To be discussed and debated… How can we take the “big money” out of political campaigns? Perhaps as starting points: 1. Limit the radio/television campaigning time to the period election day minus 14 days and ending election day minus 4 days (a 10-day period). 2. No campaigning for incumbents. Everyone already knows (with a little research) what the incumbent stands for, has done during their time in office, political party, etc. Why waste the voters time listening or viewing a review of what is known? a. Campaigning would be done on c-span channels, separating federal from state and local elections, providing equal times and time slots for all candidates. No advertising. b. No negative comments about the other party or candidate. Communicate your solution to the issues impacting the citizens c. State your philosophy and platform you plan to run on. What you will do to make the life of the middle class better and not harm the citizens or challenge the constitution. 3. If you agree politics is not intended to be a career and government will not give itself term limits (exceptions include governors and president), then you the voter, are the key to limiting a politician’s time in office. Persons 1 or 2 generations removed may be out of touch with the population today. 4. If those previously elected to office are not performing the way you thought when you voted for them, perhaps you should consider voting for another candidate or party.

The main responsibility of government is to provide for the safety and security of its citizens and its land, defined by its borders. All the other things that government does at all levels (metropolitan, county, state, and federal) should directly or indirectly support this primary responsibility, generally through laws and regulations that establish and maintain law and order. The voters elect these government officials to do this for us. If elected officials do any harm to the middle class, aka, society, aka the primary citizens making up the nation, then they should be replaced (voted out of office). Another reason for voting for another candidate is if the elected officials enrich themselves, their friends and family and did little for your vote to move the community, state, or nation forward, and improving the standard of living for the country. Here’s an example of how it should protect us. Scenario – early years in any wild land. A man finds a mate and raises a family. He builds an abode, raises fruits and vegetables, and some livestock. A few miles from his place, another similar family was established, only 20 years earlier and that family is 5 times larger. By happenstance, the larger family has contact with the smaller family and decides they want the smaller family’s crops, livestock and abode, so they take. How they take is not important. What is important, is they took the smaller family’s possessions. There was no recourse for the smaller family. This is chaos. No one is safe if a larger or stronger entity wants what you have. Multiply this by thousands of families being taken over. This is similar to the feudal system in ancient China. The stronger absorbed the weak. So, at some point, the majority of the families decided to form a government to protect them and their property. For this, we pay taxes and expect safety and security. It seems like today, that metropolitan, state, and federal governments are not enforcing their prime responsibility, and following the Constitution. Law and order, safety and security, and the environment for its citizens right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (personal freedoms) is the sole goal of government. We depend on Police, Sheriffs, Border Patrol, ICE, Military, National Guard, and the FBI to provide that safety, security and protection against bad actors in our stead. Your thoughts are appreciated.. Reference: The Importance of Government Explained (thoughtco.com) Lots of good related reading at this site!

The following is provided to start a broader conversation on finding and implementing a permanent solution to homelessness. Assumptions 1. The problem of homelessness is a societal/government problem as to the cause, prevention and cure. (Society elects a government to address societies problems.) 2. The plan should be all-encompassing to eradicate homelessness, not a band aid! 3. This problem is not a federal problem – it is a local city/town, county, and state problem. 4. The problem is common to all 50 states, and as such, the plan is to be implemented simultaneously to avoid migration to other states to gain benefits other states do not provide Framework 1. Zero based budget born by each state for its participation 2. Address all sections of the solution a. Legislative action - Ensure laws are on the books in each state that makes homeless encampments and vagrancy a crime on private property, business property, government buildings and amenities, in public spaces and in view of any business or private residence. This gives law enforcement the right to deal with the problem in the interests if the public health & safety, commerce, and property values. b. No new government offices facilities or direct hires to support this project c. No permanent housing facilities d. Use existing programs, personnel, and facilities to resolve this problem e. Plan and action must not only solve the existing situation but prevent its reoccurrence (aka resolve the root cause) f. All 50 states participate in the implementation of the program to resolve situation 3. All 50 states to participate simultaneously on the same schedule 4. A senior program manager and project team will be hired (private)to run the program with full program and project management authority not under any state government. Plan 1. States’ approval a. One plan b. Integrated schedules c. Metrics d. Funding when needed 2. Infrastructure a. Facilities – temp housing b. Food & Water c. Transportation d. Warehousing 3. Teams a. Program & Project Management b. State committed resources (teams) c. Boots on the ground team i. Law Enforcement ii. Medical iii. Psychiatry iv. Support d. Existing Programs for hand off i. Criminal Justice ii. Drug Rehab iii. Child Protective Services iv. Education & vocational training v. Immigration vi. Etc. 4. Schedule a. Master Schedule – National level i. State ii. County iii. Metropolitan 5. Commitment and Support a. State level b. County level c. Metropolitan level 6. Program & Project Management team a. Full authority and support b. Provide meaningful metrics c. Program report-outs to measure success and ask for assistance – national level i. Quarterly – first year nationally and every quarter at state, county and metropolitan levels ii. Semi-annually – second year iii. Annually – 3rd year onwards

