The Trump Administration recently announced changes to SNAP that will cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose access to their “food stamp” benefits. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program commonly referred to as "food stamps," is a federal nutrition program that’s critical for fighting hunger in the United States. According to Feeding America, "SNAP provides families with their basic nutritional needs to get them through temporary hard times. It helps people get back on their feet and on the road to a better life.” However, the Trump Administration has been working for the last three years to undermine SNAP as part of their agenda to limit access to public assistance programs. The newly-announced attack on SNAP is especially outrageous because Congress rejected these proposed changes to the program during the Farm Bill debate last year. The House rejected it in a bipartisan vote of 330-83, and the Senate voted down a similar amendment 68-30. But now, Sonny Perdue, Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture, is moving forward with these changes through an undemocratic “executive order” that targets very poor people struggling to work — many of whom are homeless, living in small towns and rural communities with little or no access to employment, or have health conditions that prevent them from working. Please join with us and demand that Sonny Perdue stop the Trump attacks on food assistance programs critical for fighting hunger in the United States.

"Enact NESARA Now"

The toxic circumstances of WORKPLACE/ACADEMIC BULLY has been well known for years. But progress for change has been excruciatingly slow primarily because of elected, civic and business powers that be. Elected officials in Albany should know that the time for change WAS YESTERDAY. Please support the petition and encourages others to sign.

The new budget proposal has $1.5 million taken away from sidewalk infrastructure and the Eviction Advocacy center, and it needs to be returned.

At its core, the Right to Repair is a consumer rights movement fighting for a simple principle: if you bought it, you own it, and you should have the freedom to fix it yourself or choose who fixes it for you. Over the last decade, manufacturers of everything from smartphones and tractors to cars and gaming consoles have deliberately made their products harder to repair. They do this by gluing components shut, using rare security screws, and—most commonly—using proprietary software locks to block anyone who isn't an "authorized" dealer. The Right to Repair is vital for four major reasons: 1. Breaking Up Monopolies and Lowering Costs When a manufacturer completely locks down diagnostic software and parts, they create a legal monopoly. If you are forced to go to an authorized dealership or Apple Store for every single fix, the manufacturer can charge whatever they want.  The Dealership Premium: Independent mechanics and electronics repair shops regularly charge 40% to 60% less for labor than corporate dealerships.  The "Just Buy a New One" Tactic: Dealerships and factory repair centers often quote ridiculously high repair prices for minor fixes to manipulate you into throwing away the item and buying a brand-new model instead. 2. Supporting Local Small Businesses Local repair shops, independent mechanics, and neighborhood tech-fix stores are the backbone of local economies. When manufacturers lock out anyone who doesn't pay a massive corporate licensing fee to become "authorized," they actively force small business owners out of work. Right to repair laws ensure that your local mechanic can access the exact same diagnostic codes and repair data that the massive corporate dealership down the road uses. 3. Reducing Environmental Waste (E-Waste) We are living in a disposable tech economy. When a manufacturer makes it impossible to swap out a degraded $30 battery or a worn-out $50 gear, the entire $1,000 device or machine gets thrown into a landfill.  Restricting repair leads to millions of tons of e-waste (electronic waste) globally every year.  It also forces the continuous mining of rare earth metals to build unnecessary replacement devices, causing massive carbon emissions. 4. Supply Chain and Emergency Resilience When things break down in critical industries—like agriculture, medical care, or commercial trucking—waiting weeks for an "authorized" corporate technician to travel out with a proprietary laptop can be catastrophic.  Farmers have famously had their entire harvests put at risk because a John Deere tractor threw a minor sensor code that required a corporate software unlock, even though the farmer was perfectly capable of replacing the physical sensor themselves.  Hospitals faced massive crises during the pandemic when proprietary software restrictions prevented their own in-house biomedical engineers from quickly fixing broken ventilators.

We oppose the construction of any data centers in Blue Island. We believe economic development should focus on creation of jobs without harming the environment or increasing utility costs for the public.

