If we want clean government, it must start at the top. Our laws must treat everyone equal.

The privatization of public schools in Michigan has been disastrous for students, particularly for students of color and those with disabilities. DeVos helped block efforts to clean up the for-profit, unregulated charter school mess in her home state. Many students who currently receive a good public education will lose access to that opportunity under the system of vouchers and school choice that she advocates. Please put children before profits and stop this nomination.

When we hold an election in this country, every vote should be counted fairly and transparently. That's an essential principle of our democracy. Here's what we know about the elections held two weeks ago: Hillary Clinton is leading Donald Trump in the popular vote by more than 2 million votes—but the results in a few key states that could result the outcomes of the electoral vote are likely to come down to as few as 100,000 votes. That’s why Americans deserve to be fully confident that all votes in this election are counted fairly before the Electoral College meets in mid-December. There is an opportunity right now to give us greater confidence in our elections, both this year and in the future—by asking for an audit or hand recount in close states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Will you sign our petition asking for an audit or recount in key states? Leading computer scientists and election security experts have urgently called on election officials to transparently verify the results that have been reported by auditing the paper ballots—the actual votes cast—in key states and precincts where only computer results have been tallied. To be clear: the electoral results are not likely to change. However, experts are saying we shouldn't place all of our trust on a computer alone when the actual votes are in front of us. Researchers have repeatedly exposed critical vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines, and in a year like this when the result was close and unexpected and where election hacking repeatedly made the news, we owe it to our democracy to make sure everyone can be as confident as possible in the outcome.  This is worth repeating: Americans deserve to be confident that all votes in this election are counted fairly. That’s why we are calling on the 2016 presidential candidates and election officials to ask for an audit or hand recount in key states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

* If you believe in the rigorous power of silence. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/11/20/142562402/video-after-pepper-spraying-a-powerfully-silent-protest-at-uc-davis *If you believe the media was complicit in bringing us to this day, the culmination of a campaign of manipulation, hostility, and ignorance. *If you believe in the collective power of people. Join us in an antidote for the uninformed, damaging chatter that defined this campaign and which we fear will define this presidency. From midnight to midnight January 20th, 2017 disengage from the Networks, Cable, Facebook, rumor, innuendo, false news. Join us in a roar of silence.

UPDATE: There has already been a flurry of bigoted executive orders just a week into the Trump administration, including an unconstitutional Muslim ban that has already been temporarily blocked by the courts. Worse still, the white nationalist Steve Bannon has now been added to the National Security Council. It is *LONG* past time for Wall Street to speak up on behalf of its Muslim employees, its diverse workforce, and to show leadership in the face of Islamophobia and hate. --------- Every major Wall Street bank has staff associations devoted to minorities, including people of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people. Yet the big U.S. banks have been silent now that Trump has named both a white nationalist (Steve Bannon) and an anti-Muslim bigot (Michael Flynn) to his cabinet. In late 2016, the Ranking Members of the House Financial Services and Senate Banking Committees, Rep. Maxine Waters and Senator Sherrod Brown were joined by Rep. Keith Ellison and Senator Elizabeth Warren in a letter to financial services leaders, demanding that they condemn the appointment of Stephen Bannon to Donald Trump's administration. They asked the industry, “what message will it send to your customers and employees if you stay silent?” We agree. Wall Street must show its employees and its customers that the industry will not remain silent in the face of bigotry, prejudice, and white nationalism. Source: Letter to Financial Services Leaders, House Financial Service Committee Democrats, Nov 16, 2016, http://bit.ly/2ggDcKA

Voters of North Carolina have spoken, and have done so with clarity. Governor McCrory lost his reelection bid to Attorney General Roy Cooper, by a margin of 7,448 votes. McCrory has claimed voter fraud in more than half of North Carolina's counties, but an attorney monitoring the proceedings called these claims “silly, small in number, poorly researched and often defamatory,” which is undeniable. Even republican-controlled county election boards have forcefully rejected McCrory’s challenges, concluding that there is simply no proof of widespread fraud. Tell North Carolina legislators and the governor its over! Ask county election boards to not hear one more false accusation of election fraud and do not accept a single meeting request from McCrory to discuss any further. McCrory must concede the race and peacefully transfer power to Govenor-elect Roy Cooper.

I'm concerned that President-elect Trump has been abusing his power using this platform, and have been reading about multiple death threats to various journalists, and people who have "upset Trump." Most recently - as an artist/musician - I am deeply alarmed at Trump's attacks on the actors in the cast of Hamilton. The review in the New York Times on Megyn Kelly's memoir - which included her experience with Trump and his Twitter account - was my first clue that Trump's use of Twitter was something actually dangerous and not just entertaining.

Save the American taxpayers from paying for unnecessary expenses because of a personal choice by 1 person.

I am deeply concerned about the mingling of politics and business, the United States' international reputation, and the integrity of the government.

People need to demand Oversight Committee investigation now. Rep. Elijah Cummings has called for an investigation. He needs support NOW!

Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison is running to lead the Democratic National Committee. He has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Raul Grijalva, CWA, National Nurses United, MoveOn, the Working Families Party, and PDA. Rep. Ellison has been a champion for working people and the environment. He opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership and helped lead the fight to get the Democratic Party Platform to take an explicit stand against the TPP. If chosen to lead the DNC, Rep. Ellison will return the focus of the party to building political power for working people. The next meeting of the Champaign County Democratic Central Committee is November 30. Champaign County Democrats voted for Bernie in the primary by a margin of two to one. Urge Champaign County Democrats to support the candidacy of Keith Ellison to lead the DNC by signing our petition. If you are a precinct committeeperson, please note that in a comment, including your precinct. Feel free to note any other affiliation you think relevant, such as current or former Democratic elected official, union official or union member, or other organizational affiliation.

New citizens have every right to free speech, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to dissent. They should not be instructed to "love it or leave it," nor threatened implicitly if they disagree with the president. Judge John Primomo abused the naturalization ceremony by instructing newly naturalized citizens to leave if they didn't like the policies of Donald Trump, and then asserted that dissent using symbols of the United States was wrong. Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, expressed opposing views about President Obama and was not asked to leave the country. Judge John Primomo should be removed from his post for wrongfully instructing new American citizens about their rights.