How To Address A Letter To Quito Ecuador

the president: happy new year, everybody. at a time when we turn thepage on one year and look ahead to the future, i justwanted to take a minute to thank you for everythingyou've done to make america stronger thesepast eight years.

How To Address A Letter To Quito Ecuador, just eight years ago, as iprepared to take office, our economy teetered on thebrink of depression. nearly 800,000 americanswere losing their jobs each month.

in some communities, nearlyone in five folks were out of work. almost 180,000 troopswere serving in iraq and afghanistan, and osama binladen was still at large. and on challenges fromhealth care to climate change, we'd been kickingthe can down the road for way too long. eight years later, you'vetold a different story. we've turned recessioninto recovery.

our businesses have created15.6 million new jobs since early 2010 - and we've putmore people back to work than all other majoradvanced economies combined. a resurgent auto industryhas added nearly 700,000 jobs, and is producingmore cars than ever. poverty is falling. incomes are rising. in fact, last year, folks'typical household income rose by $2,800, that's thesingle biggest increase on

record, and folks at thebottom and middle saw bigger gains than those at the top. twenty million moreamericans know the financial security ofhealth insurance. our kids' high schoolgraduation rate is at an all-time high. we've brought 165,000 troopsfrom iraq and afghanistan, and took outosama bin laden. through diplomacy, we shutdown iran's nuclear weapons

program, opened up a newchapter with the people of cuba, and brought nearly 200nations together around a climate agreement that couldsave this planet for our kids. almost every country onearth sees america as stronger and more respectedtoday than they did eight years ago. and marriage equality isfinally a reality from coast to coast. we've made extraordinaryprogress as a country these

past eight years. and here's the thing: noneof it was inevitable. it was the result of toughchoices we made, and the result of your hardwork and resilience. and to keep america movingforward is a task that falls to all of us. sustaining and building onall we've achieved - from helping more young peopleafford a higher education, to ending discriminationbased on preexisting

conditions, to tighteningrules on wall street, to protecting this planet forour kids - that's going to take all of usworking together. because that's always beenour story - the story of ordinary people comingtogether in the hard, slow, sometimes frustrating,but always vital work of self-government. it's been the privilege ofmy life to serve as your president.

and as i prepare to take onthe even more important role of citizen, know that i willbe there with you every step of the way to ensure thatthis country forever strives to live up to the incrediblepromise of our founding - that all of us are createdequal, and all of us deserve every chance tolive out our dreams. and from the obama familyto yours - have a happy and blessed 2017.