With heightened public alarm about money in politics, California's outdated online disclosure system is inadequate for meaningful transparency. SB 1349, by Sen. Bob Hertzberg, would create a modern campaign finance disclosure system that allows voters to access information crucial to understanding the candidates and measures they vote on. SB 1349 is a HUGE leap forward for disclosure and transparency in California. Please sign the petition to urge Governor Brown and legislative leaders to provide enough funds in the budget for SB 1349 to help shed light on Dark Money now.

Political Literacy is exceptionally low in the United States. While K-12 public education covers the fundamental structure of government, the inner workings of national political parties is almost entirely ignored. Political Parties set their own rules. Over the decades, the Presidential Nomination Process has changed and changed again; meaning, the current system is changeable. For 2016, we’ve got to work with what we’ve got and plan ahead for 2018 and 2020! Super Delegates make up 17-20% of delegate votes at the Democratic National Convention. This results in a few hundred party insiders ALWAYS choosing the nominee for the Democratic Party. Such a system blatantly concentrates control into the hands of a very few…while pretending to represent the many. The DNC and Corporate Media are pushing a narrative which promotes Hillary Clinton as the “legitimate” candidate, casting Bernie Sanders (and those who seek his nomination) as a “less than” or “protest vote.” In truth, both are legitimate candidates and no one needs to excuse their interest in one or the other candidate. Ultimately, we need the BEST person for the job, both in the race this Summer and as President for the next four years. A Contested Convention occurs when no candidate earns enough Pledged Delegates to clinch the nomination. In the 1930’s, a Contested Convention gave us FDR. His New Deal gave us Wall Street regulations, high taxes on the upper class, massive investment in America, and resulted in a strong Middle Class. In other words, “We’ve been here before, we’ve succeeded before, and we can do it again.”

As John kasich so eloquently put it, we have gone batshit crazy.

Without a strong showing for the Senate and House we are doomed to continuous gridlock and a right wing Supreme Court. Turning now toward unity is essential for the good of the country and progressive principals. Bernie has the power to create an organization that can pressure elected officials, he also has the power to hamstring us with another right wing Supreme Court.

Experts suggest that the U.S. economy loses more than $71 Billion per year due to the tax exempt status of religious organizations leaving everyone else to pick up the tab whether we exercise a religion or not. Churches are the only organizations that receive this automatic exemption without proof of compliance. The major stipulation required of this exemption is to maintain abstinence from political endeavors which is regularly violated in every region of the Nation. Tax exemption is a government subsidy and cash rich churches are influencing legislation. Under this recommendation, churches may still claim tax deductions in the same manner as other charitable organizations while being held liable to the same scrutiny as said organizations in order to curtail corruption. This shift in policy will allow religious organizations to refrain from the forfeiture of their rights to free speech under the first amendment. This influx in revenue should be utilized to lower the average household tax burden and fund other much needed social programs. Tell Harry Reid and and the rest of congress to enforce the U.S. Constitution and keep religion out of social policy by taking away the world's greatest weapon, money.

There can be no excuse for failing to disown behavior such as threatening violence or throwing chairs. In 2008 a supporter of John McCain publicly called on the media to “peel the bark off Barack Hussein Obama.” Within hours, McCain said “A person who was on the program before I spoke made some disparaging remarks. … I absolutely repudiate such comments.” Importantly, McCain called out the offender who, later that day said “Why would John McCain repudiate me? … I've had it with McCain.” And he stopped supporting McCain. That’s exactly what should happen. Disowning the violent fringe will induce them to change or to leave the Democratic Party. Democrats should at least meet McCain’s standards. Accepting less will only weaken us. [It will encourage others, if you can leave even a small comment when signing.]

After seeing voters across the country being deprived of their voting rights, I am proposing a public hearing, investigation and voter testimony. It is unconscionable that President Obama and Congress are silent on this travesty. The people will be heard!

Colorado and Washington have a tax surplus so large from legalizing marijuana in their respective states that the states' residents are all benefiting financially from the legalization of the plant!

With 1,526 overdose deaths in Massachusetts in 2015, we need to leave no stone unturned in combating the opioid crisis. One easy to way to make it harder to move drugs in Massachusetts? Make it a lot harder to move the money. Most businesses have nothing to hide, but if you do have something to hide, it's easy: You just set up an anonymous shell company -- which in America, requires less personal information than it takes to get a library card. Since you don't even have to report who owns the company, anonymous shell companies are a favorite tool to hide all sorts of unsavory behaviors, from terrorism and drug cartels to tax dodging. “Shells are the No. 1 vehicle for laundering illicit money and criminal proceeds,” explained Lanny A. Breuer, former Asst. U.S. Attorney General to the New York Times. [1] Much of the opioids that are trafficked in Massachusetts come from drug kingpins based in Mexico or Colombia. [2] The biggest of Mexico’s drug gangs is the Los Zetas cartel. From 2008, the Zetas used anonymous companies, including from Oklahoma, in a scheme to launder millions of dollars of drug money into the United States, with the true ownership hidden behind front-men. The money was hidden behind the purchase of race horses, some of whom were given names such as ‘Number One Cartel’ and ‘Morning Cartel’. [3] The Government Accountability Office estimates of the $39 billion in drug money leaves the country each year. Of every $100 that goes south, U.S. law enforcement officers intercept only 25 cents. [4] The ease of money laundering makes it all that much easier to flood our streets with cheap drugs. As Massachusetts communities deal with public health problem created by the rising opioid crisis, we can also help make it harder to launder money through shell companies. But given how money is hidden in shell companies, there is a lot of pressure to maintain the status quo. That's why we need people like you to speak out. 1. http://goo.gl/3JhHc4 2. https://goo.gl/4UNWf1l 3. https://goo.gl/Hz8Tb3 4. http://goo.gl/WXbbTo

Two years ago 37 Main was established in Johns Creek, GA. The live entertainment venue was then given the green light to open by city officials in the commercially zoned area. The city is now changing the "rules" and ticketing the establishment for noise violations. However, there is currently not a noise reading of dB levels in Johns Creek. We are asking for your support to help get this resolved with the city as a fair reading of dB levels like the ones used in surrounding area cities.

Election fraud is becoming the norm in the United States. More that half of the states that have voted in the recent Democratic Primaries have voting discrepencies. Democracy cannot exist without free and fair elections. We need to take action to stop it NOW.

I am a 24 year old male with Cerebral Palsy, and I believe certain properties of the cannabis plant help with spasticity, but I would like to do more research having to do with the brain, specifically the brains of people with CP. Unless we remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 Controlled Substance list, we cannot do this research effectively.