What important issue is the most ignored?

[SanCristobal]

What is the one issue that most concerns you, but gets almost no attention from any candidate?

For me it's drug legalization. The war on drugs makes the war in Iraq look like a stellar success. Prohibition has achieved nothing positive, its only results have been the creation of entrenched criminal networks, increasingly intrusive laws, massive prison populations, and billions of wasted dollars. I believe ending drug prohibition would be the single easiest way to improve the country, yet it gets virtually no attention from politicians and absolutely no attention from any mainstream presidential candidate. Those candidates who do speak about it half ass their positions by supporting marijuana legalization and ignoring the larger problem of the drug trades criminal element that exists solely because of prohibition.

Anyway, enough ranting. What is your issue that nobody seems to care about?

[bobbolink]

1. Without a doubt, POVERTY!

:mad:

[cynatnite]

5. That's it for me n/t

[pleace.eu]

48. Then why don't you do something against the FED?

Poverty has a reason!

To understand poverty, you have to learn about our monetary system.

Its a system of dept. Your dept is someone else's asset. Because money is no longer a good of itself, its only an obligation.

Go to your bank and ask for a credit of maybe 10.000 bucks. The bank snips with its fingers, you are in dept with 10.000, and the bank has its receivables. New money has been created.

Aah, ok, the bank has to pick up a loan too, yyyesssss! Where? At the Fed!

And what the hell has the fed to do for the benefit to get all your interest-payments?

Huuh?

Nothing! They can produce money out of thin air! I am not kidding! It's that simple!

Thats the reason why the masses get poorer and poorer, and only a very few do not know, how to spend all the money they receive, but did not earn!.

But thats, of course, not enough.

There could be still more money to gain! Lets go to war, we could make billions in the supply for the troops. Halliburton gets the billions, the troops die.

How about the idea, to pay Halliburton manager the same wage the troops get? It's only fair! The troops risk their lives, are off their families, and receive... what? 3000 bucks a month?
And the suppliers earn billions? Is that fair???

But! Thats not all! There is still more money to gain! There may come the time, the people get aware what the "elite" is up to. They must prepare for that! What is nearer than to build up "detention camps" for the folks who don't want to run any longer in the hamster wheel.

So they builded about 800 detention camps for you, just in case you don't agree...

For me, that is reason enough to tell all people how I see things, sometimes you just need to get some floors upstairs and look into things out of an other angle, and everything suddenly makes sense.

We here in Germany live in a kind of bureaucracy-dictatorship, but you got some real ones! Get rid of them! They suck us all out!

[newyawker99]

51. Hi pleace.eu!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[pleace.eu]

56. Thanks for your welcome n/t

[marmar]

7. Same here....

Dealing with poverty would mitigate so many other problems.

[bobbolink]

11. "Dealing with poverty would mitigate so many other problems" YES!

You have said it all, and I thank you! :applause:

[JuniperLea]

15. Dealing with poverty would mitigate so many other problems.

Perfectly said. I wholeheartedly agree!

[WI_DEM]

12. bingo, only candidate talking about it is Edwards.

[bobbolink]

16. Right! There needs to be a huge chorus on it!

Let's keep up the pressure!

THANKS! :hi:

[The2ndWheel]

30. And his solution is a 30 year plan

[FrenchieCat]

35. Do you have a link to his 30 year plan?

[The2ndWheel]

39. "Which is why, today, I'm proposing we set a national goal..."

http://johnedwards.com/news/speeches/20060622/

"of eliminating poverty in the next 30 years."

"In the next 10 years, we need to cut poverty by a third, improving the lives of 12 million Americans."

It sounds great. But 30 years is a long time, a lot can happen. Not to mention the 20 million that are still poor at the end of a decade are still poor. Why do they have to wait?

[FrenchieCat]

44. Poverty is a disease....

and eliminating the various symptoms is what it is all about.

It's like someone promising to cure cancer in 30 years time.....
Great pronouncement, but the statement isn't the cure, plus I'll be dead in 30 years from cancer or from something else.

Seems like you agree.

So what is said is always nice, but as a skeptic, I look at what people do and how effective they have been at their goal and how long they have been at it. That how one can measure dedication, passion and sincere interest in a cause....in particular when dealing with politicians. Sometimes it is difficult to guage which came first; the political ambition or the ambition for the cause. and then sometimes it isn't.

[FrenchieCat]

34. not so.....

and it is my opinion that saying the word "poverty" itself is not the solution to it.

