He no longer represents the views of the state of Colorado constituents.

Transparency is a bedrock value in in our democracy. Our democracy relies on a free, fair, and adversarial press to hold power accountable. That’s why it’s so alarming that President Trump’s White House has decided to ban television cameras and live audio from multiple press briefings -- CNN even had to send in a sketch artist instead, while C-SPAN showed just the podium! It’s just the latest example of the White House refusing to communicate openly with the American people about the decisions it makes that affect all of us -- from our healthcare to our national security. When journalists challenged this latest move, Sean Spicer just replied that the White House was doing what “we can to communicate our message” and that Administration has “tremendous respect for the First Amendment.” But this ban smacks of contempt for the First Amendment as well as the American people -- not “respect.” The camera and live audio ban is part of a disturbing pattern out of the Trump Administration to attack institutions that serve as a check on power. Whether it is the President’s Tweet that the media is the “enemy of the American People” or rhetorical broadsides against the federal judiciary, Americans are increasingly aware of the hostility that the Trump Administration has shown to those whose job it is to safeguard and uncover the truth. But we’re not an authoritarian state -- we must stand up for a free and independent press that holds power accountable. Tell the White House to drop its ban on cameras and live audio from press briefings.

Our jaws are on the floor. The Senate version of the Trumpcare bill is worse than even our darkest fears. It will take a wrecking ball to health care in this country, leaving millions without care, making health care unaffordable for many, eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood, and giving massive tax cuts to the wealthy. Shockingly, this bill's cuts to Medicaid are even deeper than those passed by the House--at a moment when Medicaid and Medicare should be dramatically expanded. If the House bill was 'mean,' this bill is cruel. Nothing remotely like this bill should be considered by any member of Congress, and amendments won't get it into the ballpark of the compassionate and practical policy-making we need from our elected officials. As-is or with fig-leaf amendments, this bill would go down in history as the most cruel, destructive act of wealth transfer to the richest Americans at the expense of kids, low-income Americans, the elderly, those with disabilities, and the vast majority of Americans. It's a moral disaster and political malpractice by any senators who dare to support it.

Under Trump's proposed budget all long distance Amtrak passenger train services would lose federal support and would be discontinued. The national passenger train network would be destroyed. It would no longer be possible to cross the United States by train. As the resident of a small community I would no longer be able to travel to see family or pursue business and employment possibilities. Many other small towns across the USA would lose their ability to travel to the outside world to seek medical help, educational opportunities and job opportunities. The amount of federal support for these Amtrak services is very small compared to the rest of the federal budget. Many more tax dollars are spent in supporting the White House fleet of airplanes than is spent on the entire Amtrak budget. For more information on this issue go the the website of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) at NARP rail.org.

A dark cloud hangs over this Administration as Trump himself, and numerous top campaign aides, are being investigated for obstruction of justice and potentially colluding with Russia to interfere in last year’s election. The Senate must not and can not act on a lifetime appointment to the highest court until this investigation is complete. The cases the next Justice will rule on will have wide-ranging impacts on nearly every American and could roll back decades worth of progress on LGBT rights, women’s health and reining in corporate power. Mitch McConnell held open a Supreme Court seat for nearly a year last year out of pure politics. Surely he can hold open this seat until an investigation of this magnitude can be completed. It is long past time for him, and Republicans, to put country before party and do the right thing.

It's clear that the protection of our democracy and the vote can't be provided by our compromised and colluding president.

We are all negatively impacted when our government acts in a secretive manner, and we all benefit when our government acts in a transparent and open manner, allowing for a healthy debate of today's most pressing issues.

Marijuana was the only drug I tried that helped relieve the negative symptoms of my Aspergers Syndrome. I had to quit smoking it when I was accepted into the pain clinic, due to random drug testing. The symptoms of autism, such as overstimulation, meltdowns, and confusion can be very excruciating! I want to at least try to help legalize marijuana across the board, and the nation-wide referendum to legalize marijuana will allow the citizens of all 50 states to vote Yes or No. Please sign my petition, for the sake of autistic people, and for people not on the spectrum alike, to enjoy both medical and recreational marijuana.

The senators and congresspersons who support Trumpcare seem more concerned with cutting costs than providing a good healthcare plan. Perhaps they will do a better job if they have to use Trumpcare.

