Today, I asked for something I've wanted to since Day 1. Back in July, when the campaign was still roaring, I had wanted to ask Obama -- or either of the candidates, why not? -- a question in a debate or town hall meeting. I never got that chance.Well, today I did!
The White House has an online forum for submitting questions, which the president may answer on Thursday. From the Washington Post:
This afternoon, WhiteHouse.gov launched "Open for Questions," an interactive page where users can post questions on the economy and vote the submitted questions up or down. The site will continue taking questions until Thursday, when President Obama will go online to answer those that received the most votes. (more here)So please... vote for mine!! You can search for the bold phrases below, since otherwise the questions would be hard to spot. The more votes I get for each question, the bigger chance he'll use one of mine!
Here's the site:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/openforquestions/
Here are my questions. They run the gamut, since the more I submit, the more chances I have of catching some White House aid's eye.
- "At a time when U.S. consumers and their banks are holding on for dear life, credit card companies are still free to levy fees, change terms, and raise interest rates with very little government oversight. What are your plans for the credit industry?"
- "What do you think is the greater threat to the U.S. economy, in the short term (next six months) and long term (next year): deflation or inflation?"
- "How do you plan to help working parents-to-be, so that our country catches up with the rest of the industrialized world? Longer paid maternity/paternity leave, better early childcare, and/or other programs?"
- As a working woman, I was thrilled when you signed the Lilly Ledbetter Act on January 27. Woohoo!! I'm curious, though, why did you decide that would be the first bill you signed in office as the symbolic start to your presidency?
- "Are you still 100% committed to reforming health care in this country, or has that been sidelined by the budget and financial maelstrom? If you are still committed, when will Americans start seeing changes to this broken system?"
- "What criteria would you use for selecting a Supreme Court Justice, if the need arose? Political ideology, judicial record, professional/personal reputation, demographic background?"
- "I'm about to complete a PhD in the humanities, and jobs are scarce. I would be lucky to get a short-term adjunct position, but the thought of no health insurance, no career growth and low compensation scares me. What's your advice... law school?"
- "From kindergarten to college, what will you do to make sure that American students can compete in a global market?"
- "President Obama, may I come see you in the White House for a day, to get a real life glimpse of what you do as our nation's leader?"
- "What kind of negotiation skills do you use when you develop and then campaign for a budget or other proposal? (I have a blog about negotiation, http://thedailyasker.blogspot.com, and I'm always on the lookout for advice and strategies from experts.)"
By the way, let me know if you send him a question of your own!
xo,
La Roxy
