Contacting Craig

To contact Craig for speaking or interview opportunities, email at craigd2599@gmail.com
Visit his website (Big Fat Grace) at www.craigdaliessio.com


Thursday, August 22, 2013

An Open Letter to President Obama...

I lost another job on Monday. Before I ever even started, the company withdrew their offer and froze all hiring. This fall, assuming I have no health insurance by then, I will be required to register for an Exchange. I have decided to refuse this. I wanted President Obama to know of my plight...and the plight of so many in this country. I intend on forwarding this to the White House via regular means, but I wanted to share it with my countrymen...

President Barack H. Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC

August 22, 2013

Mr. President;
     I hope your vacation is going well and the weather is providing you a period of rest and rejuvenation from all the golf and vacationing that has been wearing you down in this, your second term.
You will excuse me if I sound a bit cynical and a touch sarcastic. It’s just that, well...I am.
     You see Mr. President, three days ago I was informed that a job I had been offered only a week before, has been withdrawn. The company decided to freeze hiring for the foreseeable future. Part of their reasoning was the rising cost of healthcare, making it unaffordable for them to provide. This unaffordable-ness came as a result of your “Affordable Care Act.”
     Five years ago I might have smiled at the irony of those words. But I’m not smiling.
     Mr. President, five years ago I lost my career as a mortgage broker. I was never a rich man. I broke the lowest level of a six figure income only twice in ten years. I made good money but never was so consumed by material means as to earn the large sums that many of my associates in the industry did.  Instead, I chose to limit my office time, and focus on the time I had with my daughter.
     I am a single dad. My daughter is my treasure. She is the axis upon which my world spins. Of all the roles I play, being her dad is the one by which I define myself. My daughter and I spent our time together in the little 2500 square foot ranch house on five acres that we owned for four years. She grew from age 6 to age 10 in that house. I never remarried, choosing instead to focus on her and on being a great dad. I think I did an admirable job.
     I lost my house in 2008. Part of losing a house and having no place to live is having no place to keep your pets. We had two beautiful Springer Spaniels, named Bonnie and Cooper. We raised them both from puppies. They are gone. I had to give them away. We had a cat named Giacomo. He is gone too, as is my daughter’s Welsh pony. My garden is someone else’s garden now. The little country house I wanted all my life belongs to someone else.
     I live in Nashville, but I am a native of Philadelphia. When I lost my home and could not find another job, I had to make a decision. Do I stay in Nashville and remain active in my daughter’s life and be her dad? Or do I move home, or move to North Dakota and work in an oil field, or to Texas, or someplace where there was work and leave my daughter behind with her mom? For me, there was only one choice. I love my daughter.
I know you love your kids. People tell me that all the time, they say “Well he loves his kids, that makes him okay in my book.”  No disrespect sir, but Pol Pot loved his kids too. It doesn’t make you a good president.
So...I stayed. Staying meant sleeping in a Volvo 850. I am 6’ 4” and Volvo 850’s are not very comfortable for me to drive...imagine sleeping in one.  But I did. Sleeping in your car is actually against the law. It’s vagrancy and so it required me to hide my car in some tall brush behind a church in Nashville. I took showers at the County Rec Center. I ate every other day sometimes. I worked every odd job I could find and put out hundreds of resumes. To date I have put out almost 250 resumes to no avail.
     So I kept on trying. I kept on being my daughter’s dad. I refused to let her see me broken so I hid my tears. Do you know what it is like to have to lie to your daughter about where you live, Mr. President? No? I didn't think so. Let me tell you...no pain hurts like that. I wonder, Mr. President if you have ever cried yourself to sleep at night, with the image of your daughter in your head, and worried that your current state would be all you have left as a legacy?
     I wonder if you have ever had to explain why she can’t come stay overnight every other weekend like she used to, because you don’t have a home anymore? I wonder if you know how it hurts to watch her growing up before your eyes and almost feel the time rushing past and worry about how your homelessness will effect her.
     I have wept many many times thinking about my daughter. I worried that some day one of her classmates would find out I was homeless and tease her about it. I worried that she would be embarrassed by my situation. I worried that she would grow up in fear that this would happen to her.
     I pushed myself day and night. I worked every odd job. In 2009 I resumed my college education via an online program and in May 2012 I graduated from Liberty University.
I was still homeless as I did this. I thought that doing these things would open doors of opportunity for me and my daughter. But no doors opened. I have spent another full year since graduation, doing carpentry, and putting out resumes, and still sleeping in my car. And missing priceless moments with my daughter.
     Ten days ago I had hope. Hope that perhaps this enduring nightmare was coming to a close. Monday, that hope was dashed yet again. Dashed as a direct result of the policies you so erroneously and yet stubbornly cling to, Mr. President. Policies that literally stole a job –and the hope for a home again with my daughter- right out from under me.
     To say my heart is broken is an understatement. For the first 48 hours I was spinning through space. I could not grasp how this could happen again. Today I am angry. I am angry that the man charged with leading this great nation, cares nothing at all for the plight of her citizens. You care more about adherence to your ideology than you do for those you are supposed to lead.
     This afternoon I made a decision. This fall, because I am unemployed, and have no health insurance, I am supposed to register for an exchange. Mr. President, I wrote this letter because I wanted you to know the plight of your citizens. My other intention is to inform you that I will NOT be registering for that exchange. I am a man. I am a dad. I am an American. I want to pay my own way. I refuse to let others pay for something I would gladly pay for myself. I will not lower myself and violate my own integrity and work ethic and heritage. A heritage of hard work and integrity that my grandparents –immigrants on both sides- passed down to me. They came here with nothing, worked hard, took nothing from anyone that they hadn’t worked for, and built a life. I want that same opportunity.
     If this results in my being prosecuted, so be it. Someone has to take a stand, sir. Someone has to look you in the eye, straighten out their backbone, and with the respect due the office you hold, tell you “No!”  "No sir! I will not violate my conscience." I will not lower myself. I will not become a statistic and a name on a list. I want a job. I want to work, and pay my own way. Your job is to create an environment whereby employers can hire men and women like me. Then we can take responsibility for ourselves, and pay our own way.
     I respectfully refuse your handout, sir. And while I doubt your precious vacation time will be interrupted with news of my refusal,  perhaps one day it will be brought to your attention. Perhaps you will read of my plight. Perhaps you will grasp the pain I live in every day. Perhaps you will look up from this letter, and see the faces of your own beautiful daughters, and for just a moment grasp what the past five years have been for me. Perhaps.
Enjoy your vacation, Mr. President. I envy you having those treasured moments with your family. I miss those times for myself. I have all but given up hope that I will enjoy them again.

