Filibusters are killing everything we care about: gun control, climate, jobs, health care, protecting and enhancing the safety net, etc. We have to change this. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had a great opportunity to bring about reform at the beginning of the 113th Congress, but he caved in. His "compromise" gave us nothing. He must take firm action to bring about reform that really will make filibusters rare. Sen. Reid is from Nevada. The only influence most of us have over him is the tourism that Nevada depends on. By choosing to vacation or gamble elsewhere, we can put economic pressure on our Majority Leader to take the actions we all so desperately need. So let's take our tourism dollars elsewhere. Instead of Las Vegas or Reno, visit San Francisco or New Orleans. Help Native Americans by going to an Indian Casino. Instead of the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, stay on the California side. Don't spend any less money or create any fewer jobs; just choose where you want that money to go. Nevada residents: We understand you can't actually pledge to avoid Nevada. Please sign, though, as a sign of solidarity with us. We are not out to hurt Nevada. We fully expect that getting a good number of signatures on this petition will help Reid feel he can take action. Knowing Nevadans will be with him on filibuster reform will make it easier for him to make this decision. And when Reid acts, we'll tell everyone to make a point of spending EXTRA money in Nevada. Filibusters used to be rare. It was understood by both parties that they should be used only for exceptional circumstances. Many bills passed with a slim majority, less than what would be needed to overcome a filibuster. Now we have rule by "two-fifths majority." Nothing can get passed without 60 votes. And running a filibuster does not even require showing up. Only the number of votes to end debate matters. Not voting and not showing up counts as if you want debate to continue in order to kill the bill. If we are to have a filibuster at all, we must at least require a "talking filibuster." Those wanting to obstruct government must care enough to be dedicated to show up and keep talking. A filibuster must end if fewer than 41 senators are present to keep it going, and the majority must be able to keep retesting the resolve of the minority by calling for periodic cloture votes. Endorsements of filibuster reform: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/04/23/2611533/senate-filibuster-hurts-governing.html http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/opinion/sunday/filibustering-nominees-must-end.html http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-senate-rules-filibuster-20130502,0,7466527.story http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-judges-20130602,0,4411661.story http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/20/3265607/editorial-the-filibuster-has-to.html http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/nuke-em-harry-reid-should-break-the-minoritys-filibuster-grip-690399/ http://www.registerguard.com/rg/opinion/29882117-78/filibuster-senate-rule-reform-block.html.csp http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/editorial/senators-should-have-to-filibuster-with-their-words/article_dd2944bc-b777-58b2-bb34-f1ed2f5d5ccf.html

Congressional entitlements.

Start to act responsibly and fairly.

For far too long lawmakers in Washington have ignored the will of the “People” they were elected to represent and instead have catered to the whims and demands of corporations, lobbyists and the richest 1%.

My petition deals with the problems that arise when something totally unrelated to a bill or initiative is tacked onto that bill or initiative. prior to voting. Many a good bill has been defeated because something unacceptable has been added and many bad bills have been passed because something very important (probably deserving a separate bill of its own) is tacked onto it. I believe that bills should be STAND ALONE, with no additions, riders or non-related issues attached.

We need better representation.

I think we cannot have a true democracy unless the Senate allows votes based on what the majority of Senators want. The arcane rules of the Senate make it a club for the oligarchy rather than a forum for the will of American citizens.

The US Senate is using the filibuster to thwart democracy.

This year the California legislature has the unique opportunity to take the lead in meaningful election reform. The State Senate Elections Committee hearing on April 30 is the first step to pass the DISCLOSE Act now. DISCLOSE stands for "Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections". The California DISCLOSE Act, SB 52, would bring transparency to California elections. SB 52 requires clear identification of the top three funders of tv, radio, print and online political ads, as well as billboards and websites. It includes a "follow the money" requirement to report the actual, original contributors to a political ad. By this petition, we urge the California Senate Elections Committee to take action on April 30 to pass the DISCLOSE Act now.

STOP GUN VIOLENCE : On April 20,2013 My Husbands family suffered a Tragic Loss My Sister-in-Law lost her 31yr old son who was a father to 2 young children to GUN VIOLENCE at the hands of her own husband who PRE-MEDITATED her sons MURDER!!! We NEED TO MAKE IT KNOWN TO CONGRESS NOW!!!! AMEND THE 2nd Amendment!!!

Food trucks are a great idea and already have had a strong presence in the area. They have been an asset in providing lunch services to those who would normally have to “brown bag it” due to their location and/or time constraints. The “founders” of the food truck industry provided hot coffee and simple lunch options to cunsumers unable to travel far from construction sites or industrial parks. In the past these trucks have had very limited regulation but along with the rapid growth of this industry must come guidance and regulations. Legislation must be put in place and enforced enabling these businesses to operate not only fairly and safely but also be forced to comply with the strict regulations their “brick & mortar” counterparts must adhere to.

We, the public, are affronted that some state legislators think that ambiguous bill titles and last-minute amendments are an appropriate way to evade basic, procedural safeguards established by our State Constitution. We are calling on the current Hawaii State Legislature to REJECT all bills which were substantively amended in a manner which evades the Constitutional public right to testify on proposed legislation. We are petitioning the legislative bodies to defeat the following bills that were subject to “gut and replace” procedures, and we are petitioning that the following “Frankenstein” bills, that had non-germane material added to them after the opportunity for review in a publicly-noticed hearing, be defeated or be amended to remove the non-germane material prior to a final vote. See filed petition, including bill numbers: http://bit.ly/FrankenSteinPetition We condemn these tactics and strongly oppose these misleading practices which keep the public in the dark.