the problem is NOT washingtpon, the problem is with the smoke filled rooms that make the decisions long before washington is even inmvolved. A lot of them in are NYC, some in LA, and many more of them will be in Dubai and China.

Changes and variations has to happen on all sides. There are movements such as civil rights were advocated for many years. Even voting rights for blacks only occurred a few years ago. Women was not allowed to get positions normally held by men in the last fifty years.

Going out and protesting for a short time is not going to result in immediate changes. How can some changes start, by electing new people in state houses and Congress. Voting is our best path to making changes.

I like President Obama but there are many changes he wanted and simply not going to happen, he needed a supporting team.

transparency can only go so far. politics is a huge ball of tangled yarn. yes, we should inform the president whenever possible what our interests are on every issue close to our sense of democracy, our communities, our families and our individual selves. this is the most powerful tool we have: our voice! i know he listens but he has to hear from us.

the president has done much for the american public on behalf of social justice issues. those of us who are busy working and surviving must be sure our voices on economic and environmental issues are also heard.

i believe our president sincerely does have our interests in mind - and sometimes, he may appear to be in support of something we do not agree with because he wants the american public to speak up so that he has numbers and leverage to argue against the corporate and wall street interests on behalf of the middle class and the disabled, and low income families/individuals.

write those letters! make those calls! sign those petitions! call the white house! call your legislators! make your voices heard!