PlainSite :: Issues

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1	principal and resource officer search my home without search warrant or consent find prescription pill bottle prescribed to ex, arrest me, call cps, take my children, not allow me to return to home Anonymous, April 23, 2013 at 4:46 AM DT
	i am homeless, living in car, police and cps has made false accusations to my parents who have temporary custody of my children turning them against me, how is this possible? My children and I are current victims of domestic violence. i dont know wha...

0	how to expunge a illegals theft charge he was refused his citizenship due to 3 court cases at court he was not given proper information and canada is different now his application was refused .. we know tapes are not available for the court case but Anonymous, December 16, 2012 at 8:36 PM ST
	he has to leave the usa if he does i will not have a income we own a home we live a normal life trouble free he was just dumb when he came to the usa we are in ma. and have payed thousands in legal fees with no luck. he cant get medical care and he ...

0	Lawyer stole settlement proceeds Anonymous, December 26, 2012 at 3:27 PM ST
	if a lawyer borrows money from your settlement then invests the $300,000 left for the rest of you life and loses the entire amount to a Ponzi scheme and will not give you an accounting of exactly what happened to your money, can you get it back or su...

	1	Sue for Legal Malpractice Aaron Greenspan, December 26, 2012 at 3:32 PM ST
		This sounds like legal malpractice. You can sue on your own (pro se) in state court or you can find a new lawyer to help sue the old one.

	0	You need to Google the name of your state along with the words "attorney complaints" or "attorney grievance" committee- find out the name of the STATE RUN committee (probably a part of the court system for the state) that investigators complaints f Anonymous, March 6, 2013 at 3:36 PM ST
		No new law is probably needed for your problem- just make the contact and complain.

0	Innocent Spouses Anonymous, March 22, 2013 at 5:33 PM DT
	I was a housewife for many years. When I left my husband I find out I owe the same taxes on his small business as he does. He had not paid taxes in several years and they came after me for them. I tried to get innocent spouse and was denied. It was h...

0	non payment of wages Anonymous, May 10, 2013 at 9:55 PM DT
	loss of wages

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19	Billions in subsidies are given to oil and coal companies while Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor technology, which could solve our energy crisis, goes unfunded and un-researched. David Arnold, October 30, 2011 at 10:54 PM DT
	My country has gone to war for energy resources which it would not need if it would pour that war money into researching next-gen energy solutions like the LFTR.

-1	Despite a constitutional separation of Church and State, the United States' motto has been changed to "One Nation Under God," our money says "In God We Trust," and our pledge of allegiance has been edited to include "under God." Brian Sperling, November 1, 2011 at 12:04 PM DT
	It doesn't account for the millions of non-believers, agnostics, atheists, and free-thinkers and endorses the existence of a divine being.

0	Farming jobs, manufacturing jobs, and the US has a strong dependence on foreign oil. Patrick Ander, November 7, 2011 at 9:55 AM ST
	The unemployment rate is at 9% and a lot of people could work on farms or in manufacturing jobs. My town was decimated when NAFTA was passed.

	3	Legalize the growing of industrial hemp. Patrick Ander, November 7, 2011 at 9:55 AM ST
		By legalizing industrial hemp, it would provide a boost to the economy. It would create jobs in farming, transportation, and potential could create jobs in manufacturing as companies move towards making goods with industrial hemp. It could also hel...

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3	Arbitrary State Money Transmission Laws Grant Monopoly Powers To Banks and Credit Card Companies Aaron Greenspan, August 9, 2011 at 2:10 AM DT
	As banks are becoming increasingly dependent on technology, and technology companies are increasingly capable of offering financial services, there is a gray area of financial regulation related to money transmission by non-banks that is becoming inc...

	1	Unify the Money Transmission Regulatory Framework Under the Department of the Treasury Aaron Greenspan, August 9, 2011 at 2:10 AM DT
		Right now, each state legislature determines whether or not to regulate "money transmission," which is often (but not always) defined as the act of routinely holding onto funds that belong to others with the intent of sending those funds somewhere el...

	2	Extend FDIC Insurance Coverage to Money Transmitters Aaron Greenspan, October 18, 2011 at 4:09 AM DT
		Money transmitters should pay an FDIC premium, just like a bank, so that each company doesn't have to spend millions of dollars and years of time obtaining 46 individual surety bonds. Since money transmitters have different risk profiles than banks, ...

9	Retail Banks Can Expose Depositors' Funds to the Same Types of Extreme Risks as Investment Banks Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:20 AM DT
	In 1999, largely for the benefit of Citigroup, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act repealed the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, which for seven decades had been successful at preventing banks from gambling with customer deposits. The Glass-Steagall Act had delibe...

	13	Reinstate the Glass–Steagall Act Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:20 AM DT
		Put it back how it was before 1999. It was there for a reason, and that reason was called The Great Depression.

