The financial crisis in the postal service is a manufactured crisis by Congress and the media. There is much misinformation about the financial condition of the Postal Service,but Congress continues to use postal service revenues to reduce the deficit even though the money is not from tax dollars.The biggest drain is the unique and burdensome requirement by Congress to prefund retiree health benefits 75 years in the future and to do this in a 10 year period. The Postal Service needs to be taken off budget and prefunding stopped.

It's not fair to cut the pensions of anyone, especially Veterans, stop spending all these billions of dollars to foreign countries, cut salaries of government officlals and see how they like it

My neighbor recently retired from the postal service and alerted me to this problem. Further research confirms that the postal service has been under attack by those with an agenda that intends to privatize our public services. The Post Office is already a cross between an agency and a business and is capable of self-funding through its business operations without taxpayer dollars. This service should be honored and nurtured, not bullied into unsustainable "prefunding" of its retirement program for the next 75 years over the next 10 years.

The USPS affects our daily lives, economy and jobs. It is unjust to force the failure of this national institution just for the greed of it's detractors.

If our leadership had to live under the same rules, laws, and programs, they would likely "fix" many of the problems in a quick hurry !!!

I'm signing this petition because the Postal Service has and can again be a services paid for by it's customers organization rather than a drain on taxpayer funds. The pre funding of retiree benefits is simply a means toward two ends. 1. Congress "borrowing" (steeling is more like it) money wherever it can like it did with Social Security. 2. Create an artificial failure so as to say "see, government is incapable of doing anything right and we should therefore "PRIVATIZE" mail service." Who will protect the sanctity and security the mail from theft and fraud? The companies that make billions at the citizen's expense? The Post Office Department (1792-1971) was created as one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution. The Postal Reorganization Act birthed the United States Postal Service on August 12, 1970. It replaced the cabinet-level Post Office Department on July 1, 1971. To enable the Post Office Department to serve all Americans, no matter how remote, yet still finance its operations largely from its revenue, Congress gave the Department a monopoly over the carriage of letter-mail by a group of federal laws known as the Private Express Statutes. Without such protection, Congress reckoned that private companies would siphon off high-profit delivery routes, leaving only money-losing routes to the Department, which then would be forced to rely on tax-payers to continue operations.

Don't kid yourself that we live in a democracy when it takes 60 votes to pass legislation by Senators who only represent corporate America. Should senators in North Dakota with a population less than San Francisco have more clout per capita than senators in California? Both political parties are to blame for the dysfunction and gridlock in the Senate. They believe in “rule by the minority,” not in real democracy, otherwise they would rid the Senate of the filibuster to pass legislation and to nominate Supreme Court candidates. To abolish the Senate, the reactionary House, gerrymandered by the Koch brothers, has to be restructured more like a parliament while still retaining independent judiciary and executive branches. Our Constitution is not sacred. It supported slavery. To abolish the Senate will take a mass movement like the civil rights movement. It will take amendments to the Constitution proposed by 2/3 of the states holding state conventions to require Congress to hold a National Convention. This path has never been taken before. It will take 3/4 of the states to hold ratifying conventions, which has only been done once before to abolish prohibition. I live in a city that lacks the resources to send police to homes that are being burglarized. I live in a country that rather spend money on guns than books. We need to focus on establishing democracy in America.

Wasteful spending on unreliable software and operating systems is easily containable. Moving IT departments away from vendor-driven proprietary solutions to transparent open-source OS and apps costs nothing and can save hundreds of thousands of dollars

When the Supreme Court ruled in "Citizens United v FEC", they opened the door to a torrent of corporate and special interest election spending. The Court’s decision allowed the creation of Super PACs, which became a vehicle for flooding elections with unlimited and sometimes untraceable money. As a result, in the 2012 presidential election, just 32 mega-donors -- giving an average of $9.9 million each -- were able to match the total giving of the Obama and Romney campaigns’ 3.7 million small donors. "Citizens United" handed a megaphone to a wealthy few, threatening to drown out the voices of everyday citizens. In Nebraska, federal campaign spending rose 56% between 2008 and 2012. Outside spending in Nebraska's 2012 U.S. Senate race exceeded $9 million, with 44.4% of that spending coming from undisclosed or only partially disclosed sources. Sixteen states and more than 500 municipalities have already passed local resolutions calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would overturn "Citizens United" and clarify that money does not equal speech. We have an opportunity to make Nebraska the 17th state to pass a resolution before the legislative session ends in March. It’s time for Nebraska to join the movement to protect our democracy.

It's obvious.

