Why is it that our elected Congressmen and women and Senators feel that they should sign a pledge to a non-elected leader of a lobbying group? Isn't it time they realized that their pledge is to do the people's business - NOT Grover Norquist's?

The playing field must be leveled in order for all candidates to have equal "opportunity" in national elections! The cap on candidate spending will stop the WEALTHY and SUPER PACS from "buying" the national elections.

Our national debt is mounting and we are all being asked to reduce our debt. Congress and Senate will never understand our struggles for healthcare and its costs as long as we pay for them to have free lifetime benefits after serving only five years. Therefore, one way to reduce spending and cut costs is to remove the "lifetime" free benefits that both the Senate and Congress get after serving a mere 5 years. It's not reasonable, no other jobs get benefits for healthcare or retirement years after they leave a job, nor do they get them for free.

In the next few weeks, our government--The President and Congress--must make decisions to head-off fiscal irresponsibility. Congress must act in good-faith with the President to "compromise" with action and not just lip service. If they cannot rise to the occasion to serve the needs of the people, they should give up their "seat" and paycheck and go home. They work for us and we want them to solve our problems--for everyone.

The War on Drugs should end NOW because: 1. It's ineffective 2. It's expensive 3. It's our government telling us to go to jail if we ingest a product that has a negative effect on our health. 4. If number 3 can be justified, we should bring back prohibition and outlaw sugar and cigarettes.

Even the founders believed in term limits as evidenced by George Washington's decision not to seek a third term. Historians suggest this was done in a bulwark against development of a monarchy in spite of his farewell speech's mention of age. Jefferson wrote that "if some termination to the services of the chief Magistrate be not fixed by the Constitution, or supplied by practice, his office, nominally four years, will in fact become for life." The founders realized that there was a risky temptation for the position to be manipulated into self-serving motives.

The Senate's Democratic majority can and should change the rules on the first day of the 113th Congress to ban filibusters for the duration of the 113th Congress. The Republicans have turned the Senate into a dysfunctional minority-ruled body by routine use of filibusters. A democracy cannot function under continued and arbitrary minority rule. The Democratic majority of the Senate needs to act to prevent another minority-ruled Senate session. The rule change should apply for only the 113th Congress. While conservatives are the traditional users of filibusters, progressives may find it necessary to use the filibuster in the future.

In the 112th congress there were a number of outspoken science deniers elected to the Science, Space, and Technology committee. Paul Broun, R-GA, said "God's word is true. I've come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the big bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell." Todd Akin, R-MO, said, "From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Mo Brooks, R-AL, said, "nobody knows whether we're going to have global cooling or global warming over the next half century or century." The Science, Space, and Technology committee has partial or complete jurisdiction over the following federal agencies: NASA, the Department of Energy, EPA, ATSDR, NSF, FAA, NOAA, National Institute of Standards and Technology, FEMA, the U.S. Fire Administration, and United States Geological Survey. It is essential that members of this committee are not only scientifically literate, preferably with backgrounds in science, but also that they pass a basic litmus test of believing in evolution and climate change while denying conspiracy theories convenient to their political beliefs, such as "legitimate rapes" not resulting in pregnancy.

Reports of 158% of eligible votes being counted, military ballots being dumped in the ocean...these are only a couple of the grotesque reports following America's last election. Are we no better than this? Americans MUST demand better!

The foundation of Democracy is American citizens voting for elected officials. A candidate running for the Presidency who receives one vote more than the competing candidate has in fact been elected by America. The Electoral College is in fact unamerican as it takes away from the popular vote which is the voice of America.

Fear of Art Pope and severe conservative agenda.

To change how electoral college votes are distributed.