7 Steps Obama Should Take Immediately

Dear President Obama,

We call upon you to take the following actions in your last month in office.

Standing Rock and the Environment:
1. Immediately shut down the pipeline construction through Standing Rock in North Dakota. Demand that all work stop at the site immediately, withdraw all state police and the National Guard and order the cessation of the pipeline construction. This needs to be done immediately to ensure the safety and well-being of the water protectors as well as for the long-term well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants.

2. Pardon all the water protectors and others who have been arrested, fined, or charged with any crimes for their actions at Standing Rock.

3. Call for the transition from fossil fuel to sustainable energy in the next 5 years.

Criminal Justice and Reform:
4. Pardon all individuals who have been charged or convicted of nonviolent drug crimes both federally and at the state level. As you are well aware, many people, especially people of color, were swept up in the draconian war on drugs. It is time that they are freed and their civil rights are restored.

5. Remove marijuana’s classification as a Schedule 1 drug.

Healing Our Country:
6. Establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal our country from our past wrongs both in terms of the genocide of Native Americans and slavery of African Americans. This one act alone would go a long way to healing the divide in our country by educating people as to what really occurred and finding ways to move forward that heal the legacy of our collective wrongs.

Restoring Our Democracy:
7. Put forth a Constitutional Amendment that would (1) mandate that all federal and state elections be publicly funded and that no other money (whether from individuals, corporations or PACs) be allowed in elections; (2) eliminate the electoral college so that one-person, one vote actually means one-person, one vote; and (3) restore voting rights to all individuals who have served time for their crime; restore the Voting Rights Act; (4) create automatic voter registration for citizens as soon as they turn 18; (5) create an election weekend (both Saturday and Sunday) and require employers to provide paid leave to vote on one of the two days.