The Child Tax Credit (CTC), a cash assistance program for working families, has been one of the most effective policies for helping families meet their most basic needs like food, housing, and child care. In 2021 alone, the CTC cut child poverty nearly in half. But since it expired, millions of children have been thrown back into poverty. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to expand the Child Tax Credit, which would help 16 million children and their families deal with rising costs and boost local economies. But it's currently stuck in the Senate, so we need to do everything we can to demand they pass it as soon as possible! A majority of voters support the Child Tax Credit because it's good for families, our communities, and the economy. The CTC has proven to keep kids fed and safe at home, help parents with everyday expenses like utilities, groceries, and rent, and assist parents in paying for child care. Sign the petition to demand that the Senate swiftly pass the Child Tax Credit expansion so families can get the urgent support that they need right now. Photo credit: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES

The Port of Baltimore is a major U.S. port and the national economy—and all Americans—will suffer unless immediate action is taken to repair the bridge and reopen the port. The government intervening to quickly repair the Baltimore bridge is not only what is right; it’s what is good and necessary for the entire country. Congress can provide the necessary funding needed to quickly and swiftly repair the bridge—as it has done in the past. In 2007 a bridge tragically collapsed in Minnesota, killing 13 people and injuring more than 145 people. Congress took swift action, and in just three days authorized emergency funding to repair the bridge. And in 2013, the Skagit River Bridge collapse in the state of Washington resulted in $15.6 million in emergency funds. Instead of focusing on this tragedy and what they can do to help relieve some of the burden, MAGA Republicans in Congress wasted no time to use the Baltimore bridge collapse to push their own corrupted agenda—going so far as to blame diversity and DEI for the bridge collapse. Why? Because Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott, is Black. It’s blatant racism, and they are using that racism to stoke their most extreme base, all while refusing to take necessary action that the people in Maryland and across the country desperately need. Republicans in Congress, putting their own political careers above the public good, are digging in their heels—insistent on resisting and undermining President Biden every step of the way. They need to be reminded that they answer to constituents, and that constituents are demanding Congress pass funding to repair the bridge NOW!

The wealth gap in America is getting wider and economic inequality in our country is getting worse. As wages stagnate and costs of living rise, everyday people are struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, greedy and corrupt Republicans in Congress divert taxpayer dollars away from the social programs we desperately need—like public education, health care for all, housing, paid family and medical leave, public transportation, and more. The reality is that we have enough resources in America to fully fund our communities—but only if everyone pays their fair share. Right now the top richest families are projected to owe 3.2% of their wealth in federal, state, and local taxes this year—while the bottom 99% are projected to owe 7.2%. That is unfair and has to change. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Pramila Jayapal, and Representative Brendan Boyle have a plan: The Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act. The bill is projected to bring in $3 TRILLION in revenue over 10 years, without raising taxes on households with a net worth below $50 million. The current tax system is rigged to benefit the wealthy few, and they’ve been exploiting the system in their favor for decades. Together, we can rewrite the rules to finally make our system more fair and equitable. And by demanding the ultra-wealthy pay what they owe, we can fully invest in working families who are the foundation of our economy and country.

TikTok is a place where millions of Americans have gone to find community, education, to grow their small businesses, and to organize on issues that affect our communities. It should not be banned. Members of Congress are claiming that banning TikTok is an issue of national security and data privacy, meanwhile little has been done to pass a comprehensive data law that protects us from all social media companies. In 2018, it was revealed that a data analytics firm that worked with Donald Trump’s election team harvested 50 million Facebook profiles of American voters. This was one of Facebook’s biggest data breaches ever, and the data was used to build a software program that influenced the 2016 election by targeting them with political advertisements. TikTok shouldn’t get singled out when privacy, data tracking, and data harvesting is an issue with ALL social media platforms. After members of Congress in the House of Representatives voted to pass a law to ban TikTok, it was revealed that some of those who voted for the TikTok ban may own $29 million to $126 million worth of stock in TikTok’s competitors like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Snapchat. This means that many of the same politicians who voted for a TikTok ban would financially benefit from a TikTok ban. It’s unacceptable. A TikTok ban would also harm small businesses. Over 5 million small businesses have TikTok accounts and TikTok generated $14.7 BILLION in revenue just last year which created over 224,000 U.S. jobs.Banning TikTok could be financially devastating for millions of people across the country. The truth is, data privacy is a huge issue. Companies track our data, our conversations, the things we view on social media platforms and use it to target us, and then sell our information to third parties all the time. But this isn’t just a TikTok issue. It’s a Big Tech issue. And just banning TikTok won’t fix it. Only passing strong national privacy legislation will truly protect us and our data. And together, we can demand it. In the meantime, we must come together to ensure that members of Congress don’t avoid the real issues at hand and that they don’t violate our free speech by banning TikTok. Will you take action now and sign the petition?

