Last year, in the midst of a budget crunch, Illinois could have generated $108.3 million if we modernized our state’s tax code by closing offshore tax haven loopholes with a simple reform similar to recent laws enacted in Oregon and Montana. This would eliminate incentives for moving businesses offshore, level the playing field for Illinois businesses that compete with multinational corporations, and protect regular taxpayers who are picking up the tab for tax dodgers. The $108.3 million saved would be enough to cover the salaries for 3,000 Illinois teachers, or could be used to eliminate hunting and fishing license fees and cut amusement licenses by over 90 percent without any loss of revenue. Rather than waiting for Congress to close offshore tax havens, Illinois can follow the lead of other states and save millions of dollars to help alleviate our budget crisis without raising taxes or cutting spending to important public programs.

General Electric is one of the worst corporate tax dodgers out there. It has managed to pay ZERO dollars in federal income taxes for four recent years -- thanks to some big tax loopholes and some clever accounting. The company has mobilized a small army of lobbyists in Washington this year, because one of its most profitable tax loopholes has just expired. This loophole -- known as the "active financing" loophole -- lets General Electric put off paying its U.S. taxes indefinitely when it shifts the profits it makes from interest and dividends to offshore tax havens. This one loophole will cost $70 billion over the next 10 years. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that a large package of corporate tax loopholes, which includes the active financing loophole, should be renewed without the cost being covered. That’s not right. Our country should not go further into debt to keep a tax loophole open for a profitable, tax-dodging corporation like General Electric. This loophole shouldn’t even exist in the first place. Tell Sen. McConnell to end the active financing tax loophole, period. Make General Electric and other big corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

“In the U.S. Army, our service men and women are expected to exemplify the values contained in the Acronym LDRSHIP. Loyalty-Duty- Respect - Selfless Service-Honor-Integrity-Personal Courage. I believe our political and corporate leaders must adopt these values if we are to have a Kentucky and America that works for all of us. The sheer greed of many politicians and Corporate Leaders is disloyal and a disservice to our communities, workers, Kentucky families and the best interest of our Nation. The ever- widening disparity in America is unethical, disrespectful to working men and women, dishonorable, and completely lacking in integrity – and is absolutely unsustainable. If America is to maintain our position in the world, we need leaders not looters. Anything else is immoral, inconsistent with our American values and truly puts Kentucky and the United States at a competitive disadvantage. If morality escapes our corporate leaders – as it appears to, then we must have folks in government that will not fail to protect the American Worker, our Families and the long-term economic health of our nation.” In Congress, I pledge to represent hard working families in the fight for a livable wage. Please join our campaign to raise the minimum wage by signing this petition.

The employees of ACI would like for our agency to recognize MLK Jr. Day as a Holiday. We would like to take time off and celebrate the memory of one of the greatest humanitarians in U.S history. If you believe the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have benefited you or someone you care about please sign this petition.

The governor and the legislature need to focus on closing Iowa’s income gap and make sure everyone has a fair opportunity to get ahead. This would address those issues without the state having to spend a single dollar. We can't wait for Congress to help our state's working people.

At a recent GOP gubernatorial debate, State Sen. Bill Brady said he's heard from manufacturers that people on unemployment are "enjoying" it too much and turning down job offers. He said, "we've got to motivate people back into the workforce" by cutting unemployment insurance. [1] Millions of Illinois residents have used or are currently using unemployment benefits — because jobs were few and far between. State Sen. Brady's comments are disrespectful and show he doesn’t understand what it's like to struggle in this economy. We need to send a message to everyone seeking to be governor of Illinois: focus on creating good-paying jobs, not cutting off the few financial lifelines jobless people have, if you want to grow the middle class. Source: "GOP candidate for governor says unemployed need motivation to get a job," Feb. 4, 2014, WBEZ http://goo.gl/XBNnJF

Please sign the petition to Annette Bosworth, Stace Nelson, Larry Pressler, Jason Ravnsborg, Larry Rhoden and Mike Rounds. In his State of the Union, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage – an idea popular among many Republican, Independent, and Democratic voters. Rick Weiland will deliver this petition to his announced opponents in the South Dakota Senate race, including Annette Bosworth, Stace Nelson, Larry Pressler, Jason Ravnsborg, Larry Rhoden and Mike Rounds requesting their support for giving 62,000 South Dakota residents a raise by supporting a minimum-wage increase. Can you sign this petition?

