Right now the US House of Representatives Committee on Veteran Affairs has an agreement with the VA that allows VA officials to testify before that Congressional Committee without being sworn in. With no oath, there is absolutely NO PENALTY for VA officials who lie to Congress. This hurts veterans and harms taxpayers, and it helps NO ONE except those who want a free pass to lie to Congress about veterans' issues. No honest official should mind being put under oath when testifying. And, those that mind are the reason for doing it.

Represent the people who hired you, not politics!

Everyone has been affected by the stalemate and inability of our Congress to work for the American people. They are so much more concerned for their positions with lobbies in the aftermath of their stints in Congress that they could care less for the benefit of us. So what if they aren't reelected? The next move if they hold their ground is to get the big bucks as a lobbyist. So what is their incentive? If I didn't work for my boss I would be fired....why can't we fire Congress when they won't do their jobs for us? Honestly, they should sacrifice their salaries themselves to contribute to managing the deficit if they want to maintain their DO NOTHING attitudes.

The disturbing reality is that the political establishment of Washington is not interested in representing the needs of ordinary Americans. They are much more interested in representing those of the wealthy and the powerful. Super PACs are able to spend as much as they want on political advertising, giving them significant amounts of power over the political process. They elect candidates of their choice while defeating those who would oppose their agenda. America’s corrupt campaign finance system is making the voices of average Americans harder and harder to hear. The majority of money going to these super PACs does not come from large corporations, but from individuals. The top 46 of these wealthy donors have given a total of $67 million, or two-thirds of the $112 million donated to super PACs this cycle. Titans of the financial services industry, energy executives and hoteliers are now pulling the strings in our government. The democracy that America prides itself in has been undermined. “Our goal must be a government that represents all of the people, and not just those wealthy individuals and corporations who can put millions into political campaigns. Ultimately, we must amend the Constitution to clarify to the Court that our democratic elections were never intended as a tool for special interests to drown out the voices of others.” –Bernie Sanders We are the American people, and we will not allow our voices to be drowned out by Big Money. We will be heard.

Include that the NSA ( National Security Agency ) be listed and Liable to any new laws written from this day forth.

The government is currently out of touch with how a huge percentage of the citizens feel about them and their lack of action. Only working a few hours a week and doing nothing in the process is making the American people lose faith in them and this can bring about rather bad results. If the elected officials lose many of their benefits and only get paid when working, maybe they will do better.

Democracy is dead. The political cartel is now in place. Collusion between parties and members serves their own and business interests.

The use of the electoral college for electing the President of the United States should not last another election. Because of this laughably outdated system, the candidate who receives the most votes can lose the election. This has already happened twice in American history and once in our lifetimes. If that weren't enough, the current state-by-state system is also weighted against states like New York that have the misfortune to have a predictable majority. While the concerns of people from sharply divided “swing states” like Iowa receive lavish attention from presidential hopefuls, the concerns of New Yorkers get virtually ignored on the campaign trail, except when the candidates drop by to pick up their big money contributions. In the last two months of the 2012 presidential election, the presidential and vice presidential candidates of both parties did not even visit New York once. The battleground state of Ohio got 73 visits. We need to replace the state-by-state system of elections with a national popular vote. It was thought that doing this would require a constitutional amendment at the federal level. However, all that is required is for states representing 270 electoral votes to agree to commit their presidential electors to whoever wins the popular vote. This proposal is called the “National Popular Vote Interstate Compact,” and it has already been voted into law by a host of other states, from Maryland to California, representing 132 electoral votes. Here's the link: http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/. New York should join them and put the project past the halfway point. This bill has passed the State Senate twice in the last two years with large, bipartisan majorities and odds are, if it was voted on in the State Assembly, it would pass. But it has never been brought to a vote in the State Assembly, most likely due to the reluctance of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Speaker Silver needs to allow the legislation to be introduced for an up or down vote, so that New Yorkers can have a more equal voice in choosing our next President. You don't need to wait four years to let your voice be heard. Sign on now! And tell your friends about this exciting opportunity to make our votes count.

After a Public Hearing, the Planning & Zoning Commission, 6 people decide this issue. This is too important to be left in the hands of a few officials.

taxpayers need to stop paying non working government officials.

Most Progressive initiatives are oriented towards specific policies the legislature has failed to address when what we really need is a change in the constitutional rules of the game. Preferably a seemingly small change that is easily understood and that radically changes the political landscape in a way that undermines centralization is what is needed. We need a state initiative in every state with initiatives, an initiative proposal that basically can be said in two sentences: "All elections to political office in California shall be my majority vote. In cases where no candidate receives a majority instant run offs as are currently the case in some California cities will decide the winner." Imagine the difficulty of the two main parties arguing against majority rule when most Americans hold both of them in contempt. If these initiatives were on as many ballots as possible, and repeated regularly until passed, the issue would remain in the public eye. As both gay marriage and marijuana legalization demonstrate the more these issues are in the public eye the more receptive the public becomes. But unlike gay marriage and marijuana legalization, majority rule is already regarded as legitimate. Advantages I. With majority vote rules for elections a vote for a third party candidate will not help your opposition politically in any sense. If one of the two main parties gets a secure majority, compared with a plurality election the outcome will be the same. But when majorities are not secure the dynamic changes. II. A candidate may need another party’s voters to win. In order to get them he or she has to treat the issues they raise explicitly and would be well advised not to trash their candidate. As a result issues will be discussed that normally would not get discussed. Further, the third party will be treated with a degree of respect, legitimizing it in otherwise skeptical eyes. III. Voters will be encouraged to vote their real preferences, and make the main party candidate a second choice. In doing so I predict we will rapidly see that third parties have a lot more support that currently seems to be the case. This is because under current rules I may prefer Greens or Libertarians or something, but never vote for them because I don’t want to help the other main party. As third parties become more competitive they become more interesting to undecided voters. IV. Because they have a chance, third parties will attract candidates who are in it for more than ego and feelings of self-righteousness. We will get a pool of more competent candidates. This will make them more effective in attacking the positions of main parties. There are no strong progressive organizations with much public visibility in the way a strong third party would be visible. V. Over time ‘third parties’ will get more strongly established in the public eye, win elections, and provide genuine competition to the corporatists. Given current levels of disgust with corporations, banks, and the main parties it might not take much time. VI. Majority vote elections will also be cheaper. Currently most states help finance party primary elections. Primaries were established because we have a two party oligarchy and it is only through primaries that much democracy exists in the US at all. But when many parties exist they can pay for their own primaries if they want them. The financial savings would not be negligible. Here in California as best I can tell a primary costs about $70 million. Let the parties pay for one if they want one.

Iowa's Governor opposes the expansion of Medicaid, is opposed to a woman's right to have sole control over her body, and appoints his own son to a state office; he needs to resign for the good of the state.