| Our nation's forefathers read the Bible. The texture of life has changed, and it would be illogical to return scripture as the goal to all potentially literate citizens, but an introductory course on the five major religions could be introduced into the nation's high schools, as a requirement.
Here's a fast aliphatic sketch on how to present the subject:
- Buddhism: Meditation in front of a special statue associated with offerings, based on a story of a figure alternatively an Emperor in China and then a beggar, also alternatively fat and thin, celibate monks, a lunar calendar
- Christianity: A unique son of G-d, holidays usually set on the calendar by copied Old Testament concepts, divided into Protestants and Catholics, a virgin Mary concept, selectively following the Old Testament, a New Testament using Hebrew words for names or possibly names that became Hebrew words
- Hinduism: Based in India, a caste system and funeral rituals based on them, temples with priests that resemble Old Testament descriptions seemingly from spontaneous establishment, earlier roots than other religions, women with marked foreheads
- Islam: Follows Mohammed, a Koran that speaks positively toward other religions by name, a unique lunar calendar doesn't correct for seasons, divided into Shiites and Sunni, descendants of Abraham, pilgrimage to Mecca, prayer known for kneeling and bowing in mosques without chairs
- Judaism: Follows Moses, a Torah unchanged since establishment by several authors, letters with numbers and stories, a lunar calendar, extremes of Ultra-orthodox and Reformists, first to carry the unflattering language of the Old Testament masked by positive thinking, continual learning of copious amounts of written and obscure
*On another matter, concerning the widespread belief in Islam that Mohammed ascended to Heaven from Jerusalem, there are many articles that dispel the myth, diving into Hadith passages describing "the night journey." Islam should feel proud to call the Dome of the Rock a good place to pray that they innocently inherited in Judaism's absence. I can't extend my good feelings as completely to the Al Aqsa Mosque, named for the "farthest mosque" in Surah 17:1 of the Quran. The name is meant to evolve into a peaceful term for the farthest mosque in Islam's expansion, and not the current Israeli location. I would nominate one of the mosques in China because of the transformation that has occurred there.
*I also reject the claim among Jews that the Dome of the Rock is the location of the Jewish forefather Abraham's test in Genesis 22:1 with Isaac his son. To call the area a "mountain" as quoted in the Bible is far fetched, as there are higher peaks nearby, and an outcrop of that nature would be the most trodden around.
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A partial solution to the health care crisis is to abrogate the VA hospital system. The military has it's own hospitals for injuries in battle and during duty, but after our veterans need to start using civilian care. Our soldiers need support, and that should include medical coverage for life, if their healing is incomplete. Yet our civilian health care doesn't cover the needy, and money can be saved there, freeing up government. The caste system of medicine must stop for the benefit of all and a return to efforts for equality. If my recollection of the history of the V.A. Hospital system is correct, the focused accommodation for fighters began incrementally before the Civil War, and during the tragedy accelerated. They could plan for common aftercare for typical soldiering injuries somewhat different from the usual citizen's troubles. There is no longer a need to try and concentrate medicine the way it was done then.
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| As a cost saving measure, I propose that Presidents with net worth at a value 1,000 times the HHS poverty income level for one person in Washington, D.C., begin to pay for Secret Service protection on a sliding scale, paying for all protection at 100,000 times the poverty level. On March 27, 2017, the HHS listed the single person houshold income poverty guideline at $12,060 so a President with net worth of $12,060,000 would begin to pay maybe 2%, as rough estimate of a reasonable levy.
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My proposal for a new national pledge of allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the nationality of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under G-d, indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
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| As far as equal pay for women in the workplace is questioned, I'm mostly feminist at heart , but also feel a corresponding women's registration for the draft is necessary to deal emotionally with the level of war theoretically possible after the U.S. ignored my warning from G-d.
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| A woman needs uniform choice in abortion nation-wide, for nearly any reason they decide, until late into pregnancy. After reading about late-term abortions for incredibly diseased babies, destined to be born to painful slow death immediately at birth, and factoring in the risk for the mother to continue carrying, I've expanded my support for legal abortion. Extremists sometimes oppose the 'day after pill', but a fetus has no nerve connections, and is less developed than even the 'slug' stage.
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded a prize by Planned Parenthood in 1966. His acceptance speech was legendary.