3	The debt ceiling bill ended the interest subsidy on Federal Stafford Loans taken out by graduate students. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:37 PM DT
	As a graduate student, I've already gotten notice from my school that I will lose this subsidy starting next year. I can expect to owe $5000 more on my loan by the time I graduate, and $11,000 more over a 20-year repayment period. It sickens me tha...

	1	Reinstate the subsidy. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:40 PM DT
		The funds lost by reinstating the subsidy could be taken from less important things than educating our nation's students. Tax the rich (who don't have to take out any Stafford loans), or stop subsidizing the oil companies.

12	Executive compensation is completely ludicrous Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:18 AM DT
	I've read far too many articles about CEOs of companies getting paid 600 to 700 times as much as their average employees. Many of these CEOs are failed leaders whose management skills led to decreases in shareholder value or outright disasters.

	8	Require CEOs to justify annual compensation above $1 million to the SEC in a public report Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:19 AM DT
		Explain to us why you're really that special. Go ahead. Try.

0	Government granted a monopoly on the production of legal tender to the Federal Reserve Bank Devin Balkind, October 16, 2011 at 11:37 PM DT
	It has made our currency undignified.

	-3	Create our own banking system that isn't beholden to the Federal Reserve. Devin Balkind, October 16, 2011 at 11:37 PM DT
		We're working on tools and techniques people can use to enhance their economic relationships without using Federal Reserve Notes.

13	Computerized market trading is causing unprecedented volatility Aaron Greenspan, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 AM DT
	Like many, I have stock market investments that fluctuate. Lately the market has been extremely volatile, and many suspect that some firms use their trading technology to gain an unfair advantage when placing trades.

	3	Congress should call for a panel of experts to investigate the problem Aaron Greenspan, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 AM DT
		Congress isn't necessarily well-equipped to directly investigate a complex technical issue, but there are people out there who are, and who can report back with useful insights.

6	The CFPB is powerless to actually do anything because Republicans refuse to allocate funding Anonymous, October 18, 2011 at 1:02 PM DT
	As with any agency, the CFPB needs funding to do its job.

20	It is nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt via bankruptcy Eric Teasley, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 PM DT
	The soaring costs of education, the tremendous increase in the volume of student loans taken out to pay for it, and the worst job market in decades have conspired to create a dismal financial situation for today’s college graduates. Though many of...

	16	Reduce the burden of proof required to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy. Eric Teasley, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 PM DT
		Graduates are already under undue hardship given the state of the economy and the amount of debt they have, which will follow many of them to the grave. Fixing this law would allow the hardest hit not to have their lives ruined by it.

0	Nationalize the banks. Patrick McCarthy, October 31, 2011 at 11:52 AM DT
	Breaking up the big banks into a greater number of smaller, local banks would inevitably lead to the most successful of these banks purchasing and consolidating their weaker competitors again into fewer, larger entities. I propose consolidating the c...

6	re-instate glass steagal act. Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 8:24 PM DT
	investment banks are sleeping in the same bed with deposit banks. this is the main cause of our financial sector problem.

8	Banking Monopolies: Between 1990 and 2010, thirty-seven banking institutions were consolidated into four: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. Patrick McCarthy, November 1, 2011 at 1:56 PM DT
	Unfortunately, breaking up the big banks back into a greater number of smaller, local banks would inevitably again lead to the most successful of these banks purchasing and consolidating their weaker competitors into fewer, larger entities, and allow...

	1	Unify the Money Transmission Regulatory Framework Under the Department of the Treasury Aaron Greenspan, August 9, 2011 at 2:10 AM DT
		Right now, each state legislature determines whether or not to regulate "money transmission," which is often (but not always) defined as the act of routinely holding onto funds that belong to others with the intent of sending those funds somewhere el...

2	Banking executives have not been prosecuted for the 2008 financial crisis Anonymous, February 2, 2012 at 3:40 AM ST
	I have to obey the law every day. Bank CEOs, on the other hand--they're worth enough that they're above the law.

0	Please read this information and forward it to everyone on your contact list, to Congressmen, elected officials, colleges, influential organizations, newscasters, newspapers, magazines, talk radio and anyone else you can think of. Print it out for pe Anonymous, February 10, 2012 at 8:16 PM ST
	It has destroyed our economy

	0	Please read this information and forward it to everyone on your contact list, to Congressmen, elected officials, colleges, influential organizations, newscasters, newspapers, magazines, talk radio and anyone else you can think of. Print it out for pe Anonymous, February 10, 2012 at 8:16 PM ST
		Please read this information and forward it to everyone on your contact list, to Congressmen, elected officials, colleges, influential organizations, newscasters, newspapers, magazines, talk radio and anyone else you can think of. Print it out for pe...

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37	Congress is corrupted by a system of privately funded elections. Lawrence Lessig, October 14, 2011 at 12:37 PM DT
	Congress follows the will of the Funders. The Funders are not the People.

