My Plea to President Obama

Mr. President-Elect,

We are clearly in difficult times. This is no secret. What is of note is the number of problems we face whose solutions are clear but unpopular. Now may not be the time to make tax cuts more progressive. Defense spending must be slashed (or shifted to defense). Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security all pose huge problems into the future.

I don't feel like there would be major disagreement on how to handle these problems if you got a bunch of big-name economists together and had them craft the ideal solutions. What such solutions would be, however, is wildly unpopular.

But you have a unique opportunity. You have a decisive majority in Congress and could still reach 60 seats in the Senate. And you're young. Like, super young.

So do what we need done. Do what's not popular. Solve our crises. The worst case scenario is that you lose the election in 2012. But that's cool. Like I've said before, you could go chill in the Senate for 20 more years, and run in 2032 still younger than John McCain is now. Even if it costs you the next election, do what we need done.

Unless Sarah Palin wins the nomination.