Legalize marijuana and end the senseless "War on Drugs'
The people of this country want marijuana decriminalization. The 'War on Drugs' is ineffective. Millions of our citizens have been incarcerated for nonviolent drug offences.
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I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »47 comments for Idea: Legalize marijuana and end the senseless "War on Drugs' -
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267 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Communicating science transparently and without government interference
Over the last eight years, our agency maintained a fairly open dialog with the public on issues of scientific and technological advancement. Our agency was able to do so because we looked to the research community and the peer review process for guidance about whether a research breakthrough was valid, important and of interest to the public. 1. To maintain transparency, it should be federal policy that all agencies ...more »
4 comments for Idea: Communicating science transparently and without government interferenceOver the last eight years, our agency maintained a fairly open dialog with the public on issues of scientific and technological advancement. Our agency was able to do so because we looked to the research community and the peer review process for guidance about whether a research breakthrough was valid, important and of interest to the public.
1. To maintain transparency, it should be federal policy that all agencies never intentionally hide, diminish, under-publicize or reject scientific research, particularly research that is of import to the scientific community as determined by that community through peer review.
2. To encourage participation, the federal government should establish mechanisms to make it easier for federal grant recipients to publicize the results of their work -- in all areas, not just science and technology, but also art, history and others. Too many incredible results stay only within their professional community, in part because of misunderstanding and a lack of knowledge about how to share results.
3. Collaboration is ongoing, but to improve it, agencies should be encouraged to truly partner when disseminating research results, particularly as many results are funded by multiple agencies. We all serve the same customers, in the broadest sense, and true collaboration would serve them best.
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247 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Prevent Patents of Living Things
Make it illegal to patent living things. It is not only unethical but also potentially dangerous for us all. There should be no patents on seeds or plant varieties, strains of bacteria or viruses, DNA, or any genetically modified organism. Information/Resources: Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/genetic-engineering/ge-agriculture-and-genetic-pol/patents-on-life DNA Patents Create Monopolies ...more »
9 comments for Idea: Prevent Patents of Living ThingsMake it illegal to patent living things. It is not only unethical but also potentially dangerous for us all. There should be no patents on seeds or plant varieties, strains of bacteria or viruses, DNA, or any genetically modified organism.
Information/Resources:
DNA Patents Create Monopolies on Living Organisms (ActionBioscience): http://www.actionbioscience.org/genomic/crg.html
A worldwide fight against biopiracy and patents on life (The Third World Network): http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/pat-ch.htm
REVOKED! Monsanto Monopoly Nixed in Munich: http://www.etcgroup.org/en/materials/publications.html?pub_id=619
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243 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »A Failure to Prioritize - the Never-Ending Birth Certificate Issue
504 comments for Idea: A Failure to Prioritize - the Never-Ending Birth Certificate IssueIs this issue more important than coming up with new ideas on how to house the homeless, develop energy independence, protect our borders from terrorists, provide jobs for unemployed workers, etc, etc...? I think whoever is behind this campaign has expressed their only idea sufficiently for the rest of us to know it's important to them. Now if they only had one or two new solutions for more important problems....
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169 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING
PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING We must have public financing of campaigns. I know you think you don't want to pay for it...but you already ARE! You pay hundreds and thousands of times what you would if the politicians actually answered to you and not greedy corporate criminals. You pay thousands of times more in a CORRUPTION SURCHARGE! YOU PAY FOR PRIVATELY FUNDED ELECTIONS RIGHT NOW! Every no bid contract, ...more »
15 comments for Idea: PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCINGPUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCING
We must have public financing of campaigns. I know you think you don't want to pay for it...but you already ARE!
You pay hundreds and thousands of times what you would if the politicians actually answered to you and not greedy corporate criminals. You pay thousands of times more in a CORRUPTION SURCHARGE!
YOU PAY FOR PRIVATELY FUNDED ELECTIONS RIGHT NOW!
Every no bid contract, every unpaid royalty on an oil lease, every blocked piece of legislation, every blocked investigation, every effort to get healthcare for all, every blocked attempt for a living wage, every needless nuclear warhead that will never be used, every mountaintop removal mining permit OK’d, every case of cancer caused by lax environmental rules or enforcement, every prison built instead of a school...YOU PAY AND PAY AND PAY!
