All over the United States of America, retired people are finding it impossible to thrive. In short, Social Security is completely inadequate. All funds for Social Security need to be block-funded. Social Security retirements also desperately need to be based on inflation; for example,a person who retires while earning $70K a year can not be expected to survive on $900 per month!

American concert promoter, Patrick Allocco, and his son were kidnapped at gunpoint in Angola after their client, rapper Nas, failed to show up at a New Year’s Eve performance there. Nas was paid $300,000 in advance for the conference. The Angolan promoter allegedly kidnapped the Allocos, demanding repayment of the advance. The men were later released but their passports were being held and they are unable to leave the country. Nas has paid back some of the money but refuses to pay the remaining $100,000. January 11th, Alloco alerted his Facebook friends that he was being arrested, the State Department has not been able to confirm this report.

Corporate money will flood the political marketplace and would corrupt our democracy.

In many European countries the precautionary principle where technology has to be proven safe before it is put in practice. In the United States large powerful Corporations are given free rein to do damage in the name of making jobs, then private citizens have to try to prove harm after the fact. The petroleum industry has been very successful in killing the scientific study needed to scrutinize hydrofracking by getting exemption from the Clean Air and Water Act. Independent research is needed to insure protection of our air, soil, and water, as well as public health and welfare before irreparable harm is done.

Cox Communications is willfully taking the hard earned money of tens of thousands or more of it's cableCARD and switched digital video customers each month and turning them into suckers. They've been knowingly overcharging for inaccessible services since they began renting cableCARDS and offering switched digital video tuners to customers years ago. CableCARD customers are subsidizing executive paychecks. As of August 8th 2011, the FCC has instated new rules for cable operators regarding the devices and service plans. Cox is playing ignorant.

Arizonas SB1070 law brought some of the harsh realities of the pressing need for immigration reform in the United States. With the intensity of the upcoming elections, we need to make sure this issue remains alive and vital, not put on the backburner. Are we a nation? Are we willing to be the kind of nation, a society that looks to help and uplift? To solve problems in a humane and fair way?

Many middle-aged people support the Occupy Movement but are unable or afraid to participate for fear of losing their job and/or their health insurance. Images suggest most of the participants are young or retired or jobless. Wouldn't it be interesting to discover how many folks they are representing who cannot be actively involved? Why not sign a petition to demonstrate your support? If your health care was not tied directly to your work what kind of freedom would that grant? Is that part of the reason some might like to keep healthcare tied to employment?

I will like Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill, to keep jobs in the USA. For example, If an American company has a factory in China with 1000 employees by law they need to have the same employee counts in USA.

Stop the right to work bills

Global warming. If I remember correctly, 2012 is the year that the warming trend is irreversable. But we can't accept that! This has got to be THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE for everyone around the world. It seems we're either preaching to the choir, or ignoring the elephant in the room. This scares me, for my children and for the future of everyone and everything on this unbelievably beautiful planet.

Do we on the left want to control the White House for twelve more years? Of course, we do. Do we want a woman president? Naturally. We can improve our chances for both if we persuade the President Obama and the powerful democrats to replace Biden, who has done a reasonable job, with the outstanding Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Bankers, rating institutions, and other corporate entities destroyed the United States economy and yet nobody has been prosecuted, nor has there been significant reform to ensure history doesn't repeat itself. In fact the same individuals who violate the laws that should have protected our country are either still receiving multiple billion dollar bonuses or are employed in government under the Obama administration. It's time to pressure President Obama to investigate the architects of the housing bubble and hold them accountable for destroying our economy through ruthless greed and corruption.