The rush to pass gun control laws by politicians in response to the mass shooting in a Texas elementary school, is a knee-jerk reaction, short-sighted, and not well thought out. Laws and decisions should not be made based on an exception. We are a nation of 330 million plus population. The following conversation is to provide a basis to have constructive conversations leading to a rational resolution. Death In order to understand the impact of guns on death, a broader look at death due to violence is needed to put it in perspective. As a minimum, comparisons should be made by number of occurrences and percentages viewed within the total population. Compare the numbers for these categories: Guns Automatic Rifles Assault Hunting Pistols & hand guns Shotguns Single Shot Revolvers Rifles Knives Hunting Kitchen Illegal – blades over 4 inches, switchblades Blunt force instruments Baseball bats Metal objects Hammers Etc. From these, exclude suicides. The same metrics should be done a subset for law enforcement. Once these metrics are understood and compared and ranked greatest to lowest values, there will be a better understanding of the part guns play in death. Bad Actors Bad actors can be placed into groups: Individual violent criminals acting alone or in a small group Gang activity Organized crime Individual citizen who becomes a bad actor for ONE event There is no prevention that be enacted that will prevent the individual from choosing to become a bad actor or what weapon he will use, or what demographic he is. There will always be choices made at the individual level for a free society. Mass Shootings Mass should be examined in detail taking into account time of fire arms used. The news media and politicians are playing on your conscience because of children and innocents being killed. Granted, these are heartfelt events touch most people, and some directly. A study of all mass shootings should be made, compared and ranked to better understand the events Access Facility access should be reviewed as an overall safety measure, not limited to mass shooting. Any facility should do this review periodically. The responsibility initially lies with the facility owners and operators (schools, churches, homes, sporting venues, etc.). The standards (regulations & laws) can be set by city, county, and state governments. Access is not a federal responsibility. Access control procedures should not conflict with fire and safety policies. If they do, both sides sit down and come up with a consensus that works for the public, not for the single bad actor. Assault and Automatic Weapons For the law-abiding citizen, there is no defendable reason to own any assault or automatic weapon. These weapons are designed to kill humans. Having said that, there is a certain sensation in sense of power it gives one to shoot them. Hear is a conversation to consider: Ban assault and automatic weapons from the general population, except to federally licensed and monitored gun range owners. This eliminates unsupervised use of these weapons (Full accountability of guns, clips and ammo) by the public Restrict assault and automatic weapons to law enforcement and military Gun Control Keep in mind that control laws impact only the law-abiding citizen. It has no impact on bad actors (rogue citizens, organized crime, and gangs). The reason the public has the right to bear arms is to protect the country (citizens) from the federal government (president with military) to declaring a new government and canceling the constitution. If the citizens of Venezuela had the right to bear arms, there would be no Maduro and his totalitarian regime, and the population oppressed. That is the difference the 2nd amendment makes – freedom. Ancillary Impacts Influencing Bad Actors During the 1950’s you could leave your keys in your car with doors unlocked and the windows of your home open and the doors unlocked without fear. Today that is not realistic or permitted. Children were polite, listened to their parents. Adults were courteous and had puritan values. A large percentage of the population attended church. Then in the 1960s, society changed. Since “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, women have been a big part of the work force. The mother being home with the kids slowly vanished. The hippy movement attacked courtesy, accountability, and parental guidance. Now, society has social media and bias news and talk shows. Politicians at all levels of government, seem to be focused on keeping power and increasing their personal wealth. Very little of what comes out of government benefits the majority of the citizens. There is also the doxing, fanatic viral social media posts that do only harm. Canceling does only harm. Wokeness does not represent the nation, only a small sliver, but with a loud megaphone. Then we have video games, big tech bias, and cell phone cameras. CRT serves no good. Last Thoughts So, I leave you with these thoughts: To understand what caused a good citizen to become a bad actor (mass shooter), how did society go from the 1950s mentality to the existing? Clearly, gun control is not a solution.

