What are the top issues facing Americans today?

[Politically_Incorrect12]

With the election season coming up, I thought it would be interesting to see what people here think are the top issues Americans face today that they would like to see addressed (and why).  You can add as many as you want but I was interested in the top issues (not necessarily all of them).

For me:

1.  Spending, because right now we are benefiting from long term bonds with lower interest rates.  However, that won't always be the case and eventually those bonds will come due.  At some people the "spending bubble," which is really no different than the credit bubble, will burst.  

2.  Social programs in general need revamped.  There is a difference between society not doing enough to help provide a pathway to make a decent living versus people not taking advantage of the opportunities available to them.  I would like to know why the programs we have in place are not more effective, as well as understanding why more people don't utilize them.  Understanding those issues can help us better make a determination if that money is better spent elsewhere or if there is a need to expand the programs.  I would like to see more of an emphasis on education and providing job training with social safety net programs because I see a different between a person who is going through a rough patch, but has the necessary skills to succeed versus a person who lives just above qualifying for these programs on a good day. I would also like to consider the possibility of states working together better with these programs and initiating a type of relocation program (with some safeguards to prevent states from shifting people around for no reason other than to get them on to another state's budget).  For instance, a person may have job skills that aren't in demand where they are, but are in demand in another part of the country that will let that person and family make a decent living with those skills.  Again, certain safeguards would need to be initiated, but I think there could be something to it.

3.  We need to focus on education because the future depends on it.  I think we do something things better than people like to give us credit for doing, but we can definitely improve in areas.  We are moving to a global economy, and without becoming completely protectionist, the manufacturing job base is probably not coming back.  We need to prepare students to be able to compete in this type of economy.  Having a bigger focus on foreign languages from a younger age would be a good start.

4.  Immigration reform next because it is an issue that needs to be addressed.  The best option probably involves going after employers because without the jobs, a big part of the illegal immigration issue probably goes away.  We also need to address cities that are pretty open about being safe havens.

[swamp]

one issue: We are too fractured to talk to each other and we demonize the other side. Compromise is now a dirty word. We shut down the government over bullshit.

[The Captain]

1.  We have forgotten that it's what we can do for our country to make it stronger, not what our country can do for us.

2.  Failure is an option, because it's now the government's/society job to provide for you. 

3.  We have more citizens/politicians interested in bashing this great nation, than working to keep it the strongest in the world.

4.  Everyone gets a trophy.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 7, 2015 15:46:16 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I'll play!

1. We seem to be losing civil rights and eroding the constitution at an alarming rate. 
2. I would like to see the economy pick up and unemployment go down
3. I see too much legislating of social, safety, and personal choice issues  (really was it necessary to legislate what kind of lightbulbs I can buy ...  Really?)
4. The US seems bound and determined to make every social nuance a political and legal issue.  No wonder we all hate each other. 
5. The silent majority seems to be ignored these days.  Too many decisions are made from and on behalf of minority and fringe groups of all kinds. 

Yes, really.

Here’s another statistic: The United States could eliminate greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars if each household in the country replaced just one incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb, according to Energy Star. Energy Star is a program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designed to help consumers save money and protect the environment by using energy-efficient products and practices.

www.earthsfriends.com/cfl-vs-incandescent/

Our election concerns are in the following order. 1.Economy. 2.Environment. 3.Health.

Funny how much of difference a few miles makes. It doesn't even seem to be a blip on the US radar.

"Nobody tells ME what to do!"

[weltschmerz]

You're welcome. Until you have a dome over the USA, so your emissions stay within your borders, I have every right to say something.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 7, 2015 17:33:41 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Oct 7, 2015 17:19:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You're welcome. Until you have a dome over the USA, so your emissions stay within your borders, I have every right to say something.

No really you don't. And if you were that worried about it, you'd be haranguing some Chinese person instead of me. 

As soon as someone from China posts, I'll be on them like a pit bull on a poodle. Until then, you'll have to do.

[mmhmm]

Ladies, let's stop the back and forth, please. It contributes nothing. Thanks.

mmhmm, Politics Moderator

[djAdvocate]

concerning AMERICANS or concerning ME?

those would be very different lists, i am guessing.

[swamp]

Oct 7, 2015 17:19:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You're welcome. Until you have a dome over the USA, so your emissions stay within your borders, I have every right to say something.

Then tell your mayor to stop the plan to ,raw sewage in the st lawrence River. 

