I am starving to death. I've been teaching as a part timer for ten years with no assurance of employment, benefits I have to pay for, afraid to make a peep or join Cal Strs whenever I don’t know how long I can continue to do this. Retirement looks sketchy at best. I'm 61 years old. Because I got into this "racket" called community college teaching, I am doomed to a subsistence level quality of life. I share custody of a 12-year-old girl. All she sees is this overworked, underpaid, grumbling, disappointed curmudgeon who wonders why he even liked to read and write in the first place. My eyes are going bad from all the bad writing I've had to read. My neck is a mess from all the nights in front of a computer. And for what? I’ve been passed over every year for a tenure track position because I am not a "team PLAYER"--In other words I say it like it is, you can call it all the sour grapes you want but this country is going to the dogs and those ignorant of history (like my students) are doomed to repeat it. You are welcome to the next generation. You think they will suddenly get curious about all the ways their freedoms are being taken away day by day? Rhetorical question? It won’t hit them till they’re in their thirties, still living with their parents, unable to pay off their student loans and worst of all, useless as far as contributing to society. What society? It’s a big gang of owners and we ain’t in the club.

Every year, the average American spends over a dozen hours and hundreds of dollars simply to pay their fair share in taxes. But it doesn't have to be that way. Back in 1998, a Republican-controlled Congress passed a law meant to make it easier for all Americans to file their taxes. But, thanks to lobbying from tax preparation giants like Turbo Tax, the IRS hasn't actually implemented the changes mandated by the law. The "Free File" program the IRS created, which is supposed to give 70 percent of taxpayers access to free tax preparation, is used by only 3 percent of eligible taxpayers. Our taxes cover critical services like infrastructure, health care, and education, and it should be as easy to pay them as possible! Stand with Senator Warren and demand that Congress pass the Tax Filing Simplification Act.

Numerous state governments in the United States, in their important and urgent efforts to protect elephants and rhinoceros from poaching and slaughter, are unknowingly undermining the rights of Alaska Natives and their historical and contemporary use of ivory by adopting state law that "prohibits import, sale, purchase, barter, or possession of ivory". Alaska Native peoples continue to rely on walruses, seals, whales, etc., as primary food sources, as they have for untold centuries, particularly in remote communities with little alternative food sources, with the tusks, membrane, sinew, bones, and other by-products of hunting used for trade with other indigenous individuals, or converted into artwork, a vital contemporary practice in remote villages with few alternative resources, revenue, or employment opportunity. For centuries, these materials were used in the making of sacred objects, tools, clothing, toys, housing construction, and in trade practices during both pre-contact and post-contact eras. Unfortunately, in most, if not all of the adopted or pending state law, the term "ivory" is written in a broad fashion: "'Ivory' means any tooth or tusk composed of ivory from any animal, including, but not limited to, an elephant, hippopotamus, narwhal, walrus, or whale, or any piece thereof, whether raw ivory or worked ivory, or made into, or part of, an ivory product." Confusion over existing and pending laws will hamper vital sales of Alaska Native artwork and handicraft. There is an absolute need to recognize and respect cultural rights of Alaska Native peoples and their long-standing use of ivory, as well as its contemporary use and dimensions. Therefore, the undersigned respectfully request that all congressional and state law makers correct any and all actions that undermine the federal exemptions in favor of Native peoples. Such existing and pending laws must acknowledge and make exemptions for Alaska Native use of old and new ivory (and other relevant marine mammal products) consistent with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).

One of the largest grocery retailers in the St. Louis area has announced plans to eliminate 190 union jobs and subcontract their work to a non-union operation.