God Bless America,

Respectfully,


Craig Daliessio 

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

God bless you sir. I hope the very best for you and will pray for your success.

Paul Lavoie said...

Craig, I stand with you in the stand you've taken. I too refuse to participate in his proposed fiasco. My own situation over the years has been dismal at times. But to give up would be like supporting those who are intent upon giving our country away. Stay strong, keep fighting. I wish only the best for you and your daughter.

Craig Daliessio said...

Thank you both.
Paul, hang in there my friend.

Peggy Brown said...

As I read your letter, I was moved to tears. I have lost my home while waiting 5 years for my Social Security Disablility. I worked even after I should have given up, and managed to hide my pain from most people. I lived on credit cards, loans from family and any other thing I could to get the SSD. When I finally got it, I paid back every cent that I had borrowed! You will find a job, unfortunatly it probably won't happen till 2016, and thats only if we can get a conservative President, Senators, and Representatives. I pray that you find a job soon, so you can be reunited with your daughter. God bless you both!

The Homeless Cowboy said...

I fervently hope and pray that God repairs your life. I know your President will not. I too give respect to the Office of the President, but there is no law that says I must respect the individual.
I wish I could give you a magic solution, and I think the people who offered and then rescinded employment were extremely unfair to you. You and your daughter deserve better from your President

Anonymous said...

I agree with everything you said. I pray that America will wake up and realize that Obama is trying very hard to destroy America from the inside. This is the way Hilter started, 1 freedom at a time till there are no freedoms left. I to may also have a jail sentence because i refuse Obama Care
I pray that Obama Care goes away so the economy can grow, small and big businesses will grow and hiring can begin. If enough peopke refuse Obama Care there are not enough jails to put every one in a jail. I will pray for your si

Anonymous said...

God bless you, Craig and your family. I too am suffering, and close to homelessness. You will be in my prayers each day.

Robyn said...

Sir, hang in there. I have just passed my 3 year unemployed mark and I have an advanced degree. It is hard, I know. I too lost my home, lost a good job (due to a politician getting me fired - of all things!) and have refused to "go on the dole". I pray that both our situations change soon and I understand the dashed hope, the pain and the anger. God bless you sir. You will prevail. It was a beautiful letter. My advice? Mail it.

Anonymous said...