## THE MORAL AND FISCAL CASE FOR A DISABILITY LIVING WAGE The current Social Security Disability system is built on an inherently flawed "pay-to-play" model. By basing monthly payments on prior work history and "work credits," the government effectively penalizes those who become disabled at a young age. These individuals never had the chronological opportunity to build a career or pay into the system, yet they are forced to survive on significantly less support than those injured later in life. This creates a systemic "youth penalty" that traps our most vulnerable citizens in a cycle of lifelong poverty. The financial logic of the current system is also deeply counterproductive. When disability payments fall below the actual cost of living, individuals are often forced into state-funded nursing homes or long-term care facilities. These institutions cost taxpayers significantly more than a direct living wage would. By providing a livable income, we allow people to live independently in their communities, which is not only more humane but a far more responsible use of public funds. Beyond the financial savings, a living wage provides the foundation for true autonomy. Those disabled early in life lack the 401(k)s, home equity, or personal savings that older adults may have accumulated. A guaranteed living wage levels the playing field, ensuring that a person’s ability to afford food, accessible housing, and medical necessities is based on their human dignity rather than their previous tax contributions. Providing a living wage also acts as a direct stimulus to local economies. Unlike high earners who may save or invest their income, disabled individuals living on a fixed budget spend their benefits immediately on essential local goods and services like groceries, rent, and healthcare. This keeps wealth circulating within the community and supports small businesses, turning a social safety net into an engine for local economic stability. Ultimately, America must decide if its disability program is an insurance policy for the lucky or a safety net for all. We demand that Congress eliminate the work-credit requirement for those with permanent disabilities and establish a universal benefit floor that meets the modern cost of living. It is time to end the administrative complexity of the current tiers and replace them with a simple, dignified, and livable standard for every permanently disabled American.

"The unchecked proliferation of data centers is already causing irrevocable public harm to our communities across economic, social, and environmental fronts. We need to stand together because state and county leaders continue to incentivize and approve these projects without a full accounting of their true costs. This is a matter of fairness for every resident. While our residential electricity rates have risen by nearly 50%, data centers continue paying less than half the rate per kilowatt-hour that we do. This gap forces our families and small businesses to subsidize infrastructure like the $200 million Hillsboro substation. Our schools are paying the price, too. In 2024 alone, the Hillsboro School District lost $128 million due to data center tax abatements. These facilities generate among the lowest number of permanent jobs per acre of any industry, yet they are being gifted enormous tax breaks. This is not economic development—it’s a giveaway. Beyond the money, the environmental toll is staggering. Large-scale facilities can consume as much as 4.5 million gallons of water per day, straining our supplies and driving expensive new infrastructure costs that will be passed on to you. We recently defeated Senator Sollman’s SB 1586 to protect our farmland, but that was only one battle. We need you to join us in calling for an immediate moratorium to hold our elected leaders accountable, ensure corporations pay their fair share, and safeguard our world-class farmland from irreversible destruction."

  Please sign this petition to show your support for providing free bus rides for all youths in Hawaii. Let's take a step toward a more equitable and sustainable future for our children and our communities.  

QTS has not been forthright about the environmental, financial, and community impacts this massive project will bring to our small village. Residents deserve real answers before any approval is granted. The Village of DeForest should not move forward with any approval until QTS provides independent environmental and economic impact studies that are made fully available to the public. This company’s lack of transparency is unacceptable. We refuse to allow a reckless project to jeopardize the health, stability, and sustainability of our community. Let’s protect DeForest’s future before it’s too late. Sign this petition to tell the Village Board: No approval without full transparency from QTS!

Let's put our people power to work in Washington DC - and support our National Parks!  The President, the Senate and the House must fund the government by October 1, or the government shuts down. Partisan politics may continue to poorly affect our Nation's Best Idea, notably, one with bipartisan support for time immemorial. We Americans love our parks, and they love us!  See the bipartisan House letter to the President, the Glowing Economic Report on National Parks, and finally, the report on negative results of the firings, early retirements, and funding freeze. Let's fully fund our parks - in 2026 - and beyond! 

I care about this neighborhood, it’s not just where I live, it’s part of who I am. I’ve seen so much change over the years, but now it’s starting to feel like the kind of change that pushes people like us out. There’s a plan in the works to bring a Hyatt hotel and private athlete housing to land that used to belong to our community. Remember the Robert Taylor Homes? They tore those down with the promise that they’d rebuild and bring families back. That never happened. Instead, CHA and our City Officials are selling off the land to developers tied to elite tennis programs and political insiders. People with money. People with power. People who don’t live here. And honestly? It hurts. It feels like the city is more interested in making deals than keeping promises. They say it’s “development,” but who is it really for? Not the families who used to live here. Not the students whose schools are now half-empty. Not the kids who need safe places to play, affordable homes, or someone to invest in their futures. There’s this guy Kamau Murray,  he runs XS Tennis. He says he’s doing it for the youth, but if you go by there, it’s all elite players, out-of-town visitors, and not much actual connection to the community. And yet, somehow, he’s the one getting city land. It doesn’t add up. I’m fighting this because I believe our neighborhood deserves better. We deserve homes, not hotels. We deserve to be heard, not sidelined. And I’m asking people to sign a petition, to stand with us, because once this land is gone, it’s gone. And so are the families who could’ve come back. So yeah, this is personal. I’m not just angry, I’m trying to do something about it. Because if we don’t fight for our neighborhoods, who will?