What do Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker all have in common? For starters, they've all lamented the outsize power that special interests and big money hold in our democracy. They're correct to do so -- our next president will need a plan to put We The People back in charge. But they're also all headed to southern California to a closed-door retreat this week, hosted by the Koch Brothers -- the poster children for how big money can flood our system, corrupt elected officials, and shut out our voices. Instead of begging for part of the over $889 million the Kochs' network plans to spend on next years' election, any of these candidates could distinguish themselves as a champion of reform by rebuking the Kochs and their big money, anti-democracy agenda.

The IRS shouldn't look the other way while secret spending overwhelms our democracy and lets a few million-dollar front groups influence our elections but hide their donors by claiming “social welfare” tax status. Sen. Ted Cruz isn’t happy with the IRS either -- for all the wrong reasons. Tomorrow, he’ll bring the IRS’s commissioner before a Senate hearing hoping to scare him into further inaction, and might claim that enforcing campaign rules is bad for democracy. But the real threat to democracy is the unchecked, unlimited, secret spending that's happening under the IRS's watch. Sen. Cruz could use his position and national profile to shine a light on this important issue and spur the IRS into action. Instead, he's playing political games. Tell him to change his tune.

The IRS isn’t doing its job. It’s looking the other way while secret spending overwhelms our democracy and lets a few million-dollar front groups influence our elections but hide their donors by claiming “social welfare” tax status. The agency says it wants to write new rules around political spending, but won’t enact them until after next year’s election. That's no excuse for not enforcing the rules we have now. If the IRS thinks the American people aren’t paying attention, or worse, is too afraid of the backlash to enforce their own rules, then they won’t do anything. Tell the IRS -- we're watching, and we demand action.

I've been working since the age 16. I'm 32 with two kids and it gets harder everyday.

Wiki : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act I am deeply affected by all the murders of my brothers and sisters in the hands of corrupt police. I lived through the LA Riots. It was very sad. #SamDubose - Cincinatti - The video of police killing of Sam Dubose is apparently so bad, Cincinnati is preparing for riots, " "police chief said he had seen the video, and he said “the video is not good.” “It’s not a good situation, I think that’s clear, and it will become evident once that video is shown,” said Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, of Cincinnati police. “We’re just trying to do our best to be prepared for whatever might come out of it.”" The Police Unions need to support this petition. There needs to be systematic change. Sandra Bland Michael Brown Rekia Boyd Kindra Chapman Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. John Crawford III Jordan Davis Ezell Ford Freddie Gray Eric Garner Oscar Grant III Akai Gurley Dontre Hamilton Cynthia Hurd Susie Jackson Aiyana Jones Ethel Lance Trayvon Martin Renisha McBride Depayne Middleton-Doctor Clementa Pinckney Tamir Rice Tony Robinson Timothy Russell Tywanza Sanders Walter Scott Daniel Simmons, Sr. Myra Thompson Cameron Tillman Malissa Williams

We should know the ideology behind all the Presidential Candidates to understand the impact of our choices.

Nuclear weapons in the hands of the mad mullahs ruling Iran are the civilized world's worst nightmare. The deal negotiated by the P5+1 crosses all red lines and represents a failure of diplomacy. The only chance for diplomacy to work is for Congress to reject this deal and for the P5+1 to start over and stick with the red lines put forth by President Obama at the beginning.

Killing rare and or endangered species is a concern for the people, the wildlife and the environment of the planet.

When my brother James was diagnosed with Autism in the early 1990's, this disorder was very rare. In 2000, 1 in 150 children were identified as having autism or similar disorders. By 2010, this number reached 1 in 68 (CDC). Many of those diagnosed will never be able to care for themselves, and many have health and behavioral problems that make them difficult to care for. My brother's first residential placement in Virginia fell through after 3 1/2 years in May. Months of searching yielded only the terrifying reality that there is no other residential placement in the state that can meet his needs. His behavioral issues, while very common in adults with Autism, make it so that no care facility feels that they are equipped to handle him. The nice "homes" that you see on television and in movies for adults with disabilities do not exist; not for people like my brother. James and others his age are only the crest of a demographic tidal wave about to hit. Unless we act quickly to create the infrastructure and the programs to care for those who will never be able to care for themselves, we will be left with countless struggling families with nowhere to turn for help. People with Autism and other disabilities deserve to have real adult lives where they can live in supported, social environments with caretakers who understand their needs. Families deserve to know that their loved ones can be cared for after they can no longer do so.

A major percentage of California drivers use their car for more than public transportation from point a to b. We modify cars as a passion and love for vehicles. California constricts this mass population with smog laws that doesn't pertain to the environmental health. As long as the vehicle meets California safety standards and meets CO2 emissions standards the use of custom auto parts should be allowed.

Right now huge corporations like WalMart get a tax break for handing out huge CEO bonuses. Meanwhile, the House has recently passed budgets that would drop 570,000 kids out of Head Start, make a deep $175 million cut to SNAP food assistance funding, and cut job assistance training for 2 million Americans. The tax code sets a $1 million limit per executive for the amount of pay that corporations can write off their income taxes. But the problem is that there’s a loophole that exempts “performance-based” pay. So, corporations are shelling out huge CEO bonuses to pay less in taxes. For example, during the past six years, WalMart pocketed $298.6 million in fully deductible “performance pay,” lowering the company’s federal tax bills by $104 million. We simply can't afford tax loopholes that help the biggest corporations dodge paying their fair share. It's time we close these loopholes and invest in an economy that works for all of us, not just the CEOs.

I am a documentary filmmaker who has covered the plight of the Kurds in Iraq.