	35	Public elections should be publicly funded Lawrence Lessig, October 14, 2011 at 12:37 PM DT
		Candidates for Congress could voluntarily agree to limit contributions to $100 per citizen (no PAC contributions). In exchange, they could accept "democracy voucher" contributions up to $50 per citizen. Every voter would get a $50 democracy voucher. ...

16	Campaign Finance Reform Carmelo Freda, October 31, 2011 at 12:39 AM DT
	It has affected everyone. When the rich and corporations are allowed to make virtually unlimited donations to a politician or a campaign through the user of Super PACS, our democratic system is violated and skewed towards the wants and needs of the e...

6	News corporations have an undue and biased influence in the national perspective and in elections. Arbi Llaveshi, October 31, 2011 at 2:33 AM DT
	News corporations often influence the most prominent Democratic or Republican candidates. Also, media often underplays controversial decisions, is focused on garnering large ratings, and focuses on sensationalist stories.

	5	Reverse the Citizen's United Rulings, Institute federal law mandating that all institutions which deliver the news must be non-profit. Arbi Llaveshi, October 31, 2011 at 2:33 AM DT
		The recent controversial citizen's united ruling has completely destroyed any semblance of freedom of speech within the U.S. It is understood that traditionally freedom of speech was also dependent on the capital which supported it but citizen's unit...

5	There is not enough feedback between politicians and their constituencies. It is to easy for a few powerful/wealthy individuals to influence public policy. Craig Snoeyink, October 31, 2011 at 11:28 AM DT
	The best example is, I believe, the near crises we had over raising the debt ceiling.

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2	What Does section 934 of the 2011 Defense Authorization Act require? Section 934—Additional Requirements for Quadrennial Roles and Missions Review in 2011 This section would require the Secretary of Defense to consider information operations Anonymous, October 13, 2011 at 4:38 PM DT
	I don't know what it means. Particularly interested in information operations being required as part of the 2011 Quadrennial roles and Missions Review. What does that encompass? What is considered information operations? How are cyber operations ...

-4	People need to wake up and learn to think for themselves. The mainstream media has an agenda. Don't listen to them. Anonymous, October 30, 2011 at 10:29 PM DT
	Ignorant America is going down the drain

5	Our defense budget is ridiculously inflated and still has the United States prepared to fight Russia in 1981. Brian Sperling, November 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM DT
	Huge amounts of government spending and tax dollars go into defense spending and the subsequent military industrial complex. Cut defense spending, eliminate many over seas bases.

	3	Cut the size of the military, remove overseas bases, lower funding for weapons research. Brian Sperling, November 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM DT
		The military-industrial complex dominates American politics and furthermore we spend far too much on military spending. Our defense budget is huge- Obama recently called for it to be raised to $738 billion, a number that eclipses any other country. ...

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3	Criminal Charges and Penalties Against Mentally Ill Individuals Are Completely Ineffective Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:52 AM DT
	My brother is autistic, and our neighbors filed criminal charges against him for behavior he cannot control. Everyone wanted the behavior to stop, and yet all the charges did was make life more miserable for my brother and my family, compounding the ...

	4	Amend the Americans with Disabilities Act to Prevent Frivolous Court Cases Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:52 AM DT
		Clearly anyone who commits a murder is dangerous, but short of physical disturbance, the mentally ill should not be clogging up the court system if it can be proven that A) a given individual is incapable of learning from the court case based on past...

5	Mentally Ill Individuals Can Buy Guns Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:27 AM DT
	My friend, Penny Chang, was shot and killed in Shaker Heights, Ohio when we were in high school.

	4	Ban Gun Sales to Mentally Ill Individuals Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:27 AM DT
		There is no reason why someone with mental illness should be able to buy a gun.

2	Social Security Ed Bradford, November 6, 2011 at 7:18 PM ST
	I collect

	2	Pre-funding Ed Bradford, November 6, 2011 at 7:18 PM ST
		Social Security is a pay as you go system. When started, 17 people supported each retiree. Today, 3 people support each retiree. in 2030 2 people will support each retiree. This is not sustainable even if you rase the cap, increase retirement age, ch...

2	Guardianship for developmentally disabled adults. There are no recprocity laws between states, SSI can be taken over by anyone, freedom and rights are stripped away by any unscrupulous agent with money and power. Anonymous, November 10, 2011 at 8:06 PM ST
	I was legal guardian of my son who is now 33 years old. I had legal custody after a divorce then became legal guardian, loving mother who also managed the SSI benefits and programs for my son. I have worked with special needs children and for over t...

2	mentally ill individual incarcerated because of her mental illness Anonymous, April 23, 2012 at 1:58 AM DT
	My friends 19 year old niece was seen " wandering around " and " acting suspicious",while walking into a condominium complex,long story short,the police were called.She was arrested for ' trespassing" and " breaking and entering" ,(though there was n...

