Editor's Note: Tuesday’s American Morning segment of the “Broken Government” series garnered attention on two topics: independent voters shut out of primary elections and solutions for an economic recovery. Voters affiliated with the two-party system were furious with independents who believed they had the “right’ to vote in those primaries, noting that they “choose NOT” to be members of a specific party. Independent-identified voters challenged the argument, calling the shut-out “unconstitutional.”

• Michael: Your story on independent voters not being allowed to vote in party primaries was completely ridiculous. These are PARTY primaries. Non-party members should not be able to vote. Independent voters are not being denied rights.
• Anthony: I am registered as an independent. The story you just ran on AMfix has put the lid on my case I am changing my party affiliation to Democrat, just so I can vote. That’s an easy fix (no pun intended), to being locked out of voting.
• Karen: Went to vote in primary this morning. Couldn't vote independent. Had to vote either Dem or Rep so voted Dem. Election for Cty Treas is big on this vote. The Dem vote ballot didn't have Treas candidates on it. So I didn't get to vote for new Treasurer. This is not constitutional. At the voting place, they said primary election is paid for by Democrats & Republican parties. They are controlling the votes. This has got to change to let everyone have their say with their vote.

Many continued to offer solutions to the economic crisis, including giving funds directly to small business owners instead of using banks as the vehicle to distribute loans.

• Doreen: Small Banks getting money for small business is not the answer. The problem is the big Banks have ruined everyone's credit. Any small business, or private citizen who had excellent credit before this mess should not be penalized. If the banking community was forced to make loans to people or business that had excellent credit for years before this mess this country would be back in business. I am speaking from experience. My husband always had excellent credit, has a small business in the Flooring industry and is now facing receivership and personal bankruptcy. He borrowed money to keep his business going not for pleasure. To survive this crisis. We deal with a lot of contractors that have gone under and have buried us. It is not fair to judge a person for bad credit due to the banking crisis. If bankers would go back two years and look at people's credit they would be clamoring to extend credit to my husband and his business. These are the same banks that want bonuses. They were able to pay back the government on tarpapers f/c homes and forcing small business out. President Obama need to consider this idea. STOP giving money to banks to loan and give it to small business owners that have been stuck in this crisis.
• Skip: You do not know that governments don't create jobs? How silly for you to keep supporting this lie.
• Anthony R. Your morning show was about fixing the economy. You should start in 2000 when the economy was good then work forward. The outsourcing jobs boom is what did it. The housing / banking bust finished the economy off. The fix? Give cash to homeowners to refinance their homes to a 30 year fixed loan. Second, start working to get the good paying jobs back. Re-open the factories by getting NEW business people to open steal plants then guarantee them the same NO Bid contracts Halliburton got. There's your fix. This creates jobs, and tax revenue. Lastly, get rid of the tax cuts for the rich. We need to balance the economy.
• Simon: Simplify the tax system, currently it inhibits employment and confuses millions. Combine a national sales tax and a very simple tax on business/company profits. Organize and reduce government spending and then set the tax rates to create a surplus so the national debt can be paid down.

What do you think? Continue the conversation below.

Editor's Note: CNN’s "Broken Government" series spurred heated response from American Morning’s Monday audience. Some sarcastically remarked that the government was “not broken,” because the Republicans were getting exactly what they wanted: “low taxes on the rich, and no regulation of the big money players on Wall St.”

• David: As far as Republicans are concerned, government isn't broken at all. They are getting exactly what they want from it; low taxes on the rich, and no regulation of the big money players on Wall St.

Others suggested greed was the culprit for the demise of the U.S. political system.

• Jan: Big businesses focus on greed instead of fair profits and investing in a company and its employees is an enormous part of why the middle class is in the position we are in today. No one, and I mean no one, needs the amount of money being given to companies top tier executives instead of investing back into the company and its employees. Greed defined as “excessive desire to acquire or possess more (especially more material wealth) than one needs or deserves avarice: reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth (personified as one of the deadly sins) has brought down civilizations in past history and unless we change this I fear for the future of America. What happened to being proud of your accomplishments instead of being greedy individuals who take the money at the cost of their employees? The people whose money they are running away with instead of help building Americas future and a stronger middle class. Companies need to invest in the employees who do the work.
• Greg: Union corruption destroying America. More union Corruption in Flint, MI
• Mark: The American Dream is alive and doing well–in India, and at a huge discount. Our, nay, The Government is not broken, they are right on schedule in selling out the middle class.
• Dan: Fix middle class problems, fix broken government – GET RID OF LOBBIEST, SET TERMS LIMITS FOR POLITICANS, We now have a new class system and the middle class does not fit anymore.

