is essentially self-legislating. However, as is the case in California, these ballot initiatives have become ubiquitous. Of particular concern are ballot initiatives that mandate certain spending levels or have a permanent effect on the tax structure, budget, and policy. A democracy is supposed to change with the times and with its people. It is meant to be flexible. To have a ballot initiative passed 30 years ago tie the hands of the legislature today is counterproductive. State Ballot Initiatives do have their place. They should be used locally and regionally to generate funds for specific projects like mass transportation or cultural institutions. For States, they should be used to direct the legislature to address an issue instead of usurping the legislature. How can the federal government work to limit ballot initiatives that have disastrous effects on the long-term solvency of States?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

Why Defend Torture?

To whom it may concern,

Over the past few weeks, there have been an increasing amount of attacks on the Obama administration for its change in policy on interrogation techniques (i.e. water boarding and other internationally understood forms of torture). The chief supporter of the Bush administration's approach, Vice President Dick Cheney, is also probably the one who is chiefly responsible for the initial decision. While he claims he is defending the President, one has to wonder who in their right mind would defend the practice of torture. The results of these "enhanced interrogation techniques" are defended by the Republicans without evidence, and usurped by the Democrats through the testimony of former interrogators, lawyers, and other Justice Department officials from the previous administration. Regardless of their effectiveness, which is at best inconclusive, it is bizarre to see a former Vice President in the limelight to defend a decision and a strategy that he no longer has any control over or say in. Until the Bush administration, the United States and its military had been regarded as a beacon for human rights. The Germans marched West in order to be captured by Americans instead of the Russians. The Civil Rights Movement gave the world hope for equality. And virtually every international agreement or treaty for the last century is written with language to bolster human rights protections in foreign countries. With our reputation now tainted by unilateral military action, Abu Ghraib prison, and the torture of suspected terrorists, how will this administration restore our moral standing with the world?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP

The First Response from President Obama!

To whom it may concern,

It was not much and it was automated, but at least I finally heard back from them:

Dear Gunnar Hand:

Thank you for contacting the White House to share your thoughts with President Obama. We are glad to have your comments and hear the thoughts of all Americans.

The President greatly appreciates the outpouring of messages expressing different views from across the country, and from Americans around the world. Some comments are supportive, some are critical, but all reflect the desire of Americans to participate in a dialogue about our common concerns and challenges.

Thank you again for contacting President Obama. We invite you to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov to learn more about the President's actions and views.

Sincerely,

F. Michael Kelleher
Special Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Correspondence

To be a part of our agenda for change, join us at www.WhiteHouse.gov