God Bless you , Craig. I pray that you will have a good paying job soon. I loss my house after a forced retirement in 2006. I couldn't get a re-fi so went though my retirement and savings , hoping to find another job. After 8 months and 200 resumes, I did find one. By then I was It turned out to be a very dangerous area and after an attempted break-in I moved again. I lived there for four years. My landlady went into bankruptcy. I was injured on the job and couldn't work. I got a very small settlement but was able to buy a hud house outright. The cost of repairing everything is astronomical but it is mine. My insurance runs out next month. I haven't heard about my SSD claim yet. BUT I WILL NOT DO OBAMACARE. Let them arrest an old lady. They are worse than Hitler.

Anonymous said...

I too just lost my job with lowes after 8 yrs. I wanted to finally sign up for insurance, and my hr said it was cheaper for lowes to pay the fine than to give insurance.I also have put put in 50 plus apps, to no avail. the only 2 places that I got interviewed for was paying 7.84 per hour and 20 hrs a week.

Stephen said...

So, here's a guy who has no resources but insists on paying his own way. Obamacare will allow him to be insured and if he can't afford the premium, then we, the taxpayers, will pick up that tab. Without resources, he can't pay for any health care needs he might have (or his daughter's), but if he has to go to the emergency room for treatment, which he doesn't have to pay for, we, the taxpayers, will pick up that tab. Why should I pay for a guy who is down on his luck, but refuses a good deal, proclaiming that he will pay his own way, but knows he can't? Why do all you right-wing folks think it is so great for someone to basically become a freeloader while they still brag that they will stand on their own two feet. This guy can't pay a medical bill, Obamacare care will see to it that he, and his daughter, have good health care, but he would rather decline. What kind of father uses his daughter as a pawn in his great war with "big government"?

Anonymous said...

Craig, like so many others I am standing with you. I will not be forced into this healthcare nightmare, and like you will take care of myself. I am going to pray daily for you.....that the most amazing job opens up to you and you and your daughter have those precious moments to share again. Stay strong and don't lose faith.

Craig Daliessio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

ALA in Kansas

You are a strong man and a wonderful father. I can only hope you find full employment soon...and pray that you will. There are many more like me who are wishing you well!

Anonymous said...

Craig, I stand with you. There are not enough IRS goons and jail cells for all of us who will be "non-compliant" with O-care.

Gerry said...

Well said Craig on the letter and your post to the liberal Comrade.My husband and I are lucky enough to have a job that takes care of us adequately but we do not have health ins.at our own choice.WE owe NO ONE as we pay our OWN bills and we are NEVER going to buy into Obamacare it is a travesty and more and more people will lose jobs because of it and amnesty.My thoughts and prayers are with you my friend.May God,yes I said God be with you and yours.

Anonymous said...

I have prayed a strong prayer for you Craig that JESUS will bring an end to your nightmare and the nightmare of many that are suffering just as you are. I also prayed very hard to JESUS that the ones that willfully voted that sorry healthcare into law get every last bit of it since they want it so bad. Obama can have it all they want to. He can keep his sorry stupid handouts because they only lead to one thing and that is more and more control along with less and less freedoms. Why can't people see what this "president" is doing to this nation? The people that have voted for him doesn't realize that Obama is out to get them just as well as every other citizen in this nation. Obama cares about no one except himself and he boldly shows it every time he opens his mouth. Everything he says is a lie. Craig, I truly respect you. Most people can only dream of being as brave as you. Please hang in there Craig. Storms never last. Jesus loves you and He will take care of u. If Jesus loves the birds and wildlife enough to feed them, how much more does He love his own children? Jesus is and will always be with you Craig. You are a very admirable person and have the love and respect of many. I only hope my message to u inspires you just as you have inspired many of us with your strong truth-filled words. May Jesus bless you many times over and I know He will. May Jesus also curse the ones who curse His children, and again, I know He will ;)

T Wright said...

Craig
You destroyed Stephen the liberal with the skill of a surgeon with his scalpel.
You will never hear back from him as he knows he cannot refute your response and though he will never admit it he knows he is wrong.
Stephen is gutless and a coward.
As are ALL liberals.

I am disabled and have NEVER taken a dime from the government. I started a small business on a $5,000.00 loan from a friend. I paid them back in 6 months.
Stick to your principles, I too have a daughter, although she is grown and has her own family now, I still would give all I have to be sure she has what she needs.

Trust me that Stephen the Liberal would never think of sacrificing for his children, if he has any.

You will get a job, or start your own small business. Do not give in to Obama, my family refuses to sign up for any Obamacare, and if they want to come and get us to take us to jail, they better bring a lot of police.
I may be disabled but I will fight all the way. I am a free-born American and I shall remain so even if I have to fight my own government to remain so.
God Bless you and your family.
T Wright
Scottsdale AZ

Craig Daliessio said...