[weltschmerz]

Oct 7, 2015 20:30:46 GMT -5 swamp said:

Oct 7, 2015 17:19:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You're welcome. Until you have a dome over the USA, so your emissions stay within your borders, I have every right to say something.

Then tell your mayor to stop the plan to ,raw sewage in the st lawrence River. 

I already told him. Everyone is up in arms.

[weltschmerz]

If you can think of another alternative, please share. Denis Coderre would love to hear it.

We'd ALL love to hear it.

[busymom]

We still have work to do on health insurance. A HUGE improvement is that pre-existing conditions no longer prevent someone from getting insurance, but policies are crazy-expensive, even if your employer is helping to pick up the tab.

Employment & wages are still a problem. I know too many who are under-employed, or working 2 jobs (or more) to keep up with their bills.

Chemicals in our food & in the environment.  I personally would LOVE to see GMO labeling on foods, so I could make an effort to avoid feeding them to my family.

Campaign finance.  I think you all know why...   

[dondub]

Vancouver Island, and the city of Victoria, also spew millions of gallons of raw sewage that infiltrate US waters. Just sayin'.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 7, 2015 22:20:16 GMT -5 dondub said:

Vancouver Island, and the city of Victoria, also spew millions of gallons of raw sewage that infiltrate US waters. Just sayin'.

We're only doing it for a week and it's only a third of our sewage. The city is very old and sewers need to be repaired before raw sewage comes bubbling up out of the ground. You can't do repairs to a sewer system without emptying it. There are virtually no other options.

My issue with it is that they should wait until after the fall migration, so we could at least mitigate some of the damage.

[Deleted]

Oct 7, 2015 15:46:16 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I'll play!

1. We seem to be losing civil rights and eroding the constitution at an alarming rate. 
2. I would like to see the economy pick up and unemployment go down
3. I see too much legislating of social, safety, and personal choice issues  (really was it necessary to legislate what kind of lightbulbs I can buy ...  Really?)
4. The US seems bound and determined to make every social nuance a political and legal issue.  No wonder we all hate each other. 
5. The silent majority seems to be ignored these days.  Too many decisions are made from and on behalf of minority and fringe groups of all kinds. 

In the same vein, from Reason.com

New York authorities had been on a crusade since at least year to regulate nail salons more tightly. It seems Nir's article provided the impetus and public support enabling the city to do just that.

But you know who hasn't been so psyched about the new worker "protections?" The people who actually work at nail salons. Because of citations and new regulations, some salons have been forced to close, costing the women who worked there their jobs. Because of rules mandating extra pay for overtime work, manicurists saw hours cut back. "I know the article tried to help us," an Upper East Side salon employee told the Times in July. "But for some employees it created a worse situation."

[steff]

Oct 8, 2015 16:37:38 GMT -5 @hickle said:

Oct 7, 2015 15:46:16 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

I'll play!

1. We seem to be losing civil rights and eroding the constitution at an alarming rate. 
2. I would like to see the economy pick up and unemployment go down
3. I see too much legislating of social, safety, and personal choice issues  (really was it necessary to legislate what kind of lightbulbs I can buy ...  Really?)
4. The US seems bound and determined to make every social nuance a political and legal issue.  No wonder we all hate each other. 
5. The silent majority seems to be ignored these days.  Too many decisions are made from and on behalf of minority and fringe groups of all kinds. 

In the same vein, from Reason.com

New York authorities had been on a crusade since at least year to regulate nail salons more tightly. It seems Nir's article provided the impetus and public support enabling the city to do just that.

But you know who hasn't been so psyched about the new worker "protections?" The people who actually work at nail salons. Because of citations and new regulations, some salons have been forced to close, costing the women who worked there their jobs. Because of rules mandating extra pay for overtime work, manicurists saw hours cut back. "I know the article tried to help us," an Upper East Side salon employee told the Times in July. "But for some employees it created a worse situation."

considering I was in a nail salon today, I'll bite on this one.

1.  If a nail salon is dirty, then it is unhealthy.  
2.  If a nail salon isn't following regulations, then it is unhealthy.
3.  If I walk into a nail salon and it appears cluttered or unorganized to me, then I walk right back out. 
4.  I WANT my nail salon to follow health laws.  I don't want to get some nasty infection because they cut corners on health regulations.
5.  These nail ladies work hard pampering us ladies who can afford to go to the salon, they should be paid for ALL the hours they work, including overtime.  Just because they provide a service doesn't mean they shouldn't be paid for overtime.  They worked it and EARNED it.  They should have it. 
6.  I don't tip on my final bill, I tip each individual who did something for me.  Because THEY earned it, not the owner sitting in the back on the phone.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 7, 2015 20:30:46 GMT -5 swamp said:

Oct 7, 2015 17:19:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You're welcome. Until you have a dome over the USA, so your emissions stay within your borders, I have every right to say something.

