There is NO need for assault rifles to ever be taken into our Capitol, let alone be brandished for all legislators to see causing some to wear bulletproof vests. Our democracy cannot be run by people whom are in fear. These weapons are designed to do one thing, kill humans. It’s time to put an end to this, and allow our legislators to do their job without the threat of terrorism.

We should not have a defeated President naming a Justice for life in the last few months of his term. McConnell blocked Obama’s Garland appointment in Obama’s last YEAR.

It affects all aspects of our lives. Women's rights concerning their own bodies, and many other key issues.

In February of 2016 you said “ The American people should have a voice in the selection of their new Supreme Court Justice.” We believe you should stuck to the same standard now

Imagine a scenario in which a domestic dispute occurred between you and a partner. Which professional would you feel more comfortable speaking with? Which professional do you feel would be more capable of providing you resources for next steps? An armed officer? Or a plains clothed, unarmed social worker? Sign this petition to enact social workers into non violent roles in the community. A calming, unarmed presence, aimed to reduce escalation can decrease brutality between police and citizens, and in addition, can save lives.

Everything and everyone on Earth will be effected by the next Presidential election. If TRump steals the 2020 Election the entire planet is doomed. If Biden wins, we all (planet, species, humans) have a chance of survival and making things right for our kids and grandchildren.

Last year my sister was killed by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Despite having a record of domestic abuse he was still able to own a gun. She is the reason I am fighting today to make sure no one else has to experience this kind of loss. My sister’s ex-boyfriend was charged with domestic violence two times before her death. He basically got slapped on the wrist and was let go without any real consequences. So when I read about the Violence Against Women Act — a bipartisan bill that prevents stalkers & convicted abusers from being able to purchase a gun — I thought my sister really could have been protected by a law like this. That’s why I’m beyond angry and disappointed that Sen. Joni Ernst blocked a vote on this lifesaving bill. She should know that for many women, this is life or death. But since the NRA came out against it, Joni has shamefully buried and abandoned the Violence Against Women Act. I’m shocked knowing that Joni is a survivor herself and is not sticking up and doing the right thing for other survivors. I guess that’s how much more $3.1 million in campaign contributions means to her, rather than helping others. But I’m not giving up. In memory of my sister, for my family, and all the trauma we’ve endured in this process, I will fight to do whatever it takes to make sure no one else has to experience this kind of pain. Please sign my petition. Thank you. Lilly S. Des Moines, IA

Higher education creates better paying jobs. Better paying jobs creates a better tax base. How much income tax is generated by a minimum wage paying job, compared to the income tax of an undergraduate degree pay scale? Do I need to go to the sales taxes paid by the two different incomes? Didn't think so. What started as "Trickle up" economics has turned into "Flooding up" economics. History has shown how income inequality turns out. It hasn't been pretty. We are heading, "full steam ahead" in that direction. 1929, 2008 are the years I am pointing to. The quick recovery of 2008 won't happen again. The Federal Government can't afford to bail out numerous industries again. I feel that the current state of affairs in our society are a reflection this imbalance. The political polarization. The mass shootings. The current horrific crimes being committed are a direct reflection of the terrible conditions we are experiencing. Horrific conditions are creating horrific reactions. People are struggling to eat, can't get health care because: 1) wages haven't kept up with the real cost of living. 2) We are out of options to make up the difference. When wages first began to shrink, (1978) "incomes" went from individual to "household". Mom and dad worked. Then they worked more hours. When that didn't maintain a comfortable lifestyle, (1990’s), borrowing filled the gap. We witnessed how that turned out, the 2008 recession. The middle class needs to be able to pay for things, not borrow to get them. Jobs are created when people buy things, (after all, someone has to make the things, deliver and sell them), that is how economics works. Henry Ford figured this out over 100 years ago! I am looking to my leaders to take some action. Be brave and do the right things for the right reasons. If the status quo is not changed, we are all going to be left behind. The people at the top, (the very rich), will continue to get further out of reach and more powerful. I don't think my fellow middle-class citizens are capable of continuing down the current path. The mass shootings for example, started in schools, (easy targets), then to theaters and malls, (bigger easy targets). These shootings haven’t changed what caused them. The next group will probably be politicians. Lack of gun laws is not the problem, more gun laws is not the answer. Lack of financial security is the problem, and all that goes with it. Please stop doing what we are doing, so we stop getting what we are getting. Let’s put a stop to the current state of affairs. Everything I have written here, is a glimpse of what I have observed. Unfortunately, I don’t have many solutions to offer, sorry. Political discussions with my contemporaries don’t happen. Everyone’s feelings get hurt, they stomp off, end of discussion. They are emulating what our leaders are doing. The dialogue needs to be started, so options are thought of and the best options given a chance to work. Please, let’s begin talking.