Every 20 years, Florida convenes the Constitution Revision Commission. It’s a group of 37 political appointees that have the power to put constitutional amendments before the voters in 2018. Coming on the heels of the most destructive and divisive presidential campaigns ever, it’s a welcome opportunity for Floridians to demand the commission help fix our broken elections. Despite very little notice of the commission hearings, Floridians are packing rooms to speak their minds. In fact, the commission had to move several meetings to larger rooms to accommodate the large crowds. One of the key topics cited by dozens of speakers: getting rid of the horrible closed primary system that locks out over a quarter of our registered voters and forces politicians to cater to a small fraction of the electorate during the primary, where the majority of races are actually decided. These primary voters are often the most ideologically extreme in both major parties. A closed primary suppresses the vote of people, who do not like political party-politics. Independent voters want to vote for the person, not the political machine behind the politician. They want the candidate to be beholding to "we the people" not the Democrats or Republicans, and the often politically corrupting party system. Now more than ever, Florida needs to shift to open primary elections in order to accommodate the rapidly growing number of independent voters that are now a larger group of voters nationally than the Democrats or Republicans: 39% of all voters now identify themselves as "independent" rather than affiliated with one of the two major political parties, according to a 2014 analysis by the Pew Research Center, compared to 32% Democrats and 23% Republicans. Therefore, we are asking that the CRC put Open Primaries on the ballot. Any amendments proposed by the CRC would be placed on the 2018 General Election ballot. Any amendments placed on the ballot by the CRC would have to secure 60 percent approval by voters to be added to the Florida Constitution. After signing this petition please go the the CRC website and post your request & comment: http://flcrc.gov/Proposals/Submit

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING We advocate a full-fledged PB process similar to the one designed and implemented in Chicago’s 49th ward by Ald. Joe Moore, ward residents, and the Participatory Budgeting Project over the last 9 years. We know of no other modern method that (a) so easily implements our American ideals of popular sovereignty, (b) so effectively facilitates practical, informed decision-making, and (c) so quickly cuts through civic stalemates — all at once. This latter is especially important at this moment in U.S. history as impasses are impeding decisions at every level even as resources are more desperately needed, e.g., — Federal: health care, gun violence — State of Illinois: no budget in two years — and counting — Evanston: divided electorate (mayoral election, equity issues vis-a-vis police department, library, housing) At the same time, PB provides a profound personal experience of direct democracy in a short time, often to a large number of people all at once. This is because PB is grassroots democracy of the most practical variety — real people coming together to make real decisions about real resources and real issues in real time with real results. The PB process is a proven, flexible method being adopted by local jurisdictions all over the U.S., after years of success in other countries. RESOURCES and synergies available to an Evanston-Northwestern PB project are abundant: — Ald. Joe Moore (Chicago, 49th ward) is a Board member of the Participatory Budgeting Project — The Chicago-based PBP staffperson, Maria Hadden, is a senior coordinator of many types of PB projects — Great Cities Institute (University of Illinois-Chicago) is a formal partner with PBP — The 2016 documentary film on PB, Count Me In, was made by Chicago filmmaker Ines Sommer, who is well known to Evanston and NU — Additional sweat equity by Evanston PB advocates Additionally, Evanston has tried a limited version of PB, thanks to City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz's long-standing interest in public involvement. Our previous PB experience will be helpful in designing the full-fledged, in-depth process that has been such a game-changer in so many other locales. An especially synergistic resource for a 2017-18 Evanston-NU PB project is this year’s choice of One Book, One Northwestern: Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, by Danielle Allen. PB not only organically defends equality (and equity) but it actually demonstrates the manifestation of equality. GOOD NEIGHBOR FUND The Good Neighbor Fund itself seems an ideal centerpiece for a first-time Evanston experience of a complete PB process. Created in 2015 by an agreement between the City of Evanston and Northwestern University, the Fund stands as a breakthrough moment in the history of Evanston town-gown relations. The GNF is an annual $1,000,000 donation to the City of Evanston by Northwestern, allocated each year for “capital projects supporting city infrastructure and facilities, specific support for existing city services, and special projects.” During the first two years of the GNF (2015, 2016), allocations were made based on joint deliberation by Evanston’s mayor and NU’s president — but with no public discussion and little opportunity for direct public input. IMPACTS-UPON-IMPACTS OF A PB PROCESS The current agreement runs for three more years with the next GNF installment to be made after July 1, 2017. In response to Americans’ re-awakened interest in collective decision-making. this third year is an opportunity for even greater impact. Positive, long-lasting impacts of using a PB process to allocate the 2017 Good Neighbor Fund are potentially many, with ramifications far beyond the initial GNF investment: 1. Inclusion: open to everyone in Evanston and at Northwestern 2. Value-added budgeting — more bang for the buck. PB research has shown that the community-at-large is much more creative with limited resources than a single decision-maker or a small group of traditional stakeholders. (Ald. Moore has been especially eloquent on this surprising aspect of PB.) 3. Community education: fun and painless action-learning for all participants, including residents, officials, university, media 4. A living process: rejuvenation of institutions, traditions, people, community 5. Practical, effective communications, including all kinds of checks-and-balances, are built into the decision-making process, minimizing any later need for damage control and maximizing effectiveness of the Good Neighbor Fund. 6. Stewardship: more people caring about implementation, maintenance, tracking, etc., of the GNF investments 7. Satisfying human experience: Compared to ten minutes in a voting booth every two or four years (voting for representatives who may or may not actually represent one’s views on every issue), a single PB process affords numerous opportunities for direct, personal, and extended input. PB is an adult life experience like no other — filled with imagining, speaking, listening, research, writing, arguing, synthesizing. Adults-in-training (children, youth, young adults) can also learn PB and have the same satisfying experience. 8. Foundation for the future: a more nuanced understanding of democracy and government that can create better budgeting at the county, state, regional, and federal levels. RELEVANT LINKS BLOG www.FoodFarmsDemocracy.net Good Neighbor Fund — official NU webpage & description of fund http://www.northwestern.edu/communityrelations/about/our-partnerships/good-neighbor-fund.html 2015 allocation (news article) https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/10/good-neighbor-fund 2016 allocation (news article) https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/10/second-million-dollar-donation-to-evanston/ Evanston Now op-ed June 21, 2017 (with comments) http://evanstonnow.com/story/government/debbie-hillman/2017-06-21/77848/participatory-budgeting-for-nu-good-...