And to add insult to injury, where do corporations get the money they give politicians in order to insure they can roll right over you whenever they want? FROM YOU! The cost of these payoffs is passed on to YOU the consumer!
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE IN THE COUNTRY!
Whatever you think is the most important issue facing the country…forget about it. It’s going to be decided in favor of those in power. It will be watered down in favor of those who finance campaigns and control corporate media sources.
You think the health care debate is going to come out in your favor or Pfizer’s? You think we are really going to cut military spending when more than half of the military budget for the entire world is being lavished on some of the biggest campaign contributors there are? How about Bank reform? Wall Street? Big Pharma? Iraq? The environment? Just exactly how do you see any of that working out in your favor in our current system?
Our system is broken. Our government does not work for the people. It works for – or in fear of – people who can spend a lot of money, access a lot of media, or have a lot of power in society.
IT’S THE MODERATES!
What people don’t understand is that it is not necessary to buy off the whole government in order for corporate, big money interests to get its way…every time. You merely need to control either the moderates and/or the committee heads in order to assure that whatever compromise is reached it will ALWAYS benefit BIG MONEY!
In Congress, you have partisans on either side, in safe districts, with entrenched interests who won’t compromise and are at no risk of being voted out.
Then you have the folks in the purple districts. They could get the ax anytime. Their elections could come down to which candidate has a few thousand more to spend. If Big Money goes their way they stay, if it goes to their opponent they are out.
These are the people you count on to forge the compromise between the two extremes and these are the very people who are most vulnerable to big money coming in hard and heavy against them.
COMPROMISE IS ALWAYS IN FAVOR OF BIG MONEY!
The current system assures that any compromise between the partisan extremes will be concluded in favor of big money. Even the most conscientious moderate politician in a contested state MUST cater to big money or they will not stay in congress.
WHAT HAPPENED TO CONGRESS?
Do you wonder what has happened to democrats in congress over the last 8 years…the spinelessness and cowardice evidenced by these people?
This is the result of what happens to an organization over time when anyone who fights big money gets weeded out…even if it’s only one or two per election. Eventually you are left with …well, what we have now…a bunch of corporate lap dogs.
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158 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Turn off some lights at night in federal bldgs
4 comments for Idea: Turn off some lights at night in federal bldgsI work at the Federal Center in Lakewood, CO & no matter how early I get here in the morning, even if I'm the 1st one here, all the lights in the building are on. This appears to be the case in most if not all the buildings on the Fed. Ctr. This is a waste of electricity & tax dollars.
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156 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »National Health Insurance
17 comments for Idea: National Health InsuranceIF, this is pushed through for ALL Americans, then I want it mandated that congress and all federal agencies will be under the same insurance.
If it is good for the average citizen then it is will be good for those in government. We do not need an exempted class.
What good for the goose is good for the gander.
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116 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »An educated populace is necessary for good government
As was observed by both Plato and Aristotle 2500 years ago, an educated population is necessary for democratic processes to work. Simply establishing machinery for access to decision makers is not enough. To achieve the goal of an educated population, one must reconstitute the school system. This means establishing a mandatory curriculum that includes philosophy and critical thinking at all levels. Getting people ...more »
11 comments for Idea: An educated populace is necessary for good governmentAs was observed by both Plato and Aristotle 2500 years ago, an educated population is necessary for democratic processes to work. Simply establishing machinery for access to decision makers is not enough. To achieve the goal of an educated population, one must reconstitute the school system. This means establishing a mandatory curriculum that includes philosophy and critical thinking at all levels. Getting people to participate in decision making always has been a serious problem, as people are so concerned with the every day minutiae of their lives. Too, one must ask at what level and to what degree should they participate. Government is so large and often overwhelming. The mechanics outlined on this website help, but, again, education must come first.
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109 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Open up discussion to re-evaluate marijuana laws
I think it's time to have a serious debate about the current marijuana prohibition laws and the effects it's having on a very large part of society. People are always saying that marijuana legalization would send the wrong message to kids, but what I believe to be the wrong message to kids, is the fact that so many non-violent offenders are spending time in jail, when they should be at home raising their kids, instead ...more »
5 comments for Idea: Open up discussion to re-evaluate marijuana lawsI think it's time to have a serious debate about the current marijuana prohibition laws and the effects it's having on a very large part of society.
