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.

The across-the-board cuts set to go into effect at the end of the week will hurt the economy, and they should be stopped. But if Congress insists on cutting anyone's salary, they should cut their own paychecks first. In fact, they have proposed a 20% across-the-board pay cut for 800,000 federal employees - all while leaving their salaries safely intact. If hard working employees will see an unexpected pay cut because Congress can’t get its own job done, shouldn’t our Congress members also see a pay cut? After all, we pay their salaries. As a state politician in Maine, I am seeing first-hand the devastating impact these cuts will have on our local communities. Why should our Congressional representatives not feel some of the pain, if they're so convinced that cuts are the answer? The least they can do is cut their own salaries first. Because of the 27th amendment, Congress can't change their salaries until 2014, but if the sequester happens, it'll cut public services for the next 10 years. So Congress needs to make sure that the next Congress, and every one after that, also feels the cut. Instead, they specifically exempted their own salaries.

Our Congress is failing the American people that they serve. I am asking that we change the pay structure for our Senators and Congress men and women. Change the pay structure to a model that is results driven or return it back to a per diem model that was good enough for our forefathers. The current pay structure offers 175 to 194,000 dollars per annum (130 to 180) days. $97.00+ /hour. This pay structure is obviously not working and I believe that there is no incentive to produce results. Offering a per diem with min and max bonuses based on US citizen satisfaction will improve andl produce better results.

This is a petition to limit the amount of time spent in both Houses of Congress to two terms.

The man claims that taking part in and watching MMA is the same as taking part in and watching child porn. This man does not have the mental capacity to be a leader/voice in our government. He needs to be removed from office.

Remove Senator Harry Reid from public office for violatons of the US Constitution. He is not performing his job and is hendering the functioning of the US Congress.

The impending sequester will spur widespread spending cuts that will cost numerous jobs and adversely affect the lives of millions of people. Immediate shutdowns will impact education, medical services, construction projects and economic recovery. The sequester is a reckless political gamble engineered by Congressmen who will continue to receive generous government handouts in the form of big paychecks, first class medical coverage and guaranteed pension for retirement.

Unlimited contributions from corporations, unions, and other organizations to political candidates harm the ability of average citizens to have a voice in their own government. Prior to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, unlimited independent expenditures from corporations and unions were prohibited. Now, corporations and unions can make unlimited independent expenditures supporting or opposing a candidate for office, and unless the U.S. Supreme Court changes this ruling, the only way to reverse the harmful effects of the decision is to amend the Constitution of the United States. If you want to stay current on this and other Alaskan issues, feel free to sign up for our legislative e-news at [email protected].

Too often, a lame duck Congress votes themselves perks before they leave office. There is no accountability. With only a 7 percent approval rating, most people would be fired. They need to be more accountable to the people who elects them.

Serving as the elected representatives of WE THE PEOPLE should be a privilege and a sacred duty, not a career! The framers never imagined that people would make it their life's work. We need to break the endless cycle of reelection for career politicians. If we can't get them to limit their terms, maybe we can demand that they forgo LIFETIME PENSIONS for serving as little as a single term in Congress...while our veterans receive little or nothing for serving, or being killed or being maimed for life.