FULL POST

Editor's Note: Wednesday’s American Morning audience was fascinated by Jim Acosta's report of federal stimulus money being spent in U.S. territories abroad. Some viewers expressed opposition to being labeled, “non-American.” The consensus argued that this money was intended to benefit Americans despite their geographic location.

• Ken: Just saw your piece on stimulus money to the USVI. You seemed surprised that we are part of the USA. FYI – We carry US passports, have the USPS, FBI, Homeland security, TSA etc. and are indeed US citizens. Not only are we Americans in paradise but we unfortunately have pay our income taxes just like you mainlanders – so its only fair that we receive our fair share of the stimulus pork. By the way CNN doesn't even know we are Americans as your contact-us web page doesn't even offer VI as a state code – which is ironic for an international company – as just about every website in the world that asks for your state offers VI as the state code in the drop down. You guys need to get yourselves up to date.
• Michael: I just watched your story about the stimulus going to our home here in the Virgin Islands. I'm a bit upset on the slant. I am a US Citizen...born in Ohio and have lived here in the VI for 15 years. You refer to our islands as paradise and I will admit that the weather is not ever bad. But here we go to work and work hard just like everyone else. I personally work 60 hrs a week just to pay my bills ... you put that story across like we all hang out at the beach everyday and I can tell you that our cost of living here is 4 times that of most places in the mainland and our in come is below average… we pay 7& for a gallon of milk and $.42 (that's cents)per kilowatt hour of electricity… that is 5 times the national average… our only real income here is from tourism which has been seriously hurt by the recession .since people don't take vacations when they don't have jobs… our schools are the worst in the country and our roads are all in shambles… if you want to be fair… tell the whole story… shoot footage of the neighborhoods where the locals live… not just shots of the beach...it's just not a fair picture of what goes on here and as a longtime and daily viewer I am very upset by this story… either tell the whole story or don't tell it at all.

What do you think? Continue the conversation below.

Editor's Note: Friday’s American Morning audience was intrigued by John Avlon’s segment about his new book "Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America." Viewers argued their opinions about appropriate "wingnuts" that didn’t make Avlon’s list, while disputing his choices.

• Dan: Your equating Rep. Grayson with Rep. Bachman is the single most irresponsible thing I've ever heard on television. Grayson deals in facts and reality, whereas Bachman simply makes things up. I challenge you to fact check these folks before you label them as wing-nuts. Being passionate while being right is far different than being passionate and wrong. This is CNN's major problem – this insistence on equating one side with the other, while never identifying reality. Also, Olbermann may go over the top now and then, but again, he's dealing with reality while Beck is dangerously deluded. Or acts that way on TV. Please fact check what these people say before equating them. CNN's behavior in this matter makes you more dangerous to our nation's discourse than any of the partisan players. Try to identify reality and not just play he said/she said. It's your job.
• Ellen: Redistricting is an excellent idea. But this segment was pathetic - a list of clichés, a false equation (Beck is not Olbermann), and that sad media idiocy in which he said, she said stands in for reporting. The only example he gave of unacceptable discourse on television was calling your opponents "racist." You two smile and nod - so there is no racism in our politics? Just terrible work, guys.
• James: I appreciated the segment this morning (Friday) on Political Extremes. However, I was disappointed that your guest missed two of the most important items on this topic which makes me suspicious of his motives. (1) Right wing media extremism has a long history while left wing extremist media is quite recent. It came about as a reaction to the right wing "wing-nuts." (2) Right wing media extremists are numerous, even including an entire "news" network, FOX. I hope that these significant oversights will be corrected in the future in the quest for accuracy.

Are “fringe” groups “hijacking” American politics? Who do you think should be on the “wingnut” list? Send in your suggestions to John here.