Those talking about improving our education system and cost, singlepayer health, job mobility assistance, and fair trade are in fact peaking on the issue of instutionalized poverty which requires many solutions. And it isn't only John Edwards "speaking" on those issues. In fact, there are many proposals out there from many politicians just as wonderful as those belonging to John Edwards.

I'm still looking for legislation that John Edwards championed on this issue that he is currently so passionate about during his 6 years in the senate. Thus far, aside from supporting a minimum wage increase (something that most if not all Democrats supported), I don't really find anything. :shrug:

In reference to Barack Obama, I find much!
Close tax loopholes for US companies relocating abroad. (Jun 2004)
REAL USA Plan: Reward companies that create domestic jobs. (Jun 2004)
Voted YES on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on reforming bankruptcy to include means-testing & restrictions. (Mar 2005)
Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education. (Jun 2006)
Sponsored legislations that recruit and reward good teachers. (Sep 2004)
Provide decent funding and get rid of anti-intellectualism. (Jul 2004)
Address the growing achievement gap between students. (May 2004)
Will add 25,000 teachers in high-need areas. (May 2004)
Supports charter schools and private investment in schools. (Jul 1998)
Free public college for any student with B-average. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers". (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies. (Oct 2005)
Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education. (Mar 2005)
Three months working on minority students recycling. (Aug 1996)
Insist on labor and human rights standards for China trade. (Jul 2004)
Fair trade should have tangible benefits for US. (Jun 2004)
Voted NO on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)
Keep guns out of inner cities--but also problem of morality. (Oct 2006)
Ban semi-automatics, and more possession restrictions. (Jul 1998)
Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
Health care tied to balancing costs and taxes nation wide. (Jun 2006)
Allowing seniors to bulk purchase will save taxpayers' money. (Oct 2004)
Crises happen in our lives and healthcare is necessary. (Oct 2004)
Believes health care is a right, not a privilege for the few. (Sep 2004)
Lead global fight against AIDS. (Jul 2004)
Allow prescription drug re-importation. (May 2004)
Will expand health coverage & allow meds to be re-imported. (May 2004)
Ensure access to basic care. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on expanding enrollment period for Medicare Part D. (Feb 2006)
Voted YES on increasing Medicaid rebate for producing generics. (Nov 2005)
Voted YES on negotiating bulk purchases for Medicare prescription drug. (Mar 2005)
Extend welfare and Medicaid to immigrants. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship. (May 2006)
Overrode federal overtime rules and raised the minimum wage. (Sep 2004)
Make sure that African-American men have access to jobs. (Jul 2004)
Fund Trade Adjustment Assistance for service workers too. (Jun 2004)
Increase IL minimum wage to $6.50 an hour. (Jun 2004)
Tax cuts for the rich do not create jobs. (May 2004)
Obama will strengthen unions and workers? rights. (May 2004)
Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
$2000 tax credit for Working Families Savings Accounts. (Jul 2004)
Tax incentives to create jobs at home instead of offshore. (Jun 2004)
Welfare receipts know how to become successful but need help. (Jul 2004)
$100M increase in IL Earned Income Tax Credit. (Jun 2004)
Inner city problems are the painful truths. (Aug 1996)
Exorcise the ghostly figure that haunts black dreams. (Aug 1996)
Supports affirmative action in colleges and government:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/Barack_Obama.htm

Believes health care is a right, not a privilege for the few
Obama believes health care is a right for everyone, not a privilege for the few. He has made affordable health care a priority - he delivered coverage to an additional 20,000 children and 65,000 parents in Illinois and sponsored a bill to protect the uninsured from price gouging. He has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America, allows those near retirement to buy into Medicare, and ensures coverage for those losing jobs through no fault of their own.
Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.org, "On the Issues" Sep 28, 2004

Lead the global fight against the AIDS virus.
The US must give its fair share to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to avoid both a humanitarian and economic crisis. President Bush's budget this year actually cuts the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund by 65 percent. As Senator, I will hold President Bush to his word and fully fund our commitment to the war on AIDS. We must also increase the availability of generic drugs to AIDS victims around the world.
Source: Press Release, "Renewal of American Leadership " Jul 12, 2004

Allow prescription drug re-importation
Barack Obama called for a vote on a bi-partisan bill that would allow the re-importation of safe prescription drugs from industrialized countries at lower prices. "I ask for a Senate vote to allow safe imports of US-approved drugs that are manufactured in US-approved plants," Obama said. "And, I urge Jack Ryan to stop siding with the drug manufacturers and put aside his opposition to the re-importation of lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada."
Source: Press Release, "Prescription Drug Re-Importation" May 21, 2004

