Brook Mellinger

2940 MacAruthur Road

Whitehall, PA 18052
Jan. 6, 09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I have watched you on television a lot, and saw that you made a lot of promises
to us. Well I would love to see all of those promises to come through, but that doesn’t
always happen, so I am going to ask you if you could take these ideas into
consideration. I would like for the taxes to be cheaper, because the middle class
people are suffering. The reason for this is, the higher class is able to afford their
amount they have to pay, and the lower class is getting a little boost to help them get
to the right amount they need to pay. Also I think college tuition should be cheaper.
Not everyone is fortunate like other people, and they can’t afford to pay as much as
they’re asking for. That leads them to a terrible job that they’re stuck with for a
while. It isn’t always their fault either they could of just got fired, started a new
job, and have the lower position and they don’t earn that much money. Their parents
also may not have had the best of jobs either. Sometimes, people don’t even get
enough money where they can’t pay the rent or mortgage for their house, and get
evicted, and they becomes homeless. I would also like to point out that I think
everyone should have healthcare. I no not everyone can afford to go to a doctor
because, they either don’t have enough money or healthcare, but they shouldn’t have
to suffer, and worry about getting sick and not being able to get better. I also
wanted to talk about the war. You said you would have the troops in Iraq back in about
a sixteen months. I think that would be great than everyone could be with their
family. I would like to say thanks for your time good luck in 2009 and hope you
consider all of these ideas.

Sincerely,
Br00k Mellinger
Brook Mellinger
 Lulu Khalil
2930 Zephyr Boulevard
Whitehall, PA 18052
January 6, 2009

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Lulu Khalil. I am an eighth grade student at Whitehall
Coplay Middle School. I am writing to express my feelings about the future
of this country.
In the future, I would really like it if there would be no war between
us and any other country. Everyday, innocent people are dying and loved ones
are being lost. It would be nice to live in a peaceful world, difficult, but nice.
No more bombs being thrown here and there.
I would also like college to be cheaper and more affordable. College is
a very big thing, and as we all know, very expensive. I think if you do well
throughout high school, and get many scholarships the government should at
least pay for your debt and college loans. Hopefully, one day something like
that will happen.
Also, gas prices have been pretty decent lately. They are no longer
four dollars like they were last year close to the spring time. Now, they are
close to a dollar or two. I would really like it if in about five years from now
or so, the price will be close to being the same.
As you can see, I have a few thoughts about the future of this
country.

Sincerely,
Lulu Khalil
Melanie Murphy
2930 Zephyr Blvd.
Whitehall, PA 18052

12\6\09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Hello Mr. President. I’m Melanie Murphy, an eighth grader at Whitehall Coplay Middle School. One
of my wishes for this is to help stop global warming. I know some people don’t believe in global warming
but I do. I would really like to see polar bears and not have an ocean in Philadelphia. I would like you to
make factories produce smoke that doesn’t damage the ozone layer. I also wish that you could encourage the
making of gas free cars. Not only because of the gas prices, but because of the fumes coming out of the car.
It’s not fair to all of the children in the USA that all these health problems are arising from the dirty air.
Something needs to be done. Another thing is smoking. There should be more smoking bans. I mean I
understand some people think they are cool if they smoke, but it’s not cool. I think that it is disgusting but
that’s my opinion. Especially when adults smoke around small children. I think that is just sad. So im asking
you please do something about this, and make life different for the children of the USA.
Another problem that I wi sh could be changed is the drug problem. I think as the world grows older this
problem is growing too. I understand it’s not bad to give drugs to people that can be used to save their lives.
But, come on its pathetic how people are using them these days? Many drug wars are leading to gang
violence. And seriously look at how many innocent people are dying because of this! Just because some
people think they are cool if they do drugs there not! They get addicted to them and become nuts. Keep
drugs away from people who don’t need them! I think this could make the USA a better place to live. And if
you really look around, I think the USA is getting worse every day. You always hear the same thing on the
news “oh its another shooting.” Think about that, it’s so bad that we are used to hearing this. Because, that
shooting could either ruin someone’s life forever or take it away from someone in a second. I really wish
something could be done about this. I really don’t think another innocent person should die before
something is realized by you. So please take this under consideration and help everyone.
My last wish for the USA is to have a couple free years of college. I mean I know there are some really
rich people in this world, that can afford all the years of college without going into debt. But, there are some
people that can’t even afford to pay for one. And, some of these people are e xtremely smart! They deserve
to have a chance just like anyone else in this world. Im not saying give this free college money to just
anyone though. You should give it to those who try hard in their years of schooling and in their community
before college. Those who are slackers and think that life gives everything to them, they shouldn’t get it. It
breaks my heart and im sure a lot of other peoples to see people homeless, and out on the streets just
because they couldn’t afford college, and didn’t get a chance to get a good job. So your motto is change!
Please read over this and help the USA it really needs your help. Many people are looking for peace! Give
us a chance!

