Abortion  Opposed to abortions.

Abortion Foes' Strategy Advances

Democrats Shift Approach on Abortion

Views on Abortion Upset Catholic Leaders

Supreme Court Ruling Brings Split in Antiabortion Movement

None Dare Call it Partial Birth Abortion

Abortion Ruling Emboldens Opponents

Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Abortion Procedure

The Culture War and the 2008 Elections

Gay Marriage  Opposed to gay marriages.

Conservative N. Va. Priest Installed as Anglican Bishop

Gun Control  Opposed to gun control.

Justices Rule for Individual Gun Rights

Supreme Court to Rule on Right to Keep Handguns at Home

A Liberal Case for Gun Rights Helps Sway Judiciary

The NRA's Image Improves as Support for Gun Control Slips

Taxes Blue Dogs often oppose tax cuts without advocating spending cuts to fight the federal budget deficit. Democratic leaders who want to raise taxes in the future, or allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, will not find much support from either group. Ellsworth signed the Americans for Tax Reform no-tax-hike pledge. Tim Mahoney, the investment banker who won Mark Foley’s seat in Florida and was endorsed by both the New Democrats and the Blue Dogs, is on record favoring significant reduction or elimination of estate taxes.

2008 Democrats Propose a Ceiling on Bush Tax Cuts

Democrats Craft New Tax Rules, New Image

Inner City Decay  Inner cities decaying. Lack of public infrastructure, police and fire protection.

Fair Trade Economic Populists  Blue Dogs vociferously oppose free trade and view it as a major factor damaging the manufacturing economies of the small towns and rural communities.

Congress Rejects Free Trade Deal with Colombia

Climate Warming  The Polar ice cap is melting at an accelerated rate according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Much of the summer ice will disappear by 2050, according to Marika Holland, a scientist working on the sea-ice portion of that model. The most that can be expected, some climate scientists say, is to limit the human contribution to warming enough to forestall the one truly calamitous, if slow motion, threat in the far north: the melting of Greenland's ice cap. Rising two miles high and spreading over an area twice the size of California, this vast reservoir - essentially the Gulf of Mexico frozen and flipped onto land - contains enough water to raise sea levels worldwide more than 20 feet. In addition, warming of the oceans will intensify hurricanes and extend the season from June through November in the Gulf of Mexico disabling port operations resulting in international trade seeking safer ports.

Bush Denial Leads to Disastrous Environmental Effects

Loss of Manufacturing Jobs  During the Bush Administration, it has repeatedly been stated the number of jobs has increased annually. This is another half truth for with the increase in jobs has come the demise of manufacturing jobs in not only in cities but also in rural America where the demise is more magnified. Traditional good paying manufacturing jobs have been replaced by minimum wage 20 hour work week jobs with no fringe benefits particularly health care.  For the lack of a better term, these are the typical Wal-Mart jobs which are not a replacement for manufacturing jobs. If manufacturers want to sell their products in America, then these products must be manufactured in the United States. The loss of jobs in the heartland and elsewhere has got to be one of the biggest tragedies ever committed to Americans. Residents in the heartland have lost self respect because of the lack of good jobs and none of us should accept having a job at Wal-Mart is the same as having a job in manufacturing plant in any small American town. It is true there have been many jobs created but at the expense of good high paying jobs that have been exported. Requiring a mother to work to help augment her husband's Burger King salary is absolutely un American. Keeping jobs in the United States is the highest priority taking care of the needs of Middle Class Americans.

End Nears for Era of Presidential Trade Authority

Failing Public Schools  Public schools are failing high school students. Drop out rates are escalating. Minorities are falling behind more so than other groups. The United States once ranked number 1 in the world having college graduates as a percentage of population has fallen to sixth. The numbers of college drop outs is increasing leading to a population that will not be able to compete in the world market place. In Arizona and other states, an initiative recently adopted requires migrant students who graduated from an Arizona high school to pay out of state tuition. A paradox decreasing the number of college students by using justification these students are in Arizona as undocumented. One of the highest priority for Hispanics is to have the Federal government pass the Dream Act enabling all USA high school graduates to attend any college or university in the United States and paid in state tuition.

Lack of Summer Jobs

Wal-Mart Killing Small Businesses

Secure the Border to Stop Flow of Methamphetamines  Methamphetamine use in rural areas is rampant. Most drugs enter the USA from Mexico. Mexico must put a stop to this drug flow and if they do not, seal the border and not allow any movement — person or trade product to come across the U.S. border from Mexico. Only as a high priority will securing the border stop destruction of our youth from drug abuse. The United States must seal national borders to prevent drug smuggling with drug smugglers receiving a mandatory 10 year prison sentence. Impose a rule of law modeled after the U.S. for all countries that trade with the United States with Customs and Border Patrol pursuit into Mexico and apprehend drug smugglers. Currently, Mexico does not impose life sentences for any crime. Force the Mexican government to change its trial system to have lawyers argue a case in open court. The current system has attorneys submit documents to a judge who reads them and reaches a verdict behind closed doors. The secrecy is prone to corruption and bungling, and doesn't inspire public confidence.

Blue Dogs Propose Securing the Border: Government or Drug Lords: Who Rules Mexico?

High Cost of Prescription Drugs  In the Medicare Prescription Drug Conference Committee, 6 members from the House and 6 from the Senate negotiated differences in bills concerning approving prescription drugs in Medicare. The original bill in the Conference Committee included the provision allowing for Medicare to negotiate purchasing prescription drugs by bulk purchases. It was Senator Jon Kyl, as one of the six senators in the Conference Committee, who proposed the original bill be modified to only Medicare to purchase prescription drugs at retail prices. This was approved in Conference and became the law of the land upon signing by the president.

