Petitioning the German Government to Fund Longevity Science
The German parliament has a formal petition system that does actually seem to result in dialog with politicians, unlike the comparable setup in the US that is for show and little else. This is one of many examples showing why single issue political parties are more of a viable approach to advocacy in European countries, and why you see more of that type of initiative in Europe. The German parliament started using an internet version of their petition system some years ago, and here is an example of the longevity science advocates of the German Party for Health Research supporting a petition to increase funding for research aimed at the treatment of aging. They are looking to obtain 50,000 signatures from German citizens to get to the point of consideration:
The German Party for Health Research is supporting the petition, directed to the German parliament (Bundestag), for more research against age-related diseases. Please help to reach the quorum of 50,000 signatures. If you are a German or live in Germany, sign the petition and spread the link. Only if enough people hear about the petition, the quorum can be reached. If you can, also try to inform the media. You can also donate to the German Party for Health Research, with reference "petition" - we would have more options to promote the petition (e.g., via Facebook ads). The petition translated into English is follows:The German Parliament should decide that additional 2% of the federal budget is invested into research against age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes. Age-related diseases cause most of the suffering in Germany and worldwide and contribute considerably to health costs. Using today's biotechnologies we have now the opportunity to develop therapies against all age-related diseases. The fact that even big companies such as Google already invest large amounts of money into the development of such therapies reveals that this isn't just an utopian endeavor anymore.
Damage and waste products are caused by normal metabolism inside and outside of cells, which accumulate during the lifespan and give rise to age-related diseases as soon as a certain amount is reached. By repairing the damage and getting rid of the waste products at a molecular and cellular level, it will in future be possible to cure and prevent age-related diseases. The more research in this area is done, the greater the chance that such therapies are developed sooner. The additional money should be used to establish new research institutes and educate more scientists in relevant areas. This implies the expansion of concerned faculties at the universities. Not only would the development of these therapies be a humanitarian act, but Germany would also greatly benefit economically in the long term. Since most people will eventually be hit by age-related diseases, each individual would benefit. To finance it, one can subtract 2% from every other budget area, for example.