Sincerely,
Melanie Murphy
Melanie Murphy
Colleen Tobey
2930 Zephyr Blvd., Whitehall 18052

1-7-09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Hello president Obama I wanted to share some of the hopes and drams that I
would hope to see happen in the future. Some of the things that I am going to
purpose or tell you are that the war needs to end soon, no child left behind, college,
taxes, and that I hope you will be running next year. I hope you take these ideas into
consideration.

Let’s talk about the war first. I think the war needs to end in at least a year.
It is starting to get out of control. I don’t even remember what the war was about. I
would hope that you will end it very soon. The other thing that I would like to talk
about is the no child left behind. I think it isn’t the smartest thing to have had the
students do. The four sites are sometimes very hard and they stress kids out, which
gets in the way of learning cause they are worrying about what they got on the four
sites. So let’s talk about college. I think it should be free to anyone that works hard
and is willing to improve. I think this because when we get out of college we will
have a big dept to pay off, which will take years of working to pay off. I have only a
few more things to talk about, so I think ill first talk about taxes. I think the taxes
should be lower so that there is more money in our paychecks. This year has been
very tight for us and I am sure for a lot of other people as well. I am soon going to be
working at Dorney Park. And would be hoping to get more money then my sister
did last year. There is only one last thing that I hope you will be doing in four years,
and it is running again. My family and I all supported you and we would hope to see
you next year.

So there are so things that I would like to see happen in the U.S. very soon.
We need your help, our country has gotten to a bad point and it needs to be fixed.
So I hope you will consider these ideas. Thanks for listening!

Sincerely,
Colleen Tobey
Colleen Tobey
Erica Frey
Whitehall-Coplay School District
2940 MacArthur Road
Whitehall, PA 18052

January 6, 2009

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Erica Frey and I am thirteen years old. I am currently an eighth grade
student at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School in Whitehall Pennsylvania. I am very glad to
have the privilege to express my wishes, hopes and dreams for the future of our country.

My first and foremost concern is the current direction of our country, which led us
into a recession. Many companies are either cutting back or closing which causes an
increasing number of people to lose their jobs. As a result of people losing their jobs it
then leads families to be unable to afford their homes. My hope is for you to come up
with a plan to help these falling companies and prevent unemployment.

Another concern of mine is the inflation of prices everywhere. Some of these

increasing prices are necessities including gas, oil, groceries, and utilities. I hope for a
resolution in the unstable economy that our country is facing at this time.

I am also worried about our troops over in Iraq. I wish for a swift and peaceful
resolution of the war. All of our men and women have dedicated many years and risked
their lives for our freedom. It would be a great dream for them to come home safely and
to be with their families and loved ones.

Health care is another issue that needs to be addressed because of its rising
cost. I wish for all Americans to have affordable health care. We cannot forget about our
environmental issues as well. Global warming, air pollution, and keeping America green
need to be an on going progress for our future.

Change is what our country really needs. What I am wishing is for you, President
Barack Obama, to bring change to the future of our country.

Sincerely,

Erica Frey
Michael Hozza
2930 Zephyr Boulevard, Whitehall, PA 18052
1/7/09
President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Michael Hozza, I am 13 years old. I am currently attending

