Mr. President,

My name Is Luke Shaff. I am a 56-year-old business owner, job provider, taxpayer, family man and a natural born citizen of the greatest nation on earth. I sir, challenge you to a public forum here in the great City of Redmond. I am in need of some face-to-face answers about fundamental government, public taxation, wholesale spending along with the internal energy crisis depleting Americans’ income.

I have achieved a goal that has come true by opening and running my own little business — the Great American Dream. This is something that has been described as such by one and all presidents of this great nation. Your goal was to someday become the most powerful man on Earth and become the president of The United States. Well congratulations, sir, goal accomplished.

However, I am in the process of watching my business slowly go under due to several factors. I am hoping that during our meeting you can explain the underlying reason for its demise.

What I see here is gasoline, fuel and heating oil prices going up daily. Folks are driving less every day because they have to choose between feeding their families or feeding their transportation. I see folks paying more for auto repairs due to the Cash for Clunkers program, which removed thousands upon thousands of good usable parts from the aftermarket repair side, causing folks to have to purchase new and much more costly parts.

I see folks being pushed out of the core of cities and towns due to the “green” wave causing more and more parking areas turned into parks. Parks that are not being used because they have sticks of hope strewn about making the area useless to the general public that paid their taxes…taxes that should have been spent in a much better fashion.

I see folks that work 40, 50, 60 hours a week delivering parts, washing cars, selling lumber all at minimum wage (and smiling while doing it), while a select set of employees are demanding $15 per hour for entry level jobs — jobs that don’t have career potential, nor were they ever intended to be.

I challenge you. I challenge YOU, Mr. President to come and address my concerns one to one, and face to face.

Sincerely, and with respect, sir,

Luke Shaff, Redmond