There are several anti-American individuals and organizations that are common knowledge to law enforcement and the government (local, state, and federal). It is time to take action and eliminate these elements and penalize severely. For example: George Soros and his family and their charity "Open Society". Let's take action as a nation to freeze their assets, revoke their US citizenship, and prosecute them for anti-American activities and crimes against the US Government and our election processes Corporate America that engages in censorship of any kind other than criminal. Elected prosecutors who do not hold law breakers accountable and pose continued threats to the population Organized gangs - The Latin Kings (Chicago based with affiliates in other cities) have their organizational chart on the Internet. The Mexican Cartels - no excuse for not waging an all-out war to eliminate them and let the Mexican Government weed out corruption. Let Mexico and America win back their streets. BLM - Black Lives Matter - an organization with not fixed headquarters address that is focused on violence, and whose founders used donation monies to buy personal property and gain wealth. Antifa - only exists to create harm to citizens and property damage. Seal the southern border - stop human trafficking, criminals/terrorists from gaining access, and illegal entry of weapons and drugs, and improve the safety and security of our impacted citizens. Your thoughts welcome

Greed and corruption are human nature. Most everyone does it at some level or another, from the office worker who constantly comes to work late, takes long lunches, goes home early, or does doctor visits and dental appointments without using sick leave. In general, this is overlooked by employers if the work gets done. When the work does not get done and corruption soars to unacceptable levels, people get angry. There was a time, just a few years back, when there was some pride in hiding you corrupt practices in government, but not today. It is open and rampant without shame. Our elected official's duty is to serve the people they represent. When they look at public office as a way to get rich and give their constituents lip service, and do not improve the state of the nation, their home state, or local districts, they are not serving the people or the country. Elected officials should not have any privileges that are not associated conducting their official duties, that the average citizen does not have access to. Examples are: Insider trading Privileges for family members or family business interests doing business with the government Royalties on government patents Immunities from libel or slander Immunity from prosecution for criminal acts Etc. Ways to keep corruption in public office from growing to unacceptable depths are: Term limits - suggest 3 for House of Representatives and 2 for Senate (reduce terms to 4 years) Eliminate the nuclear option Always have one candidate from each party on the ballot If your elected officials did not improve the nation, national security, infrastructure, or standard of living in your district or state, vote for someone different in the next election cycle Your thoughts are welcome

There has been much political postering about the Jan 6, 2021, trespassers of the Capitol Building. Regardless of the incident and who one thinks instigated, incited, or encouraged the action is not part of this discussion. What is relevant, is the constitutionally of the due process accorded to those persons taken into custody. Since none (?) of the trespassers (assumption) were charged with insurrection or treason, they should have been processed according to the 6th amendment to the constitution. The primary charge for those charges is trespassing, they should have been processed, granted bail, fined, or released for a later court date. This was not done, and as of today, all those detained have not been charged. The treatment and confinement conditions have caused one suicide over a year after confinement. The conversation around the capitol police has been trashed through the press. 1. Officer Sicknick did not die as a result of any harm to him on Jan 6th, 2021. He died later of an unrelated condition. 2. The capitol hill police officer who shot and killed Ashli Babbit did not receive a fair and unbiased investigation. He is still on duty. Compared to what happened in other police shootings in 2020, the penalty is not equal. Those responsible for the police activities, confinement, suicide deaths, and violations of the captives' constitutional rights, should be punished to the fullest extent and as a minimum, removed from office. Your thoughts welcome.

