Dear Mr. President-elect,

Per a recent article in the Washington Times, you were quoted as saying the following:

I’m still waiting for the democrats ‘to do list.’ Any democrat, just tweet me… yet I’m only getting hate from the left…

While I’m not a Democrat, I am on the left so if you would indulge me for a moment, I’d like to share with you some of the ideas that I’ve supported throughout this election cycle. These are ideas which I think will benefit our country and the world as a whole. Admittedly, they are ideas you may strongly disagree with for a number of reasons, not to least of which I believe, is because I’m under no illusion as to your “independence” from the vast system of wealth which currently underlies our political system.

Whatever may be said of your support (or lack thereof) from many establishment Republicans and the traditional corridors of wealth which prop up their political clout, I see no reason to distance your own personal financial circumstance from your victory. The sad reality is that although you have no prior political experience, the ability of millions of working class Americans to achieve what you have achieved is non-existent. That is to say, even if I were to grant you the loftiest of intentions, an impeccable work ethic, and an impervious integrity, there are quite literally millions of hard-working American people for whom any equivalent ascent to political power would remain impossible. A 60-year old African American seamstress who labored her entire life with honor and integrity to help those around her could never do what you have done this election cycle.

To what we should attribute this reality is debatable, but that this is the reality is not something which I believe even you would contest. Not only are such people cut out of that political process due to the necessity of their laboring, but no matter how sound, well-formed, or even supported their ideas may be, there is no platform large enough for them to introduce themselves to the world that could compete with the attention and access your wealth would provide you.

Worse, were I to concede still that such a person could, starting from a young age, build their fame and fortune equivalent to your own in order that they could achieve such a feat, the problem would remain. Even a totally self-made individual is still a “made” individual and what it means to be “made” in this society is of a very particular nature. As such, there is no evidence to support that anyone could ever be simultaneously working class and a viable presidential candidate.

With this in mind, what I offer you is a simple to-do list from a working class perspective (albeit still a better off sector of the working class than most). In addition to the concise version of this list, I will aim, in future articles to expand on my reasoning for each so please keep your eyes peeled for my tweets:

Drastically reduce budgetary and discretionary defense spending on military expansion and interventionism around the world while expanding that portion of which goes towards making good on our promise to our vets.

Cut funding and especially military aid to foreign state actors which violate international law and basic human rights. Redirect said funds to NGOs and non-profits which provide aid and relief directly to civilian populations, especially those that help build infrastructure.

Work to develop and fund programs of community policing that grow out of the communities themselves and include civilian oversight of traditional police with the ability to hire and fire.

Make your litmus tests for Supreme Court nominees that they will not overturn Roe v. Wade and will overturn Citizens United.

Work with doctors and nurses organizations to create a universal healthcare system that prioritizes preventative care and access to medication by rapidly expanding community clinics and pediatrics centers.

Re-invest heavily in infrastructure, education (public Pre-K - College), and assistance services for disabled, unemployed, and homeless people.

Provide incentives to states which initiate state-bonded green/renewable energy programs that convert state and local infrastructure (schools, offices, transportation, etc) to renewable energy solutions.

While I know that most (if not all) of these suggestions will be met with various criticisms and attempts to discredit their viability, I would strongly encourage you to look into the long term savings and benefits. I know you believe that we should have a strong military, well-funded/trained police departments, and overall less reliance on the federal government. However, I would encourage you to think of ways in which these ideas can be implemented that do not conflict:

A smarter and leaner military with less waste, fraud, and abuse instead of one which is predominately designed to increase the wealth of defense contractors.

Police departments that work with their community and as an extension of it (complimenting rather than antagonizing) and therefore are wilfully supported by their community and taxpayers.

Focus on helping communities succeed and gain more dignity thereby increasing federal independence rather than dependence longterm. Work more with small business and public resources which the community takes ownership over rather than through large businesses and faceless corporations which feel alien (applies to healthcare clinics, energy independence, and public schooling/pre-k).

Many of these programs will, of course, cost money, and while I don’t emphasize deficit spending or the national debt as serious concern (we always seem to have money for bailouts and wars afterall), it is, in my opinion, part of the hard work of governance and public service to resolve that fundamental contradiction.

If you can, as you say, consistently deliver under-budget and ahead of schedule while still maintaining quality, service, and availability, then I suspect this list will present little challenge to you or our long-term solvency.

Thanks for reading.