Texas Mom's 'Thanks a Lot' letter to Obama goes viral

A Texas single mom’s letter “thanking” President Obama for Obamacare, and all that it entails, has gone viral.

Nov. 4, 2013

Yolanda (Lana) Vestal posted the letter on her Facebook page, and what started out as a way to vent, became a way for others to share frustration over Obamacare. The single mother of two blasted the president for increased taxes and lavish vacations.

Texas single mom’s ‘thanks a lot’ letter to Obama goes viral

Vestal attracted the attention of hundreds of thousands of Americans when she wrote a letter “thanking” Obama for forcing Obamacare on hard-working citizens at a time when many are “robbing Peter to pay Paul” just to get by.

“It was on my mind I had to pay bills,” Vestal said. “All I could think was, how am I going to make it to the end of the month?”
So she began typing. She needed to vent.


Here is Vestal’s letter to Obama:

Dear President Obama,

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all you have done and are doing. You see I am a single Mom located in the very small town of Palmer, Texas. I live in a small rental house with my two children. I drive an older car that I pray daily runs just a little longer. I work at a mediocre job bringing home a much lower paycheck than you or your wife could even imagine living on. I have a lot of concerns about the new “Obamacare” along with the taxes being forced on us Americans and debts you are adding to our country. I have a few questions for you Mr. President.

Have you ever struggled to pay your bills? I have.

Have you ever sat and watched your children eat and you eat what was left on their plates when they were done, because there wasn’t enough for you to eat to? I have.

Have you ever had to rob Peter to pay Paul, and it still not be enough? I have.

Have you ever been so sick that you needed to see a doctor and get medicine, but had no health insurance because it was too expensive? I have.

Have you ever had to tell your children no, when they asked for something they needed? I have.

Have you ever patched holes in pants, glued shoes, replaced zippers, because it was cheaper than buying new? I have.

Have you ever had to put an item or two back at the grocery store, because you didn’t have enough money? I have.

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep, because you had no clue how you were going to make ends meet? I have.

My questions could go on and on. I don’t believe you have a clue what Americans are actually going through and honestly, I don’t believe you care. Not everyone lives extravagantly. While your family takes expensive trips that cost more than most of us make in two-four years, there are so many of us that suffer. Yet, you are doing all you can to add to the suffering. I think you are a very selfish and cold hearted man, who does not care what is best for the people he was elected by (not by me) to represent, but more so out for the glory of your name attached to history. So thank you Mr. President, thank you for pushing those of us that are barely staying afloat completely under water and driving America into the ground. You have made your mark in history, as the absolute worst and most hated president of the United States. God have mercy on your soul!

Sincerely,

Yolanda Vestal

Average American

While she and her ex-husband work together to do what’s best for their children, Vestal said, the economy has changed, putting a financial strain on both households. She makes too much money to receive assistance, she said, but barely enough to get by.

Vestal has received offers of help, but she said she’s not looking for handouts or charity, and that’s not the reason she wrote the letter.

“I’m not worthy,” she said. “I’m one of millions.”

She merely wanted to express her opinion that legislation pushed by the administration in the last few years is hurting people.

“Right is right, wrong is wrong,” she said. “What they’re doing is wrong.”



Sadly, she's not alone ......

I could have written that letter and most people I know could have written it as well.

She is right. He DOESN'T know what any of that is like. NOBODY in Washington knows what it is like. That's the problem. You really can't get elected to anything if you aren't rich, born in a well named family, or had a silver spoon shoved in your cake hole at birth.

That is why the economy is in the crapper. I have always said that if they put in a blue collar, minimum wage worker to deal with the debt we would see a change for the better. They know how to stretch their dollar for 2 extra nights of groceries and a down payment on their eldest's class ring. They know how to shop around for a better price on car repairs while still purchasing little Katie's inhaler. They HAVE to learn how to do it. Most of them have ALWAYS done it. Those in office have not, so they waste and care not.

We ARE collateral damage.

They don't deal with a lot of the issues most of us deal with daily.

Obama is out of touch. The whole damned administration is out of touch.

What is better:

(a) To pay some money monthly now?
(b) To pay a LOT of money as you grow older and get health problems forcing you to visit the hospital?

