Because just as those who have been out of work are at risk and need help, so are the people who still have to go to work every day...

The Convention of States (COS) -- a shady special interest group funded by right-wing billionaires like the Mercers -- wants us to believe that the “reopen” protests popping up in states are led entirely by everyday Americans. But the truth is: they’re not. Behind the scenes, COS is helping to pull the strings. Its members are targeting people on social media and throwing serious funding behind these protests -- to create an illusion of mass discontent against the social distancing guidelines that keep us safe during the COVID-19 crisis. Polling shows widespread support for following social distancing guidelines. [1] But these secretly-funded protests are meant to muddy the waters -- and make states roll back life-saving measures before experts say it’s safe. Make no mistake: these protests are dangerous. Public gatherings give the disease more opportunity to spread… they can incite distrust of public health officials... and reporters covering the event in Lansing, Michigan even noted that the rally blocked ambulances from accessing a hospital. This isn't the first time that COS has pushed for Big Money interests over the needs of the American people. In fact, the group was founded to urge Republican legislators to call for an Article V constitutional convention -- where unelected, unaccountable delegates could write their far-right agenda directly into our Constitution. This is just another ploy by the Convention of States to sow distrust of public health experts and other government officials... so that when the time comes, overhauling our system and rewriting the Constitution seems like the only option. We can’t let this billionaire-backed, far-right special interest group and its allies endanger our friends, families, and communities. We must spread the word about who’s REALLY behind these protests -- as well as continue to listen to health professionals and follow CDC guidelines. 1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-conservative-networks-backing-anti-quarantine-protests/2020/04/22/da75c81e-83fe-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html

The current PPP program is of no use to businesses that have already temporarily shut down, which, along with laying off employees, also entailed cancelling or reducing coverage for vehicle and other insurance policies, etc. It makes no sense to keep employees on payroll if there is no way to gain income. However, businesses will need funds to pay employees, renew insurance policies, catch up on rent, purchase materials or goods, and more upon reopening or adding back staff and taking on more work. Loan forgiveness is key. Small businesses typically operate with some level of debt, and business owners will be going into more debt on a personal level just to survive until able to reopen or otherwise get back to operating at full capacity.

For me and many of these businesses, this is our livelihood. We have absolutely NO money coming in but still have to pay our state and federal taxes along with utilities, insurance, etc. Please reconsider this.

The American economy has taking a huge hit with unemployment skyrocketing over March and April 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the numbers will continue to rise. We are witnessing a domino effect of massive job loss. Businesses close, then the taxpayers have no income to report to the IRS and no taxes to be paid. Of course no income means a steep decline in the agriculture industry, food processing, banking, and mortgage industries just to name a few. Our tax dollars are what makes this economy rise or fall. It is the government's spending of this money which determines what programs are funded or not, and what is considered valuable. Well, now it is time for our government to show its appreciation to loyal American taxpayers by helping us through one of the most financial difficulties in current times. Way too often, large companies such as banks receive MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER MONEY so they will not collapse even though CEO's receive million dollar bonuses and the company makes millions in profits. The government is EAGER to provide them with tax breaks and trillion dollar relief funds at American taxpayer expense. Millions of American taxpayers are working making under $30,000 a year, many more are working 2 jobs, such as teachers, just to somewhat survive. The cost of rent, utilities, food, gas, etc., continues to grow except incomes. A basic income of $2000 a month for American taxpayers age 18 and older and $500 a month for children would give a great start in boosting the economy. Once this financial difficulty has lifted, the economy won't take as long to recover.