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3	The debt ceiling bill ended the interest subsidy on Federal Stafford Loans taken out by graduate students. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:37 PM DT
	As a graduate student, I've already gotten notice from my school that I will lose this subsidy starting next year. I can expect to owe $5000 more on my loan by the time I graduate, and $11,000 more over a 20-year repayment period. It sickens me tha...

	1	Reinstate the subsidy. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:40 PM DT
		The funds lost by reinstating the subsidy could be taken from less important things than educating our nation's students. Tax the rich (who don't have to take out any Stafford loans), or stop subsidizing the oil companies.

20	It is nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt via bankruptcy Eric Teasley, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 PM DT
	The soaring costs of education, the tremendous increase in the volume of student loans taken out to pay for it, and the worst job market in decades have conspired to create a dismal financial situation for today’s college graduates. Though many of...

	16	Reduce the burden of proof required to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy. Eric Teasley, October 18, 2011 at 3:48 PM DT
		Graduates are already under undue hardship given the state of the economy and the amount of debt they have, which will follow many of them to the grave. Fixing this law would allow the hardest hit not to have their lives ruined by it.

1	Scholarships favor minorities. Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 9:11 AM DT
	Get rid of the race qualification for federal funded scholarships. Give us all an equal chance based on merit, not skin color.

1	The bar for education, testing and grading standards has been lowered by attendance / funding / subsidy incentives. Thomas Worman, October 31, 2011 at 11:13 AM DT
	The lowering of testing / grading standards and college acceptances (incentivised by increased attendance / funding) and systematic escort of children through the educational system has yielded an entire generation having believed they must spend tho...

1	Students need more sleep and less homework Anonymous, February 8, 2012 at 12:48 AM ST
	Starting in fifth grade all the way through high school, I had far too much homework, and got far too little sleep. The overall effect on my health was serious.

	0	Stop giving students homework for no reason. Anonymous, February 8, 2012 at 12:48 AM ST
		Motivated students are going to learn regardless of the level of homework assigned, and non-motivated students are probably not going to learn as much regardless of the level of homework assigned. The best way to encourage students to learn is to hir...

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9	EPA losing power and funding Anonymous, October 30, 2011 at 11:51 PM DT
	Growing power of corporations has created a world where corporations can pollute and destroy the environment with little accountability.

13	Excessive carbon dioxide emissions put as at risk of catastrophic consequences due to climate change. Scott Cederberg, October 31, 2011 at 4:25 PM DT
	An overwhelming scientific consensus exists that the climate is changing and that human-produced carbon dioxide emissions contribute significantly to the change. The exact consequences of these changes are difficult to predict but are likely to caus...

	6	Institute a system of tradeable carbon emissions permits. Scott Cederberg, October 31, 2011 at 4:25 PM DT
		This method harness the power of the market to reduce emissions efficiently. Credible studies suggest that the long-term impact to GDP would be minimal relative to the risk we run by doing nothing.

1	Health care providers or their staff sometimes poorly understand or implement the privacy protections required by HIPAA. Alex Hendler, January 19, 2012 at 3:37 AM ST
	It has not. I have been lucky enough to deal with health care providers who have been properly educated about how to apply HIPAA's privacy protections

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11	Same-sex marriage is illegal in most states and is not recognized federally. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 11:07 PM DT
	It's unconstitutional to deny two people the rights and benefits of marriage just because they happen to be the same sex. My gay friends have been in loving partnerships for decades. It doesn't make any sense that they can't get married when their ...

	11	Amend the U.S. Code to recognize same-sex marriages federally and to supersede the states by guaranteeing them rights and benefits equivalent to opposite-sex marriages in every state. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 11:07 PM DT
		Just as the anti-miscegenation laws and so many other prejudiced relics have been overturned, so it is time for laws restricting same-sex marriage to be overturned.

4	The law of the United States is discriminatory against same-sex couples Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 3:30 PM DT
	While I am not discriminated against by this law, I see it as a harmful application of religious mores. To the State, marriage should simply be a legal construct between people and not show preference towards any specific sex orientation.

	6	Re-define marriage as solely a religious matter. The legal construct joining two people will be called a "civil union", which does not discriminate between homosexual and heterosexual couples. Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 3:30 PM DT
		All current rights given to spouses under "marriage" will be extended to spouses under "civil unions". This includes, but is not limited to: filing taxes jointly, sharing family insurance, social security benefits, estate tax exemptions, veteran & mi...

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13	Require All Federal and State Laws, Bills and Executive Orders To Be Provided Publicly in a Standard Digital Format Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:57 AM DT
	Making PlainSite would be a lot easier if we didn't have to parse 50+ different file formats for different jurisdictions.