This topic of affordable housing is important because of the homelessness around Massachusetts that has been occurring. There is also inflation that is causing the prices of Massachusetts housing to increase at a sky rocketing price! Affordable housing is important so everyone has a place to live an thrive! Wouldn't you want to have somewhere to live, and be able to go at night to stay?

At the state level, Republicans have been eroding child labor laws across the United States within the last year—which has mainly looked like shifting guidelines on work hour restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds. In the past fiscal year, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour division reported 835 cases of child labor violations affecting 3,876 minors, and 688 minors employed in violation of hazardous occupation, a 283% increase from nearly 10 years ago in 2015.

 The Department of Labor has called for employers to follow national labor law, but the department’s wage and employment division remains understaffed to take up cases to hold employers accountable, with the list only growing from shifting guidelines.
Many Republican-led state legislatures copy and paste their state-led strategy. If it happens in one state, it has the potential to be adopted by another—to the detriment of working people everywhere. In 2024, news of Republican dedication to tearing down and taking away any benefit working people have is commonplace. There's a reason for this: It's yet another part of Republicans' larger desolate vision for the future of America. Another push from the same MAGA Republicans who routinely try to rob senior citizens of Social Security, restrict access to domestic and social programs, and block Medicaid expansion This is part of a long-term plan to make labor cheaper while empowering corporations and CEOs to undermine workers' rights simultaneously.
The impact of these laws is just going to negatively impact children, particularly children of migrants who are often forced into the workforce early because of circumstances out of their control. The push to roll back these standards is just beginning, and we need to stop it in its tracks now. Image Credit: More Perfect Union

The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act, a bill introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders and allies, would shorten the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours and increase overtime pay—doubling it for days that last over 12 hours. This bill is an opportunity to end the exploitation of working people and build an economy where the American dream is accessible to everyone. A 32-hour workweek isn't just about working less; it's about living more. And the evidence is clear—it's good for people and the economy. Studies show businesses flourish and workers' health improves with shorter workweeks. Less time spent working means healthier lives, stronger communities, and an economy where everyone thrives, not just the 1%. Sign the petition to shorten the workweek to 32 hours and make our economy equitable!

Please help us protect a prized element of our quality of life and wellness on the SW side of Massillon. Massillon residents deserve peace and quiet!! Quality of life, and public health should be in the forefront of decision making when the city of Massillon is considering bringing new business to Massillon! In response, BitDeer’s only noise mitigation for the loud bit mining operations (70 plus decibels - 24/7, 7 days a week) is a simple palleted wooden fence, painted green. Bitdeer is not concerned about noise pollution and harm to local residents, in a very unregulated industry such as bitcoin mining. Listen to Massillon LIVE’s broadcast from Treemont Coffee today, March 9, 2024, about this issue: https://fb.watch/qICz6VELtm/?mibextid=w8EBqM

Support local business. The local Arts and music community. Allow people to continue to enjoy life and come together as a community through music.

Being a cancer patient or having a family member with cancer is already a very difficult situation, besides the immense emotional pain, the cost of treatment can be a heavy burden. The consequences of increasing the price of Keytruda are alarming and for many families, unbearable.Many patients rely on this medication as their best hope for survival, and price hikes could place it out of reach for those who need it most. Price gouging in the pharmaceutical industry not only threatens the lives of vulnerable patients but also reflects a disturbing trend of prioritizing profits over human welfare. We cannot allow greed to dictate access to life-saving treatments. Lowering the price of Keytruda is not only a matter of fairness but a moral imperative to ensure that individuals battling cancer have the opportunity to receive the care they deserve without the already inevitable financial hardship.

TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms right now, and taking direct, actionable steps to support artists and their labor, as well as to prevent artificial intelligence from stealing their work and likenesses, could be a model for how other platforms handle these issues moving forward. But it’s not just about being able to dance and do trends with some of our favorite music. Universal Music Group is pulling its music from TikTok after negotiations failed to extend the licensing agreement between the two companies, and those negotiations centered around prominent issues in today’s society: paying people for their labor, the effects of generative artificial intelligence more broadly, and benchmarks for online safety in a world that has become increasingly reliant on digital communications. TikTok needs to support artists and their labor.

17 Problems: How Dollar Store Chains Hurt Communities https://ilsr.org/17-problems/