Eliminate prohibition of Medicare to purchase prescription drugs by bulk purchases. All prescription drugs purchased in bulk by the Federal government will be made available to all consumers by paying actual cost or paying a co-pay fee if purchased using an insurance program.

Bill Would Let States Force Drug Discounts

The Medicare Privatization Scam

Senate Blocks Bill to Let Medicare Negotiate Drug Prices

Congress Seeks Approval of Generic Biotech Drugs

Fraudulent Prescription Drug and Medical Equipment Advertising

The Drug Advertising Debate

Comprehensive Immigration Reform  Secure the border and include comprehensive immigration reform to enable all who want to come to the USA an opportunity to fair process.  Most Americans do not know it takes as many as 20 years to enter the US "legally." There are only 400,000 visas issued annually to recipients around the world and each country that reaches this number goes to the end of the list to get back in line. This on the surface sounds equitable but Mexico is across a line in the sand and after Canada, Mexico is our biggest trading partner plus once most of the southwest and California was part of Mexico.

A Fine Line for Democrats on Border Issues

Does Racism Dictate Immigration?

Racism Killed Immigration Reform

Senate Approves $3 Billion for Border Security

After Immigration Bill Falls, Republicans will Pay in Hispanic Votes

Senate Votes No on Immigration Bill

Vote to Keep Immigration Alive will Fall Short

Plan to Send Immigrants Home is Defeated

Harsh Immigration Bill Loosing Support

Senate Supporters of Immigration Reform Reach Agreement

Republican Senators Rebuke Bush on Immigration Reform

Most Americans Favor Letting Illegal Immigrants Become Citizens, Poll Finds

A Failure of U.S. Senate Leadership on Immigration Reform

Kennedy Plea Was Last Gasp for Immigration Bill

Backers of Immigration Bill More Optimistic

Labor Unions

Clash Nears in the Senate on Legislation Helping Unions Organize

National Minimum Wage

Minimum Wage Increases to Boost Poor

Health Care Reform  The American quality of life is deplorable. With 50 million Americans without health care is a sin against humanity.

House Passes Children’s Insurance Measure

New Bush Policies Limit Health Care Program Aiding Children

Children's Health Bill Approved By House

Democrats Press House to Expand Health Care Bill

Bush Threatens Children Health Program

Senate Panel Adds Billions for Health Despite Bush

Republicans Opposed to Expansion of Children’s Insurance

2008 Candidates Vow to Overhaul U.S. Health Care

The 2008 Presidential Candidates on Health Care

Middle Class America One of the Fastest Growing Subgroups of Uninsured

Global Health

Bush Aide in 2006 Blocked Surgeon General Global Health Report

Poverty and Poor Health are Intertwined

Hidden Banking Fees

Bankruptcy Provides Less Consumer Protection

Gas Increases without Justification

Loss of Privacy  Loss of privacy. Almost every piece of personal information that Americans try to keep secret including bank account statements, e-mail messages and telephone records is semi-public and available for sale. Outlaw practice of purchasing personal data information

Identity Theft

The War on Poverty

Shore Up Steel Mill Industry

SWAT Teams Out of Control

End Foreign Aid

Medical Privacy Law Lapses Net No Fines  Despite thousands of recorded complaints, the Bush administration has not imposed a single civil fine and has prosecuted just two criminal cases.

Credit Cards Fiasco Ever Increasing Credit Card Debt and Interest

Commercials on Television Louder than Regular Programming

Bankruptcy Protection Lacking

Identity Theft

Predatory Lending

Internet Viruses

Hospital Deaths Disclosure

Federal Communications Commission Failure to Enforce

Cable Television only in Bulk

Prohibit Gambling over Television and Internet

Pension Funds Abandoned by Businesses

War in Iraq

Democrats: Rice Grossly Mismanaged Iraq

Democrats Plan a Capitol Barrage over Iraq

Bush Vetoes Bill Tying Iraq Funds to Exit

Democratic Anti-war Voting Bloc Grows as Diverse Groups Join Cause

Senate Sends War Timetable To Bush's Desk

War Bill Passes House, Requiring an Iraq Pullout

Who Lost Iraq?

End NASA  Examine the benefits of billion dollar outlays against investment and determine if funds would have a greater return if used for public schools, health, infrastructure, security or other category.

Why do We Need NASA?

Civil Rights

Secure the Border  Methamphetamine use in rural areas is rampant. Most drugs enter the USA from Mexico. Mexico must put a stop to this drug flow and if they do not, seal the border and not allow any movement — person or trade product to come across the U.S. border from Mexico. Only as a high priority will securing the border stop destruction of our youth from drug abuse. The United States must seal national borders to prevent drug smuggling with drug smugglers receiving a mandatory 10 year prison sentence. Impose a rule of law modeled after the U.S. for all countries that trade with the United States with Customs and Border Patrol pursuit into Mexico to apprehend drug smugglers. Currently, Mexico does not impose life sentences for any crime. Force the Mexican government to change its trial system to have lawyers argue a case in open court. The current system has attorneys submit documents to a judge who reads them and reaches a verdict behind closed doors. The secrecy is prone to corruption and bungling, and doesn't inspire public confidence. If  Mexico does not cooperate, close the border for one day at a time until Mexico begins to cooperate.

WTO and Trade Issues  WTO on trade issues protects pharmaceutical patents thus prohibiting purchasing by most groups killing millions.

Restructure Agriculture Subsidies

Farm Bill Renews Fight over Subsidies

U.S. Farm Subsidies Favor Big Over Small, White Over Black

Fraudulent Procurement Federal contractors charge $5000 for a $5 widget.