Whitehall- Coplay Middle School. I have been following you, ever since you announced
your candidacy for President of The United States. The American people are counting on
your leadership, hard work, and dedication to serve the whole country equally and justly.
I know that I can trust in you to deal with internal affairs inside our country, and our
foreign affairs also. I trust in you in your decisions, and you should know that whenever
you are in doubt, you can trust that the American people will have your back.
Mr. President, you probably are already aware of this statistic, but there are 46
million people in the United States of America that are not covered in a healthcare plan.
In my state, they offer a healthcare program that covers children up to the age of 18. It is
called CHIP. In a lot of households in the United States, they don’t visit the doctor,
because they can’t pay for the cost of healthcare. I don’t think some Americans should
lose hope, because I believe that you will take care of the crisis in healthcare and the
economy.
The citizens of the Lehigh Valley, and all across Pennsylvania, are looking for a
better four years to come. They know that once you step foot in the White House, there
will not only be a different President, but a “Changed Nation”. I think that the White
House needs a change, and so do the American people.
Sincerely,
Michael Hozza

Michael Hozza
Jake Wygant
2940 MacArthur Road Whitehall, PA 18052
January 6, 2009
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Hi my name is Jake Wygant and I am 13 years old. I go to Whitehall-Coplay
Middle School in Pennsylvania. Here are some of my hopes, dreams, and wishes for our
country.
My first concern is our economy. Right now our economy in my opinion is not
doing so well. For example since the economy is not doing so well libraries, public pools,
and other fun activities in our communities are being closed. Another issue is gas prices.
They are low now but they are still going back up. I wish we would drill in our country so
gas prices wouldn’t be expensive. If it became an issue we could back to buying our gas
from foreign countries.
My wish is that one day we will have free healthcare. One example is a lot of
people can’t afford healthcare because the either don’t have a job or a job that doesn’t
pay enough to afford healthcare. Another example is people might have healthcare but it
only covers so much. So if they have healthcare that only covers 13,000 dollars and get in
a serious accident that costs 20,000 dollars, the extra 7,000 dollars will have to come out
of their pocket.
One dream I have is that by the time I go to college that I will be eligible for four
free years of college. By this I mean that if I have a B+ average or higher when I graduate
high school that I would be able to pick a college depending on my average. Also when
you get out of college you will have student debt and when you are right out of college
you don’t have any money to spend on an apartment or etc.
These are some of my hopes, dreams, and wishes for the future of our country.
Hopefully one or all of my dreams will be in affect when I become and adult or when my
kids become adults.

Sincerely,
Jake Wygant
Domenic Continenza
Whitehall-Coplay Middle School
2940 MacArthur Road
Whitehall, PA 18052

January 8, 2009

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

Hello, my name is Domenic and I have some questions, and concerns. First I will start
off with college tuition costs. I see that college debt takes 10-20 years to pay off. My
wish is that, in 5 years when I go to college, I think the cost should decrease. A lot of
people would like to go to college and have a good college degree, but the cost is too
much. My question is how would you deal with this economic crisis.

I have a wish that our troops will be taken out of Iraq and Afghanistan. We have put too
much into the war. I think we should be out of those dangerous countries. It looks like
our main objective is to capture Bin Laden, but I think it shouldn’t start in a war. If we
stop putting money into the war the economy wouldn’t be losing money so they don’t
have to take money from citizens.

My hope is that family’s money would stop going down the drain because of the poor
economy. I see that lost retirement money for couples is going up almost two thousand
dollars every four months. If so much money wasn’t coming out of people’s paychecks
they would have more money to pay for utilities for example; electricity, water, and
garbage bills. Thank you for taking your time to read this.

Sincerely,
Domenic Continenza
January, 5 ,2009 2930 Zephyr Boulevard
Whitehall, PA 18052

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I would like to congratulate you on winning the 2008 election.

I believe that you will be a great president that will lead our country to success.
I care a lot about the future of our nation just as you do. I have hopes and dreams for the
future, and I believe you can make a difference in all of our lives. Not just children, but
adults and senior citizens of America as well. I think you have a lot of ideas for making
America a better place. You always talked about change, and I think change is what we
need.

Do u have any new plans to change the healthcare system in America? The reason
I am asking is because I know people that work hard, and have some health insurance but
it doesn’t cover everything. I know a person that is close to me and they became very ill.
They had the right to go to the doctor and get checked out, but what if they are worried
about the bill or the cost of there check up. Then they take a chance with there life,
because they have no idea how to afford it. I don’t think its right not to go to the doctor
because you’re scared of what the bill is going to be. So I believe everyone should have
good health insurance, and then they don’t have to hesitate about going to get help.

