Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama made a surprise phone call to Jessica Allen, the wife of an Army veteran who was deployed in Afghanistan earlier this year, to thank her and her family for their service and sacrifice. Check out the video their conversation. 

There’s no better time than the holidays to let our servicemembers know how grateful we are for everything that they do. That's why Joining Forces has partnered with the USO to create a nationwide interactive thank you card. Just fill out a note and it will be added to a map along with messages from people all over the country, showing our troops and their families just how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice. If we each do our part, our veterans and their families will get the recognition they deserve this holiday season.

Today, First Lady Michelle Obama encourage all Americans to send a message of Thanks From Everywhere in a message to the White House email list.  If you didn't get the email, be sure to sign up.

Every Thanksgiving, Barack sits down to call some of our troops and thank them for their service.

When he tells me about these conversations, it always reminds me of how blessed we are to live in a country where men and women will stand up to protect our freedoms and preserve our way of life.  And whenever I've had the chance to meet with these heroes and their families, I've always walked away inspired by their courage and in awe of their strength.

I can't think of any better way to spend Thanksgiving than letting our servicemembers know how grateful we are for everything that they do. So this year, we're making it easy to do just that.

We've partnered with the USO to create a program called Thanks From Everywhere. To get involved, simply visit JoiningForces.gov/Thanks and write a quick note that troops and veterans all over the world will be able to see.

Add your message to Thanks From Everywhere.

This week, the President wrapped up an 8 day tour demonstrating American leadership and opening up economic opportunity for America in the Asia Pacific region. Upon his return he signed legislation to help our veterans find jobs, traveled to New Hampshire to urge Congress to cut payroll taxes for workers and small businesses, and pardoned two turkeys. That's November 18th to November 24th or "Your Best You."

Jay Chung, a Philadelphia music teacher, says that we need the American Jobs Act because it invests in our schools and our student’s futures.

Chung is responsible for music classes at seven different schools in the Philadelphia school district. He travels from school to school, teaching percussion classes using plastic buckets from Home Depot, which he’s found is the best way to stretch his meager $100 budget.

Watch him discuss his unique program and explain how the American Jobs Act will help our nation's students and their schools in this video from the Department of Education.

Internet users learned several years ago that they could enjoy great savings at their favorite stores without having to endure the madness of Black Friday – the traditional beginning of holiday shopping – by waiting until Cyber Monday, online retailers’ response to Black Friday. Last year online sales on Cyber Monday exceeded $1 billion for the first time, a 16 percent increase from the previous year, according to comScore. Thanks to the Internet, consumers can take advantage of Cyber Monday bargains from the comfort of home, as opposed to rising before dawn and battling the long lines at their local retail outlets. 

Just as traditional brick-and-mortar storefront shopping has been augmented, and sometimes replaced, by computer-based e-commerce, a new phenomenon has surfaced this holiday shopping season: mobile e-commerce—Black Friday bargains made available exclusively on mobile devices.  These deals will not be available to Internet shoppers over their wired connections but will be available to people on the move—including those stuck in line at stores and malls throughout the country Friday.  

Mobile e-commerce is another example of how increasing access to wireless broadband can help U.S. entrepreneurs drive innovation and competition, and spur the development of new applications that bring value and convenience to American consumers. It’s a trend that has already begun to make an impact: In October – well before this week’s promotions -- almost 10 percent of online retail sales were made by consumers using mobile devices, according to IBM Coremetrics.

Ed. note: This was cross-posted from the Small Business Administration's Open for Business blog

You’ve heard of Black Friday. And Cyber Monday. But did you know that this Saturday is Small Business Saturday? We’re encouraging everyone to visit a small business to do some holiday shopping this Saturday.

As President Obama said in a message out to all Small Business Saturday supporters:

From the mom-and-pop storefront shops that anchor Main Street to the high-tech startups that keep America on the cutting edge, small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of our Nation’s promise.  These businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America, helping spur economic development in communities across our country and giving millions of families and individuals the opportunity to achieve the American dream.  Through events such as Small Business Saturday, we keep our local economies strong and help maintain an American economy that can compete and win in the 21st century.

When you walk down Main Street in any city in America, you can often find great restaurants, service providers, and handcrafted, Made-in-America products from local shops. It’s wonderful to simply go in and visit with local business owners and hear what’s happening in the community. 

There are many people in my life that appreciate a unique gift from a local business, like the blueberry jam I pick up at the Farmers’ Market in my hometown of Brunswick, Maine. This Saturday, I’m planning to go back to that market early in the morning, and then I will travel to Roslindale, Massachusetts, to celebrate Small Business Saturday with Boston Mayor Tom Menino. Many other top-level officials throughout the Administration are also “shopping small” this Saturday.

Everyone knows that your dollar goes a long way at when you buy a product or service from a small business. That money goes right back into the local economy. And that’s important, because half of working Americans either own or work for a small business, and small businesses create two out of every three new jobs.

It’s great to find the perfect gift from a small business. Often, when you carry it to the counter, you can see the business owner’s eyes light up. They tell a story about how that gift was made. Or where it came from.  Or how it’s a one-of-a-kind.  And the gift immediately becomes even more meaningful and special. Moments like that are what makes the holidays magical.

In addition to our support for Small Business Saturday, the SBA is working hard to make sure even more small businesses can keep growing. For example, we had an all-time record for SBA loans this year, with over $30 billion in lending support that helped about 60,000 small businesses buy a new building, get more equipment, or hire more workers. And, right now, the President is calling on Congress to cut in half the payroll taxes for small businesses as part of the American Jobs Act.

