In today's economy it's harder than ever to get a job. There are tons of well qualified people (like myself) that are looking for gainful employment or to start their careers, but are being held back by credit checks. I have personally been turned down for a job because of my low credit score. I have been contingently hired, but then turned down for a job with the TSA at Tweed Airport in CT as a luggage screener because my credit score was low. I, like everyone else had bills that my minimum wage job did not cover. I went from making $18.00/hr to $9.00/hr after having my son and have had a hard time catching up to where I was. I am not a bad person, I don't steal, swindle, pilfer. I am honest, hardworking and eager to work! All I need is the opportunity. With employers using credit checks for the base to hire/not hire applicants is wrong and their decisions are leaving a lot of eligible employees out of the mix. Criminal checks should be considered, not credit checks.

Funding for my county's library system has been repeatedly cut over the last several years, thanks in great part to a county commission that is self serving, corrupt, and beholden to corporate interests, while leaving those most at risk in this community twisting in the wind. There are county commissioners who would have the library privatized, thereby making even more difficult access to programs for the poorest of our citizens.

Yes, I was effected by this issue.

Why should corporations want to create jobs and hire people when they can get one machine to replace 7 to 10 people? I know because I had sold many of these machines. Read THE END OF WORK, By Jeremy Rifkin. His eye-opening conclusions based on economic facts, proves we are headed for a global economic collision resulting from multi-corporate greed, self-interest, and its devaluation of the human worker, and, too, its non-dependency upon American consumerism. Let's create a Balance: Hire four workers, to one machine?

Employer credit checks are preventing the nation’s hardest hit job seekers from entering the workforce

Federal employees do not get paid for lunch break and should be allowed to choose whether or not to take a lunch. In our society today, adults who choose to eat less than the traditional three meals per day and where "time is money" (especially for childcare); federal workers should be allowed to work only the hours they are paid for. Federal workers have gone years without cost-of-living pay adjustments and due to the hiring freeze are having to take on more and more work when coworkers retire or resign, and deserve to choose whether or not they want to remain at work an extra half hour every work day without pay.

Last week, the Marketplace Fairness Act passed the Senate with a resounding majority. Now the House needs to pass it. According to the Seattle Times, $422,5 million dollars in revenue annually is at stake for WA, and we need the only two representatives of Washington State who have not yet taken a position in support of this bill to argue for it in the US House GOP caucus.

The double taxation on retirees must stop! We had paid our dues! It is unconscionable that our retirement moneys are taxed, too!

College and University graduates in the United States today are drowning in insurmountable levels of student loan debt. This year, the Class of 2013 will graduate only to face some of the highest levels of student loan debt our country has ever seen. The average college graduate owes $23,300 after graduation - while unemployment rates continue to soar and college graduates are often unable to find work. A small tax on Wall Street transactions could eliminate the barrier of student loan debt for college graduates. A tax of 0.5% on stock trades and an even smaller tax on other financial instruments could yield up to $350 billion in new revenue per year. This money could be used to support federal student aid and grant programs. As young people conscious of the many social injustices our generation faces in the future, we recognize that revenue from this tax could also be used for job creation, healthcare development, education, environmental protection, and global health. We the undersigned - college students, recent graduates, and young professionals - call on our representatives in Congress to support Representative Keith Ellison's bill, HR 1579. This bill would enact a Robin Hood Tax on Wall Street and reduce the student loan debt that is crippling our chances of success.

It's not enough to just increase the minimum wage. In fact, it just brings us all closer to the poverty line! There's no reason that people with Master's degrees should be living check to check!

Homeowners are facing a financial crisis and are afraid of losing their home to foreclosure. Many have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own and are still unemployed. The banks were bailed out and the homeowners were left out. Wealthy donors make huge campaign donations to politicians, why not donate to a worthy cause, (helping a homeowner save their home).

Many people who are working full time are still living below the poverty level and need Government Assistance to get by. A modest increase to $8.00 would help many NC families meet their current needs and obligations.