Both is a lot of money alltogether, and maybe, just maybe you would never need to pay a larger hospital bill in your lifetime.

"Waste not want not."

Kangaruex4Ewe
I could have written that letter and most people I know could have written it as well.

She is right. He DOESN'T know what any of that is like. NOBODY in Washington knows what it is like. That's the problem. You really can't get elected to anything if you aren't rich, born in a well named family, or had a silver spoon shoved in your cake hole at birth.

That is why the economy is in the crapper. I have always said that if they put in a blue collar, minimum wage worker to deal with the debt we would see a change for the better. They know how to stretch their dollar for 2 extra nights of groceries and a down payment on their eldest's class ring. They know how to shop around for a better price on car repairs while still purchasing little Katie's inhaler. They HAVE to learn how to do it. Most of them have ALWAYS done it. Those in office have not, so they waste and care not.

We ARE collateral damage.

They don't deal with a lot of the issues most of us deal with daily.

Obama is out of touch. The whole damned administration is out of touch.

edit on 11/18/2013 by Kangaruex4Ewe because: (no reason given)

That's why I posted this, because most of us can feel what this lady wrote.
Any one of us could have wrote it.
That is us....

TPTB don't give one iota about us.....only their agendas
We are expendable

reply to post by ManFromEurope


You my friend, don't live in this country, so you don't have a clue.
You might understand somewhat, if there are similiar circumstances, but you don't really know.
Parents don't give a good goddamn about the health in the future, when their kids TODAY HAVE TO EAT.
To make someone pay more money NOW for something they might NEVER NEED, is damn near criminal in my book

reply to post by snarky412

My heart goes out to this poor woman,I can relate to much of what she has to cope with,living from paycheck to paycheck is Very very hard if that paycheck is a small one.Sadly,untill the day when all governments globally are run by individuals from the pool of "average" citizens,nothing will change.There is no way the mega-rich fatcats in governnent could possibly relate to the lives of the average citizen.And that is even without without whatever agendas people suspect the government of.
The only way "The People" will ever be served and have their needs+grievances truly acknowledged and given attention by a government-is if They ARE the government,that is if all members that make up a country's government is from the average citizen class.
Till then,we are at the mercy of the mega-rich and powerful who cannot relate to the vast majority of the populace,and do not care about them in the least,except as cashcows to be bled white.

reply to post by HomerinNC


Well, yes my friend, I do have a clue - over here we have health insurances, too. Since 1883.

We pay monthly for our health insurances. Livelong. (As you have to have the compulsory health insurance).


This is included in our wages. As it was always included in our wages, the average German worker should get more money than the average US-American worker, before taxes. Wait, we don't! We come shorter?

Well, great. Now I am depressed..


Anyway, back on topic: health insurances are like fire insurances - you hope nothing happens but IF something happens you are usually better off.

Yes, there is the problem you have to pay for it. That is another and different topic - isn't there a lower limit determining the amount you have to pay while getting paid low-level-salary?


All in all: many people have not enough money to pay their bills. That is a bitter problem, but not the problem of a health insurance - which might save your live (or at least your possessions later on) as soon as the hospital bills starting to drop in.

reply to post by ManFromEurope


Your missing the point Health care went up... Before i had a hard time keeping it, but my bill more than tripled for me,my wife and kids when this thing kicked in.

reply to post by ManFromEurope


What is happening here in the US is we are being forced more or less, to buy new insurance plans that our beloved government deems better at a higher cost to the consumers than what they are paying now.
Our dear President also ran on the promise that we could keep our same plans but as many are finding out now, that is simply not true.
And families having to switch to Obamacare plans are going to be paying a whole lot more than they were before.
Some of these are families are already having a hard time making it week to week, month to month.
And for those that fail to do so will have a 'tax' fine, if I'm not mistaken, taken out of their paychecks.

Now, due to a broken promise of 'we can keep our same plans', dear ol Obama has been under pressure to extend the due date another year....even tho many aren't sure if he's doing that through proper channels.

In a nut shell, this was a too complex and complicated health care plan that got passed to damn quickly before the kinks were worked out.
The legislatures passed it regardless just to "See what was in it"....what a farce.

Long story short, it's a total fiasco and costing many people their original plans, plus costing more money that they don't have in the long run.

