What's wrong with America? You hear things all the time about what is wrong with America. I asked my readers to email me their thoughts of what is wrong with America and the response was overwhelming. I thought the best way would be to list some of your comments first, then add my comments. But before I continue, I would like to comment on my last column, UFO'S - ALIENS, FACT OR FICTION. I received a huge response concerning this column, many positive, some negative. I want to thank all of you, even those of you that for some reason found it hard to accept... that just maybe we are not alone out here in the universe!

America has spoken. Here are the thoughts of some Americans who emailed me of what they think is wrong with America.

Jim, 42 from Salt Lake City, wrote, "Do politicians really listen to us anymore?"

Beth, 50, from Seattle wrote, "We are losing a generation to not only drugs, but simply losing them."

Evelyn, 62, from Kansas City, wrote, "I will be retiring soon, at one time I was looking forward to it, now with all the unrest in so many areas of our great country, I'm not sure what to expect anymore."

The next one should really alarm you, this could happen to anyone.

Sara, 44, from Detroit, wrote, "I and my husband were harassed by the IRS for over 8 months. They said we had not paid our taxes the last year. We we're what you would call the middle income, tax paying responsible citizens. We and our CPA kept providing copies of our cancelled checks. It was getting to the point they were going to confiscate our home. It was only after we threatened to sue not only the IRS but the individual we kept talking to did we finally receive a computer generated letter stating, due to a computer error, the error has been found, you owe no taxes. I wonder how many more Americans have gone through this type of abuse by our government. It has made a believer out of us that there is something severely wrong with our government - more so, our elected officials for letting this kind of injustice to go on."

Bill, 48, from Michigan, wrote, "We and over 70 other business people in our area are being sued by the the waste disposal firm that is being sued by the EPA Superfund Cleanup for contamination of landfill. What is ridiculous about this is, we did everything the company said to do as far as how to load our garbage and what we could put in it. This is another example of how our government is not working.

Steve, 43, from Los Angeles, wrote, "We used to live in a nice neighborhood. Ten years ago, we were lucky - we had only one gun shooting in this area once a year, just in the last week though, there have been three drive by shootings, one resulting in death of a child.

Karen, 44, from New Hampshire, wrote, "I've been in local politics for years, both as a registered Republican and Democrat, and some times the local party chair person. I have now decided they are all full of crap. I have yet to find an honest politician who will do what they say they will once they get in office. Doesn't anyone tell the truth anymore."

Charise, 46, wrote from New Jersey, "When is the madness going to stop? Well, it will stop when we stop thinking that some big politician is going to do the right thing. Only until we make them do the right thing will anything be done right.

Tom, 44, wrote from Texas, "Why don't they just do anyway with the IRS and have a flat national income tax of say 10% for individuals and say 22% for businesses, (this would include social security taxes). I own a small business, I would not mind paying 10% on personal income and 15% on my business with no deductions, no paperwork to file. Just think of the millions the government would save by not having the IRS around to harass us."

Stephanie, 42 wrote from Atlanta, "I am scared to death to drive anywhere past dark anymore. What has our nation become?

Craig, 45, from Denver wrote, "I am really getting concerned about so much information that is being kept on me using my social security number. Kinda makes you wonder if George Orwell's, 1984 is not coming true to life!

Louise, 48, wrote from Dallas, "My mother, 62, was recently diagnosed with cancer. What I am so angry about is that it took her six months to finally find a cancer specialist that would treat her because she is on Medicare. Most of the specialists we first called, immediately asked us what kind of insurance does she have. The minute we answered Medicare, we were told - oh Doctor so and so is not accepting new patients. There should be some law to prevent this discrimination."