	11	Delegate The Task of Developing a Standard Legal Format to NIST Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:57 AM DT
		NIST is well-equipped to develop a simple, standard format that the federal and state governments could use to help increase transparency in government.

6	Legislators don't read the laws they vote for Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:03 PM DT
	The Dodd-Frank Act and the Durbin Amendment are perfect examples. Dodd-Frank was something like 2,000 pages long.

	5	Institute a page limit (assuming constant font size) of 50 pages per law. Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:03 PM DT
		If it's not readable it shouldn't be enforceable. Some of the most effective laws in our nation's history are two pages long.

5	Courts are so inefficient and slow that average citizens' problems have no reasonable hope of being resolved Aaron Greenspan, October 15, 2011 at 1:26 PM DT
	Small claims court is a real pain in the neck to deal with if you have a job or at all value your time. Nothing is on-line, everything gets rejected for the smallest technical reason, and it's a very opaque process in general.

	3	Require all courts to use a single on-line system for filing forms, docketing, and allowing parties to represent themselves to the greatest extent possible Aaron Greenspan, October 15, 2011 at 1:26 PM DT
		Each court has different forms, different systems, different schedules, etc. It should not be so hard to figure everything out.

	2	Develop a web based, virtual courtroom thats citizen moderated. A real "People's Court" Alex Mozes, November 6, 2011 at 2:38 PM ST
		Assuming a similar verified, trackable citizen model to this site, individuals could volunteer as lawyers, jury, & fact verification for backlogged civil cases. Citizen points are awarded based on participation. The result should be crowd sourced c...

7	Process of writing legislation is opaque and difficult to track, with large bodies of text attributed to large numbers of people. Anonymous, October 16, 2011 at 12:47 AM DT
	When I read legislation, I frequently find myself wanting to understand the motivations behind the living document. I'd love to know who added what, and what paragraphs were highly edited (suggesting meticulous wording or outside intervention).

	5	Increase accountability among legislators by tracking EVERY document change publicly, from draft to final, and tying each change to an individual who takes responsibility. Anonymous, October 16, 2011 at 12:47 AM DT
		Some legislative docs are already in standard XML format. These could be tracked with a version control system (VCS) like Git, and a custom XML "diff" driver (which the VCS uses to track meaningful changes in XML structure) could be implemented. Here...

-4	People need to wake up and learn to think for themselves. The mainstream media has an agenda. Don't listen to them. Anonymous, October 30, 2011 at 10:29 PM DT
	Ignorant America is going down the drain

6	The prohibition laws surrounding cannabis do more harm than good individuals and society as a whole. Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 12:36 AM DT
	Despite being less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco, cannabis is still illegal. This pushes the plant into the unregulated black market and helps fund cartels.

4	The voter turnout rate is very low. Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 4:39 PM DT
	The voter turnout in the 2010 federal elections was less than 42%. As the majority of eligible voters do not vote, the majority of the democratic power in the US is concentrated in the far wings of the political spectrum that are politically motivate...

	1	Require that all people legally eligible to vote in federal elections do so. Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 4:39 PM DT
		All US citizens over the age of 18 that are not rendered ineligible to vote due to the commission of a crime are required to vote in all federal elections. Voting in party primaries, state elections, and local elections is not required by this bi...

-11	Alchohol is bad mmkay Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 6:39 PM DT
	In lots of ways

2	Elected leaders only partially represent us, and often cater to special interests, instead of doing what is best for our Nation. Cory Suter, February 16, 2012 at 12:32 PM ST
	My Father-in-law spent months carefully crafting text for the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, only to have a sizable portion of the law changed by two rogue Congressman right before the bill went to a vote and became law. Even Congressman don't know the ...

	1	We the People can direct our Congress by creating better laws. Please visit DirectCongress.org to learn more about our thorough plan to create Lawmaking 2.0 Philadelphia is birthing a second Independence movement to reform the legislative branch. Cory Suter, February 16, 2012 at 12:32 PM ST
		The Direct Congress website has a thorough list of Frequently Asked Questions. Please give us your feedback!

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5	Mentally Ill Individuals Can Buy Guns Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:27 AM DT
	My friend, Penny Chang, was shot and killed in Shaker Heights, Ohio when we were in high school.

	4	Ban Gun Sales to Mentally Ill Individuals Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 3:27 AM DT
		There is no reason why someone with mental illness should be able to buy a gun.

1	"Stand Your Ground" laws make it too easy to use deadly force. Anonymous, April 19, 2012 at 2:31 AM DT
	It's affected all of us through the Trayvon Martin case.

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3	Medical Professionals Frequently Restrict Patient Data, Even To Patients Themselves Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:47 AM DT
	I was once waiting on crucial test results, and a nurse refused to tell them to me over the phone even though they were my results. She insisted that HIPAA prohibited her from disclosing them over the phone, and that I would have to come to the hospi...

