Cincinnati has increasingly become known as a destination for its variety of restaurants and bars, but the pandemic has caused dozens of incredible local establishments to close their doors permanently. Those that have been able to weather the storm have done so at significant cost: reducing capacity, focusing on curbside pickup and delivery as well as the mandated curfews have resulted in significant revenue losses for our city’s establishments. The reduced capacity has hit hourly waged workers the hardest since we are dependent on tips, as we are paid well below the federal minimum wage. In addition, exposure to the virus among staff forces many businesses to close for weeks at a time, further hurting workers by preventing them from making any income in the interim. Ohio and Cincinnati leadership must step up now and act in the best interests of the working class service industry by allowing us to protect ourselves. A safer service industry is a safer Cincinnati.

Piscataquis is one of the poorest counties in the state. Our leadership needs to represent us in a manner which will encourage businesses to choose this area, and tempt young people from this area to stay. Creating a resolution that embarrasses us to the rest of the state and larger world outside will not accomplish this task. Further, Foxcroft Academy, located in Dover-Foxcroft, has been fostering a considerable boarding program for international students for many years, with students from all over the world. These students contribute a great deal to the local economy during the school year, and, equally important, provide cultural diversity which is vital for our county. Having a public resolution using xenophobic language is a direct detriment to this program, and our community's goal of embracing diversity into our region. In short, this merely symbolic “resolution of protest” gains nothing, and only serves to present Piscataquis County in an unflattering, embarrassing light. For the Commissioners to sign off would solidify their complete lack of competence in their job while misrepresenting Piscataquis County at large.

“Let us not seek the Rep answer or the Dem answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future”. JFK For over 30 years, I have devoted my life to fighting as a lawyer on behalf of the marginalized! Immigants, LGBT communities, foreclosed homeowners, Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and all communities of color. Our tent in the new Florida will be all-inclusive. We are for Healthcare for All, a Wealth Tax, Student debt relief, and restoration of rights for felons in Florida that have served their time. https://williamsanchezsenatorialexploratorycommittee.com/

For more than four years, Mike Lee has not only lacked the courage and the moral compass to denounce con man Trump’s reprehensible behavior, he’s aided and abetted Trump’s deception and domestic abuse of the American public by standing by instead of standing up.