Will expand health coverage & allow meds to be re-imported
Obama has proposed a detailed health plan that covers every child in America, allows those near retirement to buy into Medicare, and ensures coverage for those losing jobs through no fault of their own. He will allow re-importation of drugs from other industrialized nations and fight for a Medicare prescription drug law that allows the federal government to negotiate drug prices.
Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com, ?On The Issues? May 2, 2004

Ensure access to basic care
Principles that Obama supports on health care:
Provide tax incentives to small businesses who provide health care to their employees.
Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care, through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
Provide health care to uninsured children by expanding Medicaid.
Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998
http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Barack_Obama_Health_Care.htm#8

So I don't think that John Edwards truly holds the corner market on this issue that many have before and after him have cared about just as much, and in some case more.

I realize it "sounds" good to attribute John Edwards with some much credit, but the proof is in the pudding.....and his pudding ain't all that "thick"...although I'm glad he's talking about the issue just like others have.

[LSK]

64. I recall a Republican majority in the Congress during his time as Senator

Except for a brief time of having a slim Senate majority, the Congress was controlled by the GOP which means you will not be finding your legislation writtena and passed by John Edwards.

[Sapphire Blue]

22. P O V E R T Y gets no attention from anyone other than John Edwards.

Poverty


John Edwards for President 2008

[etherealtruth]

46. Which is the major reason

I:loveya:John Edwards:loveya:

[valerief]

36. Let's hope we don't have a war on it, because that means Bushco will create even more of it! nt

[LSK]

62. John Edwards does not ignore it

But he voted for the war.

:eyes:

[blm]

2. Corporate media and its complicity with fascist agenda. And election fraud.

Both issues feed off each other.

There is also the last 5o years of the US and other nations grooming, funding and enabling global terrorist movements in their efforts to encourage military answers and imperialism spread through effected regions all over the world. Regions rich in oil and natural resources.

Republican administrations handle the imperialistic moves while some Dem administrations look the other way and allow the coverup.

[deutsey]

27. Bernie Sanders' comments at the media reform conference

"If you are concerned, as been said, about healthcare, if you are concerned about foreign policy and Iraq, if you are concerned about the economy, if you are concerned about global warming, you are kidding yourselves if you are not concerned about corporate control over the media, because every one of these issues is directly controlled and directly relevant to the media."

The full transcript is here at Democracy Now!:

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/01/22/1455248

[oldtime dfl_er]

3. global warming

It's getting some lip service and a little bit of action but other than Al Gore, not enough are treating it as the URGENT issue it is.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/690908

[bobbolink]

Gore's doing just fine, and having a huge effect.

Where's a Gore speaking up for poverty, and doing movies, etc?????

[mod mom]

4. REAL Election Reform-w/0 fair, transparent and verifiable elections, we can not

have real change.

[no_hypocrisy]

6. The $81 trillion federal deficit including the unfunded $41 trillion for

the entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. It's estimated that each family of four in this country would have to pay $500,000 (half a mil) to fix the black hole.

Mike Whitney has called it "The Economic Tsunami". I'm appalled that NO presidential hopeful has addressed this issue as it affects each and every one of us and our ability to plan to have a decent future.

[lala_rawraw]

8. Iran attack

[OneBlueSky]

9. Corporate control of Congress comes to mind . . .

in fact, the entire issue of regulating corporate behavior, and maybe even profits . . . corporate actions (and inactions) are at the root of virtually EVERY critical issue facing us today -- the war, environmental destruction, healthcare, all of it . . . yet no one seems to want to address the issue . . . could the fact that corporations bankroll political campaigns have anything to do with it? . . .

bottom line is you can't solve a problem unless you address its root cause . . . and you can't address its root cause unless you identify and acknowledge it as such . . . that's why so many of these problems seem so intractable -- we're not addressing their root causes . . .

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

10. I'd Say Deceptive And Predatory Advertising. It Cost Americans Probably Billions Of Dollars A Year.

[Individualist]

13. An unbiased investigation of 9/11 attacks

The whitewash "investigation" previously conducted was a farce.

[Iwasthere]

14. ELECTION REFORM

Without that we don't stand a chance (not that we really have much of a chance now - the world is doomed! The idiot is going to fire up a nuklar war)

[Parisle]

19. Election Reform and Corporate Control of Congress ( & gov't)

--- .... are the same issue, and it's the Big One, have no fear. Until democratic rule of the majority,... one man - one vote,... again unquestionably prevails in the US, then the Founders' "Great Experiment" is in limbo. All corporate money & influence must be removed from politics, and election counts must be failsafe. Compared to this, nothing else matters.