And the list goes on and on folks. What is so evident by the many email letters I received is this. What primarily is wrong in America is that she is drowning in her own vomit. What I mean is, for years, we have been allowing injustice to reign in the great halls of our country in Washington. The injustice I hate to tell you is that we, and I am including myself have sat back and let much of this happen to ourselves. We haven't stood up and cried out when we should have about things. And then when we did, we got screwed again by the politicians trying to not only appease us, but the big interests they are being funded by. Here is an example

Remember the EPA Superfund bill that was passed during the last Republican administration. It was deemed the great social conscious act that Congress had ever done to clean up America. It was passed to force the big corporations that have polluted our precious land in America to clean it up. Well, so the politicians thought, or was there another thought in place to make others very rich? Here is the problem. The EPA Superfund was passed with a 37 BILLION, yes 37 BILLION dollar fund to cleanup America folks. Over the last five years, now get this, over 12 BILLION, YES 12 BILLION has already been used for legal fees, and only 5 billion has been used to actually cleanup sites. There are still over 200 sites in America that still need to be cleaned up. Right now, the water you are drinking may be filled with contaminants. Have your water checked if you don't believe me. It costs very little to have your water checked. Most states have a state water testing facility where you send in a sample and for a small fee of usually not more than $10.00 will test the water. The results will surprise you. That is why I drink only distilled and reverse osmosis purified water. Let me get back to the Superfund problem, but the last falls into this problem.

The so called EPA Superfund bill is the best example of our government has gone wrong. What happened is that the huge corporations found the loop hole, which our Congress did not fill. Because of this, it allows the huge corporations to sue the users in case of a EPA landfill cleanup dispute. What Bill from Michigan above wrote about is true.

Presently, there are over 70,000 small business people nationwide that are being sued, the trickle down effect because of this bill. Where were our politicians when they passed this thing. There was no protection for the little guy, only the huge corporations and one specific group that was going to definitely come out on top with a heck of alot of money. Some 12 billion so far the last five years has been paid to attorneys! What our politicians did was make the best retirement fund ever for attorneys. And now after five years of protests, countless hundreds of thousands of letters to their offices, our dear so called wise politicians are still sitting flat on their arses and not doing a darn thing about this. I don't know about you, but this ridiculous incompetence has made me very angry.

It is the little guy, the little businessmen in this great country that has made this country. Not the big, huge blood sucking, parasitic corporations who have gone nothing but worsened America. Walmart is going to cause more harm to this country that any huge corporation. Mark my words....America will start losing jobs to overseas because Walmart is mostly buying now overseas and demanding lower prices. Factories are shutting down in America and I predict by 2002 you will see that at least 2 million factory jobs have left this country by 2002.

And who is paying again, the little guy. And who is to blame, us, yes, us, because we let some self serving big headed politicians in Washingtons do it to us again. And now can't seem to have the guts to do something about it even though they know it is wrong. They even admit it if you talk to some of them. Now where is the justice here. There is no justice, because we are not demanding it. We need to tell these politicians, either do this, or your out on your ear at the next election. By the way, this is another example of the great Republican free for all laws they have passed. And to make sure that I am very clear here so one one can say I am political mud throwing here, I am not registered either as a Democrat or Republican, I'm registered as an Independent, like Karen from New Hampshire above.

I'm sorry to say, but we as Americans are our worse enemy. It is not the politicians doing us in, we are doing ourselves in because for we are letting these politicians in Washington do these things to us. Why do we let them do these things? Are we are so busy trying to make ends meet, raising kids, we have no time to watch what is really going on in Washington?

Why are we so busy, because we have let the tax situation go out crazy. High taxes, fill this form, fill that form. My God, can you just imagine if God had to live in America what he would say. Use your imagination, you have it, I'm sure you would come up with the same answer. Now if God wouldn't put up with this, why are we? And no, I am not a right wing religious nut either folks. My belief in my God is private matter and that is how it should remain with everyone. Our forefathers of this great nation had enough wisdom to see the importance of the separation of Church and State by placing that guarantee in our Bill of Rights. But do our present elected officials see this? No, we are being bombarded with so much right wing religious laws which are going to destroy this country and not solve the real social problems that it has. You solve social problems with LOVE not prejudice against this or that, or based on one's tunnel vision of morality.

