Dear Mitt

Hello Mitt, I am one of the 53%. I have a great career and I love what I do. I have a wonderful family and a comfortable life. I consider myself blessed, but you would call me middle class. I'd like for you to understand why you won't have my vote this coming November and many of my friends feel the same way I do. However, I don't speak for any of them.

My parents are amazing people; they taught me the value of a dollar because they didn't have very many of them.They were definitely in the 47%; not that they didn't work hard. They worked very hard, sometimes more than one job, to raise my sister and myself. They taught me two things: a high work ethic and the value of a higher education.

Though they gave me all the emotional and financial support they could, I depended on financial aid, grants, student loans, and my own minimum wage jobs to pay for college. My doctor during the time I was in college was a nurse at Planned Parenthood. Even though I was on the low end of their sliding scale, she never treated me with anything but professionalism and true concern. Many of my fellow students raised families, lived independently, and survived health crises while working toward their degrees. Without the safety nets provided by public assistance, Planned Parenthood, WIC, and Medicaid, they wouldn't have had the chance to improve their lives.

Mitt, I know that's a nice story. All these people who would have been drains on our systems are now what you would consider productive members of society, but that's not the point. The point is those people-- me included-- gravitate toward fields that improve the lives of others. We are the teachers, the nurses, the consultants, the social workers, the police officers; we are inspired by those who helped us to help others. Basically, we are the glue that holds this society together.

I want you to picture this:  I want you to picture what society would look like if only those who could pay cash for college educations were allowed to aspire. It would be a world without hope-- without the American Dream. I am sure the lobbyists are very grateful for your support of corporations and those in the 1%, but for me, I'm grateful for a government that provides me options rather than limits.

I want to thank you for all the concern you have shown my reproductive system, however, I'd rather vote for the candidate who shows interest in the rest of me.