Why have civilizations elected to form governments? The primary reason if for safety and security, which translates to law and order. Law and order and safety and security are the primary responsibilities of government. So why is it, that when we elect officials to protect us, they don't do due diligence. It seems as soon as they get into office, they are looking for ways to generate personal revenues for self, friends, and family. What can we ask our officials to do first? How about eliminating or making street crimes nearly non-existent? A citizen should feel and be safe walking our streets and in their own home. City, state, county, and federal levels of government are responsible for this. Prosecutors are to follow the law; judges to ensure the correct laws were violated by the defendants; juries to recommend the appropriate sentencing and penalties. Prosecutors who allow defendants to go back into society without any penalty, where they are free to repeat similar crimes of assault, theft, and property destruction, should be recalled. Keep in mind, the only persons required to protect the criminals when they are being prosecuted, are the defendant's lawyer. The judge, jury and prosecutor, represent the people, law and order, and the constitution. Perhaps, if government does not provide basic safety, security, law, and order to its citizens, it has no value and should be dissolved.

Immediately cease and destroy any references to efforts to determine and military persons political, lifestyle, or religious preferences. These are personal rights. There should be no process or procedure in the US Military that would cause doubt in the minds of any combatants as to whether the person beside him has his back or not. Generals, admiral, defense sectary, and military branch commanders, this is your corps fundamental duty to every military person and citizen you are defending

The federal and state governments need to step up and take to account known criminal organizations and anti-American sponsors. Anti-American sponsors are: - Organizations that censor political speech (News media, social media - all that sensor political commentary [Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.]) - Antifa - Open Society Charity - anti-American arm for George Soros and his family - Black Lives Matter organization & founders - Cancel Culture & Woke persons and organizations whose sole purpose is to "DO HARM" - Organized gangs such as the Latin Kings in Chicago - for God's sake, their org chart is on the Internet - Organizations, sovereign nations, and individuals that engage in influencing elections that would represent an outcome other than that supported by the people - Other organizations and individuals as identified - The Mexican cartels We know who these groups are. Develop a plan and eliminate their influence.

The corruption in Congress will not allow enforcement of the ethics rules. When it is public knowledge of alleged ethics violations by members of Congress, take action until the allegations are resolved. Ethical violation can include: - Deliberately lying to the American people - Campaign finance violations - Violation of US immigration laws to gain US Citizenship - Corruption - Using FBI or DOJ for political purposes - Obvious ethics violations - Inciting Violence Actions can include: - Removal from any committee - Removal of position (Speaker, Whip, Minority Leader, Majority Leader, etc.) - Impeachment - Ask for and receive resignation A suggestion is that these be vetted using C-SPAN to inform the public as to the procedure followed and end results.

If the free world (EU, NATO, USA, etc.) does not provide military assistance to Ukraine BEFORE the SIEGE OF KYIV, SHAME on you! Remember at the end of WWI, WWII, Vietnam Conflict, Korean Police Action, the Communists walked away with HALF. Putin threatening the West with nuclear action is saber rattling. Stand up now. Call his bluff. Everyone knows if he launches a nuclear missile, it will be the strike that unites the West and is the ultimate call to arms and solidarity and is the end of Moscow and Russia as we know it. Do no standby and allow one more Ukrainian to die, or one more piece of Ukraine's infrastructure to be destroyed when you (The West) have to tools to turn the tide of war. The West promised to defend Ukraine if it was attacked as part of the agreement for it giving up its nuclear weapons. The perception now is that the West is putting fear into everyone's mind that if it supports Ukraine directly, WWIII will be inevitable. Guess what, you let Russia run over Ukraine while you stand by and watch, that will be the next step. All of you in the decision groups to offer direct support, give the impression that you are trying to figure out behind the scenes, "How can we make the most money from our decision?" Each minute you hesitate brings greater devastation to Ukraine's infrastructure and people.

Physical Restructuring - Break up content into - Personal use section, limit to 20 followers, no viral content, not advertising, no political content - Commerical content section with advertising for businesses - Religious content section - Political content section - Educational content section - Military content section - Government content section Lots of details required to work this concept out No more free passes for BIG TECH to self-govern and enact its own take on censorship No foreign government or members. Legal Restructuring of Section 230 - Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 - was meant to cover sites like news outlets with comment sections, online forums, and other websites where people could contribute their thoughts. Without Section 230, most of the sites we use today — including Google and Facebook — would not exist as we know them. Since BIG TECH has taken upon itself to decide what it will and will not allow on its sites (censorship) government needs to step in and protect its citizens from corporate bias information

Eliminate the nuclear option - simple one vote majority to pass a bill - This is a powerful way to enforce dialog and bipartisan legislation that would best serve the nation.

