GPO and WEP penalize thousands of retirees; 79% of them are women. Loss of earned benefits is severe, often resulting in substantial lifestyle reductions and even poverty for first responders, fire and police personnel, who may have come from the military, as well as teachers, librarians, air traffic controllers, secretaries and others whose fully-earned Social Security from previous jobs will be cut back when they retire. Their spouses suffer loss as well.

Yes, it's hard to get jobs nowadays if you haven't really worked or if you have worked and quit.

Dear Colleagues, As educators, we seek to do what is right for the children entrusted to our care each and every day. We are there for them, with love, empathy, and a desire to see them succeed. We do this in ways seen and unseen, and we do it consistently. That’s why we as MCEA Board members are deeply concerned about the events surrounding the tobacco attestation implementation. What has occurred over the past week has been very troubling, and we believe demonstrates a lack of empathy and understanding for educators, their time, and their pay. It is in stark contrast to the actions we take each and every day, for the benefit of this community’s children. We seek to do the right thing and expect that each and every paycheck will accurately reflect the earnings of our wholehearted efforts. We depend on those earnings to support ourselves, our families, and our children, where each and every dollar we bring home matters. So when so many of us learned that we had been assessed a charge, after completing the attestation, we were shocked. And yet, in these days, we have gone about our work, doing the right thing for children, trusting that we will be made whole. Some of us attested before a window was open, although we were never notified that we had completed the task too early to count. Others of us attested although a technical issue said we had not. As educators, we sought to do the right thing, with honorable intent and were met with the most unpleasant news of a paycheck less than we had earned. The right thing to do here is to immediately return the deducted dollars to all of those impacted. The right thing is to demonstrate care and empathy for those who care for our children. And collectively, we expect the right thing will be done. Our strength comes in our collective voice, and we will now exercise that voice through this petition. In it, we will join one another and make clear to our employer that whether we were impacted or not, an injury to one is an injury to all. We appreciate and honor the selfless work you do. We know that collectively we can right this injustice. The MCEA Board of Directors David Airozo Valerie Coll Brian Donlon Justin Fauntroy Henoch Hailu Josh Halpren Heather Hunter Christopher Lloyd Susan Loftus Cindy Lotto Jennifer Martin Glenn Miller Lauren Moskowitz Phyllis Parks Robinson Doug Prouty Dionna Ricks Java Robinson Nikki Woodward

The Right to Work legislation gives employers the right to fire workers for no reason, destroying the middle class. Workers who have never had negative work issues are fired and most are over 40 years of age, and find it difficult or impossible to find employment making comparable pay. After 23 years working for theCity Of Detroit, myself and hundreds were fired without cause. Although we were labeled Civil Servants ,we were fired without the rights of Civil Servants.

When tragedy such as a terminal illness befalls citizens of other developed countries, they don’t have to worry about their financial situation, as adequate healthcare, social safeguards and laws protect them. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case if you’re an American. In the US, terminal patients and their families are often immediately faced with heart-wrenching, financial hardships such as loss of income, mounting medical bills, foreclosure and as a result, often hastened death. To add insult to injury, the government taxes some disability payments as regular income and the latest tax reform eliminates all medical deductions, as well as deductions for local and state taxes. As a result, my taxes and those of other terminally ill citizens will increase. This is unconscionable when the corporate and billionaire classes, who are in no way in need of tax relief, are receiving tax windfalls. As a single homeowner, public school teacher and resident of California, I was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. I can no longer walk, eat, talk or breathe on my own. I now need constant in-home care, which costs thousands of dollars a month and somehow, I’m expected to pay for it myself. My disability income is half of my previous salary and doesn’t begin to cover all of my expenses and obligations. I’m forced to spend down money earmarked for retirement to supplement my end of life. Every time I do, it’s a taxable event. In essence, I’m being taxed for having a terminal illness. As a single (and very vulnerable) person, my tax bracket for the 2016 tax year was 28 percent, while the wealthy pay only 15 percent on capital gains, shelter their money in offshore accounts and use loopholes such as pass-through business entities. While they avoid their tax obligations, the government snatches much-needed funds right out of my hands by placing a lien on my bank account. It’s only a matter of time before I lose my house and am sent to an acute care facility due to insufficient funds. I will be financially drained and tossed aside. Is this the kind of society we want? This is criminal and must stop. If you are terminally ill, completely disabled, or are simply a decent human being, please consider signing this petition and sharing it with family and friends. Help us end punitive and harmful taxing of our most vulnerable citizens.

Most of the American people feel that the Executive, Congressional and Judiciary branches of government don't reflect the will of the people anymore. We don't matter. I think we do.

It's about tax justice. Double taxation on the same money is fundamentally wrong and unjust. Restore the full federal tax deductibility of all money paid for state and local taxes including property, sales, and state and local income taxes retroactive to January 1, 2018.

Small towns and rural communities depend on family farms because small farms employ more people per acre than large farms. When they disappear, jobs in the community evaporate with them. Today, family farms are hurting. Since 2007, more than 56,000 midsize farms have disappeared from the American landscape. The loss of jobs and business opportunities in rural America is putting once-vibrant small towns at risk. The Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act offers solutions to these problems by helping farmers reach new markets while expanding access to fresh, healthy, local food in low-income communities. By increasing the demand for local food, the Local FARMS Act would stimulate economic growth in rural communities, creating jobs and reliable revenue streams for farmers and ranchers. The Local FARMS Act would be a win for farmers, a win for consumers, and a win for communities. Sign this petition now and ask your member of Congress to cosponsor the Local FARMS Act.

An ethics investigation into the Republican tax plan is needed. As many as 14 Republican senators, in addition to Donald Trump and his family, stand to gain millions of dollars from the GOP's tax plan that was just passed due to loopholes for real estate moguls. One Republican senator, Bob Corker, was a "no" on the tax plan just days ago until the last-minute loophole (coined the #CorkerKickback) was added, and now stands to benefit substantially. My children, my grandchildren, and I will end up paying for their personal financial gain, as well as the plan's $1.5 trillion dollar increase to OUR national debt.  What's worse, the GOP tax plan will also force millions losing their health care to help pay for the massive giveaway to the 1%. And, it does nothing to close existing loopholes that had already benefitted the wealthiest donors, lobbyists, and corporations.

Senator Corker just announced that he did not read the specific clauses of the new tax bill which benefit him financially. I want to know that every single member of Congress, especially those who stand to benefit from tax cuts and/or tax increases on American citizens has read the tax bill in its entirety and is held responsible for every single section of that bill before it becomes the law of the land, and is in effect for many years.

The tax bill now before Congress will touch upon every facet of our lives. The changes it will bring about are profound and deep. This is good governance and avoids any possible conflict of interest thus ensuring the people’s interest are the top priority.

Not only does this Tax Scam transfer wealth to the already wealthy, undermine health care and the environment, but, as Senator Rubio said, it also creates a rationale for future cuts to Medicare and Social Security. Appealing to Republicans to vote against this has not worked. Perhaps letting them know that their Tax Scam will have the unintended consequence of raising vast amounts of money to get them out of office may cause them to think about the long-term effects of this bill on their futures, even if it does not prevent passage of this scam.