Here's how he started:
Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers. While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to speculate on how visitors from outer space would judge us. I am afraid they would be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend billions to create engines and strategies for war. They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent death by disease and other causes. Finally they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet. Our visitors from outer space could be forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane men whose future is bleak and uncertain.
There is no human circumstance more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a remedy is readily available. Family planning, to relate population to world resources, is possible, practical and necessary. ...
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States need to require every city and town to run their own computer server with all their digital library books and public forms available for viewing or download. Moreover, everyone should have the right to an account with all the completed forms they've filed in every Town Hall. Hopefully the judicial system would follow. The current trend is that online encyclopedias, etc. are all privately held, without insurance, while public libraries are an insurance. I'm not saying bookshelf libraries should be eliminated, but the purchase of new materials should be tilted toward digital. Small towns could be allowed a team-up exemption with surrounding cities or towns. If they were isolated or financially incapable, they could be granted equipment and help. Federally, all Depositories should now be required to be locally stored and digital to encourage library conversion.
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| Federal laws need to be legislated to be simple in wording and reflect content connected to the title of the bill. It seems like the conception of the computer and the ability to search documents has given lawmakers the idea they can throw sliced bread into regulations about interstate highway funding. This has defeated or agonizingly slowed the passage of important bills.
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| Inmates across the nation are being exploited, that is, being used for commerce without tangible participation. Phone calls to or from prisoners are typically at usery rates, and often the telephone companies are paying the prison departments large sums of money, ensuring their popularity among the exploiters. I encoutered a tilted prison phone system in the mid 90's, when the only option of collect call automation seemed unjust, by taking away the personal touch in breaking the news of my arrest to my family. Instead, the phone just announced 'A prisoner of blah blah Correction Facility is calling collect...' Here's an article from Governing.com on this subject: Governing.com - Steep Costs of Inmate Phone Calls Under Scrutiny
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| Knowing that some Muslims consider Friday their day of prayer made me realize that our nation has merely inherited the weekly schedule we've set. To begin the transition, we need a referendum on whether we should always have two days of rest together. Then, should Muslims gain in number, a democratic means of deciding our routine will be readily available. Employees would be empowered in this regard, but of course ensuring that no one had to disclose their religion or preference in their voting. It will most likely all turn out to be symbolic, but this will elevate our Constitution.
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| Schools and teachers need to have the authority to order the removal of any article of clothing above the neck of any student. The symbolism of a veil or head covering on a child in a public school is to break the line of direct sensory perception and understanding that should nurture learning. I'm not insulting religion in any way, but I am trying to define the nature of public education in a pluralistic society. A religious parent makes an association with a group and remakes their individuality in a way a child can't keep up with to call true religion. A child is sometimes asked to follow the parent blindly from the adults experience in many unnoticeable nuances, and noticeable customs. This occurs periodically in the nature of beneficial parenting, but must be separated from the public school experience.
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| Recently while filing a few motions Pro Se, the court forms asked me to assure that I wasn't seeking my actions against active service members, by requiring a check-mark in the middle of perfunctory forms. At first I was taken back by the slowing of the judicial process for such a narrowly defined group. When I reflected for a bit I realized the change could be beneficial if extended to those in hospitals for Tuberculosis, Mental Illness, or other open-ended hospitalizations.
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| The idea to change the retirement age is discussed from time to time. If that needs to be considered, the higher age needs to be made for upper office job personnel only, and the age for lower workers needs to stay the same or move in the opposite direction because of the more physical nature of their labors. The lazy current system of blanket laws in this area needs to change.
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I've seen the elderly agonizing in pain, to stay out of nursing homes, after broken hips, and barely mobile legs. It's valiant, and practical, and they are in a sense, heroes. The payments they are making late into their life for debts they may have inherited, or blundered into earlier, are keeping them from feeling secure. Sometimes they've ended up in public housing impoverished, and are still tracked by collection agencies (bill collectors) until a declaration of full "disability" is recorded. The payments they are making before their arrival are a proper duty to protect our businesses. However, to pursue those payments into senior years is immoral. As a society we must acknowledge their diminished capacity, and oppressive responsibility to prepare for nursing homes. I propose a law that requires all creditors to forgive the defaulted debts for those approachng old age, the disabled accepted to full Medicare, and allow partial disabilities in many cases to annul all debts, with ombudsmen available for the rest. Large corporation executives are given salaries and bonuses in the name of the mental preparation they do for their business, while the elderly are made to feel uncomfortable.