People are always saying that marijuana legalization would send the wrong message to kids, but what I believe to be the wrong message to kids, is the fact that so many non-violent offenders are spending time in jail, when they should be at home raising their kids, instead of throwing those kids in the foster care program and over crowding prisons.
The thing is, every time a non-violent offender is sent to prison, you have just sent him/her to violence training school, so that when they get out, they are more likely to join a gang or start doing hard drugs.
I also believe that legalizing marijuana for adult use, would not only generate precious revenue for our struggling economy , but would also free up drug enforcement agents to go after the deadly drugs like meth, cocaine, heroin and all the other deadly street drugs.
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104 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »I say get the "Birth Certification" or "Eligibility" issue resolved before anything else.
11 comments for Idea: I say get the "Birth Certification" or "Eligibility" issue resolved before anything else.With no faith in the mainstream media or the officials we've elected and appointed to uphold the rule of law this must be done before half the people in this country will have any faith in this administration. When he has retained 3 law firms and spent 800,000 to seal his records one is only left to wonder "what is he hiding"?
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104 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »It's MR. OBAMA until you prove you're a citizen.
3 comments for Idea: It's MR. OBAMA until you prove you're a citizen.Either show that you are eligible to be president, Mr. Obama, or step down, now! I promise you that you shall remain "Mr. Obama" until such time as you prove that you are legally entitled to occupy the white house. I think that says it all.
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99 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Forbid Congressmen from Owning Military Stocks
52. Forbid Congressmen from Owning Military Stocks: Should there ever be a vote in congress to end any of the current wars, then those congressmen who own military stocks must abstain from this vote. Since, any military reduction would impact the valuation of military stocks; they have a reason to keep the conflict going. Since this could call in question the ethics of our Federal congressmen, owning military stocks ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Forbid Congressmen from Owning Military Stocks52. Forbid Congressmen from Owning Military Stocks: Should there ever be a vote in congress to end any of the current wars, then those congressmen who own military stocks must abstain from this vote. Since, any military reduction would impact the valuation of military stocks; they have a reason to keep the conflict going. Since this could call in question the ethics of our Federal congressmen, owning military stocks should be discouraged or outlawed. The same could be said for oil and financial institution stocks.
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99 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Please don't stop posting re;the eligibility issue...it's too important!
If anyone who doubts that this is a real issue can answer me 5 questions truthfully, factually, and beyond a reasonable degree of doubt (without attacking me personally), I'll post a personal apology to Mr. Obama...if not I demand a full investigation and reporting. 1) Of the over 300 lawsuits filed so far, why has each one that has come before a judge been dismissed without any case being heard on the merits of the ...more »
8 comments for Idea: Please don't stop posting re;the eligibility issue...it's too important!If anyone who doubts that this is a real issue can answer me 5 questions truthfully, factually, and beyond a reasonable degree of doubt (without attacking me personally), I'll post a personal apology to Mr. Obama...if not I demand a full investigation and reporting.
1) Of the over 300 lawsuits filed so far, why has each one that has come before a judge been dismissed without any case being heard on the merits of the case? Some have been dismissed for such unreasonable opinions as "this has been thoroughly twittered", or "Snopes has already reported on this"
2) Why would Obama spend nearly 1 million dollars on lawyers to block the release of any documents, rather than release them and put this issue to bed?
3) Obama’s sister, Maya, has never claimed to be an American citizen of any kind, yet she has a certificate of live Birth from Hawaii. If this document can be properly issued to a non-citizen, then please explain how it should be deemed an acceptable document to prove natural born citizenship for Barack Obama?
4)If American citizens on American passports could not obtain admission to the country of Pakistan in 1981 (there was a travel ban on Americans on American passports going into Pakistan in 1981), then what document did Barack Obama (Barry Soetoro) use to obtain admission there?
5) The country of Indonesia did not allow non-citizens to go to school there in the 1960’s. How then did Barry Soetoro (Barack Obama) enroll and go to school there? Note: the country did not allow dual citizenship.