The 'Obamacare' health plan is a major screw up......the whole thing needs to be trashed and redone.



I guess you could say that Americans are used to having the 'freedom' of choice as to what health insurance plan best suits them & also which company to deal with....some have cheaper quotes than others

It's nice to be able to shop around for insurance, like one might with a stereo or TV or a car
But with Obamacare, you can't


Hope this helps to better explain it

Much respect~
snarky

reply to post by ManFromEurope


The biggest problem I see is I never had a problem with health insurance.

I'm in the so called 99% I have a hard time believing anyone who wasn't living off the government didn't have insurance unless it was just a choice.

Here in the states we believe in freedom of choice (did anyways) and if it wasn't for a government that continued to grow, and give free stuff to make folks dependent, our medicare plan would still be viable.

I honestly believe this, I'm a jerk for my way of thinking I know, but I'll not let people pass the buck for decisions they made, myself included.

reply to post by snarky412


Wahhh. Cry me a river. I think most HUMANS not just Americans have done this.

I'm not pro Obama,but it's getting old.I thought about actually responding to that letter and putting that person in their place,but the effort isn't worth it. My post probably would've been deleted. And honestly the last paragraph reads like it was written by some ingrate. By that I mean someone who's biting the hand that feeds

Kangaruex4Ewe
I could have written that letter and most people I know could have written it as well.

She is right. He DOESN'T know what any of that is like. NOBODY in Washington knows what it is like. That's the problem. You really can't get elected to anything if you aren't rich, born in a well named family, or had a silver spoon shoved in your cake hole at birth.

That is why the economy is in the crapper. I have always said that if they put in a blue collar, minimum wage worker to deal with the debt we would see a change for the better. They know how to stretch their dollar for 2 extra nights of groceries and a down payment on their eldest's class ring. They know how to shop around for a better price on car repairs while still purchasing little Katie's inhaler. They HAVE to learn how to do it. Most of them have ALWAYS done it. Those in office have not, so they waste and care not.

We ARE collateral damage.

They don't deal with a lot of the issues most of us deal with daily.

Obama is out of touch. The whole damned administration is out of touch.

edit on 11/18/2013 by Kangaruex4Ewe because: (no reason given)

No.The problem is lazy people.They're infecting America.That's the problem with what USED to be the good ol' USA. We've become a nation of sissies. It's everyone elses fault I'm not rich,I can't afford to feed my ten kids,I can't afford the newest IPHONE.LETS BLAME THE GOVERNMENT!!! Its all their fault! I'm too lazy to get a real job.

I thought I'd never say it but I till now..I'm ashamed to be American.

nightstalker78
reply to post by snarky412

 

Wahhh. Cry me a river. I think most HUMANS not just Americans have done this.

I'm not pro Obama,but it's getting old.I thought about actually responding to that letter and putting that person in their place,but the effort isn't worth it. My post probably would've been deleted.

Glad to know you where you stand on this.

Being as Obamacare just started up, many people are just now finding out the predicament that it is going to put them in.
Loss of current plan...
More money being paid out...

And a president who intentionally deceived the public about all of this.
[unless he didn't know himself, which is equally as bad if not worse IMO]

No big deal tho...*sigh*

Well done, Yolanda, and an extra special 'bravo' for turning down the charity offers and for sticking to your principles and intentions of the letter.

I know Yolanda is an American citizen, but what she and other Americans are experiencing is not just an American issue...it is a global issue. The problems that Americans are facing, the struggles they are being put through daily are equally shared by peoples in other countries around the world, because it is the same policies of globalisation that is affecting us all.

These policies are stratifying societies from the three layers of society normally acknowledged; working class, middle class and the pompous good for nothing upper class, to a many layered society that blurs theses distinctions for illusory effect. Anyone below the wealthy and the rich can now find themselves in sudden dire poverty. Job loss the main culprit for doing so. If you are aged over 50, you'll be lucky to gain employment, especially in the field and at the level you are skilled and qualified for.

I am 53, been unemployed for over a year, and no one literally wants to hire me, not even for the vacancies in my normal field. Even when I apply for vacancies lower than what I am capable of, no one will take me on. In real terms, I am living on £82 a fortnight, that's £41 a week. I am running out of things to sell to get me through to my next payment.

