Jared Polis
The NSA has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times a year since Congress gave it broad new powers in 2008.Collection: Legal
Our students are the best investment we can make for our country and our future economic prosperity. It's in our best interest to ensure they're receiving the best education possible and maximizing their potential.Collection: Education
Technology improves our lives in so many ways - from our toasters, ovens, and refrigerators at home to our computers, fax machines, and BlackBerrys at work. Technology makes once-burdensome tasks easy and fun.Collection: Computers
My favorite part of the experience of serving in Congress is knowing that my time and effort are spent for the greater good and for the betterment of our nation.Collection: Experience
The need for a national Employment Non-Discrimination Act a critical part of the LGBT community's struggle for equality.Collection: Equality
In order to create real, long-lasting reform, we must create a pathway to legal status for the millions of undocumented immigrants who have made lives for themselves and their families in the United States.Collection: Legal
Gay marriage won't be more of an issue 25 years from now than interracial marriage is today.Collection: Marriage
Americans' information independence is under attack, whether it's the repeal of net neutrality or the repeal of broadband privacy protections.Collection: Independence
Patience, they say, is a virtue. Yet in times of emergency, the government needs to be able to make snap decisions and take bold, decisive action to protect the American people.Collection: Patience
We can no more condone the wastefulness of self-serving company executives than we can the sacrifice of the lives of our citizens in a senseless war.
Congress seems to thrive on breaking promises and passing unfunded mandates down to local government. It's really just a matter of priorities.
As long as you have money to live then it's not a terribly important thing. If you don't have enough to live, then it's very important thing.
In the absence of federal leadership, Coloradans should take our rightful role as leaders seriously and work with other states and countries to reduce carbon emissions.
There are a lot of children in our country that, because of their neighborhood or socio-economic status, do not have the opportunity to attend a good school that will prepare them for life's challenges.
I derive a lot of the values that I try to bring into the public sphere from my private faith.
It can be a living hell to go through endless campus investigations. I've seen this go down, and there really is no winning once the accusation is made, even if the process provides formal vindication.
When I first arrived, I likened Congress to being back in school again as a freshman. Well, just like school, we have an 'August recess,' but don't let the name fool you - it's not even close to a vacation.
Too many public and private entities simply don't take advantage of tools already at their disposal to protect themselves from hackers. No amount of information sharing will help solve that problem.
Sometimes you hear that many politicians vote for a bill in various forms before they vote against it, or vice versa. The conflict, negotiation, and eventual compromise involved in this process form the essence of the democratic process.
From the newest arrivals to our Native American brothers and sisters, we are one America.
Throughout history, we have only moved forward when society has distinguished between traditional values and valueless traditions.
The foundation of a strong economy and job creation begins with providing every child in America with the best possible education, including students with disabilities.
It's critical to show that we can meet our commitment to students with disabilities without raising taxes and without increasing the deficit. In the past, there's been strong support for full funding and I'm still hearing that from many of my colleagues.
I oppose piracy and want to see intellectual property protected because that is what fosters and rewards innovation. But SOPA won't accomplish a meaningful reduction in piracy and causes massive collateral damage to the Internet ecosystem.
Many rogue sites exist to make a profit and others are enormously expensive to maintain. If they don't have the resources to continue stealing intellectual property, they'll wither away.
When the money dries up, the sites die off. That's the way to go after piracy.
It's easier to stop bad things than to pass good things.
Lady Gaga is one of the most amazingly talented musicians to bring her gifts to humanity in a long time.
I'm more of the sneaker-wearing, computer geek type.
I'm too busy thinking what I'm going to say next to remember what I've said, but my staff tells me I'm sometimes funny. Not always on purpose, though.
We are a diverse country, but we are one country. And we are at our best when we come together as Americans, not despite our differences, but in celebration of them.
Agribusinesses should never dictate the quality of school meals.
But parents and schools have their priorities; making sure our kids eat right because research shows a clear connection between nutrition and student performance in school.
Big food companies have their priorities, which include selling cheap, unhealthy foods at high profits.
Pizza certainly has its place in school meals, but equating it with broccoli, carrots and celery seriously undermines this nation's efforts to support children's health and their ability to learn because of better school nutrition.
If my son had a baseless accusation made against him at a university, and it was making his life there miserable, I would suggest he transfer or take courses online.
Someone who is wrongfully accused needs to do their best to put it behind them and move on.
I have a horrible sense of direction.
I don't particularly care what people think of me as long as I know what I'm doing is right.
In general, I think it's an advantage politically to keep people guessing.
I can be happy in the private sector, the non-profit sector, or the public sector.
You have 435 people in the United States House of Representatives trying to get along.
What I care most about is representing my constituents. If that ruffles a few feathers along the way, so be it.
I always try to follow my moral compass.
With the policymaking process, you have an idea, and you try to sell other stakeholders on the idea. That's not much different than in business, where you're trying to find capital to make your idea a reality.
I am from Colorado. I know Colorado inside and out.
Lawmakers who support CISA will tell you the bill includes some privacy protections. They're right. But these 'protections' are superficial and include broad loopholes that are so far-reaching as to render the protections meaningless.
The federal government has an exceptionally poor record of behaving responsibly with Americans' personal information when entrusted with it.
It's insulting when somebody who is not a member of our community feels like they have a great understanding of what it's like to grow up gay in this country.
I try to treat my orientation the same way I would if I was straight, which is to talk about it when it's relevant.