The people living in the 4th District of the City of Syracuse deserve better representation in the local government than they have been receiving to date. Poverty, violence and hunger plague the south side of the city and the 4th District is central to the morale of the City of Syracuse. The demand for a civil debate between candidates running for Common Council in the 4th District must come now and the event must take place before the last week in October!

I-122 will ensure Seattle stays of, by and for all of the people, not just the ones with connections to wealthy donors and newspaper publishers. We probably shouldn't be surprised the Seattle Times Editorial Board is urging voters to vote no on stronger campaign finance laws. Like its support for Shell oil drilling in the Arctic, like its opposition to raising the minimum wage, and like its support for a long line of failed big money candidates from McCain to Romney to McKenna, the Seattle Times Editorial Board is dead wrong to oppose I-122.

I-122 will ensure Seattle stays of, by and for all of the people, not just the ones with connections to wealthy donors and newspaper publishers. We probably shouldn't be surprised the Seattle Times Editorial Board is urging voters to vote no on campaign finance reform. Like its support for Shell oil drilling in the Arctic, like its opposition to raising the minimum wage, and like its support for a long line of failed big money candidates from McCain to Romney to McKenna, the Seattle Times Editorial Board is dead wrong to oppose I-122.

New York is Donald Trump’s home state, home to over 4 million immigrants and 2 million immigrant voters. Yet Republicans here have a recent history of following an anti-immigrant electoral strategy very similar to Trump’s. In elections for State Senate last year, the New York GOP relied heavily on anti-immigrant scaremongering to turn out their voters in competitive races. And one Republican candidate on Long Island this year promised that if he were elected, he’d put "ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] on speed-dial." Some Republican candidates are speaking out against Trump's anti-immigrant comments. Former Governor George Pataki has said Trump is "not ready to govern" and that he would not vote for him, even if he were to win the nomination. But so far, all we've heard from Majority Leader Flanagan is silence. It's time for Majority Leader Flanagan to join Governor Pataki in denouncing Trump’s comments and sending a message that hate has no place in our state.

At midnight, Republican leadership shut down the federal government just to support Trump's reckless and racist agenda, insisting on his unpopular and wasteful border wall and refusing to vote on the bipartisan and popular Dream Act. Republicans have been funding the government a month at a time rather than coming up with real solutions to children's health, protections for Dreamers, relief for Puerto Rico, funding for community health centers, and more. This could be the first time in history there's been a government shutdown when one party has controlled both houses of Congress and the White House—and the result will hurt tens of millions of Americans, from furloughed federal employees to all of us who use federal services and programs. If Republicans are willing to shut down the government, then they should be willing to go without their own salaries.

Update 10/10/15: Victory! Governor Brown signed AB 1461 the New Motor Voter Act into law today. AB 1461 passed the Assembly and Senate, and awaits Governor Brown's signature, there are just a few days left for him to sign it (October 11 is the last day). Staff in his office are telling callers that he hasn't made up his mind on this bill yet. This bill would automatically register to vote any citizen who gets or updates a drivers license in California. (Much easier than the current process, which has extra paperwork.) An estimated 6.6M citizens in California are not currently registered to vote. This bill could make a difference, and Governor Brown needs to hear from you now that you support it. These signatures are being sent directly to the Governor's office, and also to Assemblywoman Gonzalez, one of the authors of the bill.

A parents child support should be determined on a case by case basis. The income of parents should not be considered past the point of separation of the parents. Child support is meant to maintain a standard of living not be adjusted when one parent does better for themselves after a separation unless it can be proven that the other parent significantly contributes to that bettering. This is an unjust handout that encourages a parent to not better themselves or the lives of their children and punishes a parent who is working hard to better themselves. Special consideration need to be made when a parent is already receiving government assistance for extended periods of time as then there is no reason for a parent to truly have child support as a supplement as opposed to a primary income.

(HARRISBURG, PA)— Following a hearing on an "English-only" bill in the House Government Committee, it was reported today that Committee Chairman Daryl Metcalfe (R-Cranberry Township) invited a known white nationalist, Robert "Bob" Vandervoort, to testify on the bill. When confronted via email by Rep. Leslie Acosta (D-Philadelphia) -- Pennsylvania's first-ever Latina state representative -- Metcalfe shocked colleagues with the following response: "The comments that she made about some alleged white supremacist being in our meeting was outrageous," Metcalfe said. "It was an email put out alleging that somebody was a white nationalist, which is quite a bit different from a white supremacist. To say somebody is a nationalist and for the independence of their country and a patriot to defending their country, is a lot different from saying somebody is a racist." The Southern Poverty Law Center makes clear that "white nationalist" and "white supremacist" are used interchangeably. The SPLC states that "white nationalist" groups, "espouse white supremacist or white separatist ideologies, often focusing on the alleged inferiority of nonwhites." The controversy comes on the heels of a combative Metcalfe cutting Rep. Acosta's microphone during yesterday's hearing as she made an argument about the bill before asking the witness her question. Michael Morrill, Executive Director of Keystone Progress, made the following statement about Metcalfe's comments: "We have come to expect shocking comments and combative behavior from Representative Metcalfe, but defending a white nationalist is crossing the line. You know when you're trying to split hairs and draw distinctions between white supremacists and white nationalists, you have much bigger problems than trying to win that particular argument. Daryl Metcalfe is a disgrace, and today's bigoted comments are further proof that he has no place as a distinguished state representative."

Larry Lessig is running for president for one reason: Fixing democracy can’t wait. The best way to reach the most people with this message is to get Larry into the debates. In order to qualify, the DNC is mandating that 3 national media polls find him at 1% or more. He needs our support to be in the debates. Let's help him get there!

If the Republican majority in Congress doesn't pass funding, the federal government will shut down on October 1. And I've just been informed that if that happens, America's food stamp program will immediately run out of funding -- cutting off 45 million people, including 27 million children, who rely on food stamps. We can't let this happen. I'm fighting with everything I've got to make sure this doesn't happen. Please, add your voice to mine - and let's make sure we're heard: Tell Congress: Don't shut down the government and don't cut off food stamps.

Campaign finance reform is the preeminent issue of our time. Until we fix this problem, the tiniest percent of people will continue to use their money to drive policy and true reform on any other issue -- gun safety, climate change, defense spending -- will be impossible . Fixing democracy can’t wait. #LetLessigDebate #FixDemocracyFirst

We must get the big, ugly, corrupting money of the wealthy and corporations out of our election system and government, on the Federal and state levels, both. We must get our nation back for the people.