	3	Simplify HIPAA. Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:47 AM DT
		The law is clearly so confusing that even highly-educated medical professionals can't interpret it properly. If the Sherman Antitrust Act could be a few clauses and still effective, why can't laws be written the same way today?

7	Television commercials for pharmaceutical drugs are totally misleading images on top of lists of side-effects Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:14 AM DT
	Family members have taken prescription medications that did far more harm that good. These medications should not be advertised direct to consumers who are totally unqualified to evaluate them.

	12	Ban television advertising of prescription drugs. Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 5:14 AM DT
		(It would certainly make 60 Minutes more watchable.) There's no good reason why I, and not my doctor, should be on the receiving end of these ads.

1	Health care providers or their staff sometimes poorly understand or implement the privacy protections required by HIPAA. Alex Hendler, January 19, 2012 at 3:37 AM ST
	It has not. I have been lucky enough to deal with health care providers who have been properly educated about how to apply HIPAA's privacy protections

	3	Simplify HIPAA. Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:47 AM DT
		The law is clearly so confusing that even highly-educated medical professionals can't interpret it properly. If the Sherman Antitrust Act could be a few clauses and still effective, why can't laws be written the same way today?

1	Students need more sleep and less homework Anonymous, February 8, 2012 at 12:48 AM ST
	Starting in fifth grade all the way through high school, I had far too much homework, and got far too little sleep. The overall effect on my health was serious.

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4	Prosecutors have too much power. There are no repercussions to the da or police departments or individual officers when defendants are found not guilty. Anonymous, October 15, 2011 at 3:34 AM DT
	I see that most often accused take a plea deal even if doubting there exists evidence against them. They know they won't win anyway. The lawyer bankrupts them anyway just to get to a plea agreement. It's an unrealistic idea for most citizens accused ...

9	Legal information is not readily available. Pieter Gunst, October 16, 2011 at 6:17 PM DT
	Finding solutions to legal questions takes longer than it should.

	9	Decide upon a standard format to publish statutes, cases and other government data. Pieter Gunst, October 16, 2011 at 6:17 PM DT
		This is a good source, would be happy to learn of others: http://www.w3.org/TR/gov-data/

2	Corrupt Congress Anonymous, November 6, 2011 at 12:02 AM DT
	Destroyed my business, lost my townhouse, unemployed for four years despite having a stellar resume and 60 years of robust life experience.

	3	Electoral Reform Act of 2012 Anonymous, November 6, 2011 at 12:02 AM DT
		Electoral Reform Act of 2012 [3.4] Phase I [Implementation in Time for November 2012] 01 Open Ballot Access Proposed, that ballot access requirements should be the same for every candidate, irrespective of party affiliation. Equal access include...

1	Small businesses are not permitted to represent themselves in court, but are not large enough to afford overpriced lawyers Aaron Greenspan, March 4, 2012 at 8:01 PM ST
	Even though the law does not specifically forbid it, local rules in effect in most (if not all) federal court districts mean that small businesses such as my own are caught between not filing legitimate claims, and not being able to afford the cost o...

	1	Override the district local rules with a small change to legislation that will allow businesses to be represented pro se by their shareholders or directors if desired. Aaron Greenspan, March 4, 2012 at 8:01 PM ST
		The courts generally frown upon pro se representation by companies because, they argue, the quality of legal discourse would decline without professional representation. Yet individuals are allowed to represent themselves, and the courts clearly seem...

1	African-Americans are incarcerated seven times more often than Whites Aaron Greenspan, March 11, 2012 at 10:41 PM DT
	It affects the entire composition of society and it hurts everyone when an entire segment of the population is severely disenfranchised.

	1	Forbid private outsourcing of prison services Aaron Greenspan, March 11, 2012 at 10:41 PM DT
		From "The Caging of America" by Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker: "Brecht could hardly have imagined such a document: a capitalist enterprise that feeds on the misery of man trying as hard as it can to be sure that nothing is done to decrease that mi...

1	"Stand Your Ground" laws make it too easy to use deadly force. Anonymous, April 19, 2012 at 2:31 AM DT
	It's affected all of us through the Trayvon Martin case.

0	Non custodial parent owes $185k + back child support and fled to Italy. Anonymous, April 24, 2012 at 2:00 PM DT
	My three children and I have not had the support ordered. His sister who owns a company in MS has him work for her in Italy. The DHH says there is nothing I can do but she is supporting him and its documented.

0	Living in Utah my mother is trying to do a forced adoption on my kids, after already doing along custody battle to get my kids back! How can I ever end this; every lawyer has told me she can just keep filing and continue opening court cases to try an Anonymous, April 30, 2012 at 1:01 AM DT
	She got temporary custody granted to her not even two weeks after the court dismissed the guardianship she had, and gave me sole custody.

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27	People need jobs Anonymous, October 18, 2011 at 4:00 PM DT
	There are protesters in the streets because the unemployment rate is still about 9%.