PETITION TO GIVE CONGRESS THE SAME HEALTHCARE
 THAT IS EQUITABLE TO VETERANS AND ALL AMERICANS TO ENSURE JUSTICE IN THE FORTHCOMING HEALTH PLAN. United States veterans who do not qualify for care at VA Hospitals and their family members will be affected by whatever healthcare bill is passed and enacted by Congress. The current fight over fairness in the Health Bill by Congress can be fairly decided if the healthcare bill that is passed applies to “All Americans” including those who have been voted into Congress and the Senate to serve at American’s pleasure. Currently, United States Senators and Congresspersons are exempt from the provisions of the current healthcare bill because they have been given a healthcare plan for themselves and their family members that is far better than what they are willing to give to all Americans. This includes veterans who have served the nation and faced dangers that could have taken their lives and their family members who could be deprived of their love and companionship. This petition is to ask that Congress and the Senate put some skin in the game as it regards their decisions on the healthcare bill. It is our belief that a Special Class of Americans has been created by giving United States Senators and Congresspersons special healthcare programs and benefits that are not available to all American citizens. The current decisions as it regards a healthcare program for America does not, in any way, impact them and their family’s healthcare. This makes them subject to making decisions that will adversely affect those they were elected to serve. We found the following wording online that we feel is perfect for a new amendment: “Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States “. In order for Congress to make their decisions on healthcare meaningful and just, Congresspersons and Senators should be affected by the healthcare bill that they pass for all Americans. In so doing, they will be more careful and thoughtful regarding the planning and implementation of a bill that would affect all Americans including themselves and their family members. The purpose of this petition is to compel Congresspersons and Senators to set aside the elite system of the healthcare that they receive in exchange for the same healthcare program that they vote to pass for all Americans. This honest approach will ensure that these servants of the American people will not only be voting for the type of healthcare that average Americans will receive in the future, but also for the type of healthcare that they and their family members will also receive and live with. We ask the following: Dissolve the special healthcare benefit programs for Congresspersons and Senators and mandate that they use the same healthcare plan that they vote to establish for the care of all Americans. Enact a healthcare plan that benefits all American citizens equally and that does not create “A Special Class of Citizen” of election who has a much better health plan than the plan they offer the average American family and the veterans of the United States military who have defended this nation with their lives. If you are an American citizen and a veteran, we ask that you sign this petition which we believe to be fair to all because it corresponds to the constitutional rights intended for all of us who fought in service of this country.