[baldguy]

23. Election reform

-Ensure that elections are open, free & fair and that all the ballots cast accounted for & counted.

-Get corporate money out of the funding process. Campaigns should be publicly funded.

[Faux pas]

17. The only drug I feel should be legalized should be marijuana.

Anything stronger or tampered with by man is pure poison as far as I'm concerned.

Outsourcing is one of my biggest concerns. It has not been/will not ever be good for this country. We the people have been sold out.

[SanCristobal]

24. I wish I could agree.

Drugs are bad for you. I personally don't use them, and wish no one did*. This isn't a problem we can just wish away though, people love drugs and there will always be a market for them. As long as drug prohibition is the law of the land, this market will be controlled by the criminal element that is currently hurting this country. The drug trade is a violent and dangerous business, but this doesn't have to be the case. Legalized drugs would put production and distribution into the hands of legitimate businesses, and would allow the government to regulate purity and tax sales. I would much rather have someone buy safe(er) drugs from their local pharmacy then OD on something they bought from a street dealer kicking money to a gang, or worse, be robbed and killed trying to buy on the street.

*then again, do I have the moral high ground? I drink, and alcohol is just a legal drug.

[Faux pas]

59. LOL of course drugs are bad for you, my suggestion was to

legalize the least damaging drug. I've seen a lot more lives and families ruined by alcohol than mj. Legalizing the hard drugs isn't going to make the quality of those drugs any better or any less damaging to society. Babies will still be born addicted to drugs (alcohol included). Hard drug users contribute nothing and would continue to drain resources that could be used for medical and life enhancing discoveries. And just think of the power the government could really wield if all the addicted stayed addicted. Addicts would still OD. Also, those addicts would still have to lie, cheat and still to obtain those drugs, the powers that be aren't going to be handing the stuff out gratis. There would still be black market drug dealers.

[butterfly77]

26. I agree...

and the economy is not being addressed, who is investigating the lies about this so called good economy..I see layoffs all over the country and no one seems to talk about it.

[OhioChick]

58. Exactly........The Economy.

Job loss leads to poverty.

[Faux pas]

61. Yeah, we are a third world economy, and the truth should be

told about it.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. First off, the vast majority of the $40 Billion a year drug war budget goes to fighting pot.

Second, while the social libertarian in me thinks that consenting adults really ought to have the right to make their own damn decisions about what they want to put in their own bodies, period, the realist thinks that for "hard" drugs a better approach would be to treat them like a health issue, not a law enforcement one. A harm reduction strategy, like the Netherlands has- and full legalization (and taxation) of Marijuana.

But the law enforcement approach- with packed prisons letting violent criminals out to make room for non-violent drug offenders- is an abject failure, period.

[Faux pas]

60. 40 billion could be used to finance a lot more important issues,

for sure. I used to work for the prison system and about 70% of the incarcerated were addicts. California just keeps building more prisons because there is no room for the hard core inmates. Addiction should be decriminalized, I agree.

[High Plains]

68. Heck, yeah! It could finance our war in Iraq for a month or so.

Or maybe something useful.

[Sapphire Blue]

18. ...

comment moved

[bobbolink]

25. Well, pooh!

Bring it back......

By popular request!

:hug: :pals: :loveya:

[Sapphire Blue]

31. It's moved upthread:

22. P O V E R T Y gets no attention from anyone other than John Edwards.: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3177944#3178139

:hi: :hug:

[GeorgeGist]

20. The role of capitalism...

in economic de-stabilization.

[vote 4 democracy]

21. Undermining and manipulation of the judicial system

Even if we start investigation of ALL the other problems wrought by this administration we won't be able to do much about ANY of it for a long time as long as the judiciary is run by the extreme right.

[Cleita]

28. Poverty and homelessness.

I would have said health care but lack of decent health care is part of being poor and homeless.

[bobbolink]

52. So right, Cleita! It's all related, and can be fixed, if we only have the will!

Lack of health care and lack of decent housing is fixable, and in a short period of time, if we will only insist on it.

:pals:

[The2ndWheel]

29. The manufacturing of a living habitat into a machine

Be it with the large scale extraction of resources, or the use of "lesser" life at the DNA level for our progression to some unattainable state of existence, the attempt at complete control over every aspect of life, the religious belief in the possibility of infinite growth(and if everything doesn't grow, our entire system collapses), and the way in which we believe everyone can have everything(even the basic stuff, which also has to increase to keep up).

