We really need to spend out money more wisely and the defense budget is breaking us. Think what we could do with a billion dollars in education or for streets or medical funding.

Millions of Americans are unemployed and need jobs. Even if it costs Apple twice as much to make its products in America, Apple's profits would only be modestly affected since its profit margins are so high. With state subsidies, tax incentives and other support, the margins would still be high, dollars exported for manufacturing would stay in America and one of America's iconic companies would be supporting Americans. It's a win-win.

I have been personally involved in this issue for 20 plus years and I can no longer be silent.

HOA homeowners are being abused, many fraudulently and criminally dragged into colluded and corrupt courtrooms to be stripped of their finances and property with no due process, no protections of the existing laws and no respect for their rights by those within the legal systems or the courts. It appears, in locales like Monroe County, Pennsylvania and other areas of America, that many of these many times greed-driven targeted abuses, crimes, frauds upon the courts and property thefts are gender based, family status based, age based, or targeting those with disabilities, or who have a family member with a disability, and some appear to be discrimination based and/or hate crimes too! We need national exposure of the HOA abuses across America and for the perpetrators of these crimes and injustices, no matter where they are, or who they are, or who they know, to be charged, to be prosecuted and sentenced and their victims rectified. Many of the HOA crimes and property thefts are being committed over state lines, and I believe these criminal acts warrant federal investigations, prosecutions and sentencing as well! It is long overdue that the HOA criminality, homeowner abuses and property thefts are put to an end in America, so let us all see this happen now! Thank you so very, very much! PS: If you have any doubt of what is truly going on in these crimes against innocent HOA homeowners, please listen to this recent interview with former PA Congressman and former PA Auditor General, Don Bailey (donbaileylaw.com) on twigscaferadio.com. The interview exposes the disgraceful, illegal and damaging injustices and "ongoings" in our legal system that anyone within this system, at every level and position, should be ashamed of! There is no wonder why and how this is happening to innocent HOA homeowners in "abusive" and criminal HOAs, along with their abusive accomplices in some courts and others! twigscaferadio.com Justice Served - Episode 7 - 10-28-15 In fact, all the "Justice Served" and "Jasikoff and Friends" and "Sanity Check" are well worth listening to. Here are the shows posted thus far: and I trust you will want to listen to all, especially important is "Justice Served" 10.20, 10.21,10,22, & 10.28 for starters, in my opinion! You need to hear these guests! twigscaferadio.com Jasikoff & Friends •Jasikoff & Friends Episode 1 - 10-15-15 •Jasikoff & Friends Episode 3 - 10-20-15 •Jasikoff & Friends Episode 2 - 10-16-2015 •Jasikoff & Friends Episode 4 - 10-21-15 •Jasikoff & Friends Episode 5 - 10-22-15 Sanity Check •Sanity Check 10-22-15 •Sanity Check - 10-28-15 Justice Served with Andy Ostrowski •Justice Served - Episode 1 - 10-15-15 •Justice Served - Episode 2 - 10-16-15 •Justice Served - Episode 3 - 10-20-15 •Justice Served - Episode 4 - 10-21-15 •Justice Served - Episode 5 - 10-22-15 •Justice Served - Episode 7 - 10-28-15

The Republican leadership has agreed to a deal to keep the government operating, raise the debt limit, and ensure that all Social Security benefits continue to be paid in full and on time beyond 2016. When hostage takers release their hostages, we are, of course, relieved that the hostages are no longer in harm’s way, but this is nothing to celebrate. That the ransom isn’t steeper is also not something to celebrate. The deal does include some good provisions: Medicare beneficiaries will not experience the drastically large premium increases that were set to take effect next year. It also closes a loophole that was introduced in the law relatively recently that allows wealthier Americans to game the system by claiming extra benefits inconsistent with the goals of the program. But there is a diversion of Social Security resources towards virtually nonexistent fraud. This focus on fraud is a distraction from Social Security’s one real shortcoming: its benefits are too low, and an overwhelming majority of Americans know it. Congress should follow the will of the people by expanding those modest but vital benefits and restore the program to long-range actuarial balance by requiring the wealthiest among us to pay their fair share. Join us in calling on Congress to follow the American people and expand Social Security benefits! The fraud prevention provisions will require workers with disabilities to wait longer to receive their earned benefits and may prevent some from receiving their earned benefits completely. That is wrong. And though there are positives in this deal, Social Security legislation, as a matter of principle, should always go through regular order, in the light of day. If that were done, Social Security would be expanded. That’s why we can’t rest on our laurels. We need to keep pressure on Washington to expand, not cut, Social Security benefits.