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| I'm sure dogs were an essential tool to frontier America, guarding livestock and protecting settlers from enemies, just to name the first two roles off the top of my head. Our population is aging and urbanization is spreading. Mainly for those reasons small breeds are becoming popular. Although the tight laws against animal entry into food places is reasonable, other policies against dog entry need to add exceptions for toy breeds which can be easily carried and controlled. Within a modern city there are sanitation burdens which suggest a smaller breed is more desirable. In addition, there is less room for dogs to run around and stay healthy. Adding exceptions into contracts and laws for toy breeds would encourage their numbers.
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| The camera started as an innovative, cumbersome snap-shot tool, and the original laws of leeway in public were understandable. Restricting photographers to a snapshot of time (many shots with a modern camera or video recorder) with the requirement they leave the area after would ensure safety and decorum. Anyone selling more than one picture of someone uninvited would be convicted. Any of those blending into the atmosphere afterwards, as if they weren't in a planned, for-profit, latently boisterous activity, would be cited. The televised press could be included. The imposition of restrictions in their broadcasts may help cloistered celebrity victims. Exceptions could be made in cases of public events, an obvious crime occurring, or traffic accidents.
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| There is no such thing as "100% Americanism." Serving in the U.S. Military during war time doesn't magically make an Americanism appear. The American Legion's preamble needs to be amended to create a sound basis for representing our country with a Congressional mandate. The idea that military service can disconnect someone from the influences of a globe we need to be responsible for is insulting, and does not represent G-d as they claim. It represents a damaging elitism.
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| Those charged with crimes are often sick with worry on the way to court, and shouldn't be burdened with the forced conversations and interviews with the press we television viewers often witness. A law is needed to prohibit contact with the press on the way to and from arraignments and many types of hearings. Arraignments are designed to occur speedily. They are spur of the moment for defendants, lawyers, supporters, and occasionally other concerned people, and that is a stressful condition. Actual trials are planned and controlled by a judge.
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| Sometimes suspects in crime are also thought to be mentally ill, and placed under evaluation in mental hospitals. They should enjoy the benefits of being presumed innocent, although just like common criminals, they're sometimes held by force for the safety of society. The theme of being held for safety is lost when the psychiatrist typically assigned to them uses the word 'forensic.' Forensic is a scrutiny, and violates the rights of those suspects. This prohibition of the term 'forensic' should apply to the experts that carry out the original court examinations as well.
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| Much like smoking, illegal ("no law in respect to religion") municipal Christmas lights are an unhealthy activity wasting energy. Any need for an area of exemption, such as a Governor needing to display his or her religion, needs thorough restrictions. Any grants of air space, for instance over a street between wings of a store, need thorough restrictions. I enjoy looking at some displays, but they never happen to be in public parks or over streets. Many private window displays instill a sense of respect, but city and town displays are an addiction, which might be best treated with total cessation. In a country dedicated to separation of church and state, funding and service of those lights is two-faced and a return to a known form of government that doesn't work. Unfortunately, during December I feel the country is again ruled by churches of the states.
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| Legislation should be created to require mandatory firings of U.S. Intelligence Agents involved with every mistaken U.S. war, and layoffs after peace treaties. Mistaken U.S. wars include everything after 1987. There are others, but prophecy of this era hadn't been revealed before that time.
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| Political posters have crept closer and closer to my face as I go to the voting station entrance to cast my nearly blank ballot. All supporters should be prohibited from all adjoining and adjacent sidewalks to those stations during the voting hours. I'm talking about all the way around the block. Update 2/11: This week's preliminary leading to the election was so cold some of the canvassers were in the halls to warm up from time to time. I began to realize that specified primaries allow for too much chumminess. These preliminary voting occasions need to be combined into one for all parties, saving money, promoting a bit of interaction, and preventing excess buddy system.
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| Labor unions need to be legally restricted from publicly endorsing candidates, or even speaking about them. They should be free to speak negatively about negotiations and anyone involved, but purporting to speak for their members when endorsing a candidate, is a farce. In around 2012 I was informed that Federal law allows for employees under union contract to inform the union they will only pay the initiation and negotiation fees, and forego membership, but I wish I'd been informed by them at their formation. I was happy to pay the fees, and have opted out of the union. Here's a fast outline of how their speech should be regulated.They would be free to say: "Senator John Doe has consistently opposed our offers for a contract agreement this year. His record during his term has been to consistently vote against our offers."