Thank you Mr. Wright,
Believe it or not I have been taking a bit of a beating here from people accusing me of making this up. Much like Stephen did. Last year I started a small carpentry business. I make enough to buy gas and food and pay child support but not enough to get a place to live. I keep applying for jobs and hoping for a break and working all I can in the meantime. Thanks for your encouragement!

Anonymous said...

Craig, You and I are a lot alike. If not for my family I would be in the same position as you, I have an 8 yr. old daughter.Remember, whether you are a religious man or not, "This too shall pass" that includes your current state as well as Barak Obama.Find The Mark Levin Show on the radio WWTN 99.7 maybe, listen to him. Hang in their, be strong.
NYJohn

Unknown said...

Just waiting to hear from Stephen. Bet we won't.

Craig Daliessio said...

Stephen,
in typical liberal / communist fashion you resort to ad hominem attacks and even stoop so low as to involve my daughter. You also resort in strawman fallacy...a common ploy of your side. So I am going to dismember your pathetic attack argument here, line by line...or rather lie by lie:
“So, here's a guy who has no resources but insists on paying his own way.”
Yes this is true. But you cleverly avoid the context of my letter by simply stating that I have no resources and you leave it there. The point to this letter –a point I’m sure you grasped, therefore tried desperately to avoid- is not that I don’t have resources, but WHY I don’t have them. I don’t have a job. I don’t have a job because this failed policy killed the potential offers I did have. Read the other comments here. This plight is befalling many people. I have no insurance because I have no job. I have no job because this insurance plan eliminated it.
“Obamacare will allow him to be insured and if he can't afford the premium, then we, the taxpayers, will pick up that tab.”
Again...clever avoidance. “The Taxpayers” = those who make a lot more money than you. How about this. How about if YOU PERSONALLY buy me a nice stripped out health plan. Something cheap with high deductibles. Don’t slough this off on people who worked hard and made it. YOU put your money where YOUR mouth is and live up to your principles. I don’t WANT the taxpayers to pay my way. I want to BE a taxpayer and pay my own way.
Without resources, he can't pay for any health care needs he might have (or his daughter's), but if he has to go to the emergency room for treatment, which he doesn't have to pay for, we, the taxpayers, will pick up that tab.
I am working. I do carpentry when I can find jobs. I have even washed windows. I take care of myself and thankfully, so far, have had no urgent medical needs. My daughter is covered under her mom’s policy. (Her mom is a nurse.) If she wasn’t, I would buy coverage for her if needed. I do what is necessary for my daughter, so don’t you dare assume I have off-loaded her onto the public dole. I’ve lived in my car for five years because that was the price I had to pay to stay here and be her dad.
As for the emergency room argument...that has been the case for decades. If you go to the ER they set up a payment plan. If you default, the public gets stuck, but only after collections have failed. Get your facts straight.
Why should I pay for a guy who is down on his luck, but refuses a good deal, proclaiming that he will pay his own way, but knows he can't?
Excuse me, Stephen, but where have I asked for ANYONE to pay for ANYTHING. The letter...had you actually read it...states that I have REFUSED this handout. I have also refused welfare payments, food stamps and public housing. Pride gets one out of their circumstances. Entitlement programs steal pride. I’m able, I’ll do it myself. I want a JOB! Jobs aren’t handouts...except government jobs. Those are handouts.
Why do all you right-wing folks think it is so great for someone to basically become a freeloader while they still brag that they will stand on their own two feet. This guy can't pay a medical bill, Obamacare care will see to it that he, and his daughter, have good health care, but he would rather decline.
Please review the entire text of the letter and point out where I:
*Owe a medical bill I can’t pay
*Asked coverage for my daughter (who has coverage)
*Asked for anything!
Your argument is absolutely breathtaking in it’s ad hominem and total disregard for the facts. I never asked for anything but a job. I REFUSED the handout. I am NOT a freeloader and have no intention on becoming one.
Lastly...to say I used my daughter as a pawn is despicable. If you pray at all, tonight thank whomever you pray to that you will never cross my path.
Enjoy your weekend Comrade

Anonymous said...

An open letter back to Craig.

Craig first I am sorry your life is like this. Ever look at your life choices to see why you are in your current position.

A few things I took from your letter. Just hearing about your home. 2500SF 5 acres.... Wow you 2 dogs and your Daughter part time? That is alot of house.........
Your daughter had a Pony????

