The recent ruling from the MDARD Commission changed the GAAMPS for farms located in residential and urban areas. MDARD says that this is to stop people from raising livestock where people live close together. I see it as townships restricting people, even in Rural Residential areas where agriculture is allowed, but put restrictions on livestock that already go against Michigan Right To Farm Act. Act 93 of 1981. Example: Mt.Morris Charter Township says to have livestock a person must get a NON-COMMERCIAL land use permit in Rural Residential zoned areas. Having a noncommercial land use permit to keep livestock would make a farmer exempt from the protection of the RTFA. But, tilling the land, spreading fertilizer and planting corn is allowed and protected. I personally have 9.77 acres, my son is a active Genesee Co. 4-H member. He is the 2013-14, 4-H Prince. His 4-H projects are chickens, rabbits and horses, along with non-animal projects. I am a 4-H leader and single mom, as well. We are small little farm that wants to raise our own food. I am commercial, as I sell firewood and manure from the farm. My son receives monies from premiums at the fair and the sale of his chickens at fair auction. I know many 4-H children that live in the same township and zoned the same as we are. With this new ruling they would not even be able to own a rabbit. People with chickens that sell "farm fresh eggs" and have 3-5 acres or more as myself will be stopped from trying to make ends meet, in a state that is already hurting. The auto industry has let the people of Michigan and Genesee County down and hurting. Please let us not let the Agricultural industry do the same! Don't think that 4-H or FFA(Future Farmers of America) members have these huge farms located in strictly Agricultural zoned areas. People from urban areas have been moving into the county and rural areas for years. They keep pushing and pushing. Please reverse these new rules the commission has set for the GAAMPS and help us little people out!!! Thank You!! Jackie Kerr

It would change the whole system and make it more representative of the people.

Hobby beekeepers in the suburbs and urban areas keep Michigan in the race to save the honey bee. Small Michigan farmers provide us healthy foods that include fresh eggs and honey products in urban farmers markets.

This is the most effective way to raise the minimum wage. By pledging to vote in upcoming elections in 2014 for candidates who support this progressive strategy to empower American workers, the possibility of passing an increase in the minimum wage is increased. Less people will be dependent on subsidy programs if the minimum wage is increased, plus the increase will begin to solve the inequality problem in the United States.

I am not disturbed by the additional $112 in taxes/year; as a public servant I believe we should all be good stewards of the public's funds and facilities. This $2,000,000 in bond funding is not the best use of public funds when alternatives presented demonstrated a fully functional and safe environment for a fraction of the cost and without a need for a Bond tax measure.

Heating and cooling our homes and offices comprise 40% of total U.S. energy consumption (including two-thirds of the country’s electricity) and 16% of total U.S. water consumption. Reducing energy use in buildings by converting traditional flat tar and gravel rooftops into green areas holds the promise of saving resources and money while reducing pollution and CO2 in the atmosphere through the ability of topsoil to naturally retain and/or dissipate heat. A large part of this program is the mandate that all firms bidding on projects train and employ local labor and that no less than 40% of all contracts go to minority-owned firms, which ensures the project benefits the entire city. Better yet, it can be the first part of “The Green Plan of Chicago,” which includes a volunteer commission of prominent Chicagoans and include a salaried position for a Chicago Green Commissioner.

Nearly one in five Pennsylvania workers would get a pay hike if the minimum wage goes up. It’s time for our government to update the wage floor so people can afford the basics, like food, rent and transportation. Increasing the state’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour or more would raise the earnings for at least a million Pennsylvania workers, boost the state’s economy and build stronger communities. 70% of PA residents support an increase in the minimum wage. It's time for our elected officials to act on the will of the voters and support low wage workers in our state by raising the minimum wage now!

I use the internet to inform myself when I need to make decisions, for entertainment, and to stay in touch with my grown children, grandchildren and friends. Working at a non-profit special education school, my income has not kept pace with the cost of living, since my state sets the rates we charge for our services, and often allows no increase at all. My pay has been eroded over the years, but the cost of internet and cable TV have continued to rise, despite "introductory" rate deals for new customers. I recently dropped cable TV to reduce my costs, and pay to stream what I want to watch. Verizon and Comcast are the only options for high speed internet service where I live, and I was shocked to find out how much they are charging without any competition. Please curb this virtual monopoly, and ensure that all Americans have affordable access to information and entertainment.

The way streaming services pay royalties represents a major shift in the economic gears that have been underlying the industry for a decade. On a 99-cent download, a typical artist might earn 7 to 10 cents after deductions for the retailer, the record company and the songwriter. One industry joke calls the flow of these royalties a “river of nickels.” In the new economics of streaming music, however, the river of nickels looks more like a torrent of micropennies. Spotify, Pandora and others like them pay fractions of a cent to record companies and publishers each time a song is played, some portion of which goes to performers and songwriters as royalties. Unlike the royalties from a sale, these payments accrue every time a listener clicks on a song, year after year. The question dogging the music industry is whether these micropayments can add up to anything substantial. Complicating the issue, each type of service pays different rates. Pandora’s are set by law. Spotify generally pays 0.5 to 0.7 cents per stream for its paid tier, and as much as 90 percent less for its free tier. At this very moment, lobbyists for these streaming services are trying to set the amount paid per play to even lower amounts. This unjust and self-serving move is forcing songwriters of even the most popular and highly spun songs to see dismal amounts of return for their hard work and investment into their craft. Although there are many songwriters and music artists expressing their views on various online news outlets and Facebook, not enough attention is being brought to this issue on the national news stage. Congress is currently reviewing this matter, but with the financing power and lobbying of these streaming services being heavily implemented, the real losers of this battle are the artist, songwriters and music fans. Songwriters have helped create the most memorable music for decades and now people in this profession are seeking employment elsewhere or seek multiple jobs to sustain themselves and their families. Please sign and share this petition if you love music and want to see your artist and songwriters be paid fairly for their contribution to society. We hope that with enough attention, this issue could be brought to light on a national level.

After months of negotiations, a broad coalition recommended raising Seattle's minimum wage to $15 per hour. This is a historic moment for the working people of Seattle and will help build momentum for raising the minimum wage across the country. Now it's up to the Seattle City Council to adopt this proposal. Tell the Seattle City Council to vote YES on a $15 minimum wage!

For a year and a half, fast food employees and other low-wage workers across the country have been organizing and striking for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation. Now, the city of Seattle has just announced a landmark agreement to raise the minimum wage to $15. Seattle's wage raise will pump $500 million back into their economy without raising taxes. Large employers paying the lowest wages are subsidized by our taxes when their low-paid employees are forced to use public programs like welfare just to get by. This is a huge victory for workers, but it's only the beginning of a wave that will sweep across the country. Republicans in the Senate just blocked an increase in the federal minimum wage--but cities like Seattle are showing that progress is made locally. Who's next? In Detroit, raising the minimum wage to $15 will provide a dramatic boost for thousands of working families and the local economy.

For a year and a half, fast food employees and other low-wage workers across the country have been organizing and striking for $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation. Now, the city of Seattle has just announced a landmark agreement to raise the minimum wage to $15. Seattle's wage raise will pump $500 million back into their economy without raising taxes. Large employers paying the lowest wages are subsidized by our taxes when their low-paid employees are forced to use public programs like welfare just to get by. This is a huge victory for workers, but it's only the beginning of a wave that will sweep across the country. Republicans in the Senate just blocked an increase in the federal minimum wage--but cities like Seattle are showing that progress is made locally. Who's next? In Chicago, raising the minimum wage to $15 will provide a dramatic boost for thousands of working families and the local economy.