The failure of politicians and energy providers caused immeasurable suffering for millions of Texans in this recent winter storm and resultant power outages. Do not allow energy providers to shift their costs to already suffering Texan consumers by raising rates or charging excess fees. Texans deserve reliable service and should not bear the costs incurred by multimillion dollar companies who prioritized profits over preparedness. Use the rainy day funds to offset costs and provide relief to already suffering Texans.

Our society and our planet are moving much faster than our legacy representatives can keep up with. Being able to retain power for decades in either the Senate or the House of Representatives has led to a decline in bipartisanship, an outright stagnation of any policy advancement, and the least popular Congress in history. Our representatives need to remember that we send them to Washington to represent our interests, not their own. By imposing term limits on all members of Congress, we ensure that representatives will have to make the most of their time, to compromise, and to focus on achieving legislative goals that best suit the needs of Americans.

Our country was founded on some simple principles, Freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Since our last president, these principles have all but disappeared. No one is telling the truth anymore and their leaders are NOT speaking out against lies in order to win elections. Let's get someone who follows the Constitution and is not for sale, a republican or a democrat, no mater so long as they respect our Constitution. I am an immigrant, arrived in these United States on May 30th, 1970. I have devoted my life to understanding this great country and live as a good citizen. I've completely adopted this country and I have no other home or other political beliefs other than democracy.

Except for a few who have lost touch with reality, Republican members of Congress know that Donald Trump lost a free and fair election. By failing to say so publicly, they are endangering Americans' lives. The rest of us must stand up and insist that the truth be told.

The "war on drugs" has led to a the incarceration of millions of Americans with at least a million more incarcerated every year. Many of these people are drug users with an addiction and punishing them with jail or prison time will not break the addiction, but treatment might. In some states, a first time offender can get 10 years in prison for simple possession while in other's, one can get a 20 year sentence for possession. A decade in jail for having an addiction is not the right answer. Our families are being torn apart by drug addiction, and harsh prison/jail sentences are not helping to resolve the problem. Addiction can be defeated with treatment, not prison.

Too many are right now trying to sweep the events of January 6th, 2021 under the rug and pretending it wasn't that bad. But insurrectionists and anyone who somehow encouraged this - whether they are in congress or not - need to be reminded of their actions so they- at the very least learn something. The savage beatings of police and other Capitol defenders with American flags needs to be addressed as criminal and unpatriotic.

If congressional members really want to help heal our divided nation, they must tell their constituents the truth that Joe Biden legitimately won the election. Congress has certified the results and Biden was sworn-in on January 20th. Yet, due to the barrage of lies from Trump and complicit media, many of his supporters still believe that the election was somehow stolen, to the great detriment of our country. Congress must act swiftly to rectify this lie and set the record straight. Every elected representative in the Capitol must tell their constituents the truth. Action must immediately be taken by engaging the media--TV, radio, newspaper, congressional websites—in a truth campaign. In addition, congressional members must mail a letter, via USPS, to all of their constituents simply stating--once and for all—that Joe Biden legally won the election and is now our 46th president of the United States. If our nation is to survive and return to prosperity again, the truth must be accepted by all of our fellow citizens. This truth will set us free. If you agree, please sign this petition and tell Congress how vital it is that truth is upheld so the healing process can begin.

Let us look at what’s at stake here. A sitting president refused to acknowledge his defeat in a legitimate election, which is the bedrock of democracy. Instead, he mobilized all his legal, political, and eventually paramilitary power in an effort to overthrow the legitimate government of the United States of America. “Incitement to insurrection” is understated- this is treason. The Constitution says: “Treason against the United States, shall consist (only) in levying War against them…” The outcome of the trial is far from decided, even though forty-five Senate Republicans voted last week to declare it unconstitutional. They fear retaliation, both physical and political, from Trump’s violent supporters and his loyal base. A secret ballot would shield them from harm. Who is on trial here? It’s not only Trump, but also 50 GOP senators. Any of them that refuses to convict him is essentially collaborating with an enemy of the United States. A new book, American Kompromat- How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery by Craig Unger lays out in detail, from trustworthy sources, how Trump became and remains a Russian asset. The only way to stop Trump and Trumpism is to ban him from politics. If he were prohibited from holding political office, his base would probably drift away, allowing the GOP to return to civilized conduct. And such a ban can only happen if the Senate convicts him of the impeachment charges. Then it would only take a simple majority to get him out of the political arena. Let’s look at his defense. His first team of lawyers resigned en masse because he insisted on defending the lie that the election was stolen from him. Evidently he’s seen reason, because the new team plans to argue 1) It’s unconstitutional to try an ex-president; 2) his speech on Jan. 6th, stirring up the crowd to invade the Capitol where Congress was sitting to certify Biden’s election, was protected by the First Amendment. As to 1), the House prosecutors will point out that Trump was still in office when impeached, and there are precedents for trial of an ex government official after he/she (all men so far) leaves office. As to 2), more and more evidence is coming to light about Trump’s role in the attempted coup, starting with his message to the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate last September. He spent the fall laying groundwork for questioning the validity of the November election. After losing 60 lawsuits challenging Biden’s victory, in December he replaced key civil servants in the Defense Department with loyalists, who excluded the incoming Biden team from information for 2 weeks. On Jan 6th, 2021, these new appointees forbade Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, to call for additional help until the acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, approved it. Approval was delayed for several hours. Meanwhile the crowd rampaged through the Capitol, forcing Congresspeople into hiding, some afraid for their lives. Last week, Seth Abramson published a powerful piece at Proof on the role in the coup attempt/insurrection of Trump and his innermost circle. Fifteen hours before the insurrection began, Trump's closest advisors met at Trump's private residence at Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House. A couple of them had helped recruit the mob, via robocalls and social media. Blogs posted afterwards by some of those who met that evening indicate they were planning the coup. There are several smoking guns here. The Senate will convict Trump, if they are allowed to vote by secret ballot. Tell Senator Chuck Schumer to insist on a secret ballot. He can be reached at http://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck And continue to spread this petition, https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/secret-ballot-for-senate-vote-on-trump-2nd-impeachment-trial-1

