Dear Mister President;

It has been some time since I wrote you last. I don't know if you read my last letter to you. I sincerely doubt it, considering you're probably still getting well wishes and the like. I heartily congratulate you on that, and hope the end of the salad days isn't a horrible shock or any more unpleasant than seeing fewer approval ratings. I'm not being a jerk, I'm simply noting the fickle nature of the public.

But onto my message. The Cap and Trade Bill you have been pushing. I don't pretend to be an expert, I merely offer my opinion: It's a bad idea. I mean, a truly epically bad idea. Personally I find it interesting you continue to copy ideas from your predecessor that the media derided as bad. First the Stimulus Bill, which was like TARPS but bigger, more diverse and more... Liberal, and now this.

Honestly sir, there's nothing wrong with wanting to appease the people who funded your campaign, but please remember they aren't the only people in this country. The rest of us have to live with your actions and the actions of Congress, and while you must support stuff that is good for your party, more often you need to support bills that are good for the country as a whole. I do not pretend that you can please everyone (certainly you don't), but I believe in a contest between "averting the destruction of the Earth" and "feeding my family", I think most people will choose the second option as being more pertinent, particularly given the means of destruction chosen.

I am not a climatologist. I am not a physicist. I don't have a doctorate. I'm just a college student. But I do know my history, and when members of a movement are the same people who predicted massive climate change caused by humans would take place in the 70s, I think it's safe to say they are not the experts they presume to be. I do not know if humans are changing the climate, I do not claim to know for sure. But taking it as gospel that the world is doomed is not a particularly hopeful or optimistic approach to take. And making it even harder for the economy to recover in the process isn't really either.

So, here is my suggestion (at long last): Use Paris Hilton's plan. Enforce strict EPA regulations and supervision for domestic drilling, and use revenue generated by that to help with alternative energy sources. You get an economic boon, you get alternative energy faster, and you get to rely less on the Middle East. In the long run, such a plan guarantees less oil money going to terrorists (fanaticism is hard to maintain if you can only give your suicide bombers noisemakers), less need for US military presence in the Middle East, and in general a stronger political position for the Western nations. It is also good for the Middle East because the same oil keeping petty dictators and warlords in power will be far less good to them, allowing the normal people of the Arab region to have more say and more power and thus more freedom.

And if you need some selfish motivation (It's allright, you're human and a politician-It's expected), this is the chance to score a major victory on both the foreign and domestic fronts in one fell swoop, as well as fulfill your promise to be a bipartisan leader and a great uniter. Fulfilling some campaign promises to the general public will certainly make you seem less like another politician and like a real leader.

Again, I understand you must please the people who got you into office to a certain extent otherwise it's harder to get support for the next bill or election cycle, but please remember that you are a President, not a Prime Minister, and you swore an oath to everyone who is an American. Not just the environmentalists, many of whom will never be happy until humanity goes extinct. Please sir, don't listen to people like that-Listen to people who just want a nice job, a decent house, and peace.

Sincerely,

Andrew Gillespie