One dream that I wish for is to go to college. I know a lot of kids that are
interested in going to college as well. But a bunch of academically qualified students will
not be able to afford it. I believe that you should reduce the cost of college because
everyone is struggling to pay there college tuition and will be in debt. I think colleges
should be more affordable. Education is an important matter and I believe that all
Americans should get a good education. I also think lowering taxes would be a good
idea, I know that your plan is to lower taxes. That’s a good thing because it will provide
more job opportunities to families and people that I know. If taxes are lowered, that gives
people more money to spend. If people purchase more things from a store then the store
would have to hire more people. I think that would be a great idea and it would really
change things around here, and people could save more money. I think everyone wants a
better economy and I hope you can change that. Do u have any new ideas that would
help with new job opportunities?
 I know you are capable of doing great things for our country, and soon enough
we’ll be able to see the changes that you will bring. We all wish for a better future, and
we all believe in you to change things. You’ve always said “YES WE CAN” and I
believe in you, and I believe we can all make a difference. I believe “WE CAN”. God
bless you and God bless America.

Sincerely,

etutu `t}w|

Rabab Majdi
Codi Reynolds
2930 MacAuther Rd.
Whitehall
PA
18052

01-06-09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave Nw
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

There are many people living in the United States today. All sorts of people with
all sorts of interests- and that’s great. Diversity is one of the things that defines America
and makes it wonderful.
But in these hard times it almost appears like a cold place. No one looks out for
each other- although who can blame them when there’s hardly enough time or money for
themselves- and it makes people seem so distant from each other. Everyone’s looking out
for themselves and themselves only.
We got through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Cold War, all because
we were unified in our cause and in our hearts at least on some level. No matter what got
thrown at us we made it through because together we could do anything.
But now I can’t see where that unity went. Most of the county didn’t even like our
president and with the election, I thought, it was really clear that there are boundaries that
separate the American people that may never fade.
Now you, Mr. President, have been elected and those who voted for you- and
those who didn’t- must accept that for the next four years at least you will be leading us
and representing us.
During the election you promised many things- things awesome in both size and
incredibility- and many people are left wondering if you’ll actually do what you’ve said
you would.
I can’t ask you to accomplish everything you promised, for I would not ask
something of you that I would not be able to do, but I ask you to try. My favorite author,
CLAMP, once wrote that the two things necessary to accomplish something are sincerity
and determination. I hope that you have both when it comes to being a good president.
Please, the thing I want most for this country is a president that everyone-
democrats, republicans, independents, and liberals- can be proud of. A president that
inspires unity in his country. Because I believe that the only way we can pull through this
recession is together, as a whole. “Together we stand, divided we fall.” That is all I ask
of you President Barack Obama.

Sincerely,
Codi Reynolds
Codi Reynolds
Eva Labram
2930 Zephyr Boulevard
Whitehall, PA 18052

Braylynn Reimer
Whitehall-Coplay Middle School
2930 Zephyr Blvd. Whitehall, Pa !8052
1-6-09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

One person can change the United States, forever. I think you can change
the United States with the children’s point of view. You can do this be reading our
wishes, hopes, and dreams that can change and help America. Some of my ideas are
college, crime, oil, taxes, healthcare, and the middle class.
I think everyone in the United States should have free healthcare. I know
some people have healthcare, but other people can’t afford it. Some adults can’t take
their children to the dentist or the doctors, so their children get bad teeth and can get
really sick. College, for everyone, is getting really expensive everywhere. I think we
should get some kind of free education for so long, until we have to pay for it. The
reason why I am saying this is because college students want to start a life and get a job,
but they are in debt for a long time. I think we should have a different point of view of
the crime that happens in the United States What should happen is the people should be
punish, but if they get parole they should have some kind of therapy before they are
released.
The middle class needs a president that can help them, too. I know you
can do this, Mr. President. The oil prices are lower than they were, but they are
supposed to go up. Gas should be a good price because everyone needs it but, gas should
be an average price so everyone can afford it. Taxes are way too high for everyone in
the United States; Taxes should be lowered, so that the lower and middle class can pay
for them on time. Thank-you!