We have 10 years to turn this around. Even though Mont Vernon is a small town, we still throw out an AVERAGE of 3,516,496.2 pounds of trash a year. This is unacceptable, and also the weight of 2,583 grizzly bears. People also throw away about 5.1 pounds of trash A DAY, while only 1.4 gets recycled. And the EPA estimates that 75% of human waste could be recycled, however only 30% is. Each year, each person tosses out roughly 220.96 pounds of food waste, which is especially tragic since so many children are going hungry in the United States. The EPA also estimates that 1/3 of edible food is thrown out or wasted, and every single year, the US as a whole, disposes of 21.5 pounds of food waste. We don't have to stand back and watch!! Yes, we're a small town, but we could be the bridge to creating a healthier, greener world!! It's little things like this that can help us fight -and stop- climate change.

Our Constitution prohibits excessive bail and yet over 412,000 innocent people sit in jail every day, most, because they can’t afford to pay their bail. Excessive bail can cost the incarcerated their livelihood, homes, and children plus costs America $15.26 billion a year. The money bail system serves only bail bondsman. D.C. has proven that a system that uses public safety and likelihood to return to court as a measurement for release work and that the cash bail system is NOT NECESSARY. This change will: 1. Prevent individuals from remaining in jail due to lack of funds. 2. Stop wealthy/well-connected individuals from being able to get out of jail despite their danger to society and prevent. 3. Bring equity to a system that disfavors those who are not wealthy.

Though President-elect Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Trump and several of his allies claimed that the election was fraudulent and pledged to fight when Congress met on Jan. 6 to formally count the votes of the Electoral College. The attempt to invalidate the votes of the electoral college, much less the popular vote of the People of the United States, is a threat to our very democracy. Nebraskans in particular should note, and remember, Smith’s collaboration in such immoral, indecent behavior. Both before and after the seditious riot at our nation’s Capitol building on January 6th, Smith made quite clear that he supports Trump's high crimes and misdemeanors in inciting his followers to fight and move on the Capitol. With ample time between the attack and the resumption of debate on the floor that day, Smith certainly had an opportunity to examine his conscience and choose Country over party. He did not. If there is anything sacred in American political life, the Nation's Capitol itself is surely that. The insurrection on January 6th violated that sanctity. By continuing to promote the vicious falsehoods that prompted the rioters' actions, Smith demonstrated an extreme lack of integrity. He showed no respect for American democracy or the tenets of its constitution, and his representation is an embarrassment to Nebraska and especially the 3rd District that he purports to represent. Smith essentially voted to disenfranchise millions of voters for the sole purpose of handing the election to our disgraced presidential election loser. Not liking the outcome of an election does not give anyone the right to flip the results.

White nationalists and conspiracy theorists already attempted a failed coup on our government because they believe the election was stolen from Trump. After they overwhelmed law enforcement, they went back into our communities to stay at rental properties after some hotels closed ahead of their arrival. Now they are coming back. Vrbo should provide incentives for people to not rent out their properties in the DC metro area from Jan. 16th-Jan. 21st in order to keep our communities safe. Vrbo should follow the lead of Airbnb and provide funding to help those who are struggling and not rely on individual Vrbo hosts to cancel or block out reservations. Many Vrbo hosts rely on renting their space in order to make monthly rent or obtain another source of income as a result of the unemployment or underemployment during the pandemic. Also, many local DC Vrbo guests are don't have stable housing or are unhoused. Let's hold corporations accountable in actively fighting against white supremacy. Words are empty with action!