Poverty

Overhaul the current food aid system so that it strives to benefit farmers in the food deficient low income countries instead of the US's agricultural and shipping businesses. In-kind food transfers should only be used in emergency situations in a timely fashion. Otherwise, cash transfers and purchasing food locally are more efficient and provide a needed boost to the economy. Also, a greater investment in long-term agricultural programs is needed to ensure food security.

Over the last few years, the budget for national (and international) service programs like Americorps, City Year, and Peace Corps has been drastically decreased. The next president should increase the national service budget and encourage America's young people to participate in these programs.

Please continue to fund malaria initiatives worldwide. One thing that the current administration has actually done well is create the President

I think that for too long the credit card industry has been allowed to prey upon working Americans - unfairly keeping them in debt. There are so many things like hidden fees, variable interest rates, impossible small text and other tricks out there that we desperately need help. Things like interchange that we can't even see have no transparency at all and since doing some work with unfaircreditcardfees.com I think now more than ever something must be done before Americans lose all hope.

People die just because they just can't satisfy their hunger-- this needs to stop. The next President should address hunger concerns

On Day One, the President should announce that the United States will begin the biggest anti-poverty program in world history by lowering all trade barriers, giving the poorest people in the world a chance to find their comparative advantages in order to participate in the world economy.

Support farming diversity and family owned farms instead of ADM and Cargill,Monsanto and others. Food Security is National Security. Too much of America's food supply comes from outside America. Support grants and micro loans for famers markets,small scale farmers,urban and suburban farms and other diverse means of localizing our food. Please,enough is enough. There is NO excuse for green beans in China costing less than those grown 10 miles away.

Nicholas Kristof had a great column on Sunday about the "growing numbers of young people [who] are leaping into the fray and doing the job" that Washington can't. He offers Teach for America as a great example. It was a stated by a college student, and "has had far more impact on schools than the average secretary of education." I think that the next president should fund these entrepreneurs because while only one person will be elected, there's no limit to the number of social entrepreneurs.

On a site visit to Tanzania we surveyed local leaders to ask them what they needed. In order they said they needed better access to food, water, basic medical services and education. The next President should address those needs.

While strides have been made in fighting global poverty, we need to change our trade and fiscal policies toward developing countries, so that these countries really have a shot at reducing poverty & empowering civil society. The next president should also seriously work on canceling the debts of impoverished countries without harmful conditions. Much of this $$ was incurred by dictators or illegitimate regimes. In the end, it's the people in these countries who languish in poverty .