The corrosive combination of coronavirus and capitalism is tearing through our communities to underscore the deepest divide between us, that of the haves and the have-nots. The most egregious assault lands where it always does, in the most marginalized communities among us: the poor, with multi-generational (often multiple) families living together; black and brown communities, who were discarded by society long before coronavirus; single mothers, who are forced into the impossible choice between rent and food for their children; immigrants, who are deprived of any safety nets and devoid of rights; the unhoused, for whom the phrase “stay at home” is cruel and absurd; the out-of-work breadwinners who can no longer provide for their families; domestic abuse victims who are pressed to “shelter” in place with their abusers; the newly unemployed masses now frequenting foodbanks; the imprisoned, detained, or institutionalized; and the anti-stay-at-home protesters, who assert “my job is essential too.” The middle and impoverished classes lack the privilege of escaping to the Hamptons, to their personal island, or to their well-stocked yachts. In many cases, they lack the “luxuries” of running water, the room to socially distance, paid leave when they or their family members are sick, and personal protective gear for their jobs, which – in an act of cruel irony – have now been heralded as “essential.” A contagion of greed infected our society long before the arrival of coronavirus. Lulled into complacency by sleek models, shiny gadgets, and digitized entertainment, we became prime targets for hungry overlords, who amassed their spoils off our labor and consumption. Nursing at the teat of consumption, we became “unpaid data laborers,” while gaping maws scrambled to exploit our data for profit. These titans of industry filled their own pockets on the backs of their workers – fellow humans who markets invisibilized and rendered disposable. This colossal corporate greed is what informs our “Democracy.” Those who usurp our power leave us begging for scraps or working in unsafe conditions, and these immoral deficits have never been more evident than with four rounds of coronavirus stimulus packages. Profiteers advance on the imperiled masses with glee, hoarding the lion’s share of the stimulus and pillaging the coffers designated for the poor. Our representatives listen to the lobbyists in DC, where they’re plied with sweet deals and lavish funds for special interests. The lobbyists work to promote the corporate agendas of those who have money and those who will do anything to protect that money. Whether Democrat or Republican, our representatives evidently and appallingly need greater incentives to look out for the common good and essential needs of the citizens. It is up to us to demand that they do. In a world cracked open by COVID-19, it’s time for the masses to assert their own power – they and we matter. We are not dispensable. We are not disposable. We are not invisible. It is time NOW for the PEOPLE to use the powers that they still have – the powers of their vote, their voice, their pen, their labor, and their consumption. VOTE, WRITE, STRIKE, BOYCOTT together while apart like your life – and the lives of all those you love – depends on it. Because it does. At the nexus of coronavirus and runaway capitalism, it is imperative that we untangle the essential rights of citizens from profit. This is a moral choice. We must IMAGINE a better world where all are deserving of conditions that will enable us to not only survive, but thrive. The time is now for Medicare for All, for a guaranteed basic income, for housing standards that ensure shelter for all, for green jobs with livable wages, with paid sick leave, healthcare that’s not tied to our paychecks, and where workers own the rights of production. While our citizens suffer a devastating mix of uncertainty, isolation, grief, and economic despair, the richest people on the planet are poised to determine our fate. We shelter on this globe together, and the time is ripe for demanding fundamental and lasting improvements to our social safety net. Our top-heavy society is fragile in ways that leave us increasingly vulnerable to coronavirus and future pandemics. We must build resiliency from the bottom up, collaborating with our communities, and honoring the diversity therein to protect us all. We’re riding a slow train of uncertainty amidst an amorphous viral threat. If quarantine teaches us anything, it brings home the truth that the health and wellbeing of ONE is intimately connected to the health and wellbeing of ALL.

The future of our country and American Democracy where reason prevails and there are not supposed to be autocratic dictators (if it's not already too late) is at stake.

The survival of the independent beauty professional is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

It is important because our love ones can get the disease, as we can too. All employees were exposed to this person who came out positive to Covid-19. Employees don't want to bring this disease to our loved ones. Some of these employees have new born or even month old babies and children, who are a high risk group.

Because just as those who have been out of work are at risk and need help, so are the people who still have to go to work every day...

April 30th marks 6 MONTHS since the Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy (CORE) Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. The CORE Act is the most significant and broadly-supported effort to protect Colorado’s cherished lands, waters, and forests in a generation. This crucial legislation, sponsored by Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse, would protect wilderness areas, clean water supplies, and wildlife migration corridors and habitat, while also creating sustainable recreation opportunities. Despite all the good it would do for Colorado, Senator Cory Gardner has yet to express his support for this crucial legislation. For decades, local communities have been supporting pieces of legislation and calling for protection of historic sites, recreation areas, unspoiled wilderness lands, and waterways and wildlife habitats through individual pieces of legislation. Senator Bennet and Congressman Neguse's work on this legislation recognizes the growing support for a comprehensive effort to permanently protect these places for future generations. The CORE Act would provide important protections for key watersheds, helping to safeguard pristine drinking water supplies for local communities, from the western slope to the front range. It would also safeguard headwaters, local streams, and gold medal trout fisheries like Blue River, Gore Creek, and the Animas River, which are enjoyed by anglers near and far. Further, the bill would preserve healthy wildlife habitat by protecting key areas from road building, new mines and oil and gas drilling, and other activities that would degrade wildlife habitat and watershed values. It would continue to safeguard backcountry hunting opportunities and important big game habitat on our public lands across the state, in addition to protecting habitat for black bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, sage grouse, moose, lynx, wild turkey, and the rare wolverine. We should all get behind these goals. Millions of people visit Colorado’s iconic public lands and landmarks each year to recreate and this bill would preserve access to those places for future generations to enjoy. Now is the time for all of Colorado’s elected officials to join veterans, sportsmen, community leaders, conservationists, business owners, county officials, and voters from across the state, in protecting public lands for the future. Sign this petition and demand that Senator Gardner defends our economy, our quality of life, and our health by supporting the CORE Act.

Truck drivers keep the country going; they are putting themselves at risk of contracting Covid-19 each and every day as they continue to do their jobs, delivering food, mail, paper items, cleaning supplies, clothing, along with every other product that keeps America from spiraling into chaos.