Many of us have watched while on the state and the national stage public discourse has devolved into very public attacks against any individuals who cross Trump's path or oppose him or his followers. The state of New Hampshire has a sad history of harassment, especially from the right and within the walls of the state legislature. The current national climate has only given license to those parties who engage in harassing women, people of color and others who do not fit the "conservative" social narrative. We have noticed in particular, in the state house, a particular vitriol reserved for women members of the state legislature. From the current harassment and belittlement (calling her princess, telling her she is stupid, weak, receiving death threats, harassment directed at her being a woman, etc.) of Debra Stevens, to the the constant harassment and demands for censure of Representative Sherry Frost (Strafford, 18) that have occurred during her terms. The type of vicious harassment that women experience resembles the type of harassment many women experienced thirty years ago when they entered non-traditional employment. Today, nearly every place of employment has a sexual harassment policy in place. Today, nearly all workers and professionals everywhere have no problem working with women as colleagues and professional partners. The number of women in the state legislature has increased profoundly this past session, reflecting the increased participation across the board of women in public life. Yet only this session was a sexual harassment policy finally put in place; after solid repeated resistance when the House was GOP controlled. Those same members who voted against a sexual harassment policy now not only associate with those who regularly harass female members of the house, but these same members make a plea to Steve Shurtleff, claiming they feel harassed and misrepresented when a member shares her a story about the behavior of anti-gun control activists. They make this plea after they all deliberately assembled on Representative Steven's Facebook political page with the sole purpose of harassing her. They make this plea after the first vote of the Democratic controlled house which banned handguns on the state house floor caused a few state representatives to call a press conference claiming that they feel unsafe at the state house without a gun by their side. Yet they have had no problem associating with those who issue death threats, harass, cajole, bully and abuse their opponents, in particular women. Women who do not carry guns anywhere and yet have plenty of reason to feel unsafe everyday; just for their duty as state representatives and representing the issues the way the majority of their constituents who sent them there wish them to do. We feel that speaking up to these bullies is important and Steven Shurtleff showing leadership on this issue is absolutely essential. No state legislator or American citizen should ever feel their life might be in danger or their dignity or social good standing be jeopardized, simply for having a certain point of view. In particular, we ask that Speaker Shurtleff speak specifically as well to the harassment that the women on the Democratic side of the aisle have received for speaking their minds.

We need new and effective ways to immediately curtail the epidemic of school shootings in our nation.

We live in the richest, most powerful country on the planet, but for years I have been going to bed hungry. My hunger was not for food, but another basic need, similarly essential for my life and well being. My hunger was for the shooting to stop. America has had more mass shootings than there have been days this year. That means, more likely than not, before you sit down to dinner with your family tonight another mass shooting will occur. And as I send my students to the cafeteria for lunch tomorrow, another one. More innocent, unsuspecting lives lost, for nothing. Or more accurately, because the Republican-led Senate has chosen to ignore their constituents’ basic human need for safety. The failure of our Federal government to fulfill its duty to its citizens led me to compound my hunger. That is why I began this hunger strike. One hundred people die every day in America because of gun violence, and my love for those 100 people that are going to die tomorrow, outweighs my desire for a burger today. Originally my focus was on mass shootings. They are so random and get so much media coverage the result can only be terror. But truth be told, as horrific as they are, mass shootings are only a small fraction of the gun violence that is plaguing our nation. Suicides, homicides, domestic violence, accidental shootings are all largely preventable with Common Sense gun legislation. Any good faith movement by the Federal Government on gun violence prevention bills passed by the House and waiting on a vote from the Senate, would be reason to celebrate. And in my case have a taco. But for now, I am following this path. My name is Shai Stephenson and I am Hungry4Change. Are you?

In the aftermath of the Gilroy mass shooting Mayor Sam Liccardo of San Jose observed, in a press release, that "[w]e require motorists to carry automobile insurance, and the insurance industry appropriately encourages and rewards safe driver behavior...[S]uccessful public health models inspire a similar 'harm reduction' approach for firearms." See http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/86243. Mayor Liccardo proposed a firearms regulation ordinance for the City of San Jose, CA, based on the “harm reduction” model. This approach to firearms regulation should be applied to the entire state of California so that: *All firearms owners in the state will carry liability insurance, or will pay a fee, by which the state will defray the public costs of firearm violence in the state. *There will be a state sales tax on gun and ammunition sales, which will help fund gun safety classes, gun violence prevention programs, and victim assistance services for survivors of gun violence in California. *The State of California will explore a consent-to-search program for juveniles, which would allow parents to consent to have local law enforcement search a juvenile’s person or their property. *The State of California will create a program that would offer cash rewards to anyone who reports someone who possesses unlawfully-obtained guns or weapons.