More than 100 million Americans live in vulnerability zones that surround dangerous chemical facilities, putting them at risk of explosions, fires, and release of toxic chemicals caused by these facilities. In Maryland, 974,386 children are at risk of these disasters because they attend school close to an unsafe plant – this is unacceptable. We can make our communities safer by ensuring that these facilities switch to safer chemicals and technologies that are both available and affordable.

More than 100 million Americans live in vulnerability zones that surround dangerous chemical facilities, putting them at risk of explosions, fires, and release of toxic chemicals caused by these facilities. In Texas, 3,206,006 children are at risk of these disasters because they attend school close to an unsafe plant – this is unacceptable. We can make our communities safer by ensuring that these facilities switch to safer chemicals and technologies that are both available and affordable.

It’s bad enough that McDonald's refuses to pay its workers a living wage – but in Brazil, it’s even worse. McDonald's stores there were just caught with underage workers doing dangerous jobs. That's right. Children were working the fryer with scalding hot oil or working the grill, and as a result they were found with burns on their bodies. McDonald’s shows once again they don’t have any respect for their workers, and it’s time for that to end. Tell McDonald’s to end ALL inappropriate child labor at its stores around the world.

Officials from the U.S. and 11 other countries will meet on September 30 in Atlanta to try to finalize the job-killing, climate-destroying, drug price-raising Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement [TPP]. [1] Most congressional Democrats, all labor unions, and almost all environmental groups oppose the proposed agreement. Unions and firms involved in U.S. auto production are particularly concerned about the Atlanta talks. “This is a lot of jobs, and we need our government to recognize the value of those jobs and take a firm line,” said Thea Lee, deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO. “There is danger, in the final days of negotiations, that a bad deal will be cut” on automobile rules. Humanitarian organizations opposed to higher prescription drug prices are also particularly concerned about the Atlanta talks. Big pharmaceutical companies are seeking up to 12 years of protection from competition against generics for name-brand biologic drugs. Humanitarian organizations want fewer years of protection of brand-name drugs from competition so the drugs will be affordable. Atlanta is a major U.S. city. Such a city should be the site of a major protest against the TPP when TPP talks are held there. But trade officials have kept the venue of talks a secret until this week. Bernie Sanders can draw a crowd of 10,000 people in any major city in America right now. Urge Bernie Sanders to go to Atlanta to lead a protest against the TPP by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-pacific-partners-seek-to-conclude-trade-pact-in-atlanta-1443117418

I'm tired of Corporations having one standard & the general public another one. I also do not think it makes sense from a water shortage stand point for Nestle to bottle the public's water at probably almost no cost to them and then charge the general public.

Monsanto has a new genetically engineered (GMO) corn, altered to withstand the herbicide dicamba — a harsh chemical that threatens the health of the public, the livelihoods of farmers and the environment. The USDA is considering Monsanto's proposal right now and is accepting public comments. We must ask the USDA to complete a full environmental review and ensure our health and environmental safety before approving Monsanto's new GMO corn!

I tried to contact the bank in 2008 when my ex-partner and father of my children lost his job and left our home, declaring bankruptcy and neglecting to contribute financially to the household. The bank told me they could not talk to me until I was in default for 3 months. So I went into default and started talking to them. I filed application after application for a making home affordable loan and continue to do so to this day. Six years later I am at the end of the foreclosure process and am being denied the right to tell my side of the story to the judge. I have been trying to negotiate with the bank and several different servicers for 6 years. Every time I would get somewhere the loan would be sold or the servicer changed and I would have to begin again. I have applied for several making home affordable loans. All the bank has offered is a reduction in interest rate from the original 2005 6.15% down to 2%. This was not enough to make my home affordable. The bank has not offered a principle reduction. I am a single mom who raised 2 children on my own. I have been through the mandatory conference period with the bank and court referee. At times the bank's representative didn't even show up. The referee ruled in the banks favor despite this and the case has proceeded to the judge. Furthermore the bank filed a summons and complaint in October of 2012 before the resale of my loan was filed with the county clerk. This is illegal. The bank has not yet provided the original loan document either. The bank has also been implicated in wrong doing regarding mortgage fraud etc. In2012 I consulted a lawyer who answered the banks petition. It cost $250. Then in December 2014, I consulted, Liz Gavin Esq. at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley who told me I may have a statue of limitations and that my case was slated for February 2015. Liz Gavin also told me the judge had never ruled in favor of a homeowner in his entire career. Legal Services dropped my case in January of 2015. I received not a single letter from the bank or the court explaining what was happening with my case. Judge Peter M. Foreman is handling my case. Index# 7609 (2012). I called the court to find out what the judge decided and the clerk told me the judge asked the bank for some paperwork and will reconvene on October 24, 2015. That is next month! I have no lawyer, no money to spend on one and there is a waiting list for free legal services. I was told I was not even allowed to be present in the courtroom but that I could write the judge a letter. This seems preposterous. I thought I had a right to defend myself in a court of law. How can I get help in publicizing these injustices and getting my day in court?

Shkreli revealed that his current company Turing Pharmaceuticals, has hiked the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill after Turing bought the drug, which is used to treat a parasitic infection, in August 2015. Shkreli has defended this move as being necessary for his company, Turing, to be profitable and to fund research for a replacement drug. This is simply untrue; this drug has been used since the 1960s and is very effective and much needed. The United States needs to introduce a plan to control drug prices overall; healthcare should be a fundamental right of every citizen in our country. Shkreli is former hedge fund manager, who was fired from Retrophin, which he founded, last year. In August, the company sued him in Manhattan federal court, for "repeatedly breaching his duty of loyalty to Retrophin," by allegedly using his control of Retrophin to "enrich himself and to pay off claims of [his prior hedge fund's] investors (who he had defrauded)," Retrophin claimed in its suit. The citizens of the United States need to demand healthcare for all. This situation, in such a rich country, is reprehensible and has gotten completely out of control.

This is corporate greed at its worst. Martin Shkreli's actions will result in lives lost.

It's outrageous: a decades-old drug that has been used to treat a common parasite jumped in price by more than $700 after a pharmaceutical company purchased it and raised the price tag practically overnight. This egregious practice isn't new — drug costs have been steadily rising, and studies have found that more Americans are cutting back in other areas because they’re having a hard time paying for their prescriptions. But Congress can help curb this disturbing trend, and Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Elijah Cummings are leading the way. The Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015 would allow Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices, allow consumers to import cheaper drugs from Canada, ban pay-for-delay schemes, add additional penalties for companies who settle with the government, and require companies to disclose the costs related to particular products and prices they charge in other countries. Add your name to our petition calling on Congress to rein in prescription drug costs and pass The Prescription Drug Affordability Act of 2015!

Recently, Turing Pharmaceuticals announced that it had raised the price of the drug Daraprim from $13.50 per pill to a staggering $750 per pill, representing a nearly 5,556% increase in price. Daraprim is used to treat toxoplasmosis, a medical condition that can be fatal for people with AIDS and developing fetuses. Turing Pharamceuticals's owner is hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli. After being rightfully criticized over Turing's decision to increase the price of Daraprim, Shkreli has taken to social media and openly attacked progressives and other critics of the Daraprim price increase. According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Shkreli donated $33,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), an organization that provides financial and other types of support to Democratic candidates running for U.S. Senate seats. The DSCC, which is chaired by Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), should do the right thing and donate $33,400 to a charity, preferably one that supports research to find a cure for AIDS.

With these rate increases, and over-charging of Alachua County residents, some residents have electric bills almost as much as their rent or mortgage.. Why? And why is there no other electric company competition in this town?