Tag Archives: politics

Day 259: Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico

photo: independent.co.uk

photo: independent.co.uk

Today is the 205th anniversary of the beginning of Mexico’s war of independence from Spain. I thought I would drop Mexico’s president a note to send my best wishes on the anniversary and also take advantage of the opportunity to find out who President Peña Nieto likes in our upcoming presidential election. I’ve got a feeling it’s not Trump, given his rather salty remarks about our neighbors to the south.

Day259

Mr. President,

I wanted to send you a letter to wish you and all of Mexico well today, the 16th of September, on the anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Mexico.

I lived for one year in the esteemed metropolitan city of Guasave, Sinaloa when I was a junior in high school – similar to the year you spent at Denis Hall Junior High in Maine. I love Mexico and the Mexican people.

I would be interested to know which 2016 candidate for president in the United States you feel is the best.

Kind regards from Washington, D.C.,
Reed Sandridge

P.S. I also studied at Tec de Monterrey (for one semester), but I was at the Mazatlan campus, which I don’t believe is at the same level as the Monterrey campus where you studied, but it was still an amazing experience. 

 

Day 148: President George W. Bush

Photo: People.com

Photo: People.com

It’s been  nearly six and a half years since my neighbors George and Laura Bush moved back to Texas. I haven’t seen or heard from him hardly since then, so I thought I would drop him a note.

Day 148-4

Day 148

 

I embossed a bicycle on the card - the President enjoys mountain biking.

I embossed a bicycle on the card – the President enjoys mountain biking.

Dear President Bush,

I am a big fan of old school handwritten letters – hence this one to you. I heard President Clinton was giving you a hard time for not being on Twitter….well, that’s just baloney. You don’t need to be on Twitter – although I did see that your father has an account! It’s cool you’re on Instagram – you should posts some photos of your paintings though, I hear you’re pretty talented with a brush and canvas.

I take you for a man who prefers the handwritten letter over messages limited to 140 characters. I’m on a mission to write a handwritten letter every day for a year – you’re Day 148. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to drop me a handwritten note.

Best regards,
Reed Sandridge

P.S. I live about 8 blocks away from your old house on Pennsylvania Ave.

Day 148-3

Day 98: John Wilson, State Representative from Kansas

Photo: Nick Krug/LJWorld.com

Photo: Nick Krug/LJWorld.com

I have little to no interest in politics. And while I know I should – I mean we all should care deeply about the choices that our government makes. But the way the system works leaves me with tremendous apathy. The bipartisan rhetoric in this country has escalated so high that I’m deaf to most of it.

There are the occasional bright spots though. My friend John Wilson is one of them. I met John seven years ago working for a nonprofit that works to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity in America and inspire young people to eat healthier, move more and be advocates for healthy change in their schools and communities.

He was probably no more than 24 or 25 at the time he decided to run for state representative of his home state. And while you’d be hard pressed to get me to make political phone calls or go knocking on doors, I flew out to Kansas and spent several days doing just that. He lost the election by about 600 votes and ran again four years later and I once again made the trek to Kansas and worked the phones and walked the neighborhoods. He was sworn into office in January of 2013.

John’s the kind of person you hope your elected official is. And that’s why I’ve done what I’ve done to support him. But John is immersed in a tough situation in Kansas. And without getting too partisan, the state is not in good shape right now. It takes the kind of determination that IRONMAN athletes have to show up to work at the state capitol in Topeka – that’s John. Hopefully this letter will brighten his day and remind him that he makes a difference in the lives of not only those who he represents but those who watch quietly from a distance and are inspired by his unselfish and unwavering character during these challenging times.

Day 98- john wilson

John,

I’ve been meaning to write you for some time. First, congratulations on being sworn into office for your second term. Second, you were thoughtful enough to call me and wish me a happy birthday back in January and I have yet to call you back – so here’s an old fashioned letter instead.

Your state has been making lots of national news in the recent weeks – most seem to be budget related. I recall Gov. Brownback signing a bill a few years back that cut a bunch of corporate taxes that was supposed to get businesses to move to Kansas and fuel the economy.

Day 98- john wilson-2It seems it hasn’t worked out so well. I read about some of the massive cuts that are happening – retiree programs, education, job creation plans (ironic right!), Head Start, healthcare, etc.

I know this must make your job difficult, but you are exactly the kind of person that Kansas needs right now to bring people together and find solutions that have equitable outcomes for all Kansans. Hang in there – your leadership is needed now more than ever.

Social media keeps me somewhat up to date on Jami and Parker. He is looking like a little man these days. I just became an uncle for the second time – so while they’re not mine, I have an appreciation for how special Parker is for you and Jami. I miss you guys and hope that we can find time to get together this year.

Hugs to you and your entire family,
Reed

Day 88: Tim Cook, Apple Inc.

Photo: apple.com

Photo: apple.com

Lately tempers have been flaring over the incendiary legislation being introduced into several state legislatures. They’re referred to as Religious Freedom Bills – something that would be hard not to support given the history of our our earliest immigrants. But if the very freedom that a bill provides establishes a lawful way to discriminate against a certain part of our population, then we fail in creating a society based upon the immortal declaration that Thomas Jefferson so carefully instilled into our history. We strip our history of the progress made in civil rights – we might as well be having this conversation 55 years ago at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, wrote an excellent opinion piece for the Washington Post where he offered a different lens in which to view this discussion. I encourage you to read it and trust that it will provoke you to “think different” about this situation – after all that is Apple’s motto.

Day 88

Dear Mr. Cook,

Your open letter to the Washington Post was outstanding. I was extremely impressed by the way you talked about the debate over “religious freedom” legislation. You did something brilliant in the letter – you changed the story from one about politics and religion to one about a more universal value about how we treat our brothers and sisters in our community. Skilled leaders do just that – change the narrative to one that allows a greater audience to see a subject more clearly.

Thank you for thinking differently,

Reed Sandridge
PO Box 53065
Washington, DC 20009

 P.S. Good luck with that watch!

Day 2: Mayor Muriel Bowser

Courtesy of murielformayor.com

Courtesy of murielformayor.com

Today our new mayor takes office. Muriel Bowser, a DC native, will replace Vincent Gray as the mayor of the District of Columbia. She’s 42 and only the second woman to hold the office. I decided to drop her a note on her first official day at work. Go get’em Muriel!

 

 

Muriel Bowser-3

 

Dear Mayor Bowser,

Congratulations on being elected mayor of the District of Columbia. I voted for you and wish you lots of luck. While I know that you will be watching many issues, there are two that are very important to me.

We desperately need to secure voting equality for the 646,000 disenfranchised American citizens living here. We deserve voting representation in Congress.

We also need to increase affordable housing. Each year low-income residents of the District have fewer housing options and the number of homeless individuals increases – up to 12,000 a year ago. I applaud your support of the housing first model.

I'm a Nats fan, what can I say...maybe she has some pull!

I’m a Nats fan, what can I say…maybe she has some pull!

Good luck – buckle in, it’s going to be a wild ride. I hope that you will be able to make significant progress on the above items – and if you can help the Nats win the World Series, even better.

Sincerely,
Reed Sandridge