If the terrorists were as mad-dog crazy, as well organized, and as well financed as they are characterized, they would have committed some huge terrorist act somewhere in the Western world at least once each and every year. Also, is it really that hard to find a 6' 7" Arab who needs a dialysis machine every 2 weeks. Get real! Let's drop the boogyman act by the federal government and the media monopoly and get down to the business of putting some of that misspent Department of Defense/Homeland Security budget money to some use that makes sense . . . such as universal health care, education, research, renewable energy, or you-pick-your-favorite. 

    I believe that the American people cannot wait for single-payer universal health care. It is one of the major components for a strong economy, since a healthy people are a productive people. Wasting 10's of billions of dollars supporting private health insurance companies huge profits is also wasting our precious dollars. President Obama, please support single-payer universal health care before our private health insurance companies bankrupt the American people and the economy. Thank you.

We should pony up a few tens-of-billions -- or mare -- toward the development of new energy sources. This could include the effort to create successful nuclear fusion; the development of cheap, environmentally friendly fuel cells; research into more efficient photovoltaic cells; significant subsidies for homeowners who want to get off "the grid" by using geothermal, wind and solar power; investment into new, non-grain-based renewables such as switchgrass and industrial hemp; replacing diesel buses with LNG buses (short term), and, ultimately, light rails (longer term).

I'm sure I've left out  quite a few.

These projects should be managed and run here in the United States in order to create new jobs. We could then export the technology, thereby putting the US back in the lead in technological development, as well as helping countries around the world to reduce their carbon footprint.

And we need to start soon. According to Bill McKibbon we may already be past the tipping point. The survival of humanity in the 22nd century may depend upon such an effort.

The backbone of our constitution is that we vote; yet voting is implemented in such a way that makes it difficult for people from every class to be a part of that vote. It seems more sensible to me that voting should take place over the course of two days and one of those days should be a weekend day. Perhaps even one of those days should be considered a paid government holiday acknowledged by employers? If voting is what enables our constitution, why is it that we make no official space for it in the conscience of our society? How long will we continue to treat voting as a trivial matter? If our own government does not deem voting important then why would the people see it any differently? Make voting a priority for yourselves and for the people.

As part of the economic recovery package, please provide COBRA subsidies to unemployed workers. 

Thanks to the economic crisis, there are currently over 11 million unemployed.  Many of these people lost not only their job, but their employer sponsored health insurance. Some Americans have the option of buying COBRA -- but even that is unaffordable because it takes up a disproportionate amount of unemployment benefits. Nationally, unemployed workers would need to spend nearly 84 percent of their unemploymnet insurance benefit, on average, to pay for family coverage.  If people don't take up COBRA, they are forced into the unregulated private market where many will likely be denied based on pre-existing conditions. This catch-22 has forced newly unemployed into a difficult position that no American should have to face. 

COBRA subsidies as part of the economic recovery package would help the recently unemployed get health care, so they are not forced into the private market or into greater financial debt because of medical bills. Losing economic security should not mean losing health care security. 

A rash of wounded soldiers are coming home with life-changing injuries only to find that the government now expects them to re-pay their signing bonus because they were injured too early in their service. How is this supporting our troops?

Make the White house an example of “Green” living. You may not have agreed with the Presidency of Jimmy Carter but I think we can all agree that he was right when it came to our dependency on oil. Take this action further by making all government and state buildings “green.” If the government buildings are “green” and the cars that they drive are “green” then the evolution of “green living” is fostered by example.

They cannot be allowed to dictate their services along moral judgments. Birth control is a symbol of responsible sexual interaction. The “ morning after” pill offers help to those who were failed by their methods of contraception or who were brutally attacked by sexual greed. Smaller communities are hit harder by decisions that limit access to these services. If there is only one pharmacist and that pharmacist chooses against filling birth control prescriptions then its possible that that patient will have to travel to obtain that prescription. Maybe she doesn't have a car. Maybe she can't drive. There are so many problems with this line of action. If health care providers and pharmacists wish to only provide services to those they can agree with then they are in the wrong profession and Congress should make this clear.

I am tired of hearing about pork barrel projects being included in bills.  For example, just recently I was appalled to discover that the first $700 billion dollar financial crisis bailout (now $850 billion), the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, had several pork barrel projects.  Here are some examples from Taxpayers for Common Sense:

• This proposal would exempt from the excise tax any shaft consisting of all natural wood ... The estimated cost of the proposal is $2 million over ten years, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.  The Oregon senators [Ron Wyden-D and Gordon Smith-R], were the initial sponsors of the provisions... The provision would be worth $200,000 to Rose City Archery in Myrtle Point, Oregon.
• The bailout bill would give a tax break to Exxon Valdez plaintiffs... Rep. Don Young (R-AK) is a big supporter of this provision. Cost is estimated at $49 million.
• Under this program, the cost of production of qualifying films would be permitted to be immediately expensed... This provision also makes permanent other favorable tax treatments for production. Historically Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) has been a supporter... The cost is estimated at $478 million over 10 years.

I was saddened to see such wasteful spending added to a bill that was supposed to help lift this nation out of a recession.  I guess that giving handouts from the American taxpayer to select pork barrel recipients is the way of life on Capitol Hill.

This website would have an rss feed.

This website could also have a list of the "top porkers" -- the legislators who have been involved with the most pork barrel projects.

The idea is that if the sponsors of such projects are easily identified and publicized, they would be less likely to do it.

Corporations do not deserve the protections of the Fifth Amendment. Corporations are not human beings and they do not suffer the same personal repercussions that American citizens do. The growing power of corporations is daunting. The average individual does not have the means to fight against a corporation that has harmed them. If we continue to protect corporations in the law the way that we would a human life, we will lose our ability to prosecute the manipulations and incursions of big business into our daily lives.