RSharafuddin

Senator: R. Sharafuddin State: Oregon Political Party: Democrat Corresponding Real Congressperson: Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon (Democrat) @http://www.merkley.senate.gov/ 5 Interesting Facts About Oregon 1. Oregon's flag is the only state flag to have a different image on the front than on the back. 2. Oregon has the Tillamook Cheese Factory, the largest cheese factory on the planet. 3. Oregon also has 25% of the country's llama population. 4. This state was once claimed by America, Britain, Russia, and Spain. It was eventually split between America and Britain, with the northern half becoming part of Canada, while the southern half is the Oregon we know today. 5. Oregon has Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the country and the seventh deepest in the world.

5 Issues Related Facts 1. In 1971, Oregon became the first state to ban non-recyclable bottles and cans. 2. 59.7% of Oregon adults are obese. 3. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley is working on a bill that would reduce proprietary trading. 4. The average Oregon household shells out $165 every month just for showers. 5. Oregon schools pay more for their energy use than for textbooks and computers combined.

The 3 Main Issues. The 3 main issues that matter most to me are proprietary trading, energy conservation, and obesity.

1. Proprietary trading is high risk speculation, where people stand to lose large sums of money. When large banks and companies engaged in proprietary trading with investors' money and lost it, they went down and pulled lots of the economy down too. The taxpayers had to bail them out. I think that future taxpayer bailouts can be prevented if proprietary trading was more restricted.

2. In the 21st century, energy conservation is mattering more and more. We must realize that we as a population cannot use up an infinite amount of resources. I think the government should be more involved in spreading awareness about this issue and also encouraging people to conserve energy. Some of the ways we can do this are setting higher standards on businesses, providing tax cuts for those who conserve energy, and funding alternative energy research.

3. Obesity is undoubtedly a big problem. In Oregon, //more than half// of adults are obese. Obesity is linked to a wide array of health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and a shorter life. The government might help reduce obesity rates by spreading awareness about it and adding a "fat tax" on unhealthy foods. In addition to generating more revenue for the government, it would encourage people to switch to healthier alternatives.

**__ The Bill __** Our bill is called the P.R.O.P. Trading Act (Protect our Recovery through Oversight of Proprietary Trading Act). This bill will discourage banks from giving out risky loans and will completely prohibit large banks and corporations from engaging in proprietary trading. Proprietary trading is when companies make extremely risky investments with the hopes of gaining lots of money. Unfortunately, they often lose lots of money, and in the extreme case, go out of business. When large companies go out of business, it brings economic destruction as millions of people are left without jobs. This may cause other companies to also go out of business, creating a domino effect. The economy is like a giant web, and when large companies go down, they take down the rest of the web with them. In the ongoing recession, taxpayers had to save many companies with their own money, even though it was the companies’ mistake. If proprietary trading were banned, taxpayers would never have to bail out large companies again. See http://mockcongress2010.wikispaces.com/SB39 for more information.

Sources 1. PROP Trading Act." //PROP Trading Act//. Docstoc, 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. <[]>.  2. Merkley-Levin Amendment to Crack Down on High-risk Proprietary Trading." //Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley//. Jeff Merkley, 10 May 2010. Web. 15 May 2010. <[]>. 3. //New “PROP Trading Act” Would Expand “Volcker” Prohibitions //. Davis Poll, 11 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 May 2010. <[]>.  4. //In Defense of the Volcker Rule//. 18 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. < http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/18/in-defense-of-the-volcker-rule />. 5. " Volcker Rule." Wikipedia, 2 May 2010. Web. 19 May 2010. <[]>.  6. "Oregon Fast Facts and Trivia." 50states.com. Web. 16 May 2010. < [] >. 7. Oregon Bottle Bill." Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Web. 19 May 2010. <[]>.  8. " 8. Oregon Overweight, Obesity, Physical Activity, and Nutrition Facts." Department of Human Services, Oregon, 2007. Web. 19 May 2010. < [] >.  9. Crater Lake." National Park Service. Web. 14 May 2010. <[]>. 10. " Oregon Quick Facts." U.S. Energy Information Administration. Web. 19 May 2010. <[]>.