Let’s all do our part to support America’s small businesses as they continue to strengthen our economy and create jobs. Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Small Business Saturday, and Happy Holidays. 

President Barack Obama makes a local stop at Julien's Corner Kichen in Manchester, New Hampshire, Nov. 22, 2011, to sit-down with the Corkery family to discuss the importance of extending and expanding the payroll tax cut. Chris Corkery is a retired colonel, having served 26 years in the United States Army. Chris has been a math teacher at Manchester Central High School for the past 12 years. His wife, Kathy, a small business owner, and their two sons, Andrew and Nicholas attended. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Right now, President Obama is going all out to extend the payroll tax cut for the middle class -- and expand it for 2012.

And that effort underscores an important fact: This President has proposed and enacted thousands of dollars of tax relief for American families and small businesses.

In his first year in office, President Obama cut taxes for 95 percent of working families through the Recovery Act with the Making Work Pay tax cut.

With that same piece of legislation, he created the American Opportunity Tax Credit -- which is currently helping more than 9 million families afford the cost of college.

The Recovery Act also lowered the threshold for refunds through the Child Tax Credit -- providing a tax cut to 11.8 million working families.

The President also expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit for families with three or more children -- giving them a tax cut of up to $640 this year.

President Obama has passed tax cuts for small businesses 17 times. These measures range from allowing corporation to expense 100 percent of their new investments until the end of 2011 to creating a new deduction for health care costs for the self-employed.

And just this week, the President also signed legislation to create tax credits for businesses that hire veterans.

If Congress passes the American Jobs Act, a typical family of four would see their taxes decrease an additional $2,325 -- bringing their total tax relief to about $5,425 for the President’s first term.

That number goes up if the family is helping their kids pay college tuition.

This lower tax rate hasn't come about through happenstance. It's a product of hard work from President Obama. Those of us in the middle class have more money in our pockets because the President made it a priority.

And it's going to take more hard work between now and the end of the year to keep things that way.

Some of the biggest names in country music gathered in the East Room at the White House on Monday night for a concert that honored the history and traditions of a uniquely American musical genre. Musicians including Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker paid tribute to many of country music’s most legendary figures through live performances that were enjoyed by President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden and numerous administration officials. The event is part of a series called “In Performance at the White House” which has been produced by PBS throughout every administration since its launch in 1978.

Earlier in the day, Lovett, Rucker and Kristofferson joined the First Lady and local schoolchildren in the State Dining Room for a workshop called “The History of Country Music: From Barn Dances to Pop Charts.” Mrs. Obama welcomed the students to “the People’s House” and reminded them of her vow to make sure everyone, not just“senators and diplomats and CEOs who have a chance to come here but … all Americans, especially young people” feels welcome. 

The First Lady encouraged the young audience to explore the surroundings, ask questions and take inspiration from the talented and accomplished musicians who were there to tell their stories:

And that is really my biggest hope for all of you, is that as you sit here and you listen to these fine gentlemen, that you figure out how you can turn something that you love into one of those real jobs, right?  I mean, think about the things that really drive you and give you passion.  And it might not be music.  It might be business, it might be technology, it might be teaching or medicine, or anything else.  For me it was working with young people that gave me passion.  But no matter what sparks your imagination, I want you to take that energy and then follow it.  Follow it with every little piece of energy that you have, because whatever you do, it does take work.  And that’s the one thing you have to get in your mind, that even when you love something, if you’re going to be good at it and get good enough at it, you have to invest in it. 

And I also want you all to imagine yourselves coming back to the White House maybe years from now, sitting up on this stage and hearing from some future First Lady or future President.  And I want you to be thinking about telling your story to the next generation of young people.  And you have to be able to see yourselves in these places to begin to imagine and to dream and to work towards those dreams. 

"Country Music: In Performance at the White House" will air on local PBS stations on Wednesday, November 23 at 8 p.m. ET

Millions of turkeys will be stuffed, roasted, carved, and served this Thanksgiving. But tomorrow, one lucky bird will be granted a reprieve in the form of a Presidential pardon. This is the story of one such bird from 2009.

Without a vote from Congress, taxes for nearly every American will go up on January 1, 2012. The American Jobs Act would expand existing tax cuts and put more money in your pocket. This morning, Vice President Joe Biden sent the email below to the White House email list, asking folks to check out our calculator to see how your own bottom line would be impacted. At 12:15 p.m. EDT today, President Obama will discuss the importance of the American Jobs Act and tax cuts for the middle class.  Watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live.

If you didn't get the email, but sure to sign up for the White House email list.

I'll cut to the chase: If Congress doesn't act soon, middle-class Americans will see their taxes go up starting on January 1st, taking almost $1,000 out of the pockets of a typical family next year.

Last year, President Obama and members of both parties in Congress cut the payroll tax for 155 million workers, putting money in your pockets.  Now, that tax cut is expiring. So in September, the President and I proposed extending that tax cut and cutting your taxes even further: giving the typical family a $1,500 tax cut.  Steps like this won't just help families feel more secure in their budgets, it'll give them more money to spend at local businesses that will hire more people and make investments in new equipment too.

We thought the extension would win bipartisan support again. How could Republicans in Congress, some of whom have pledged not to raise taxes by a penny, oppose extending the same tax cuts they just passed? But after years of protecting expensive tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, many Republicans now say we should let this middle-class tax cut expire.

There's a lot at stake here for you and your family, and the better folks understand how much more they may have to pay, the easier it will be to get Congress to do the right thing. We've put together a calculator to show how much of your money hangs in the balance.

Try it out.