Then tell your mayor to stop the plan to ,raw sewage in the st lawrence River. 

Come up with an alternative, yet? The environmental engineers at École Polytechnique de Montréal, are stumped. Everyone is stumped. There is no other option.

Seeing as how you think it should be stopped, let's hear yours.

[swamp]

Oct 8, 2015 22:50:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 7, 2015 20:30:46 GMT -5 swamp said:

Then tell your mayor to stop the plan to ,raw sewage in the st lawrence River. 

Come up with an alternative, yet? The environmental engineers at École Polytechnique de Montréal, are stumped. Everyone is stumped. There is no other option.

Seeing as how you think it should be stopped, let's hear yours.

Storage tanks. Lots of them. 

Replace the system very small piece by very small piece and do lots of rerouting. 

I I dint know, I'm not familiar with the system and I'm not an engineer.  Maybe consult with some other engineers?  

[weltschmerz]

Oct 8, 2015 23:05:01 GMT -5 swamp said:

Oct 8, 2015 22:50:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Come up with an alternative, yet? The environmental engineers at École Polytechnique de Montréal, are stumped. Everyone is stumped. There is no other option.

Seeing as how you think it should be stopped, let's hear yours.

Storage tanks. Lots of them. 

Replace the system very small piece by very small piece and do lots of rerouting. 

I I dint know, I'm not familiar with the system and I'm not an engineer.  Maybe consult with some other engineers?  

Thought of that. Two BILLION dollars and five years of work, vs one week of letting 30% of it into the St. Lawrence. Not feasible.

[weltschmerz]

They estimate the microbial contaminants in the river will be increased by a factor of 2.4 during the work. The contaminated water will be greatly diluted by the river before it hits any drinking water intakes, and anyway the treatment centres downriver from Montreal are designed to handle more than ten times the amount of contaminants normally released.

The sewer has a diameter ranging from of 2.9 to 5.5 metres, and it is buried as deep as 45 meters underground. The entire length of the sewer (35 kilometers, or 22 miles) must be shut down for seven days so that workers can safely repair deteriorating elements, and build a snow chute in the Ville-Marie/Sud-Ouest sector. The work is required to avoid major blockages and equipment breakdowns, which could cause much more prolonged discharges into the river.

montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreals-raw-sewage--justified-water-treatment-experts

Maybe "experts" like Erin Brokovich and NY senators like Chuck Schumer should do a little in-depth research before having screaming hissy fits.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

We've become a nation of sound bites/sensationalism. People seem to have no understanding of how our government works and that there are three branches of it that are supposed to provide checks/balances for each other.   

We choose who represents us based not on their education/experience but by whatever crap they tell us that we want to hear.   Screw the fact they can't actually do it since that's not how our government is supposed to work, it sure sounds pretty!

B/c of that we have people who can't work with each other and will stomp their feet like two year olds when they don't get their way.

If we elected people based on how capable they are of being an adult and working within the framework of our government maybe we'd get things done around here.

[Value Buy]

Oct 8, 2015 23:24:34 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

They estimate the microbial contaminants in the river will be increased by a factor of 2.4 during the work. The contaminated water will be greatly diluted by the river before it hits any drinking water intakes, and anyway the treatment centres downriver from Montreal are designed to handle more than ten times the amount of contaminants normally released.

The sewer has a diameter ranging from of 2.9 to 5.5 metres, and it is buried as deep as 45 meters underground. The entire length of the sewer (35 kilometers, or 22 miles) must be shut down for seven days so that workers can safely repair deteriorating elements, and build a snow chute in the Ville-Marie/Sud-Ouest sector. The work is required to avoid major blockages and equipment breakdowns, which could cause much more prolonged discharges into the river.

montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreals-raw-sewage--justified-water-treatment-experts

Maybe "experts" like Erin Brokovich and NY senators like Chuck Schumer should do a little in-depth research before having screaming hissy fits.

Now, if a major industrial company dumped the exact same thing in the river, they would be fined millions of dollars.
Government, that's ok, we had no other option........

