The looming sequester is the result of a dysfunctional government. While it will wreak havoc on many of our lives, those in a position to provide a budget lose nothing. I want to change that.

Our taxes, waste and fraud proliferate while our elected officials do nothing. This is adversely affecting every man, woman and child as well as future generations and our nation's world standing.

Congress passed the Sequester, they can repeal it. It's as easy as that. Then we wouldn't be facing these draconian cuts to our most still very fragile economy.

Each winter season the Illinois Department of Transportation,( IDOT ) hires temporary workers, (highway maintainers) to help with winter operations, (i.e. snow removal, etc.). But when it comes time to hire for full time, permanent employees, IDOT will not hire any of the temporary workers unless they are veterns. There are hundreds, if not thousands of dedicated temporary employees, like myself of 9 years, who should be given a fair chance to be hired as a permanent employee. We are well qualified and already trained to do the work.

Millions of elderly, disabled and poor people are about to lose their homes because of Republicans' refusal to end unjust tax loopholes, off-shore havens, etc., and subsidies for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. It is estimated that the revenue these obscene loopholes, off-shore havens and subsidies are depriving the American people of would generate more than enough to avert the upcoming sequester.

Save Six-day Delivery, the Postal Service and 80,000 jobs. Because our economy cannot afford anything else.

Where in Congress's proposal for a twenty-percent across-the-board pay cut for Federal employees is the same twenty-percent pay cut for members of Congress and the President? Are they not Federal employees? Aren't these the people who keep telling us that everyone must share the burden? The across-the-board cuts set to go into effect at the end of the week will hurt the economy and should be stopped. But if Congress insists on cutting anyone's salary, they should cut their own paychecks first. We pay their salaries. It is up to us to demand that they accept the same percentage of reduction to their paycheck as every other Federal employee.

Beverages with added sugar/corn syrup such as soda are a serious public health issue, resulting in obesity, poor nutrition and tooth decay. A tax on them would discourage their consumption, especially among lower-income individuals and families. It is not a regressive tax as no one is forced to pay it, and public health will improve if people choose to avoid the tax by not buying these beverages.

I am an 8 year veteran of the U.S. Air Force. I currently hold an MBA compliments of the Veterans Administration. Many Corporations hire and train their personell, even sponsoring visas to make this happen. Once educated, they don't typically let those people walk out the door to work elsewhere. I wonder why our government is doing just that? Government dollars are spent on educating veterans but where's the Return on Investment for the investors? From an MBA standpoint, I could never pass this investment through any board of directors in any Corporation. If we're so interested in running our government like a corporation, we must first secure our Return on Investment. I mean hiring veterans after we've trained them. I currently work in the public sector and I must compete for jobs against applicants who had the luxury of remaining at home and improving their job skills while I was stationed overseas, going without many basic necessities and suffering without my family; this includes a 10 month old daughter who I didn't get the pleasure of seeing until she was 5 years old. As working-aged Veterans are becoming a smaller portion of our population, we can offer them more preference in selection for public jobs. We earned it; many of us are disabled and don't have the advantage of accepting high paying, laborous jobs. Therefore, we should have greater preference in those jobs we can do. Please help us! Thanks, Andrew Grijalva, MBA

Over the last two decades there’s been a steady shift in the tax burden in Philly from the rich to the poor. Business taxes have been cut for giant corporations, including many that aren’t even located in Philadelphia. The wage tax has been cut in a way that makes benefits bigger the richer you are. Meanwhile City Council has repealed a wage tax cut for the working poor. Also the sales tax has increased to 8%, badly hurting ordinary working people. And property taxes have increased 3 times since 2010. Those hikes have hurt poor homeowners and have been passed on to tenants throughout the City. Next year homeowners and tenants may get hit by another big tax increase while many of the biggest commercial property owners like Franklin Mills and Liberty Place actually get tax cuts. The large non-profit universities and hospitals –- like Penn, Temple, Drexel and the big hospitals—get the biggest breaks of all. They own many of the 10.3% of tax-exempt properties in Philly, a proportion larger than in any other US city, and they will continue paying nothing, not even for commercial activities and properties that they rent out for profit. The Mayor and Council must shift the burden of taxes away from poor and working people to make big business, and big “nonprofits” pay for the services that all the city residents need.

North Carolina is enjoying unprecedented growth in feature film, television series and commercial productions as a direct result of our balanced, sustainable Film Incentive Program. With annual in-state spend approaching $500M in 2013, North Carolina was home to Iron Man, The Hunger Games and hosts ongoing series like Banshee and Homeland. While our 25% incentive attracts Hollywood productions looking to save money through tax-rebates, the vast majority of the money spent in-state is driven to "below-the-line" tradespeople like carpenters, production assistants, electricians, grips, make-up artists, catering and craft services freelance employees. Local hotels, restaurants, retail stores and industries that support the filmed-entertainment industry reap millions of dollars from visiting productions due to the Film Incentive Program. In the long-term, NC needs new tax legislation / tax reform to lure long-term investment from companies looking for a new, permanent home. However, the NC Film Incentive Program should not be altered or dismantled, as doing so will simply drive productions to other states (LA, GA, OH, NY, NM among others), who have chosen to maintain their Film Incentive Programs as freestanding legislation that is unencumbered by reforms and designed to deliver rapid growth. North Carolina Film Incentives Put North Carolina To Work! Now you can like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KeepNCFilmIncentives

I have tried to make my student loan payments affordable, sent in tons of paperwork and information. When I had a decent job, I paid my loans. When the economy took a turn, I have not been able to live and send a big enough payment for them. For a year I have been in a battle with the Michigan Guaranty Agency, trying to set a payment that would be reasonable. They took my entire tax refund, now I may not be able to pay any of my bills; to ever get into a good enough position to repay! I barely make over minimum wage & have one child - so I'm not eligible for aid because again to the govt. I'm not poor "enough".