AN ACT OF PARITY :: Tie the salaries of Congressional Representatives and United States Senators to the salary of the Average American Worker.

this petition is about gridlock in progress and lack of cooperation and conviction.

Today, members of our community are rightly concerned about our public safety - including crime such as gun violence and theft, and social issues such as drug abuse, homelessness, and untreated mental-illness. Fear and frustration from these very real issues lead to ineffective reactive responses, quick-fix solutions and the scapegoating of the most vulnerable populations in our community. These reactions do not lead to the effective and sustainable solutions that Santa Cruz County needs to truly solve these problems. It is time to find another way. Many groups in our community are working to create a safe and healthy community. But no one individual, organization or group has the definitive answer. By signing this declaration, we are saying as a community that we want to work together in transparent and solution-focused collaboration for a healthier and safer Santa Cruz County. You can also visit the Together for a Safe Santa Cruz County website at www.togetherscc.com for more information.

They change their wages and give themselves pay raises. We never voted on them or set their wages. They sure love to set our wages so low we can't live on one paycheck. They need to cut wages by over 50 percent and learn to live like the rest of us! We pay our way in insurance, medical, prescriptions, gas, air plane fair etc. It is time for them to pay for what they want not off our backs! We have had more than enough of doing without while they live high off the hog!

Set an example for our children and stop the Political attack ads, which are just another form of bullying. Children learn by example and it's time to stop these negative political attack ads.

If I don't do my job, I don't get paid, as I will be fired. Congress and their staff aren't doing their job, as they aren't creating and passing a real budget. Why don't we take away some of their pay until they do their job, and the money they lose will not be paid back to the represenatives or senators.

Justice Scalia has made decisions affecting the people of the United States based on his bias opinion on one too many cases. It is time the congress vote to Impeach him!

Career politicians have lost sight of the fact that they were elected to serve the people of the country, not special interest groups, including their political party. The inability of our federal government to reach agreements on virtually anything, resulting in the reduction in pay and/or benefits to millions of Americans, in evidence that it is time to return to government to that invisioned by our founding fathers!

"Any across-the-board pay cuts for federal employees must include the same pay cuts for all members of Congress and the president of the United States."

For most of us, no work means no pay. It doesn’t mean our un-earned pay is held in a savings account to collect interest, or as security for a loan. It means, if we don’t do our job, we lose our job, and any money withheld is gone forever. The No Budget No Pay Act of 2013 says if either legislative body fails to pass a budget, members of that body would have their paychecks put into an escrow account starting on April 16 until that body adopts a budget. Any pay that is withheld would eventually be released at the end of the current Congress even if a budget doesn’t ever pass.

Today, members of our community are rightly concerned about our public safety - including property crimes, gun violence, drug abuse, homelessness, and untreated mental-illness. Fear and frustration from these very real issues lead to ineffective reactive responses, quick-fix solutions and the scapegoating of the most vulnerable populations in our community. These reactions do not lead to the effective and sustainable solutions that Santa Cruz County needs to truly solve these problems. It is time to find another way. Many groups in our community are working to create a safe and healthy community. But no one individual, organization or group has the definitive answer. By signing this declaration, we are saying as a community that we want to work together in transparent and solution-focused collaboration for a healthier and safer Santa Cruz County. You can also visit the Together for a Safe Santa Cruz County website at www.togetherscc.com for more information.

"Never before in American history has a minority in the Senate blocked a nominee to try to get changes in a law they don't like and don't have the votes to change.” - Senator Elizabeth Warren. She's talking about the 43 Senators who have threatened to block Rich Cordray's re-nomination as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They don’t question his qualifications or his performance up to now; their grievance is with the CFPB itself. They want changes that would undermine its funding, independence, and effectiveness before they will allow a vote on Cordray or any other nominee for the post.