http://www.shirley08.comISSUES SHIRLEY IS ON THE TABLE FOR:
Accountability in government (impeachment)
Our House of Representatives was given the right (and obligation) in our Constitution created by our Founding Fathers to investigate and take action when improprieties have been brought to its attention. Whole books have been written on the actions of the current administration and George Bush has admitted in public that he has acted in ways inconsistent with his duties to uphold our Constitution. So Congress must act and do so expediently. To answer the question of "why bother?" - First, the world is watching what we the people do here. We no longer have allies in the world community and if we continue to be sheep we will no longer be welcome as meaningful participants. Second, if we allow lawlessness of our supposed elected officials, what kind of precedent does that set for future administrations? Even this past year, Blackwater and Halliburton have been constructing 200 "detention centers" here on American soil for the "growing domestic insurgency." And just recently, the FBI has granted permission for small businesses with security guards, under martial law, to be able to shoot at American citizens (google "infragard"). What next? - this madness must be stopped.
Bringing home the troops from Iraq (within 90 days)
There is adequate evidence that we were given flagrantly wrong information that caused many members of Congress to believe that it was necessary to invade Iraq. As a result, not only have many of our brave soldiers given the ultimate sacrifice, but many more have returned home to an inadequate care system. Plus millions of Iraqi citizens have been killed, their infrastructure destroyed and their environment polluted with depleted uranium. Is it any wonder that the remaining people are in an uproar? The longer we stay, the more we are hated. Congress has the power of the purse strings-yet, every time, this administration asks for billions more for the occupation of Iraq, our House and Senate agrees. No more! A clear plan has been set forth by Congressman Dennis Kucinich in the House to transfer authority to UN peacekeeping forces and, upon approval, bring our troops home within 90 days.
Single-payer healthcare (HR676)
Here in California, many concerned citizens have been working on sharing information on SB 840, a bill for single-payer universal health care. It is not enough to say that one is in favor of universal health care-that keeps dollars that Americans need to live on, going to the administration of insurance companies, sometimes as much as 30% of premiums. Again, Congress is sitting on a plan, (HR 676-the Conyers-Kucinich bill), that would reduce those costs down to 3-4% and provide the kind of healthcare that all the other "rich" nations of the world already have. It was recently reported that Americans rank 27th in their "healthiness" compared with the rest of the world, yet guess who spends the most?
Ending NAFTA & the WTO
What sounded like a clever idea to some, "let’s employ the under-employed of the world" and lift other countries’ economies, has had a devastating effect on our employment and economy here at home. And these principles are not only being applied to manufacturing jobs, in places where workers’ rights and protective environmental principles are often ignored, but in the field of technology as well. Let’s institute "fair" trade policies that give all countries and all workers what they deserve.
Abolishing the electoral college
When our country was founded, it was felt that this type of representation would be most helpful in having the election finished and confirmed quickly because of the great distance between voting areas. But with such a large population currently, all very well connected, it seems so much more appropriate that we simply tally the “popular” vote, i.e. one voter=one vote. This prevents campaigning for our Presidential election to be focused in certain states, while virtually ignoring others. At the same time, all citizens’ right to vote must be protected, from the registration process through to the tallying and transmission process, ensuring that there is no corruptible software or administrative personnel processes.
Stopping human-induced climate disruption
Our energy policies need to be examined with a fine-tooth comb. And besides our government and corporations taking responsibility for making sure we have a healthy planet, individuals will want to be more participatory in learning what habits they can change. Education at a very young age will be crucial!
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