That's about it. Basically the way the human species might just be the weakest on the planet, when you really think about it.

[Behind the Aegis]

32. at home: Poverty; worldwide: Darfur n/t

[Imagevision]

33. Most Important, Bush impeachment investigations

[porphyrian]

37. Yep, end the "war on drugs" lie already, but I think that's just a part of what I'd say...

...is the real issue - we have to end poverty and the war on the poor.

[EFerrari]

38. Nobody talks about poor people as if they are real. Edwards has a little

but there is no real national conversation as there now is about election reform. And :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: to the hardworking election reform activists that got that going.

We don't talk about poverty in a coherent way, in a way that addresses the larger frame which is, imho, that we can't take care of our people because we need that money to give away to the defense and energy mafia.

Killing people over there and over here so BushCo cronies can gorge themselves on our resources. When I studied Native America philosophy, I came across the term "fat eaters". It was a term for white people -- who always over consumed, killed too many buffalo, and ate the best part of the animal, iirc. They ate the fat.

Bush & Co are fat eaters. And they are killing us.

[bobbolink]

53. Needed: National Conversation about poverty! YES!

You are sooo very right!

Yes, thanx to people like you, *finally* election fraud got into the national conversation. Thank you! :patriot:

We don't have big articles about the shame of poverty in Rolling Stone, and videos about poverty like there is about Election Fraud.

There is soooo much misinformation right here on DU about poverty, and I don't see very much national effort to counteract that ignorance. If it was only ignorance on the part of the RW, that would be sad enough, but it's "progressives" who also don't get it.

I saw that so clearly when Edwards went to campaign for Lamont, and Lamont took the stage and apologized for having not made poverty a big part of his campaign--BECAUSE EDWARDS CAME AND PUSHED HIM.

You bring up a very important point--coherent discussion and programs!

:hi: :pals: :hi:

[catmandu57]

40. I've bookmarked this thread to read later

I have some ideas on poverty and the drug war, they're so inter correlated, it's like they're on a set of scales, and with a good nudge the drug war could be over as well.

[rubberducky]

41. Katrina investigations.

Why and who allowed these people to die??

[rubberducky]

42. Katrina investigations.

Why and who allowed these people to die??

[rubberducky]

43. Katrina investigations.

Why and who allowed these people to die??

[Evoman]

45. No doubts...global warming. Everything else in secondary.

On edit: It is also the most ignored. Although there is some discussion about it, there is no will, by either the goverment or the citzenry, to do anything about it.

[Raine]

47. Global Climate Change

and all environmental issues...THE MOST important issue facing the World. I'm not hearing much about it. Gore is the only one who really has it as and issue and so far he's not running.

[Philosoraptor]

49. The Nazi takeover, didn't anyone notice?

[EFerrari]

50. You forgot the spoiler warning.

[Warren DeMontague]

55. I agree with you. I would like our party to take an across-the-board stand for personal freedom.

Reproductive freedom, freedom of speech and thought, freedom from censorship, freedom to make pain management and end-of-life decisions, and freedom for consenting adults (insofar as they aren't harming or endangering anyone else) to make their own decisions about what they want to do with their own bodies and nervous systems.

So absolutely, the drug war is a boondoggle and a waste.

The American People are far more socially libertarian than the "conventional wisdom" gives them credit for (witness Terri Schiavo) and we should have at least one major political party that speaks to that.

[Klukie]

57. Darfur

[LSK]

63. John Edwards pays attention to most of my issues

- Getting out of Iraq

- Universal Health Care

- Global Warming

- Poverty

I dont know where he stands on Election Reform but I'm sure hes open to reforming it.

[wildbilln864]

65. the new Pearl Harbor event, you know...

September 11th! Who did it if at least six of the alledged hijackers are still alive! Who did it? How'd they get away with it? Who's been held accountable? Where's UBL? 911 is the basis for every PNAC controlled policy that's been implemented since! Hello? Building #7! :think:
:wtf:

[wildbilln864]

66. May I ...

recommend a book titled "911 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out"?

[EstimatedProphet]

67. You're right - drug legalization is a big one, and no one will touch it

Recreational drug use has been so vilified in this country that it can only be compared to mass-murder of kittens in the minds of some people. Drug use is the closest thing I can think of to a boogeyman in the public consciousness. Campaigning against drugs is like campaigning for milk - it's a foregone conclusion. There's no politician that is going to step out on a limb and side with the dirty hippies either, so I don't see this changing anytime soon.