Gerawan workers are asking your help again over the recent pesticide spraying by a neighboring farmer that occurred at the giant tree fruit company. More than 15,000 UFW supporters signed a petition urging Fresno County’s Agricultural Commissioner to quickly investigate the pesticide incident. The government agency’s reply? The investigation could take up to two years. Gerawan Worker Augustin Garcia tells us: “I’m frustrated. This is the second time I’ve seen workers poisoned with pesticides while working at Gerawan. My co-workers were clear that Gerawan did not try right away to protect me or my fellow workers. Because of this on March 15, I took part in a demonstration at the office of the Fresno County Ag Commissioner. We gave them a petition that was signed by over 15,000 people asking them to immediately investigate the poisoning. I was one of two workers who was allowed into the office to talk to them. I was very disappointed with the Ag Commissioner office’s answer. They told me they were already investigating, that Gerawan wasn’t the one who sprayed the pesticides. Worst of all, they told me that cases about pesticides can take up to two years to investigate. Two years? It’s like farm worker lives aren’t important to the officials who are supposed to protect us. What if this happens again? Next time, it could be me. This is wrong and we need to make them move faster. We need to be protected. It’s frustrating. I feel like we’re not important to them -- but if they don’t protect us, who will?” Nicholas Landa is also frustrated. He was one of the Gerawan workers exposed to pesticides on Feb. 22. Nicholas shared: “This is what happened to me: On Feb. 22, my crew and other Gerawan crews were pruning peaches. Then we were hit by pesticides when a neighboring farm began spraying right by where we were eating our lunch. Instead of moving us away or providing us an opportunity to wash our eyes or change our clothes, the supervisors at Gerawan sent us back into the fields to work again, as if nothing happened. We wanted to keep our jobs so we did as we were told to do. It wasn’t until an hour and a half later the foreman told us to leave the field because a car was going to take us to the office. Here we saw a doctor. I told him my head hurt, my eyes burned and I felt sick to my stomach. He checked my eyes, my mouth and my pulse and told me everything was fine since the pesticide that was sprayed was organic and wasn’t dangerous. Afterwards, we were taken back to the fields and returned to work. Nobody gave me the names of the pesticides. I asked Gerawan and it took days for me to find out we were sprayed with Regalia, BioLink Boron Fertilizer and Goemar MZ ‘O’. All three of these chemicals have warning labels warning people to get help right away if we breathe them in or our eyes are irritated after coming in contact with them. But Gerawan did not do this. Instead they sent us back into the fields to work.” Gerawan workers can’t wait two years for the investigation. As Augustin told us, “What if this happens again? Next time, it could be me.” Please help us tell the Agricultural Commissioner of Fresno County to stop the delays and protect Gerawan workers like they are supposed to.

I have worked in restaurants for over 30 years and not received a raise in my base pay since 1991! people who work full time should not be paid poverty level wages! 1FairWage.com

Support this city-wide initiative to address the lack of economic opportunities in low income communities, even with multi-millions of dollars being spent on development. We must fight the disparity rates in the City of Pittsburgh, and this is a equity tool that can do just that. Please sign your name or your organization's name for endorsing this Initiative.

The Panama Papers [1] has highlighted how Panama encourages the formation of anonymous "shell corporations" that help rich people and corporations avoid taxes and help criminals and terrorists launder money. But the leak has also highlighted how that tax evasion and money laundering was facilitated by the Panama trade agreement that Congress approved in 2011 after the Obama Administration, including then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pushed for its approval. The State Department was aware of warnings from watchdog groups [2] that the Panama trade agreement would make it harder for the U.S. to crack down on tax evasion. [3] In his opposition to the agreement at the time, Sen. Sanders said on the Senate floor, “Panama is a world leader when it comes to allowing wealthy Americans and large corporations to evade US taxes by stashing their cash in offshore tax havens. And the Panama free trade agreement would make this bad situation much worse.” [4] There will be a Democratic debate in New York on April 14; CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash and NY1's Errol Louis will be moderators. [5] Urge Blitzer, Bash and Louis to ask about the Panama Papers, tax evasion, and U.S. trade policy by signing our petition. References: 1. https://panamapapers.icij.org/ 2. http://www.citizen.org/documents/PanamaTaxEvasionReportApril2009-FINAL.pdf 3. http://www.ibtimes.com/panama-papers-obama-clinton-pushed-trade-deal-amid-warnings-it-would-make-money-2348076 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrsI0Sw2hq8 5. http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/04/politics/democratic-debate-brooklyn/

We demand no more tax havens for the wealthy. Make them pay their fair share of taxes.

This petition is about the thousands of people who live in the state of Illinois who do not have a voice. This is about more than passing a budget, this is about what can be done to help others and saving the state from financial ruin. Social service agency are closing daily because they cannot keep their doors open, people are living on the streets because the state cannot put aside their pride and pass a budget. This has to end, or more and more people with suffer at the hand of the Illinois government, and this state will be in financial ruin. Please sign this petition so governor Rauner can see that it is affecting the lives of the people he has sworn to protect.

We believe that no one should be financially destroyed if they, or a family member, were to contract a terminal disease, and so we believe it is our responsibility to collectively support our citizens in such dire times, as we recognize the objective truth that humans have always lived and thrived in communities, and never as "lone wolves." The main ethics problem with universal healthcare is that doctors are not a commonly shared resource. They have sacrificed thousands of hours of their lives to learn the healing sciences, and they should not be penalized when we seek to provide universal healthcare for all citizens. To prevent penalizing doctors, a logical and fair proposal is hereby submitted: Tax Churches, Not Doctors. In order to provide universal healthcare, without effectively penalizing our #truehealers, does anyone have a problem with doctors not paying federal income taxes? We hope that churches will also contribute their fair share of taxes in order to live up to verses like, "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" We believe the solution is simple: Tax Churches, Not Doctors.

Thousands of people in our community work hard but are struggling financially because they cannot access jobs that pay a living wage. Unfortunately, many of the same people can't access workforce programs because of limited English or formal education. The new Fund would help close these gaps and ensure that everyone has a chance to find a decent job and build a career.