[weltschmerz]

Oct 9, 2015 8:18:21 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Oct 8, 2015 23:08:15 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Thought of that. Two BILLION dollars and five years of work, vs one week of letting 30% of it into the St. Lawrence. Not feasible.

Isn't the environment worth it?

You're the one whining about having to use different light bulbs. Isn't the environment worth it?

In any case, we don't have an extra 5 billion floating around. What do we cut? Snow removal and road repair? Health care? Education? We could close all the nursing homes, I suppose. Those demented old folks will be just fine out on the street.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 9, 2015 9:19:45 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Oct 8, 2015 23:24:34 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

They estimate the microbial contaminants in the river will be increased by a factor of 2.4 during the work. The contaminated water will be greatly diluted by the river before it hits any drinking water intakes, and anyway the treatment centres downriver from Montreal are designed to handle more than ten times the amount of contaminants normally released.

The sewer has a diameter ranging from of 2.9 to 5.5 metres, and it is buried as deep as 45 meters underground. The entire length of the sewer (35 kilometers, or 22 miles) must be shut down for seven days so that workers can safely repair deteriorating elements, and build a snow chute in the Ville-Marie/Sud-Ouest sector. The work is required to avoid major blockages and equipment breakdowns, which could cause much more prolonged discharges into the river.

montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreals-raw-sewage--justified-water-treatment-experts

Maybe "experts" like Erin Brokovich and NY senators like Chuck Schumer should do a little in-depth research before having screaming hissy fits.

Now, if a major industrial company dumped the exact same thing in the river, they would be fined millions of dollars.
Government, that's ok, we had no other option........

You don't see the difference in an elected government doing what is necessary for the people, vs a private company doing something for profit?

Well, if you can think of another option, let's hear it. Surely you can come up with something.

[Deleted]

Oct 9, 2015 10:03:22 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 9, 2015 8:18:21 GMT -5 @sroo4 said:

Isn't the environment worth it?

You're the one whining about having to use different light bulbs. Isn't the environment worth it?

In any case, we don't have an extra 5 billion floating around. What do we cut? Snow removal and road repair? Health care? Education? We could close all the nursing homes, I suppose. Those demented old folks will be just fine out on the street.

Or you could raise the cost of your sewage bills to cover the cost of dealing with your sewage.

[weltschmerz]

Oct 9, 2015 10:11:07 GMT -5 @hickle said:

Oct 9, 2015 10:03:22 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

You're the one whining about having to use different light bulbs. Isn't the environment worth it?

In any case, we don't have an extra 5 billion floating around. What do we cut? Snow removal and road repair? Health care? Education? We could close all the nursing homes, I suppose. Those demented old folks will be just fine out on the street.

Or you could raise the cost of your sewage bills to cover the cost of dealing with your sewage.

Did you not notice that it's only for a week? Did you not notice that it's $2 Billion? Sure, we can make the sewage bills equal to mortgage payments. I'm sure nobody will complain. No problem.

[Deleted]

Oct 9, 2015 10:15:33 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 9, 2015 10:11:07 GMT -5 @hickle said:

Or you could raise the cost of your sewage bills to cover the cost of dealing with your sewage.

Did you not notice that it's $5 Billion? Sure, we can make the sewage bills equal to mortgage payments. I'm sure nobody will complain. No problem.

The city I live in is able to take care of sewage for less then the cost of everyone's mortgage.  I think that is true of every city in America. 

[weltschmerz]

Oct 9, 2015 10:17:43 GMT -5 @hickle said:

Oct 9, 2015 10:15:33 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Did you not notice that it's $5 Billion? Sure, we can make the sewage bills equal to mortgage payments. I'm sure nobody will complain. No problem.

The city I live in is able to take care of sewage for less then the cost of everyone's mortgage.  I think that is true of every city in America. 

Does the city you live in need $2 billion to fix old, existing sewer pipes?

[Deleted]

Oct 9, 2015 10:35:13 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Oct 9, 2015 10:17:43 GMT -5 @hickle said:

The city I live in is able to take care of sewage for less then the cost of everyone's mortgage.  I think that is true of every city in America. 

Does the city you live in need $2 billion to fix old, existing sewer pipes?

  The city I live iin  has not ignored the problem so long that there is a $2 billion  worth of damage.  Argue all you want, but your city is responsible for its on sewage.

[AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP]

1. Liberty
2. The myriad list of things that threaten it.