Editor's Note: Monday’s American Morning audience was dumbfounded by any positive response to Sarah Palin's address at the Tea Party convention.

• Dan: Why does ANYONE take Sarah Palin seriously? A ten year old could see that she's an uninformed self-promoter who's all about making some real money. Yet the media constantly pretends that she could actually be a serious contender for president of the US. Why?
• Jerry: I'm glad to see that Palin had room to spare on her hand after she got through writing all she knew on it.
• Allen: I can't believe that people are motivated by absolutely nada. What comes out of her mouth?? Poking and prodding others, and without any direction given as to how she would do anything. Not even a glimpse of anything that would persuade the present administration to act on it. She blames Obama for the 'fruit of Kaboom' bomber on Christmas day. She speaks like she is in a bar talking crapola. She's worse than a pinhead... an airhead with a lot of frustrated people left over from the 2008 election. It sure would be nice to see her backing the administration for the 'sake of the people', instead of scoring points to make her look 'viable.' I really don't think the tea party people will be fooled by the twit. A lot of them will get caught up with the emotions, but reality will sink in and those high minded individuals will realize her capabilities, and her actions will be seen as it is: a scratched record, with incoherent ideas. PS: she will run for president, as she is pulling this off to keep her status as a potential candidate, and not allowing the after glow of Scott Brown to suck up her position.

How do you think Sarah Palin’s speech was received at the Tea Party convention? Is she ready to be president in 2012?

Editor's Note: With the first ever Tea Party Convention happening in Nashville, Friday’s American Morning audience grew weary of the discussion. A majority questioned why this “fringe” movement warranted so much attention, while a minority admonished CNN for “diminishing” the Tea Party by focusing on the extreme elements in the group.

• Dave: Seems to me CNN is making a big deal out of the tea party Klan. The fact that they're supposed news is beyond comprehension. They're like Palin, way over the top and extremely right winged. Enough already. In addition, The Democrats are the majority, could CNN interview them instead of parading out those really negative republicans.
• David: "Massive political movement"? You're wasting valuable air time on 600 people at a Tea Party convention? Or 100 people on a Virgin Island cruise? Why don't you back up that camera and show that those meeting rooms are small and mostly empty? There are so many important things going on in the world. There are protests where thousands of people march on Washington and state capitals and it doesn't get mentioned on CNN? You just wasted 10 minutes that could be used to report something newsworthy! Stop. Report the news. And stop this ridiculous catty anchor commentary that dominates the AM news on CNN. That N in CNN used to stand for "news'.
• Maj: CNN is devoting an enormous amount of air time to the Tea Party but they are still a small movement and the airtime makes them appear large...there are Muslim movements in the US larger than the Tea Party...there are gay and lesbian movements larger than the Tea Party etc...let's put this all into perspective please...
• Jan: Our options for morning news is either Morning Joe, MSNBC or CNN....both programs cater to giving air time to NON NEWS segments about the bottom 10% of the un-educated (Tea-Party) or clips of Republican SOUND BITES. Why not actually HELP the people who are truly trying to clean up the mess left by Bush and Co. and MOVE FORWARD? I don't care what the likes of Sara Palin has to say...she has no place on the "news". I'm so disgusted!
• Charlie: I'm curious under which national flag the tea party cruise ships fly under? Many of these cruise companies fly under foreign flags to avoid paying U.S. wages and taxes. Is it right to organize a cruise to "save the USA," while supporting sub standard wages on the very people floating them across the Caribbean waters?
• Ed: Your coverage of the Teaparty convention could not have been more biased. Was very critical without the slightest bit of perception of their stance. Your position is one reason for this new movement.
• Rebecca: I think you're trying to diminish the message of the Tea Party movement by highlighting the more extreme fringe of the group. Even while questioning Rand Paul you seemed more interested in the controversy than the message. Also, in reference to the Pam Tebow ad, why not focus on how the "women's rights" advocates went crazy when word of the ad got out. Why are they so afraid? Instead you showed a more positive comment from a "rights" advocate after she realized the going crazy approach wasn't working. By the way, where were these women’s rights groups when Sarah Palin and her daughter were being destroyed by the media? They're not for women's rights, their for their own left agenda.

How do you feel about the Tea Party movement? Continue the conversation here.