properties in Canarsie have been taxed at the 6 percent maximum allowed under the New York City tax code while many homes in higher-income neighborhoods are taxed at the 2 percent minimum. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-set-sell-tax-liens-sandy-damaged-homes-article-1.1343026 This inequity is troubling in light of the financial hardships many homeowners are experiencing due to Superstorm Sandy and the resulting decrease in current property values. Further, escrow companies unprepared for the rapid tax increase are requesting substantial increase to escrow accounts from homeowners to recoup the higher tax payments. Further hardship is inflicted upon property owners by placement of liens for unpaid property taxes without consideration by the tax authority of the special circumstances faced by these property owners – catastrophic acts of Nature, weak economy, predatory lending practices and inequitable tax assessment burden. Water and sewage property charges are also very high, hundreds of homes in this community have DEP liens on them, many of the bills have erroneous charges. Property owners must dispute the charges with DEP before May 5, 2014 or their Lien will be sold in Lien Sale on May 16th. Many of these DEP bills have errors, and with interest and fees piled on top, property owners are being gouged by yet another city agency. Enough is enough! We want justice! A moratorium for one year and cease piling interest on top of interest on these DEP bills is required.

After the budget battles that have been waged over the last few years, we need a budget that rejects austerity, invests in our retirement security and puts Americans back to work and leaves us all better off. And, this week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus delivered just that with their Better Off Budget. Separate from the federal budget process, the proposal also endorses expanding Social Security, to create a real prosperity agenda for America and a total rejection of the failed policies of austerity. The Better Off Budget reverses the damage done by the across-the-board budget cuts known as the “sequester.” They create 8.8 million new jobs by investing in job training programs, rebuilding our country’s crumbling infrastructure and providing states with the resources to hire public employees such as police, firefighters and health care workers. And, the kicker is that this budget still reduces the deficit by more than $4 trillion over ten years. The Congressional Progressive Caucus’ Better Off Budget reverses the damage that Congress’ austerity obsession has inflicted on hard-working families and restores our economy to its full potential. We can’t reverse the growing trend of economic inequality in America without addressing the retirement security crisis and without creating new decent paying jobs. And this proposal does both!

The Kentucky House and Senate are currently considering an amendment to the state constitution, and as of this writing, HB 399 has passed out of committee in the House and may be headed to the floor. This amendment would allow an incremental (up to 1%) increase in the sales tax if citizens in a locality vote in favor of it by referendum. The primary problem with this amendment is that it asks more from people who can least afford it. When most or all of someone's income goes toward affording basic needs, a tax increase can have a big impact on quality of life. (I know this personally from growing up with limited means.) Another problem is that such a referendum acts regressively by giving effective decision power to those with greater means to impose this tax on those with lesser means. A third concern is that those paying a greater share of their income toward this new sales tax will not have adequate representation in the process for deciding which corresponding capital projects are selected (and likely won't even if the funding method was more equitable). Overall, we believe it is economically and socially unsustainable to build local projects by asking the most from those who can afford it least. We support fair taxation and other equitable avenues for acquiring funds in consideration of new community projects that enrich us all. Alternative, less regressive methods for funding projects include raising rates on existing taxes that are more progressive in design, creating or raising fees for particular licenses/services, selling bonds, or seeking state/federal appropriations/incentives. Localities in Kentucky have the power to utilize these funding methods today without this amendment. -- Check out these further resources: 1) Testimony on Local Option Sales Tax to Interim Joint Committee on Local Government, Jason Bailey, Director, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, September 25, 2013 - http://www.kypolicy.org/content/testimony-local-option-sales-tax - In addition to addressing LOST's effects on those with lesser means, Bailey discusses several other challenges with LOST. 2) KFTC Member Voices: The Local Option Sales Tax - http://www.kftc.org/blog/member-voices-local-option-sales-tax Both of these links suggest many useful ways to make Kentucky's tax system more fair and adequate.

Please show support with your signature! The Bottom LINE is that it is unjustified for Contract Services to remove dues-paying Local members from the Roster and force them to re-accrue hours as they did when they first joined. Currently, Contract Services seeks to remove any union member who hasn't had five union days during a 3 year period because, supposedly, they appear "no longer to be in the industry" and all Rosters from the Los Angeles combined I.A.T.S.E. Locals are creating "an unwieldy paperwork problem" for their offices. With this rationale, Contract Services is not taking into account individual circumstances (e.g. family issues, maternity leave, and health issues that are not considered disability) and is not serving the best interests of our members. They are also not taking into account that more and more jobs have moved out of California over the past five years. This kind of Roster set-up is archaic, outdated and discriminatory! We need the voices of the current union members to be heard, and job opportunities to be available to them, as well as the continued support and protection of our Locals. Contract Services should not be in charge of deciding the fate of our members. Please sign this petition.

Poverty can be reduced by raising the wage. It diminishes dependence on federal programs such as food stamps(SNAP). The private sector is required to help lower income workers instead. Raising the wage puts more money into the economy.

To stop increasing costs in sales tax in Cathedral City, California. Cathedral City

Everyday I see my friends and coworkers working long hours for poverty wages, barely able to keep their heads above water, deciding whether to pay the rent, or pay the heating bill, or buy groceries for their families. Increasing the minimum wage would help thousands of working Americans lift themselves out of poverty. There is NO reason Rep. Benishek should deny them that opportunity.

The inequality of wages in this country is wreaking havoc with the middle class. Fair pay helps the entire nation!

I have watched my family and friends work so hard without getting ahead.

I would love to see the minimum wage increased. While in graduate school, I did substitute teaching(not minimum wage), beauty consultant(min.+ small percentage for making the owner rich), and waitressed for min.+ tips. My daughter is a delivery driver, minimum wage and she has to pay her own gas. Pizza Hut is lucky to have a driver with a math degree. Many teacher's aids in schools do not make the minimum, they make less than the substitutes. Many companies do not even allow their workers to work full time, so they don't have to pay benefits. Most people have or are looking for a second job to make ends meet. LET'S BE FAIR! :)

If peace was more profitable than war we would not have many conflicts. So many decisions in congress seem to lack diplomacy while supporting the profits of war, this is wrong and an unethical way to spend our tax dollars. What goes around comes around, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword. Implements of war, weather we are directly involved in a conflict or not, should be limited to cost of production. The U.S. should not be arms dealers.

Despite the raising of the minimum wage in New Jersey this past election, those such as myself working for the minimum wage or in pay structures based on the minimum wage have suffered for too long. The minimum wage should be enough to live on, not one to keep someone in poverty. Join me in showing support for raising the minimum and sending a message loud and clear to Rep. Leonard Lance of New Jersey and other Republican Congressmen and Congresswomen who don't have the courage to help those in need.