Higher education creates better paying jobs. Better paying jobs creates a better tax base. How much income tax is generated by a minimum wage paying job, compared to the income tax of an undergraduate degree pay scale? Do I need to go to the sales taxes paid by the two different incomes? Didn't think so. What started as "Trickle up" economics has turned into "Flooding up" economics. History has shown how income inequality turns out. It hasn't been pretty. We are heading, "full steam ahead" in that direction. 1929, 2008 are the years I am pointing to. The quick recovery of 2008 won't happen again. The Federal Government can't afford to bail out numerous industries again. I feel that the current state of affairs in our society are a reflection this imbalance. The political polarization. The mass shootings. The current horrific crimes being committed are a direct reflection of the terrible conditions we are experiencing. Horrific conditions are creating horrific reactions. People are struggling to eat, can't get health care because: 1) wages haven't kept up with the real cost of living. 2) We are out of options to make up the difference. When wages first began to shrink, (1978) "incomes" went from individual to "household". Mom and dad worked. Then they worked more hours. When that didn't maintain a comfortable lifestyle, (1990’s), borrowing filled the gap. We witnessed how that turned out, the 2008 recession. The middle class needs to be able to pay for things, not borrow to get them. Jobs are created when people buy things, (after all, someone has to make the things, deliver and sell them), that is how economics works. Henry Ford figured this out over 100 years ago! I am looking to my leaders to take some action. Be brave and do the right things for the right reasons. If the status quo is not changed, we are all going to be left behind. The people at the top, (the very rich), will continue to get further out of reach and more powerful. I don't think my fellow middle-class citizens are capable of continuing down the current path. The mass shootings for example, started in schools, (easy targets), then to theaters and malls, (bigger easy targets). These shootings haven’t changed what caused them. The next group will probably be politicians. Lack of gun laws is not the problem, more gun laws is not the answer. Lack of financial security is the problem, and all that goes with it. Please stop doing what we are doing, so we stop getting what we are getting. Let’s put a stop to the current state of affairs. Everything I have written here, is a glimpse of what I have observed. Unfortunately, I don’t have many solutions to offer, sorry. Political discussions with my contemporaries don’t happen. Everyone’s feelings get hurt, they stomp off, end of discussion. They are emulating what our leaders are doing. The dialogue needs to be started, so options are thought of and the best options given a chance to work. Please, let’s begin talking.

These defined contribution plans became popular as a way for workers to save for their retirements by investing small amounts of money each year in a tax-deferred account using pre-tax money. When the retiree started taking distributions, the distributions were counted as ordinary income for tax purposes. Upon the death of the retiree, the beneficiaries of the defined contribution plan would have to take the required minimum distribution every year and pay taxes on that distribution as ordinary income. Because these defined contribution plans would continue to grow tax-deferred, the distributions could continue for decades and could be passed on to the heirs of the beneficiaries. This was a great way for workers to acquire savings and pass those savings and the resultant income on to their children and grandchildren thus creating generational wealth. This changed when the revenue provision of the SECURE ACT passed. Now, the distribution period is shortened to ten years. The effects of this change are two-fold. First, workers can no longer provide long-term savings and income to their children and grandchildren. Second, because the distribution period is shortened, more money is distributed so more money is taxed. Furthermore, the increased distribution will more than likely push the beneficiary into a higher tax bracket. The rich get to leave their kids over $11,000,000 tax free with no restrictions. The working class get to leave their kids a tax increase. Furthermore, the rich get a $1 trillion tax cut over ten years because of the Trump Tax Act. This tax cut helped increase the federal deficit by 26% from 2018 to 2019. The rich get a $1 trillion tax cut. The working class get a $15.7 billion tax increase. REPEAL THE REVENUE PROVISION OF THE SECURE ACT THAT IS A $15.7 BILLION TAX INCREASE FOR WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

It is important to limit pre-emptive coverage of the president's speeches in the name of fairness since other presidential candidates do not get the benefit of free coverage every time they make a speech. It is important because "breaking news" media coverage that interrupts regular programming gives the president's speeches a weight of importance and veracity that is not necessarily intended or deserved. It is important because we're frankly tired of being forced to suffer commentary that is negative, opinionated, ad hominem, and not important to the good of the country.

Election interference is unacceptable. This needs to end. Furthermore, 75% of Americans demanded a fair Impeachment Trial and I, along with many other Wisconsin Constituents wrote and/or called Ron Johnson DAILY to demand he vote according to the will of Wisconsin...and he not only never responded nor acknowledged ANY of these demands, he voted in his own interest instead. Ron Johnson needs to resign and be investigated for ethics violations.

The recent first time in history vote by 51 Republican Senators to disallow witnesses, testimony, or pertinent documents in an impeachment trial after taking an oath to be fair and impartial has shown that we need a quick remedy to remove violations as stipulated in the petition. The blatant and dishonest violation of their oath should be remedied by removal from office. Their actions endanger our Republic.

It is important for the Republicans to see the rage in this country about violating our norms and holding an unfair impeachment trial.

Without some consequence, this perversion of justice, the Constitution, and the separation of powers, will never be able to be rectified and our democracy and system of justice will be compromised possibly irrevocably.

Maybe it is only a symbolic gesture, but my hope is that it will let the Republicans in Congress know that the American people really DO care about the law, the rule of law, the constitution, and that NO one is above the law. Period.

We can no longer trust that taking an oath to do the right thing in this country means anything. Our president and Senate have just proven that. One person can no longer be trusted with so many votes in this climate of corruption who pledges this country; greed, threats, intimidation, foreign influence into our elections and a president that thinks that's OK. Most people don't even know who these people are and they hold an election in their hand. Seven electoral votes that were supposed to go to Clinton faithlessly voted for Trump; he lost the popular vote. We have to be "We the people" and take back our country and elections.

Any person who honorable serves this country were promised citizenship upon completion of their service. A person's family also serves when you serve in the military and should be given citizenship for their sacrifice.

The decision of our U.S. Senate to not hold Trump accountable for his criminal activities will embolden him and Russia and will place our nation at risk. If allowed to speak from the only Chamber of our government that is holding him accountable, it will send a message to the world that our democracy has fallen. The world is watching us and we cannot be viewed as weak at this most critical time. We must press forward with taming our rogue President and the Republicans who conspire with him to destroy our nation.

Because the Republicans are arguing in the impeachment proceedings that actions taken by persons outside of the United States to influence Federal elections are not a crime and therefore are not impeachable offenses under the Constitution.