A personal note to president Obama

Dear Mr. President:

You must be tired. Please take some time off. You worked very hard to get re-elected. As a loyal American, I want you in good health, and that means some rest and relaxation once in a while.

But when you ramp it up again, I hope you will consider some suggestions from a citizen who’s a bit disappointed in your overall performance. Please understand that I am not looking at this from an ideological perspective, but rather from a sports point-of-view.

I want American leadership to win the game. That means improving the economy, bolstering protection for the folks and running an honest operation from the White House. At this point in history, that’s what winning means to me.

Let’s take the economy first. Apparently, you believe that massive government spending can create well-paying jobs in the private sector. But after four years and almost a trillion dollars of federal money being fed into the economy, it hasn’t worked. Unemployment is about the same as it was when you took over in 2009, and wages are down sharply.

You spent a ton of our money, Mr. President, and we didn’t even get a T-shirt.

Now, I know some of my fellow citizens see it differently and voted for you believing your economic vision is sound. But let’s be honest: The voter breakdown clearly shows that folks receiving some kind of government largesse supported you big-time, while those avidly competing in the marketplace voted for Gov. Romney.

It was no accident that the day after your victory, the stock market plummeted 313 points.

So I hope you’ll rethink the big spending and begin to make it easier for small-business people to make money. When they are flush, the job market surges. When they feel threatened, hiring shuts down.

I well understand that the “tax the rich” mantra got you some political currency. But we both know that strategy will do little to stimulate anything other than jealousy.

On the security front, may I suggest that you be a stand-up guy? Please hold a press conference and tell the folks what you know about the terror attack in Libya and why things are such a mess. This “we’re investigating” stuff is a ruse. Telling us what you know does not impede an investigation.

Dodging Libya hurt your honesty index. And that hurts the country. It is very important that the folks trust you even if they don’t like you. Take that from me. My television program has been top-rated for nearly 13 years, and it’s not because I’m Dale Carnegie. Most Americans respect straightforward talk even if they are annoyed by it.

In closing, congratulations on your victory. You and your guy Axelrod designed a campaign that Romney’s Boston boys could not match. But that’s not what’s important now. Fixing the economy is.

Do that, and your legacy will be assured. Fail, and all hell will break loose.

Bill O’Reilly is host of the Fox News Show, “The O’Reilly Factor” and author of the book “Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama.”