	20	Pass Obama's Jobs Act. Anonymous, October 18, 2011 at 4:00 PM DT
		It's pretty comprehensive and it's the best option on the table.

7	Loss of jobs in the United States. Anonymous, October 18, 2011 at 11:51 PM DT
	People in my district can no longer find jobs in the middle class.

	4	Are the "free trade" agreements helping people in the United States? Are they the cause of job loss in the United States? Do these agreements only help international businesses? Anonymous, October 18, 2011 at 11:51 PM DT
		We need to look at international trade agreements and determine whether they are helping the 99% of people in the United States, or only helping the top 1%.

2	There is a large wage gap between executives and average workers Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 4:11 PM DT
	The upper-management in many companies make huge salaries while paying the majority of their workers comparatively little. This further consentrates the money and power into a smaller and smaller group of people at the cost of the rest of the contry....

	0	Limit the maximum compensation of any company to 35 times that of the average employee. Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 4:11 PM DT
		While this is still a large gap, it is a starting point for limiting how much the upper management can take advantage of the average worker. There is still no numerical limit on how much a CEO can make. Instead, it simply requires that they increase ...

3	Illegal immigrants aren't taxed despite the fact that they work in this economy. Allow potential and illegal immigrants opportunities to acquire working visas so we can tax them. Brian Sperling, November 1, 2011 at 12:13 PM DT
	Federal, state, and local revenue could be increased if undocumented workers were taxed.

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1	African-Americans are incarcerated seven times more often than Whites Aaron Greenspan, March 11, 2012 at 10:41 PM DT
	It affects the entire composition of society and it hurts everyone when an entire segment of the population is severely disenfranchised.

	1	Forbid private outsourcing of prison services Aaron Greenspan, March 11, 2012 at 10:41 PM DT
		From "The Caging of America" by Adam Gopnik in The New Yorker: "Brecht could hardly have imagined such a document: a capitalist enterprise that feeds on the misery of man trying as hard as it can to be sure that nothing is done to decrease that mi...

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	-4	Property tax exemptions for churches amount to subsidies. Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 11:03 AM DT
		My tax dollars subsidize hate groups, institutionalized pedophilia, anti-science movements, etc.

	4	The law of the United States is discriminatory against same-sex couples Kyle Halgerson, October 31, 2011 at 3:30 PM DT
		While I am not discriminated against by this law, I see it as a harmful application of religious mores. To the State, marriage should simply be a legal construct between people and not show preference towards any specific sex orientation.

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3	The debt ceiling bill ended the interest subsidy on Federal Stafford Loans taken out by graduate students. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:37 PM DT
	As a graduate student, I've already gotten notice from my school that I will lose this subsidy starting next year. I can expect to owe $5000 more on my loan by the time I graduate, and $11,000 more over a 20-year repayment period. It sickens me tha...

	1	Reinstate the subsidy. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 9:40 PM DT
		The funds lost by reinstating the subsidy could be taken from less important things than educating our nation's students. Tax the rich (who don't have to take out any Stafford loans), or stop subsidizing the oil companies.

13	The federal tax code is unnecessarily complicated and highly inequitable. Anonymous, October 12, 2011 at 11:34 PM DT
	The tax code's immense complexity makes it possible for the richest Americans to pay less in taxes than everyone else, thanks to expensive accountants who are in point-blank terms, tax evasion specialists. Meanwhile, average Americans, who cannot aff...

	1	Centralize all state and local taxes through the IRS so that the burden of allocating resources, filling out different forms and calculating different rates falls on the government, not the taxpayer. Aaron Greenspan, October 13, 2011 at 2:59 AM DT
		Right now, a basic paycheck in California has four different payroll taxes associated with it, some of which are withheld on the employer side, some of which are withheld on the employee side, some of which are federal, some of which are state, and s...

5	Large corporations don't pay their fair share of taxes Aaron Greenspan, October 15, 2011 at 11:37 PM DT
	I run a small business and I still have to pay my taxes because I can't afford $900-per-hour CPAs who know the entire tax code inside and out, including every loophole. Nor do I want to headquarter my company in Grand Cayman.

	4	Force large corporations to pay taxes plus penalties for all the years that they evaded them using offshore shelters Aaron Greenspan, October 15, 2011 at 11:37 PM DT
		Many large companies use tax shelters in order to pretend as though their income came from overseas. Everyone knows about it. Yet Congress never seems to be able to fix it.

18	Taxes on the rich and super rich MUST be raised significantly. Jose Fernandez, October 30, 2011 at 11:28 PM DT
	Every person is affected by the loss of revenue in the United States. From drying up social services, to pot-holed roads to schools that jam 2-3 grades into a single classroom; the effect is pervasive. The Bush tax cuts should have expired but the wh...