Arizona will soon become the first and only state to impose a one-year lifetime limit for impoverished households receiving federal benefits from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. This move will cut off aid for 1,600 Arizona families in July. The TANF families provides support for families while they're looking for jobs, offering roughly $195 per month in additional assistance. By placing a cap on this program, Arizona is leading a systemic attack on the poor -- one that other states are likely to copy if its allowed to stand.

The result of the dark stores rulings reduces the stores' taxable value by 50% or more. This takes away local control of funding. Key services to citizens are being severely impacted: libraries, fire protection, search and rescue, sheriff/police services, roads, veterans, recreational, public transit, schools and seniors. Upper Peninsula lawmakers have been working on this problem since 2011-12, but previous legislation never got out of committee. Our communities are suffering and we need to convince committee members to support all Michigan communities through solid tax legislation and updated Tax Tribunal policies.

Currently, 19 states have passed laws or enacted policy to provide a fair chance at employment for formerly incarcerated job seekers. The President has said he wants to implement federal-level reform in the criminal justice system during his last days in office. Hearing from you can help move him to action.

Something awful is brewing in Trenton. New Jersey Democratic legislators are considering a terrible bargain with Republicans that would give NJ’s wealthiest (another) tax cut, raise taxes on working families, and blow a hole in our finances. The basics: Republicans would agree to hike the gas tax to fix NJ’s crumbling roads and bridges, but ONLY IF Democrats agree to cut or eliminate NJ's inheritance and estate taxes. Gov. Chris Christie recently called this ridiculous proposal 'tax fairness.' But while everyone would pay for a gas tax, just one in ten estates is subject to the estate and inheritance taxes. Most of the revenue comes from estates of $1 million or more. This plan would be Robin Hood in reverse: raising taxes on working families while delivering yet another tax cut to the wealthy. We expect tax cuts for the rich and tax hikes for the rest from Republicans. The really scary part is that Democrats may go along with this awful scheme – unless we act now.

Reform Student Loan Bankruptcy laws. Repeal 11 USC 523(a)(8) and stop predatory lending of student loans. Many of these loans will not restructure payment terms and our children are leaving schools with no job yet or low paying internships, an education and cannot afford to pay the loans. Now our children are unable to be a positive part of our economic society. They can't even rent a home or apartment because of bad credit. The pain that has caused students is also inflicted upon their families. Many of which have cosigned for the loans. Allow bankruptcy for student loans. America should have the same rights as all loan types in the event of needed protections of their finances.

We need a reasonably priced grocery store in our neighborhood.

On October 5, unelected trade ministers from eleven nations reached a deal with the US on the secretly negotiated so-called "free-trade" agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). It would greatly increase corporate rule and decimate democracy by eliminating health, safety, environmental, labor, consumer and privacy regulations, enforcing corporate domination over governments via offshore corporate investor-state tribunals. Despite mainstream media complicity, popular outcry has been huge, nationally and globally, yet our repeated calls to publish the text are ignored. The TPP will come before Congress within months. We are in the fight of our lives to get Congress to oppose the TPP (as well as the equally nefarious TTIP and TISA when they come up. They, too, are being negotiated in secret, and leaks are alarming). Meanwhile, anticipating catastrophe, savvy cities such as Richmond CA are declaring themselves to be TPP/TTIP/TISA Free Zones. National laws take precedence over local laws, so doing so is symbolic. These deals must be stopped!