My gripe session is over, the next step is to find a solution. I am not fond of anyone that simply complains about something without bringing a possible solution to the table to discuss. I feel the solution is very simple! GET ACTIVE AMERICA IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIVES AGAIN. Keep abreast of what your elected officials are and are not doing for your best interests. Our laws are suppose to be made based on majority rule, not the other way around, by a couple of hundred elected officials, ( that is about how many that actually vote on issues, even though there are 100 in the senate and 400 plus in the House), in Washington.

But you say, "I've tried writing, but get this form response back."

Let me tell you something that truly does work. If you truly care about something and have others that feel the same way, start a petition where you live and work. Type out your concerns, objections or whatever at the top of a piece of paper. Then state that the following signatures below, (you should have space for addresses also), that all agree with the statement and that you are demanding that action be taken immediately, otherwise, the group will campaign against the elected offcial in the next election. Believe me, when you mention campaign against them, that gets their attention and it works!

The main thing though is you've got to get involved. If your tired of high taxes and want a flat tax, then start a petition in your area. If you tired of how the IRS is working and want it eliminated, then start a petition as such. Just think, if there were ten groups in just fifty percent of all American cities that were doing this, just think about how much pull you all could have! And now I have a solution for you that maybe I can help with. I am urging Americans to starts an America Speaks Out Campaign. This is how you can make it work.

I encourage people to get together and form groups to hold monthly meetings to tackle the issues they want to tackle. The huge corporations have lobbyists in Washington, why not just plain old America folks having lobbyists, yourselves. You will be your own lobbyists for the things you know needs correcting!

You can either take action now and start to gain your White House in Washington back, or go ahead and sit on your behinds and do nothing as usual. If you choose to sit on your behinds, I don't want to hear you complaining about anything ever again. If all you can do is complain and not do a thing about it, then you deserve it! This may sound harsh, but it is the truth. Either put up, or shut up! Its' up to you America. What will it be?

One last thought, I received several email letters from my readers around the world, asking their input concering what they felt is wrong with America. Here are some samples, I hope it inspires you to do something.

Andrew, 45, from Canada wrote, "You Americans amaze me, here you have the best country on earth, but yet the worse. You are having all these problems because your letting a bunch of politicians do what only they feel is best for you. What happened to the old American spirit of truth, justice and liberty, I surely hope she hasn't died!"

Renji, 42, from India wrote, "Oh people of America, how fortunate you are, but yet you are dying, dying because you don't see what you should be doing for yourself. I only wished we here in India had the power that you have, but you don't see that."

Elizabeth, 44, from Ireland wrote, "Be careful people of America, one day you may wake up and realize you have lost the power you once had by not using it."

Stephan, 42, from France wrote, "We gave you your Lady, The Statue of Liberty, I guess she means nothing to you no more, for you let the politicians take away your rights, making you the servants once again."

I could give you many more email letters from my readers across the globe my fellow Americans, but they would say the same thing. How is it that others can see what we are not doing, but we can't. Shouldn't that tell us that we are not doing something right and better start looking? Just some Food For Thought for you to think about America.

I look forward to hearing from any of you that would like to be listed on the America Speak Out page. It should be up and running within two weeks. All you will have to do is use the submit form to list your contact information and we will also be asking what is the concern you will be working on with others?

My next column is my Christmas column.

I would like to hear from you my readers what Christmas means to you. I would also like to hear from you people that are going to be doing any special projects to help those less fortunate at this time of year. I would like to post these on a special Christmas page and keep it up year long, so that others in your areas can contact you about your projects. This is another project I am starting called, "Angels of Love". That page will be up also within two weeks. I will be writing my Christmas column and posting it by the second week of December, so get your responses and emails in to me.

In closing, I hope this column has inspired you do at least one thing, at least think about what has been said by not only myself, but by so many of you out there America!