President Obama

This morning the kids and I watched the inauguration until it was time for school. Asher ignored the ceremony and read his Sea Monsters book instead, but Elliot was fully involved. He decided he didn't want to be President anymore because it looked like a really hard job. At least he's realistic.

McSweeney's and 826 Valencia asked kids to submit advice to President Obama and compiled it in this book: Thanks and Have Fun Running The Country.

Here is Elliot's advice to President Obama:

"Don't let anything get in your way. Always be nice to your guards because they're protecting you and will give their lives for you. And if you like Star Wars, 'May the force be with you.'"

One of my favorite letters to the President from the book:

Dear Barack Obama,

I have a great idea for you: you should set up a special phone, a special place just for kids to call the president if they find things that are dangerous and can affect people, like someone smoking. This would be a special place for kids to talk to Barack Obama and let him know what's going on.

Another important thing that I want to talk to you about is cars and buses. There is a bus called the Galactic Wizard which runs on biofuel or vegetable oil. I think, instead of polluting the environment, scientists should work on those buses. You should make it so that everyone turns off any light whenever they are not in the room—that way we can save the environment and also pay less on our electricity. We can't just use up the environment until we have nothing, or we will starve to death. Nobody wants that, do they? I want to tell you, Barack Obama, if one day I could travel around the world and help people, I would definitely do it.

Dhamaril Nunez, age 9
Boston