Of the United States’ many political problems, one glaring issue is the fact that we have a two-party system representing a wide array of opinions.
It’s a bigger problem than most people think. While independents make up over one-third of US registered voters -- and generally they remain almost entirely unrepresented in Congress -- people within each party disagree wildly.
There are some Alabama voters who are considering writing in a candidate in the upcoming special Senate election. These voters are concerned about multiple allegations that GOP candidate Roy Moore sexually harassed and abused minors when he was a local district attorney.
To wrap our minds around violence in America, we must step back and look at the whole.
Violence has many forms: child neglect and abuse, spouse and partner rage, school bullying, sexual assaults on campus and in the military, violent incidents with law enforcement, harassments and humiliations at work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QnWW689dR8
It doesn't matter if it is a Democrat or a Republican, ultimately it is the taxpayer who pays for bad behavior on Capitol Hill. US Rep. Jackie Speier says taxpayers have paid out $15 million in harassment settlements over a 20-year period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x52hu0ilm4E
Video Credit: RT
A widely circulated article by Fox News Tuesday reports that the U.S. Army, struggling to meet its recruitment quotas, will be lowering its standards for new recruits by lifting a previous ban on recruiting "people with a history of mental illness, self-mutilation and drug abuse to serve in the military."
The point of electing Centrist Independents is to empower the political center, to build a bridge between Republicans and Democrats, and to get things done.
Mass-Care is the name of the Bay State’s campaign to bring affordable health care to all Massachusetts residents under a single-payer system. Such a system could serve as the archetype for all of the US. However, even making strides at the state level can be difficult in the current political climate.
Massachusetts lawmakers seem open to the idea. The State Senate recently voted 33-6 (with all Republican senators dissenting) to further explore the single-payer option after prolonged debate and several changes to the bill.
Level the Playing Field filed new documents in their case against the “nonpartisan” Commission on Presidential Debates. Among them is a brief that includes a blistering response to the FEC’s argument that the CPD -- as an organization -- doesn’t have a conflict of interest, even though the majority of its board is made up of high-powered Democratic and Republican insiders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZZrjURmKk&t=3m41s
US Senator Bernie Sanders published an opinion piece on CNN.com, calling for an end to the "global oligarchy." Sanders is referring to a state in which "a handful of billionaires now own and control a significant part of the world economy."
Sanders writes:
A new poll conducted by the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times finds a growing number of Californian's opposed to the Gas Tax passed by the Democrat dominated legislature in Sacramento.
When voters were asked if the vote happened today, 54.2% said they would cancel the tax and fee hikes. 45.8% said they would vote to keep the increases in place.
Two groups are working to put initiatives on the November 2018 ballot. If passed, the vote would repeal the 12-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase that took effect this month.