The assault on January 6th, 2021 to our Nation's congress and our Capitol Building was an aberration, and a direct threat to our democracy. This violent attack was instigated by Mr. Trump and Mr. Trump Jr.. The rioters attempted to destroy the institutions that make us the strongest democracy in the world. These rioters displayed Neo-nazi, racist, and fascist symbols. As more footage of the incident is brought to light, we all are witnessing the violent nature of the groups that forced themselves into The People's House. A police officer was murdered and four other people died in this violent event. It is one of the darkest days in the history of our country. We must make sure that his name is not glorified in any way, because if we do not act we will have normalized the behavior Mr. Trump and his rioting mob of followers displayed. We Chicagoans and Americans ask you to do what is in your power to remove the sign that is now a stain to a city we are proud to call home. Thank you.

~~~Español abajo At the beginning of the school year there was an agreement to close schools if the positivity rate reached a certain number. There is no limit now and we are the highest positivity rate since the pandemic started. This is a public health emergency for everyone: 1. Students being back in schools will continue to spread the virus contrary to Covid-19 prevention measures 2. U-46 is the second largest school district in the state of Illinois which translates into a super spreader situation if students go back to schools 3. Cleaning staff, bus drivers, support staff, teachers, nurses, their families and communities beyond Elgin are also being put at risk 4. We can wait a bit longer now that there is a vaccine and come back to school safely 5. This is at the tail end of the holiday season where people spent time in groups 6. The money being spent on complying with safety measures could be spent on remote socio-emotional support for students 7. Community members of color have been disproportionately affected by Covid-19 8. Students and staff are individually responsible to self-certify. This did not go well back when the schools were hybrid. The safety measures are not being followed leading to safety concerns 9. Families have not been asked for input since August, 2020 Al comienzo del año escolar se acordó cerrar las escuelas si la tasa de positividad alcanzaba cierto número. Ahora no hay límite y tenemos la tasa de positividad más alta desde que comenzó la pandemia. Este es una emergencia de salud pública para todos: 1. Los estudiantes que regresen a la escuela continuarán propagando el virus en contra de las medidas de prevención contra el Covid-19 2. U-46 es el segundo distrito escolar más grande del estado de Illinois, lo que se traduce en una situación de gran difusión de Covid-19 si los estudiantes regresan a las escuelas 3. Pone en riesgo al personal de limpieza, los conductores de autobuses, el personal de apoyo, los maestros, las enfermeras, sus familias y comunidades mas allá de la ciudad de Elgin también corren peligro 4. Podemos esperar un poco más ahora que hay una vacuna y regresar a la escuela sanos y salvos 5. Estamos al final de la temporada navideña, donde las personas pasaron tiempo en grupos 6. El dinero que se gasta en el cumplimiento de las medidas de salud y seguridad podría destinarse al apoyo socio-emocional a distancia para los estudiantes 7. Los miembros de la comunidad afroamericana y latina se han visto afectados de manera desproporcionada por Covid-19 8. Los estudiantes y el personal son responsables individualmente de autocertificarse. Esto no fue un procedimiento exitoso cuando las escuelas estaban en el plan híbrido de aprendizaje. No se siguen las medidas de seguridad, lo que genera problemas de salud 9. A las familias no se les ha pedido su opinión desde agosto de 2020

Thousands of residents work from home (regardless of Covid). Our children are learning from home. Elderly, impaired, and infants are home all day trying to rest. It has become impossible to concentrate on any given day of the week as leaf blowers are used every day at all hours of the day! We have also ceased to hear birds for much of the day, animals run in fear, kids cease playing outside, you can't even walk your dog any longer without being blasted with NOISE & POLLUTION!

The reason this is important is because in the past few weeks I have watched trans girls in Baltimore be murdered. We do not want to have to hide, but for safety we must at times. Many trans women in Baltimore do not have access to the funds to cover FFS and this leaves them still with this dysphoria and still as a target to those who have hatred.

Women's health has been seriously affected by the Global Gag Rule, which has withdrawn American aid from any nongovernmental organization offering abortion. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to restore women's access to reproductive health care.

Has this virus not been downplayed and kept a secret from the American people we could have kept it from spreading like wildfire across our nation. The virus found my Father in his own home where he was supposed to be safe. My Father had COPD & Rhuemetiod Arthritis and was 77 years young. He took good care of himself & despite his underlying conditions was in very good health. My father contracted Covid in his own home and spent 6 long weeks fighting for his life in the ICU department at the hospital alone. He died. He may be nobody to Donald Trump BUT TO ME HE WAS MY WORLD. Mask wearing and social distancing must be taken seriously and enforced to the fullest extent in order to stop this virus from claiming more lives. A caring & strong leader would set the example and vocalize the severity of this virus so that people are not letting their guards down and a lot of American’s lives can be saved. I want to do this to honor my Daddy who should have been protected!!!

We understand that herd immunity via vaccination will take months to achieve. Without the steps outlined above many more lives will be lost and many others will become ill, perhaps chronically, per the models. This hurts people, and in the long run, is also expensive across many systems. We have seen what happens when countries work to eliminate COVID. New York State may have more difficulty than a country would, but we can see that the current level of mitigation is not enough. We have seen responses from leaders like Adern, Battulga and Merkel. While they have all struggled with COVID returning, the defining feature of their response is their unwillingness to lose lives. A positive side effect is that their economies have been impacted positively by this approach. COVID Zero NY should be our aspiration. Being better than other states is not enough. It is imperative that our goals be higher because this is impacting our lives, our health, and our livelihoods. We must act, immediately. The WHO’s Dr. Mike Ryan’s statement from March is as relevant today as it was then: “Perfection is the enemy of the good when it comes to emergency management. Speed trumps perfection, and the problem in society we have at the moment is everyone is afraid of making a mistake - everyone is afraid of the consequence of error. But the greatest error is not to move. The greatest error is to be paralyzed by the fear of failure.” Respectfully submitted, Dec 22, 2020 — Sample of Information Utilized Substantial majorities (6 in 10, or more) of Americans support all seven restrictive measures. www.thecovidstates.org THE COVID STATES PROJECT: A 50-STATE COVID-19 SURVEY REPORT #25: PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR MEASURES AIMED AT CURBING COVID-19 USA, November 2020 COVID Zero: https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/after-eliminating-covid-19-new-zealand-pm-says-flattening-curve-wasnt-enough/ Economy and COVID: https://indianapublicmedia.org/news/a-false-choice-how-the-coronavirus-married-public-health-the-economy.php?s=09 Lack of transparency undermining response: https://www.wired.com/story/a-lack-of-transparency-is-undermining-pandemic-policy/ Updated COVID risk: https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu/ Closing schools, bars, workplaces, public events reduces R to safe levels https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30785-4/fulltext Additional school information: https://twitter.com/DrZoeHyde/status/1336612124835995648?s=20 Aerosols: https://time.com/5883081/covid-19-transmitted-aerosols/

56.4 million children and their families have been suffering without in-person school for almost a year. The fastest way to end that suffering is to get teachers vaccinated quickly. Teachers are essential workers and giving them high priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in phase 1B is the only way to ensure that all of our schools can reopen safely and quickly. The loss of in-person school has already impacted the mental health and growth of this generation of students. Most American kids are showing some signs of mental health problems and millions are significantly behind in academic and social development. Other kids face significant hunger and food insecurity due to the loss of school meals. Parents also rely on teachers and schools to provide child care when they need to work during the day. Without this resource, families have been forced to reduce their work hours or leave their jobs, losing income they need to pay their bills. Students need to return to school as fast as possible, but we cannot achieve that goal without making sure that teachers and support staff are given the protection they need to return to the classroom.