Dear Mr. President, Part II

Dear Mr. President:

I hope you and your family had a relaxing vacation on Martha's Vineyard.

Now that you've returned to Washington and are back at it, so to speak, I'd like to draw your attention to a letter I wrote to you on August 8. In it I laid out an approach to our serious unemployment problem that would put millions back to work and, simultaneously, upgrade tens of thousands of schools in the United States. As a quick reminder, I called for:

1. The painting, updating, and otherwise improving of every public school in this country.

2. Hiring someone to teach every 25 children.

3. Lastly, hiring someone to assist every teacher in every classroom.

I also offered the services of my firm to design and coordinate this massive undertaking. At a fee, I might add, substantially below that of Halliburton.

The estimated first-year price tag for this project: $50 billion.

Seems like a worthy investment, no? $50 billion to put an estimated 5 million people back to work upgrading thousands of public schools across this great land of ours. Think of the value. Think of how it would inspire others to act. Think of the votes, Mr. President. Think of the votes.

Alas, I still await your response. I know how busy you must be (a was, after all, an avid fan of The West Wing), but it's been three weeks, Sir. I thought that by now someone from your office would have contacted me. Jed Bartlet would have been in touch by now, you can be sure.

In the meantime, I have another proposal for you. If upgrading thousands of our schools, enhancing the educational experience of millions of school-age children, and putting 5 million people back to work doesn't quite do it for you in this mid-term election year (why is anyone's guess), consider this 2-part recommendation:

1. Repair 100,000 playgrounds and ball fields across the country.

2. Introduce a new, improved and more aggressive version of President Kennedy's fitness program -- this time designed to include everyone.


[A little background: The President's Council on Youth Fitness was actually President Eisenhower's doing. Introduced on July 16, 1956, the Council was comprised of cabinet members and had as its first chair then-Vice President Richard Nixon. It was a good idea that went nowhere fast (and, no, Nixon is not to blame) until Jack Kennedy came along. Under President Kennedy, it became one of the defining programs of the early '60s, involving millions of school-age children in becoming more physically fit.]

Yes, that's my current proposal: Fix the playgrounds and the ball fields and implement a physical fitness program for young and old(er) alike. The program is designed to encourage walking, hiking, biking, and playing on an individual, team and neighborhood basis. While most of us have no control over the economy, we do have control over how we choose to live. This program would focus on the value and, dare I say it?, the fun of being active and of playing. We believe it could have a profound long-term effect on our country.

If justification is needed, consider this:

• Over a billion people on the planet are considered overweight and at least 300 million are clinically obese (and EVERY ONE of them has sat next to me in a middle seat on an airplane!) It is estimated that 2/3 of the U.S. population is either overweight or clinically obese, with roughly 1/3 of the U.S. being clinically obese. (The ad to the right is from the early '60s. Rather prescient, don't you think?)
  

• Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious chronic diseases, including: Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, certain forms of cancer, increased risk of premature death, and serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life.
  

• Childhood obesity is already epidemic. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the number of overweight children in our country has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980. The prevalence of obese children aged 6-to-11 years has more than doubled since the 1960s. At present, 12.4% of children ages 2-5 are overweight, 17.0% of children ages 6-11 are overweight and 17.6% of teens 12-19 are overweight.
  

• The health costs related directly and indirectly to obesity and overweight are staggering. Some estimates put the price at $1,429 more annually per overweight or obese person than their normal weight counterparts. If 2/3 of our country is overweight or obese and the added health care cost for each of them is $1,429, we're talking billions of dollars here, Mr. President.

And if that isn't sufficient justification, consider the number of registered voters you'd be employing (about 5 million) and those whose quality of life would improve via our program (countless millions).

The investment necessary for this recommendation: $48 billion before corporate sponsorships. (Think Nike and Reebok might be interested in teaming with you to increase the health of the nation and maybe sell some sneakers along the way? We do.) The $48 billions does, by the way, include the un-Halliburton-like fees for my firm to design and execute this ambitious plan. A detailed budget is available upon request. (Request away, Sir. Operators are standing by.)

A second proposal, Mr. President. This time to address our unemployment problem and the serious health issues related to being overweight and clinically obese. We need some inspiration, Sir, and an initiative of this type could be just the ticket.

Welcome back.