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99 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Term Limits for the House and Senate
The Twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution sets a term limit for the President of the United States. The United States Congress passed the amendment on March 21, 1947. It was ratified by the requisite number of states on February 27, 1951. However, there are no such limits for members serving in the House or Senate. I propose that House members be limited to 3 terms (6 years) and Senators be limited ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Term Limits for the House and SenateThe Twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution sets a term limit for the President of the United States. The United States Congress passed the amendment on March 21, 1947. It was ratified by the requisite number of states on February 27, 1951. However, there are no such limits for members serving in the House or Senate. I propose that House members be limited to 3 terms (6 years) and Senators be limited to 2 terms (12 years) -- these terms are long enough to provide continuity of the government, but short enough to insure turnover to minimize the effect of name recognition in elections, to reduce the tendency for members to abuse their offices for personal gain, pork-barrel spending, and a host of other problems caused by the present seniority systems in both houses of congress.
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92 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Ooh! How about this?
5 comments for Idea: Ooh! How about this?All you brave Americans in Hawaii, please start lobbying your stupid state legislature to pass a bill demanding that the precious Obama records get a public airing out.
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86 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »To fund health care, tax sugary sodas and (legalize and) tax marijuana
Overconsumption of sugary soft drinks is a major contributor to obesity and related health issues, and is hence a big cause of out-of-control health care costs. A moderate tax on sugary soft drinks, and the elimination of the corn subsidies that make high-fructose corn syrup calories so cheap, will steer consumers to healthier alternatives. This is traditionally called a "sin tax". Similarly, while most Americans agree ...more »
13 comments for Idea: To fund health care, tax sugary sodas and (legalize and) tax marijuanaOverconsumption of sugary soft drinks is a major contributor to obesity and related health issues, and is hence a big cause of out-of-control health care costs. A moderate tax on sugary soft drinks, and the elimination of the corn subsidies that make high-fructose corn syrup calories so cheap, will steer consumers to healthier alternatives. This is traditionally called a "sin tax".
Similarly, while most Americans agree that marijuana consumption is not desirable, it is very clear that the costs of prohibition greatly outweigh the benefits. Legalizing and taxing marijuana will provide needed revenue for improving our health care system, and at the same time free up law enforcement to focus on more serious problems and relieve some of the strain on our prison system.
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84 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Who Owns the Media?
We need to create a constitutional amendment separating the major media from the corporations, like the separation of church and state. Ok, that's a bit complicated and would take decades. In the meantime, we need some anti-monopoly rules. And I want ownership to be limited to real people with names rather than some obscure entity that's impossible to trace. We also need a system that would allow ordinary people ...more »
31 comments for Idea: Who Owns the Media?We need to create a constitutional amendment separating the major media from the corporations, like the separation of church and state. Ok, that's a bit complicated and would take decades.
In the meantime, we need some anti-monopoly rules. And I want ownership to be limited to real people with names rather than some obscure entity that's impossible to trace.
We also need a system that would allow ordinary people to find out
WHO OWNS THE MEDIA. Like the ingredients and nutritional information on the back of a cereal box, I want to know what I'm feeding my mind and my children's minds. Who owns it, and who owns the owner.
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82 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Vote NO on S.R. 773: Cybersecurity Act of 2009
63. Vote NO on Senate Resolution 773: Cybersecurity Act of 2009 – This law will moderate the current free speech internet by allowing unprecedented government access to servers, all in the name of national security. This must not happen. The internet is the last bastion of free thought. Our other media outlets, television, radio, and newsprint, are all compromised by controlling interests who moderate or script daily ...more »
2 comments for Idea: Vote NO on S.R. 773: Cybersecurity Act of 200963. Vote NO on Senate Resolution 773: Cybersecurity Act of 2009 – This law will moderate the current free speech internet by allowing unprecedented government access to servers, all in the name of national security. This must not happen. The internet is the last bastion of free thought. Our other media outlets, television, radio, and newsprint, are all compromised by controlling interests who moderate or script daily news. Internet is the last public free resource of information, untainted by those corrupting forces of government sponsorship. As this bill is currently written it would devastate freedom of speech all under the guise of protection from so called cyber attacks. This Act must not be passed as read on April 1, 2009.
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April 1, 2009, version, Section 14, part (b) FUNCTIONS – The Secretary of Commerce – (1) shall have access to all relevant data concerning such networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule, or policy restricting such access.