Sincerely,

Braylynn Reimer

January 6, 2009

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C 20500
Dear Mr. President-elect,

November 4, 2008 was an important day in my life. At about 11pm, CNN

projected that Mr. Barrack Obama was the president-elect. People shouted with joy,
danced, sang, and others wept. I was moved by these reactions. From that day, I knew
that l could become whatever I want to be in the future. Mr. President elect, how long
will my parents have to wait for new jobs? Will I have more Christmas presents next
year than l had this year? Will the heating system in my classroom be improved? The
rough surface on Mickley road makes riding to school uncomfortable. You’ve probably
heard of all these: the dwindling middle class families. They are all most people seem to
be able to focus on. How about the others? The borderline poor, the working poor, etc.,
you know, the ones who are barely making it, and the ones who keep on working, but just
can’t seem to make enough money to support their families. Yes, I know gas prices have
dropped, but we don’t have the money anymore to even pay for cheap gas! No more jobs
for teenagers because too many adults are jobless and in need of teenage jobs. . The cost
of education is high. College students are dropping out of college and those who want to
go to college cannot afford it anymore.
Mr. Obama, my parents are finding it difficult to cope up with the increasing co-payment
and deductable. Soon we cannot afford health insurance. High healthcare cost has
increased credit card debts. All I’m asking you, Mr. President-elect, how are you going to
solve these problems? Mr. President-elect, these are a few suggestions for your
considerations. First, create more jobs and put people to work. Jobs in Government and
Private sectors put smiles on working people. Next, upgrade and modernize schools and
make college education affordable. Give grants and scholarships to students to help them
go and stay in school. We can help lower the cost of tuition by helping to fund some
non-private colleges. Mr. President, excellent minds are found in healthy bodies. Lower
healthcare cost and offer all children free health insurance. Furthermore, tax incentives to
employers who provide healthcare benefits to their workers will also help. Finally, never
send our troops to unnecessary war, and bring home the troops in the current war.
I know that you don’t have much time to read letters from people, so I sincerely thank
you for your time. I hope you will continue to consider the needs of the people when
making decisions for this country as president. I also hope you’ll keep your promises.
Again, thank you for your time.

Thank you,

Eva Labram
Christine Leitgeb
Whitehall-Coplay Middle School
2930 MacArthur Rd.
Whitehall, PA 18052

January 12, 2009

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I am just an average 13 year old girl that goes to an ordinary school. I was told I
had to write a paper for you about what I think you can do to help the United States or
maybe even the world. I’m sure most kids came up with something right away, such as,
healthcare, taxes, and so on. It took me a while to come up with what I wanted to write
until I remembered some of the speeches you made. I also did a project about you during
the elections for social studies.

I noticed that you made promises. Not just simple promises but promises that
could help us all. For instance, you promised us better healthcare and that could really
help since I found out my grandmother might have cancer, and if she does, there’s a
greater chance for my mother and me to get it. You also said that you’d bring back each
and every one of our troops home for good. Many of us will be waiting for that, since
many of our friends and family members are serving our country in Iraq. Another
promise was to offer us better jobs, except that I saw in an interview that you started to
back away a little on your promise. Nobody wants a president, a leader, who backs down
on their promises. None of us want you to be like other politicians that say they’ll do
something when that “something” never come true.

All I’m trying to say is you made your decision on how you’re going to help us,
now I hope you can make this happen. You’re our president, we citizens should be able to
trust our leader. Think of the main reason why you wanted to be president, to help us.
Thank you for the time to you took to read this, and I, along with many others will be
waiting to see what happens in the next forur years. Thank you once again.

Sincerely,

Christine Leitgeb
Alysha Harwick
2930 Zephyr Blvd.
Whitehall, PA 18052

1/8/09

President Barack Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, D.C 20500

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Alysha Harwick and I go to Whitehall-Coplay Middle

School. I want first like to wish you luck in the President seat but there
are a couple of goals and dreams in my life I would like for you to know.

My dreams for America are that the war would end. I don’t like
the war cause there is to much fighting going on and a lot of people
from our country die cause of bombs and guns. Another dream of mine
is for a better economy. I want a better economy because a lot of people
are loosing there jobs right now and can’t support there family with
food cause they aren’t working.

Some of my other goals in life is for the world to have a lower

crime rate. I want this cause a lot of people every day die from gang’s or
random shooting in a lot of the major cities that are putting a lot of
people in danger. I hope you take my ideas and dreams into
consideration Mr. President Barack Obama.

Sincerely,

Alysha Harwick