However, they would be fined for saying: "Senator Jane Doe is the right candidate for the ratification of our new contract. She'll get the job done."
Even saying: "This candidate is better for the nation." should be illegal because unions shouldn't be the ones to offer political opinion.
Perhaps a worker wants to sacrifice their personal raise for a more important reason in an election. The decision on who to vote for is much too individual in nature to allow a union determined position. This proposed change takes pressure off the work environment.
*[Dec. 12, '11 Update: Similar California ballot measure reported by Governing.com here.]
*[Feb. 2, '12 Update: Indiana measure going too far reported by Governing.com here.]
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| The U.S. Department of Agriculture used to issue paper food stamps with dollar amounts printed on them. Recipients could use the change for vital things, because to ask them to track the change was impossible. I probably used the change for laundry, and an occasional important pay-phone call, and never needed to collect other public aid at that stage. The poor and homeless need a small stipend of monthly cash to give them a more dignified lifestyle.
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| The U.S. Department of Education holds the defaulted loans of disabled ex-students, and requires a designation of 'total and permanent disability' in order to discharge them. The Social Security Administration, in determining disability, may decide the recipient has been limited for ten years previous to their application, but the Dept of Ed has been legislated to disregard that assessment. In the past the delinquent borrower wasn't told about the best option of possible consolidation when confronted by collectors. They didn't consider any disabled time, or limited working hours before transferring the defaulted loans to collection agencies, and assessing extra fees. Meanwhile, someone sick or injured, working even one hour a week, was held in full responsibility for payments. The cut off for exemption should be more reasonable, like over 20 hours per week while disabled by any standard. The recent end to private collection agencies pursuing these defaults isn't enough to prevent a return to this disgrace in the future. Many of the fees need to waived. Just because two government agencies have conflicting laws doesn't mean the changes are tough to initiate.
*[Feb. 24, '12 Update: My own "Consolidated" pair of loans recently lost that status, but apparently only to reclassify them in the new website of the Dept of Ed. since my financial status hadn't changed. After the loss of the consolidation, I was in the "Income Contingent" category, and received a notice of a sum to pay. At that point I clicked "Repayment Options>Postpone My Payment (Deferment\Forbearance)," and found that I qualified for one of the requirements to continue an application process right there on the site. I'm disappointed to see they've charged me interest for the time in between the 'loss of status' letter and the NOTICE of an Invoice, but glad I won't hear a vicious private bill-collector on the phone repeatedly or need to anger them until I'm told about an Ombudsman. I'd documented my receipt of Social Security benefits, but they had refused to discuss ANY change in the first figure they came up with. I reminded them of the illegality of collectors taking money from those benefits, but they willingly disregarded that fact. I'm in a high pressure job as a Prophet, and I support the gentle treatment of the sick they might be dealing with as well.]
Screenshots of the process. Click for a larger window...
*[July 16, '12 Update: My loan has been tranferred to a private corporation with first payment date marked for a year from now. I have to assume that's for a recertification period, or so the Department of Ed intends. So far the new company hasn't offered me a paperless option, so I'm getting a request to pay $0 monthly. Since my goal is for these type of loans to be discharged for those disabled after a reasonable amount of time, and mine (I dispute the diagnosis) was determined in the 90's, I wonder if the return to a private collector will impede this innovation.]
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| One of my original political ideas was for an increase in the number of federally elected officials. I'm still an advocate for an elected spokesperson from every state in most, if not every federal agency.
*[Feb. 24, '12 Update: As a small dog owner struggling to make ends meet, I've used big quantities of anti-flea products divided into the proper small dose. If the FDA warning came on any of that packaging, I'd be knowingly violating a law, despite the absolute safety of the identical product. This seems to be a perfect case to have an elected state spokesperson could help adjust oppressive restrictions, with out involving the higher-ups in minutiae. I think some of these new elected spokespeople would need to work in Washington, while others could work from home in their home state. Trying to get a bureaucrat on the phone from the DEA to point out the law needs amending would be problematic. Getting an elected spokesperson's attention would be a more responsible form of government.]
also Quran. Signed, Jeshurun.
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