Birthday Wishes to Barack Obama from a Republican

COMMENTARY | The United States toasts to President Barack Obama as he celebrates his 50^th birthday Thursday. According to NY Daily News, President Obama will be in Chicago throwing a fundraising party for the 2012 election. Throwing a fundraising party in honor of his 50^th birthday is a savvy idea on Obama's part.

While I toast to President Obama out of respect, I don't want our country to turn to toast. Being a Republican, I obviously have a few concerns I'd like to address. My foremost concerns are the debt crisis and unemployment rate.

I am a mother of three children and don't want to leave them with debt, but a legacy they can be proud of. Our borrowing is out of control and needs to halt at once. The more we borrow, the more enslaved we become and the deeper the hole we dig. President Obama, since you are a father yourself, I do hope you can understand my viewpoint on the subject. I trust that as president you are doing all you can to make a bright future for our children.

Oil is a resource I can't get off my mind. Evidence supports an abundance of oil in the United States, yet we continue purchasing oil from foreign countries. Is it just my opinion, or do others agree that drilling oil in the U.S. would be a step in the right direction? I believe drilling our own oil would not only open up needed jobs for U.S. citizens but also make our country less dependent on other countries. These are two of our goals, are they not? To be more independent and open up jobs within the United States?

President Obama seemed to agree with my oil drilling ideas at one point in time. NY Times reported the plan of the Obama administration to open offshore oil drilling in East Coast waters. Soon after the March 2010 news article announcing plans to open offshore oil drilling, Obama had a change of heart.

Just nine months later, The Associated Press reports that there will be no offshore oil drilling. The BP oil spill blowout had much to do with the reversal in decisions. While I can understand the oil spill causing concern, I don't feel it should have been a show-stopper. The U.S. could have learned from the mistakes of the BP oil spill to prevent accidents from occurring.

We may have to agree to disagree in some aspects, but we are all still Americans. Some Democrats, some Republicans, all Americans. Happy birthday President Obama. Cheers!