The powers of government should be clearly stated and defined. Catch-all clauses like this are what leads to the destruction of our liberties. Help me ensure the future freedoms of our children!

Debate questions have been submitted in advance for years. Giving them time to tweak and memorize the 'answers' isn't a debate and we need to elect someone who can think on their feet.

We need real rent reform now. For far too long, average working Americans have seen their wages stagnate while the costs of living have skyrocketed. In order to better regulate rental and real estate prices, we need legislation to protect renters from unreasonable price hikes. Additionally, those entities that do not require private housing should be excluded from investing, speculating or otherwise interfering with actual humans gaining and attaining shelter. To this end, I propose that all metropolitan areas enact rent ordinances that limit affordable housing prices to no more than 1/3 the monthly income of one person working at minimum wage for a one bedroom unit. If there is a family of at least one adult and one child, or one employeed adult and one unemployeed adult, the rental price is to be tagged at no more than 1/2 of a single income based on full-time employment at minimum wage. The number of units to be considered for these pricing regulations shall be directly proportionate to the number of individuals living below $40,000/year in each metropolitan area. For example, in one city with an overall population of 500,000 people, and population of 300,000 people earning at or below $40,000/year, the number of affordable rental units shall be no less than 300,000. Additionally, there needs to be an immediate expansion of public housing units throughout the US. We need a jobs program and the capital to provide for the entire population of Americans living at or below the poverty line with adequte housing opportunities. This means a country-wide building project in all major and minor population centers to build additional public housing units. Housing is a basic human right. It is not a commodity to be traded on the stock market.

We need to have our opposition to this war of choice in Syria registered with the President. We have done similar blunders before in Vietnam and we must not repeat the same mistake. It may be good for the Military Industrial Complex but is not good for the country. For the first time we have a diplomatic process to control the situation in Syria and possibly come up with a consensus solution for this killing to stop. All players are on the table and have declared that they would be working towards finding a political solution to the Syrian Civil war. President Obama must put all his energies in seeking a political resolution to the crises instead of doing something this dangerous as inserting US Forces in Syria. Once one of our soldier is killed, both/all sides would blame one another but we would have lost a serviceman and then we send in more to punish the guilty and so on. Let us nip this one in the bud and tell President Obama that this is not a wise move and stop/withdraw any deployment of US Forces from Syria.

Millions of Americans are unemployed and need jobs. Even if it costs Apple twice as much to make its products in America, Apple's profits would only be modestly affected since its profit margins are so high. With state subsidies, tax incentives and other support, the margins would still be high, dollars exported for manufacturing would stay in America and one of America's iconic companies would be supporting Americans. It's a win-win.

To put an end to Unnecessary and questionable additives in processed food.

D.C. recently announced a proposal to redevelop the Park Morton public housing community at the Bruce Monroe Park in the Park View neighborhood in NW D.C. The community can't afford to lose Bruce Monroe Park. The park includes basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground, a pavilion, a dog run and a community garden. The park is highly used and loved by the whole neighborhood. This is not an issue of choosing Park Morton redevelopment OR keeping the Bruce Monroe Community Park. There are alternative options to redevelop Park Morton and keep Bruce Monroe Community Park. For example, the old Hebrew Home site is close to Park Morton and has key qualifications, like close proximity to a school and rec center as well as public transportation, grocery stores, a public library, and more. Another option would be to develop a number of the smaller and abandoned properties on Georgia Ave instead. The city of D.C. should: 1. Meet Park Morton families’ immediate needs now. 2. Take Bruce Monroe Park off the table as a first build site. 3. Reconsider alternative sites like the Hebrew Home site or additional options along the Georgia Ave. corridor. Everyone deserves open space to play in, feel the sun on our faces, and talk with our neighbors. We should use this as an opportunity to build a stronger neighborhood.

We have a perfect storm coming at us. Looking into my rear view mirror, I've seen police close down a flooded I-95, and have learned that Sea Level impacts Maine disproportionately. Looking forward, I can see that we will sorely need trade and climate for People. TPP negotiations have just been finalized. Starting today, through COP21 and beyond, we need to envision what Climate Policy can look like without having restrictions and blinders placed on Mainers by the TPP. And why has the TPP text been kept "secret" for 5 years until Nov 5, 2015? Mainers like to see and to lead on.

It is important to bring justice and punish the Israeli war criminals and especially Benyamin Netanyahu for all the war crimes they have committed. The Israeli leadership does not stand above the law as they obviously think.

Industrial-scale farms are purposely organized with large numbers of partners fraudulently claiming they are “actively managing” such farms so each partner gets government checks to enable their operations to maximize government payments in the hundreds of thousands per farm. This situation gives industrial-scale farms government-subsidized competitive advantages over family farms by enabling them to buy inputs at bulk discounts family-scale farms can never get. Essentially, the Farm Program is driving family farms out of business and causing rural poverty. Taxpayers do not want to subsidize destruction of our cherished American tradition of family farms and rural communities. U.S. Department of Agriculture proposes to "reform" the program by limiting the number of people eligible for payments per farm to eight, with a limit of $125,000 per person... for a total of one million per farm! USDA's final decision will be made soon; so we need to get our elected officials to tell USDA to allow no more than two persons per farm to collect payments now. To be delivered to legislators and President Obama on December 15th.

As you know, our democracy is in crisis. Fewer than 40% of Americans voted in our last midterm election, and our overall turnout rarely breaks 60%. That puts us at 138th out of 172 countries in voter turnout. This is unacceptable for a country founded on the bold idea of a democracy for and by the people. Instead of taking actions to make voting more accessible, some in positions of power are implementing more and more voter suppression tactics, much of which resulted from the Supreme Court’s gutting of the historic Voting Rights Act. Since that decision, nearly every state has introduced a discriminatory voter photo ID bill or cut back on early voting, same day registration and other reforms. This is all on top of our problematic voting infrastructure that leaves poor communities and communities of color stuck in prohibitively long lines at polls during every national election. I am not willing to stand-by and let this be the America I live in. That is why I am calling on you to restore democracy and make the 2016 Election Day a one-time federal holiday - and thereby give all states and businesses permission to follow your lead. This will be a concrete step towards increasing access to voting by giving busy families more time to vote while decreasing lines at the peak times before and after work. And this executive action will help shine a well-needed spotlight on poor turnout and voting access in this country. It would be a step in the right direction toward making the polling place more - not less - accessible. I urge you to lead on this issue and help us take this important step towards reclaiming the democracy we deserve. Prioritize democracy above all else for just one day. Thank you.

Our neighborhood has seen an uptick in suspicious activity, including car and home break-ins and people casing lots. Residents no longer feel safe walking on the street after dark given the lack of lighting.