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If congress wanted to reinforce cyber security all they need to do is reinforce their gate keeper code, meaning accessibility to their mainframes. This bill is an over achiever bill that has far too many powers for its purpose.
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Presently, all purchases over the internet are done sales tax free, this must continue. Any legislation by the state or federal government to place fees or sales taxes upon internet sales must be resisted and discouraged, under the pain of recall or impeachment, if necessary.
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81 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Stop helping me please
Stop helping me President Obama signed the HVCC, and as a result I close my profitable business of ten years and I had to fire six great people, who now cannot pay their bills too. My wife who has worked for a health insurance company for nine years is being told to prepare for her job to end due to the healthcare bill. I was told that I cannot refinance my home under the Making Home Affordable Act because my ...more »
8 comments for Idea: Stop helping me pleaseStop helping me
President Obama signed the HVCC, and as a result I close my profitable business of ten years and I had to fire six great people, who now cannot pay their bills too.
My wife who has worked for a health insurance company for nine years is being told to prepare for her job to end due to the healthcare bill.
I was told that I cannot refinance my home under the Making Home Affordable Act because my local bank did not sell my mortgage to Freddie or Fannie. However they will help me if I stop making payments??
This month my Autistic son’s special summer program was cut due to cuts in federal aid.
This week I got an interest increase notice from my credit card company due to the new credit card bill that protects those who do not pay their bills, and punishes those who do pay them.
The new “Cash for Clunkers “bill in congress is a joke. Oh and guess what does not apply to me because I bought a Chevy that gets 21 mpg 10 years ago. But someone who bought a foreign SUV a few years ago can get $4500???
The Cap and Tax bill will cost my family thousands of dollars each year. To fight global warming or is it to make Obama’s supporters rich by trading carbon derivatives. Oh and by the way it is June 2nd and I am freezing it is only 50 today?? Also if it is a global problem then why are most countries exempt from the proposed treaties? There will be a massive relocation of industry and jobs from the US to those counties that have no limits on carbon.
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81 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »State sovereignty
8 comments for Idea: State sovereigntyHow many states have claimed sovereignty this year and why is this not being given the attention it deserves.
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80 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Get rid of Giethner
5 comments for Idea: Get rid of GiethnerTurbo Tax Tim must go. His stand up comedy routine in China was a big success, but his policies are abysmal failures that can only send us spiraling into hyper inflation.
Apparently Turbo Tax Tim isn't the best and the brightest after all. The Chinese would have taken him more seriously, or at least they would have given him a standing ovation.
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79 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Universal FREE Health Care for injured military personnel.
5 comments for Idea: Universal FREE Health Care for injured military personnel.This should be a TOP priority for this country.
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79 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »Group similar/same ideas on this site together, so we really know how people are voting
7 comments for Idea: Group similar/same ideas on this site together, so we really know how people are votingThis site is about ideas being shared and a determination of "most popular" (ie, getting the most votes). As I scrolled through 4-5 pages of ideas, I see many repeated ideas. For example I saw:
- 6 or 7 ideas aimed at legalizing marajuana
- 4-5 about single payer health-care
- several about ending torture (and using the correct word to descibe it... ie, "enhanced interrogation" vs "torture"
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78 votes
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I agree
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78 votes
I disagreeThis idea is active.Uncategorized »We are a Republic!
Can someone tell the administrator that on the 'home' page is says: How can we strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness by making government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative? WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY WE ARE A REPUBLIC! A REPUBLIC 'ELECTS' REPS TO GO TO THE FEDERAL GOV. TO 'REPRESENT' US! A democracy everyone goes to the government to vote on bills and laws - there is a very ...more »
13 comments for Idea: We are a Republic!Can someone tell the administrator that on the 'home' page is says:
How can we strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness by making government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative?
WE ARE NOT A DEMOCRACY WE ARE A REPUBLIC! A REPUBLIC 'ELECTS' REPS TO GO TO THE FEDERAL GOV. TO 'REPRESENT' US! A democracy everyone goes to the government to vote on bills and laws - there is a very HUGE difference. Democracies are for small groups of people - a REPUBLIC is for large - very large groups of people that can not come together because of logistics, work, large population .....
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