In rural areas of America, there is a growing increase in poverty, homelessness and hunger. You cannot separate these factors from domestic violence ?- a mother with three kids and no financial security is going to stiffen her lip and take the abuse, because not only does she have nowhere else to go, she has three children depending on her for survival.

A common misconception is that the costs of health care are cheaper in rural America, when in fact the reality is that they are more expensive and more difficult to access.

Improving our national intelligence capabilities should remain a top priority and a continual process.

We still have tremendous work ahead of us to ensure that women have equal opportunities in the workplace and in our society.

Unless we make education a priority, an entire generation of Americans could miss out on the American dream.

Right and wrong becomes more difficult for each of us as we grow older, because the older we get the more we know personally about our own human frailties.

It certainly makes no sense to enact more laws if we cannot, or do not, enforce the ones we have.