We are being controlled by people whom have no conception of what it is like to live like this, and also to have to put up with the stigmatizing that goes with it. Obama and his wife and their children will never want for anything. Of course they don't care. They know they can't help people, and that knowledge soothes their conscience.

reply to post by elysiumfire

I know Yolanda is an American citizen, but what she and other Americans are experiencing is not just an American issue...it is a global issue. The problems that Americans are facing, the struggles they are being put through daily are equally shared by peoples in other countries around the world, because it is the same policies of globalisation that is affecting us all.

You are 100% correct....this is a Global Issue
It's turned into a thing of the 'Haves' and the 'Have Nots'

I am 53, been unemployed for over a year, and no one literally wants to hire me, not even for the vacancies in my normal field. Even when I apply for vacancies lower than what I am capable of, no one will take me on. In real terms, I am living on £82 a fortnight, that's £41 a week. I am running out of things to sell to get me through to my next payment.

Times have changed a little over the years here in the US in regards to hiring older people.

Now when my Dad died, my Mom was a typical 'House Wife'. [I was 14]
No jobs other than raising us 4 kids. She was near 50 when he died. Well, back then, no one would even think of hiring any one her age, not to mention no experience.
Needless to say, over time, she spent all their savings and lost the house that they had built. By then, I was 20 and my husband and I were just getting our feet on the ground with our business. Well, she passed away when I was 24, so that taught me a harsh lesson.
--Nothing in life is guaranteed & nothing stays the same--


Thankfully now a days, places like Wal-Mart & McDonalds hire elderly people, mostly for 'Greeters' but some times cashiers too. Which I think is great!!


I wish you could find some kind of work like that where you are from, just to help you get by.

I like hearing from people in other countries such as yourself, it gives me a different perspective on things and appreciate what we do have here in our country.

Wish you well & hope things get better for you

Much respect~
snarky

snarky:

Wish you well & hope things get better for you.

That is very kind of you, please accept my reciprocated well wishes for you, too.

My mother died last year in January, and then in September I was made redundant, 2012 wasn't a good year. 2013 has been spent like a little puppy in a shop window hoping somebody would buy me...but no takers.

I have an interview this afternoon with a careers advisor which I requested. I think because of my age and skill sets, I believe I would gain something if I went into mentoring or low-level teaching of basic computer skills, just need to do an advanced course to be able to enter the mentoring and teaching side.

They will have to pay for it and the costs to get wherever its taught, but if I have to take another 9 months to a year out to get a job to see me through to retirement then so be it. Got to keep my brain and mind sharp.

Best wishes to you.

reply to post by ManFromEurope


Do you pay monthly so you can THEN pay 10,000-15,000 American Dollars ABOVE AND BEYOND your monthly premiums before seeing ONE DOLLAR of benefit?

What happened to the FICA taxes every single American has been paying for decades from EVERY single paycheck earned in this nation? That runs around 14% at last check...but that doesn't count. Right? We're STILL paying FICA, by the way. Obamacare just added a few hundred a month to it.

All that so we can still have worthless insurance we'll go broke before seeing anything from for benefit.

This is absolutely NOTHING like what you have in Germany or what others have in England or Canada. This is a mixture of the worst we USED to have plus the worst of the new ideas. The other post was right in really needing to LIVE HERE to understand how badly we all got screwed on this.

reply to post by ManFromEurope

What a really foolish statement,how can you save money when your barely existing,and how do you purpose one does this?,nothing from nothing leaves nothing,keep ignorant comments to yourself

reply to post by snarky412


I bet this "Texan Mom" just wishes we could go back to the Bush dynasty, when everything was great.
Cuz Bush and Bush² never did anything wrong.
Bad news everyone, the next president will be just as bad as all of the others before him, maybe worse as we have let them get away with everything else, each next one will become a little bit bolder.

reply to post by snarky412

I hate to be the one to say it, and I know it isn't popular to talk about it, but this should be a little more evidence to bring people to the realization they are being treated like serfs, by the lords and ladies in DC. Believe me when I tell you, they don't mind living the high life off of our blood, sweat, and tears. In fact, they're having the time of their lives. Lavish lifestyles for them and their descendants, all on our time, and our dime. Who says we don't have royalty in America? Looks like we have plenty of them.