What do you think about term limits for Representatives and Senators? Start the discussion with: - 8 years total in either house or in combination - 8 years for representatives - 8 years for senators (change terms from 6 to 4 years per election cycle - elect 1/4 every year Term limits is the most powerful tool against the SWAMP and corruption

Three main reasons are offered as to why employers cannot find workers: 1. Unemployment qualifications process 2. Extra $300/week federal unemployment benefits 3. Extra $600 day-care federal benefits Unemployment qualification process Example – Washington State To receive basic unemployment insurance you must have worked the necessary qualifying period and while unemployed, look for work by applying for at least 3 jobs per week. This is the catch. You apply but do not need to accept any offers. There needs to be a feedback loop from the employers to the Unemployment office where offers were made to applicants. Those not showing up or accepting offers would be disqualified from further benefits. Extra $300/week federal unemployment benefits How to Get Your Extra $300 in Unemployment Benefits (investopedia.com) This was universal across the states and does not take into consideration local impacts. The extension beyond normal parameters discourages return to employment. States that are ceasing the extra federal payments Extra $600 day-care federal benefits - Stimulus 2021: Child Care Assistance | (edukidsinc.com) This makes no sense. If you are on unemployment and staying home, you don’t need day-care. If you are working from home, you don’t need day-care. The number of children you have is a joint decision make by the parents. It is not the government’s job to pay for this. It is the responsibility of the parents to seek gainful employment to support the size family of their choosing. Comments welcome!

The nation is so divided along political lines. The ideas and opinions of others are not respected as in earlier days. With political discourse so high and respect for others so low, it seems people can no longer get along, find common ground, show common courtesy, or compromise to reach agreement for the greater good or the good of the nation. Here are some suggestions to bring back compromise and unity and to do what is best for the nation: 1. Eliminate “Reconciliation” as a vehicle to pass laws in congress. Reconciliation bypasses compromise and bipartisanship (House of Representatives) 2. Eliminate “The Nuclear Option”. This requires only a simple majority in the Senate with the Vice President breaking the tie. The nuclear option does not promote compromise or foster bipartisanship. 3. Pass term limits for congress. It exists for presidents and governors. Start with a suggestion total of 5 terms in the House or 2 Terms in the Senate. Once an elected official completes the number of years in either, they can no longer run for congress. This avoids promoting and continuing the deep state and roots for potentially deep levels of corruption. Persons serving that do not better the life of their constituents (district or state) or improve the nation, should not be re-elected. There are career elected officials in congress that have amassed fortunes in the $100s of millions of dollars. One could draw conclusions that members are in it for their personal gain not for their constituents or the nation. 4. Eliminate any adjective in front of the word “American” that narrows the definition of American, i.e., white, black, Asian, Native, LGBTQ, etc. Use adjectives like an, all, patriotic, the, etc. 5. Do not place politics, race, and the new “pronoun identity” ideas in K-12 education. Children are color blind. None of us who are alive had any say in our race or color. We are who we are. 6. Eliminate the words “race, racism” from government descriptions of persons, organizations as derogatory adjectives. 7. For any government committees or commissions formed, anyone person in office identifying any person, group, or organization as “racist” shall not be part of these commissions or committees to address racism in America. Their views are bias and predetermined and cannot have objective input. 8. The FCC and congress needs to enact regulations and laws to deal with the power, controls, targeting, censorship, and misinformation (not collaborated by at least 2 independent sources) by social and news media. They should be independent of political bias so the American public has all sides of an issue giving them the opportunity prior to casting a vote they believe will best advance the nations and its citizens. I’m sure there are other ideas that I welcome to the forum.

1. Honor & respect the American flag 2. Support and respect the law and order of the United States 3. Identify (Blacks) as Americans rather than blacks 4. Play the national anthem at all professional sporting events 5. Cease televising player images during the national anthem at sporting events 6. Refrain from supporting violence, or degrading a person’s character as a member of congress, on social media, talk shows, and in the news 7. Avoid deliberately televising misinformation by networks (broadcast and cable) 8. Prohibit censoring of a person’s or organization’s political view, discord, or speech 9. Respect all persons, the constitution, bill or rights, states election rights, and the judicial system of justice 10. Hold accountable all persons responsible and participating in destruction of public or private property 11. Avoid promotion of cancel culture endorsed by the public or private sectors 12. Avoid derogatory and demeaning of persons or companies in the news and social media