White House Response to Your Message

January 26, 2012   Dear Friend: Thank you for writing.  In his 2012 State of the Union Address, President Obama laid out a blueprint for an economy that is built to last—an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.    The President believes this is a make or break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it.  What is at stake is the very survival of the basic American promise that if you work hard, you can do well enough to raise a family, own a home, and put a little away for retirement.    The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive.  We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while more Americans barely get by, or we can build a nation where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules.  At stake right now are not Democratic or Republican values, but American values—and for the sake of our future, we have to reclaim them.    The economic security of our middle class has eroded for decades.  Long before the recession, good jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores.  Hard work stopped paying off for too many Americans.  Those at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but the vast majority of Americans struggled with costs that were growing and paychecks that were not.    In 2008, the house of cards collapsed.  Mortgages were sold to people who could not afford or understand them.  Banks made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money.  It was a crisis that cost us more than 8 million jobs and plunged our economy and the world into a crisis from which we are still fighting to recover.    Three years later, thanks to the President's bold actions, the economy is growing again.  Over the past 22 months, our businesses have created 3.2 million jobs.  Last year, we added the most private sector jobs since 2005.  American manufacturing is creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s.  The American auto industry is back.  Today, American oil production is the highest it has been in eight years.  Together, we have agreed to cut the deficit by more than 2 trillion dollars.  The President signed into law new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like the one we have endured never happens again.    When we act together, in common purpose and common effort, there is nothing the United States of America cannot achieve.  That is why the President's blueprint for action contains policies that businesses can take, actions that Congress needs to take, as well as actions that the President will take on his own.  The President intends to keep moving forward and rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded—an economy built to last.   Over the next few days, there are plenty of ways to get involved and ask your questions about the President's speech: To learn more about the President's State of the Union address, read the blueprint for an American built to last, and connect with the President and Administration officials, please visit: WhiteHouse.gov/SOTU.   On Thursday, January 26, Vice President Biden answered questions submitted by people from across the country in his first Twitter interview.  Be sure to follow @VP to see his responses. On Monday, January 30, President Obama will answer your questions about the State of the Union in a first-ever Google+ Hangout from the White House. You can submit your questions and vote for your favorite questions on YouTube.com/WhiteHouse. Senior White House officials will be answering your questions about the speech through a series of Office Hours on Twitter. Check out the full lineup of over 30 White House officials, and start submitting your questions using the hashtag #WHChat and follow along at @WHLive.  Thank you, again, for writing.  Sincerely, The White House   The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. • Washington, D.C.  20500 • 202-456-1111