Our Democracy has been bought by Dark Money Trolls that hobble our government at a time of great threats and spiraling wealth disparity. Hobbled government enables runaway climate change fossil fuel pollution, voter suppression, denial of women's health rights and clinics, cuts to food and education for poor children, public employee pension theft, hate speech in public forums and a host of bad laws intentionally passed to troll society. Our government is hobbled by TROLLS. End GBT - Government By Troll and elect our future, empowering the People, from the neighborhood up. Think People. To learn more, visit: http://www.stopthestupidnow.com/

Colton Brothers Mrs. Collins ENG 101-A006 31 October 2013 Definition Argument MLA Format Tired of being broke? America does not have the answer to everything for a bright future. After all, it continuously ignores one of its most valuable cash crops. Marijuana is a valuable cash crop because it contains components used in a variety of industries, including modern food and medical science; it provides a great possibility for revenue; and it has potential for innovative uses for manufacturing parts in the transportation cabinet. Marijuana is starting to become a major cash crop throughout the United States. The manipulation of its chemicals is used to establish so called herbal foods, and other uses to the restaurant and companies of the modern day industries. However, marijuana is not only used in food for satisfaction of the customers within the states that have legalized it for medical purposes. A poll conducted by The New England Journal of Medicine on May 30, 2013 indicated that 1,446 doctors from 72 different countries and 56 different states and provinces in North America, saying, “Marijuana should be legal” (Adler and Colbert). It provides medical use to numerous illnesses, consisting of leukemia, sclerosis, AIDS, depression, and chronic pain; it is also distributed to people with bipolar mood disorder. Curious, doctors continue to unravel the secrets behind the herbal substance. According to The Huffington Post, recent studies show Dr. Wai Liu, an oncologist attending the University of London’s St. George School of Medicine, says, “Marijuana compounds can kill some cancer cells” (Ferner). Furthermore, the “Cannabinoids have a complex action; it hits a number of important methods that cancers need to survive” (Ferner). With all the possibilities for marijuana to treat diseases and the pharmaceutical industry generating a lot of money, Marijuana would provide widely stretched uses, becoming a valuable cash crop. Not only is marijuana a valuable cash crop because of its genetic components that can be used in many industries, but it also has a great potential for generating high revenue. Some states are already embracing marijuana as a cash crop. According to Niraj Chokshi of The Washington Post, studies show Washington and Colorado’s approaches toward marijuana are different between the two states, but both are profiting. Washington has a more restrictive policy, including a limited number of licensed sellers, banished personal cultivation, and limited advertisement up to 1,600 feet. Elsewhere, Colorado has started accepting license without cap and legalizing cultivation, with stores available as soon as January (Chokshi). According to Harry Bradford of the Huffington Post, the two states are expected to bring in $550 million dollars, combined with 300 economists estimating they will save up to $14 billion dollars a year. The Daily Iowan Editorial Board announced that the Iowan government lacks $600 million dollars. Marijuana is being discussed for legalization, regulation, and taxation to generate revenue for that state. Furthermore, the politicians are advocating for the development of green jobs. On October 22, 2013 a Gallup poll was reviewed, stating, “Americans support the recreational usage of Marijuana” (Swift). If Americans accept it for recreational usage, why is it so hard to establish it as a valuable cash crop? Potentiality with the valuable cash crop has improved over the years and continues to provide different innovative uses. According to “Henry Ford: 1863 – 1947,” in 1925, Henry Ford introduced ethyl alcohol, “the fuel of the future.” Expressing his opinion amongst the automotive industries, Ford was aware that “hemp could produce vast economic resources if widely cultivated” (“Henry Ford”). The idea of ethyl alcohol powered vehicles was an idea Ford had brought to the attention of the nation. Until the 20th century, gasoline powered engines skyrocketed as the dominant transportation fuel. Gasoline made the operation of “present time engines” easier than ethyl alcohol. The government also claimed that the “new fuel” had lower octane than petroleum, which made ethyl alcohol more toxic to the ecosystem than gasoline. This made gasoline, a more reasonable choice than ethyl (“Henry Ford”). According to Amanda Onion of ABC News, scientists have discovered that the long, thin fibers, which Marijuana consist of, are currently being discussed for cheaper manufacturing of automobile parts. Because of Fords prediction for the use of marijuana and manufacturing, marijuana can be innovated for other opportunities in other industries, providing a better liquidity due to reduced cost. Due to the “2013 government shutdown,” legalizing marijuana would not only provide the economy with more job opportunities, but that it would save America more money, instead of harboring fugitives for irrational crimes and punishment. Marijuana has also been proven to be comparable to the liquidity of alcohol, in that it also could be used to help America struggling with the nation’s burdens of debt by creating jobs and taxation. Just like corn and tobacco, marijuana can also be used for multiple industries, provide great revenue, and establish innovative opportunities for advancement. America cannot deny the value of revenue from consistent cash crops such as corn and tobacco. Marijuana can also be distributed as a consistent cash crop. Although marijuana is classified as “Illegal,” the newer generation is convinced that Marijuana is a good benefit to the nation. More Americans are becoming accustomed to marijuana as a “money making process,” despite the fact that it has been classified as a drug. Marijuana is not only used for personal recreation; much like corn is not used for eating, and tobacco is not only used for smoking. Therefore, due to recent discoveries, the so called “drug” should be reclassified. Some of the elder generation argues that we’ve gone this long without it,...