A Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

My name is George Washington and I was the first president of the United States. I also led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War. Without me, there would be no United States of America. I started a new nation over 200 years ago that is still prospering today. I set many precedents that are still in effect and I may know a thing or two about governing a country. I am writing this letter to give you some advice on a few issues that are facing your country today. I believe, that with my help, this nation can develop and prosper even more than it already has.

There are many very important issues that are currently facing the country today, but for the sake of time, I only wish to focus on three of them in this letter. The first of these issues is the United States’s involvement in Syria. The rebels there have tried to overthrow the Syrian government and the country at war since March 2011. I know how there have been reports that the government there has used chemical weapons and that the U.S. said they would react with force if these were used. I strongly advise against this. They have stopped using these weapons and as I stated in my farewell address, it is not wise to get caught up in foreign affairs. I believe that it would be too great of a sacrifice for the U.S., especially when we may not get anything in return. I do, however, agree with your quote on September 10th of last year. You stated “I will not put U.S. boots on the ground in Syria. I will not pursue and open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan. I will not pursue a prolonged air campaign like Libya or Kosovo. This would be a targeted airstrike to achieve one clear objective; deterring the use of chemical weapons and degrading Assad’s capabilities.” That was a smart idea but you need to be careful to not get drawn into yet another war, especially after we just ended the one in Iraq.

Another issue facing your government today is the national debt and the economy. When I last checked, the national debt was 17,343,600,000 and growing very, very fast. Like I said in my farewell letter “[Avoid] likewise accumulation of debt… not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.