We asked you what the next president should know about your life. You've shared a lot about your concerns: racism, school violence, the high cost of education and health care, and just getting by.
Want to join the conversation? Your experiences and interests are important to us. Call 720-358-4029 and we’ll ask you to record your answer. We might also use your response on the air (we’ll let you know first if we do). It's all part of the national #DearWashington project being spearheaded by NPR.
Below you'll find some of the responses we got.
Related:
- You Told Us: What It Means To Be An American Now
- What You're Telling Us About Raising The Minimum Wage
- The Colorado Voters' Guide To The 2016 Election
“I am a veteran of Afghanistan. And what I want you to know about my life is that I really want to go to college, desperately want to. Now I know through the GI Bill it is paid for. But living here in Denver it takes almost half of my paycheck just to pay my rent. So I really can’t afford to go college because I can’t afford to not work.”
-- Andrew, B., Denver
“I’ve been in extreme positions of being unemployed and being in positions where I make over $75,000 a year. And I still — in either circumstance — find that I cannot afford quality health care and insurance coverage.”
-- Lisa O., Denver
“I’ve spent my life studying population geography, sustainability science, and ecological economics. I’m concerned that we are failing to appreciate our fundamental dependence on nature and functioning ecosystems. Please place more scientists in your cabinet and pay more attention to what they have to say. Scientists have a much better track record than economists when it comes to predicting the future. And if we continue to ignore the warning signs of scientists, the future will not be very bright.”
-- Paul S., Denver
“I have a 3-year-old child and it makes me really sad and angry knowing that he’s going to spend his school life growing up on lockdown for active shooter drills. I grew up in the era of Columbine and it makes me really sad that so much time has passed and as a nation we are unwilling to address the issue.”
-- Jessica P.
“I would like the next president of the United States to know how fearful I am raising two children -- two African American children -- in this culture in light of what’s going on in this election. Unfortunately, what’s being revealed is something we’ve long known in the black community, and that is the lie that we no longer have a problem with race.”
-- Carletta K.
“Well for all intents and purposes I’m pretty privileged. I’m an urban, white 36-year-old woman. I have an education, a terminal degree in my field. I’ve been published, I’ve received grants and awards for my work. And as of today all of my bills are paid, all of my obligations are done and I have $0.72 in my checking account. Recently this fall I’ve deferred medical treatment due to being uninsured until I qualify for Medicaid. I’ve experienced food scarcity and a number of other challenges. I don’t have any family support because every single person in my immediate family is also struggling to pay their bills.”
-- Julie R.
“I am a lover of animals. And I would to see our society move towards a kinder treatment of animals, a more humane and compassionate treatment of all animals -- animals in the wild and captivity, pets, farm -- that their welfare become part of the forefront of our conversation about who we are as a people and how we treat all life.”
-- Meg G.
-- Patricia L.