	2	Implement President Obama's five principles for tax reform and improve the current progressive income tax system Taylor Morgan, November 3, 2011 at 1:50 AM DT
		Given the nature of the progressive tax system, it would be beneficial to government revenues and the economy for policies to be implemented that alleviate income and payroll tax burdens on the middle and lower classes and that increase income and pa...

1	Americans have seen a massive redistribution of wealth over the last forty years with the country surrendering nearly a quarter of the nation’s yearly income to the top 1% of Americans. Furthermore of all the new financial wealth created by the Am Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 6:39 AM DT
	Loopholes in the tax system and botched economic policies such as the one implemented by former President Ronald Reagan and supported by subsequent Republican administrations that rely on a supply-side, trickle-down theory of wealth are certainly not...

	1	Implement President Obama's five principles for tax reform and improve the current progressive income tax system by alleviating income and payroll tax burdens on the middle and lower classes and by increasing income and payroll taxes on the top brack Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 6:39 AM DT
		Given the nature of the progressive tax system, it would be beneficial to government revenues and the economy for policies to be implemented that increase taxes on incomes falling into the upper quintiles and to decrease taxes on middle and lower cla...

3	Problem: Americans have seen a massive redistribution of wealth over the last forty years with the country surrendering nearly a quarter of the nation’s yearly income to the top 1% of Americans. Taylor Morgan, October 31, 2011 at 6:47 AM DT
	Of all the new financial wealth created by the American economy from 1983 to 2004, 42% of it went to the top 1%, 94% went to the top 20%, and only 6% went to the bottom 80% of Americans. By 2007 the top 1% of households owned 34.6% of all privatel...

	2	Implement President Obama's five principles for tax reform and improve the current progressive income tax system Taylor Morgan, October 31, 2011 at 6:47 AM DT
		Given the nature of the progressive tax system, it would be beneficial to government revenues and the economy for policies to be implemented that alleviate income and payroll tax burdens on the middle and lower classes and that increase income and pa...

4	Tax laws too complex and costly for small business Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 8:14 AM DT
	I run a small business with about 10 employees. Federal employment taxes, unemployment insurance, use taxes, etc. add up to a substantial burden in terms of compliance. There needs to be a better, simpler way for businesses to manage tax liabilities.

-2	Property tax exemptions for churches amount to subsidies. Anonymous, October 31, 2011 at 11:03 AM DT
	My tax dollars subsidize hate groups, institutionalized pedophilia, anti-science movements, etc.

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3	Arbitrary State Money Transmission Laws Grant Monopoly Powers To Banks and Credit Card Companies Aaron Greenspan, August 9, 2011 at 2:10 AM DT
	As banks are becoming increasingly dependent on technology, and technology companies are increasingly capable of offering financial services, there is a gray area of financial regulation related to money transmission by non-banks that is becoming inc...

	1	Unify the Money Transmission Regulatory Framework Under the Department of the Treasury Aaron Greenspan, August 9, 2011 at 2:10 AM DT
		Right now, each state legislature determines whether or not to regulate "money transmission," which is often (but not always) defined as the act of routinely holding onto funds that belong to others with the intent of sending those funds somewhere el...

4	Computer security experts are discouraged from reporting flaws Aaron Greenspan, October 20, 2011 at 4:29 PM DT
	Every time I have attempted to report a serious security vulnerability, I have gotten threatened with a lawsuit or jail time. Many government agencies have highly insecure computer systems that would benefit from expert feedback--yet most people w...

	6	Update the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 with sensible procedures Aaron Greenspan, October 20, 2011 at 4:29 PM DT
		There is no standard procedure for reporting a computer security issue with a government agency. Standard procedures should be established and important fixes rewarded.

13	Require All Federal and State Laws, Bills and Executive Orders To Be Provided Publicly in a Standard Digital Format Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:57 AM DT
	Making PlainSite would be a lot easier if we didn't have to parse 50+ different file formats for different jurisdictions.

	11	Delegate The Task of Developing a Standard Legal Format to NIST Aaron Greenspan, October 10, 2011 at 2:57 AM DT
		NIST is well-equipped to develop a simple, standard format that the federal and state governments could use to help increase transparency in government.

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9	The U.S. lags behind other modern 21st Century countries in addressing the needs of a comprehensive High-speed, metro, and light rail transportation system. Taylor Morgan, October 31, 2011 at 2:19 PM DT
	Traffic congestion costs the US almost $87.2 billion. The economic costs of traffic congestion have increased 63% over the past decade, and despite declining traffic volumes, caused by the economic downturn, Americans still waste more than 2.8 billio...

	4	Pass the American Jobs Act Taylor Morgan, October 31, 2011 at 2:19 PM DT
		The American Jobs Act would call for the immediate investment in infrastructure and the creation of a bipartisan National Infrastructure Bank, modernizing our roads, rail, airports and waterways while putting hundreds of thousands of workers back on ...