There are relentless congressional efforts underway to privatize social security and to get the public to readily go along with it, you hear politicians say things like, “Entitlements are killing us!” “We have to reform entitlements!” “The debt is unmanageable.” “We have too much debt and we must reform entitlements!” “Social security is going to go broke!” “We can’t keep paying social security benefits at the same rate we’re paying now – we’ll go broke!” It’s all hype designed to scare you into letting those nice folks in Congress “take care of us poor hapless minions that haven’t a clue how to save ourselves from this very dismal future!” Malarky! I’m going to educate you a bit so you’ll know what it’s all about and how we’re going to fix it! But you have to help! You have to make noise! Your congressional representative and Senators have to know that you are serious and will vote their asses out of office if they don’t start taking care of the 95% of Americans that don’t make enough money to hit the cap on social security taxes! Too easy! Social security (OASDI – the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) part of the fund, in 2012, had a reserve of $2.732 Trillion dollars! While it’s true that we are beginning to pay out more than is taken in, we are about two plus decades away from running the fund out of money at today’s rates of inflows and outflows. But guess what? SOCIAL SECURITY DOES NOT ADD ONE PENNY TO THE NATIONAL DEBT! The TV hype, regardless of your party affiliation, will make you think that social security spending is very bad indeed and it seems many Americans think it increses deficit spending. IT DOES NOT! NOT ONE PENNY! Yes, it’s true, Social Security and Medicare together is about 38 percent of federal budget expenditures but so what! This is our money that we gave to the Governemtn for the sole purpose of providing needed social program services! But it drives them nuts to think that there is $2.7 Trillion dollars just sitting there not being used by banks and financial institutions to gamble with! And with that gambling (privatization) comes very sizable kick-backs to members of Congress for having privatized Social Security to begin with! Wow! What a windfall for corporate interests! hey, Here's $2.7 Trillion dollars you can go play with! Some in congress want to start a "voucher" system for Medicare payments with a lifetime benefit cap! Ever been cut off or denied a procedure or medical service by an insurance company? What do you think will happen to social security if privatized? Privatization means FOR PROFIT not FOR PEOPLE as it is today! How to make sure social security stays around forever? Too easy - get rid of the cap on social security wages! Those top 5% of earners in America that make more than $113,700 per year do not pay any additional social security taxes. In other words, as a percentage of their income, they pay less than you do (lower rate). Does that sound fair? Mitt Romney, for example, pays ZERO social security taxes – all of his income is derived from financial investments, which are not taxed for social security. Warren Buffett the same, Bill Gates and many others but just a few names you may recognize. Removing the payroll cap on Social Security taxes will generate an additional $100 Billion a year for social security and it will come from the top 5% of wage earners in this country. Most Americans won’t pay a dime more. Please support this petition and share with your friends. Let’s let our Congressional representatives know we want equity in the system and we want the cap on payroll taxes removed!

Today, more than 123,000 Virginians earn minimum wage. Raising the minimum wage would help many families and boost our economy. In real dollars, today’s minimum wage is LESS than it was in 1968, and we’re way overdue for a raise. Virginia lawmakers are considering SB 590, a bill that would raise Virginian’s minimum wage to $8.25 by July 1, 2014, and then to $9.25 by July 1, 2015. Sign the petition to Virginia lawmakers now.

In this year’s State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 – an idea popular among many Republican, Independent, and Democratic voters. Bruce Elder will deliver this petition to Rep. Bob Goodlatte demanding he support a minimum-wage increase to bring 511,000 working Virginians — 1 in 7 — above the poverty line. Will you sign this petition?

In his State of the Union, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 – an idea popular among many Republican, Independent, and Democratic voters. We'll deliver this petition to Paul Ryan demanding he give 461,000 Wisconsin residents a raise by supporting a minimum-wage increase. Will you stand with Rob?

In his State of the Union, President Obama called on Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10. Pat will deliver this petition to Senator Grassley demanding he stand up for Iowan working families and support a minimum-wage increase. Will you sign this petition? We’ll invite the media to our petition delivery. The more signatures we have, the more likely the media will cover our fight on this issue – so please tell others too.