You limited time at the office. I would assume in a commission type of job like yours. Not working is not making money. I understand you wanting to spend time with your daughter. But you own a huge house and a Pony. Its called responsibilities

Consumed by material means..... Your daughters Pony and your Very large house on 5 acres are very material.

Ok lets say that is the only indulgence you took. Where was the good money you where making? Where did it all go? My guess and its only that a guess. Vacations every year. Dinner out 3 days a week. cable with all the channels ECT ECT ECT.... You pissed it away.

If you want to blame President Obama on you not getting a job. I can blame your life choices. Making you a dude that has to sleep in his car.

When you point a finger .....understand there are three pointing back at you.

Cheers
Chris








Craig Daliessio said...

Chris...I'm going to post your insulting, typically liberal democrat response and answer it line by line:
*My 2500 sf house was a VERY modest 3 br ranch. In fact the only reason it was 2500 sf is that the previous owner converted the garage into a kitchen, otherwise it was more like 1800sf.

*Five acres in the outskirts of Williamson County were not that expensive. It's fairly rural here, land is cheap. In fact, I paid $175000 for this house. It was a foreclosure in 2003. That would be about $75,000 BELOW the median cost for a home in Williamson county during that time. I bought cheap because I chose to live a certain way.

*Yes I had two dogs. And?

*Yes she had a pony. A welsh pony I paid $1000 for and maybe $100 a year for vet costs after that. Feed costs were probably $50 a month. Next??


*By "Limited Time at the office" I meant that I was not a slave to my job. I worked my 40 hours from the office and maybe 4-6 per week from home, so I could be with her as much as possible. I made six figures without EVER having a base salary. I was a national award winner several times. I had my own branch with the largest privately funded mortgage company in the world at the time. They don't take second rate employees.
I'm sorry if you weren't able to earn that sort of income without working 80 hours a week, but I was. Had I been that driven by money, I could have made $300K easily. I chose to be reasonable and be a dad.

*Again...my daughter's pony was an old, Welsh who cost little and my house was very average in size.
I vacationed back home each year. usually staying with family. In fact we only ever rented a beach house or went to a vacation destination once in the ten years I was in that business. My home town is only about an hour and a half from the beach. So I never had to spend money on things like that.

*Dinner out 3 times a week?? I am an AMAZING cook. Dinner out would be a waste of my time.
I had Dish Network because there was no cable there. If I remember correctly it cost me $65 per month. I didn't even have internet at my house. I had a TOTAL of $3500 in consumer debt when I lost my job. I ALWAYS drove used cars. Nice, but used. I think the most I ever spent on a car was $12,000 for an Expedition.

Now...about YOU! You have absolutely no facts to back even ONE of your accusations. NONE! you assume that 2500 SF is "huge", that 5 acres is expensive that 2 dogs and a pony cost thousands a month and that my being very efficient and structured at my office equals me being a slacker.
You're an embarrassing jerk is what you are. I'm guessing you're an "OWS" clown or a "99%"er. I'm sorry your life was never much. Mine was. And while you tried to deflect from the truth of this story...I'll just bring it right back. It was never about my sleeping in my car. It was about a JOB. A job I was offered and then lost because Obama's policies stole it from me. PERIOD.

I'm way too smart to fall for your strawman. Allow me to hand you your backside...




Carl Mathiesen said...

Dear Craig,

I can identify with your letter because I too was caught up in the housing bubble crash. In 2007 as a Licensed Realtor, Mortgage Broker and Certified Contractor I lost everything. The house, furniture, cars, trucks, dog, cat, everything. I spent the first 3 nights sleeping under the Andrews Ave bridge in downtown Fort Lauderdale, FL before I was told about the Shelters in and around Broward County FL. Being homeless is an experience that can't be expressed fully enough to those that have never experienced it. For 5 years I was on the Street. Jobs were few and far between. But, you realize one thing, between faith in GOD and your own 'resources' you can manage. Luckily I am a Military Veteran and am covered with VA benefits and from what I understand ObamaCare will not affect us Veteran's, hopefully. I am now receiving a small disability stipen from the VA that covers a one room efficiency, electric and food. Nothing like the lifestyle before but it's a start. In closing I hope that your 'resources' keep you sane long enough to land a good job with bene's and you can resume being the man with integrity , honor that you are and the role model your daughter needs. GOD BLESS. Carl Mathiesen, Hollywood, FL

Anonymous said...

there are no words to ease your pain but search "this too shall pass away"

Anonymous said...

I am on my third job in eleven years. In applying for my last two jobs, I had put in a total of 700 resumes, roughly 350 each time. Just letting you know so you don't get too discouraged with the amount of resumes you are putting out.