For me and many of these businesses, this is our livelihood. We have absolutely NO money coming in but still have to pay our state and federal taxes along with utilities, insurance, etc. Please reconsider this.

The American economy has taking a huge hit with unemployment skyrocketing over March and April 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the numbers will continue to rise. We are witnessing a domino effect of massive job loss. Businesses close, then the taxpayers have no income to report to the IRS and no taxes to be paid. Of course no income means a steep decline in the agriculture industry, food processing, banking, and mortgage industries just to name a few. Our tax dollars are what makes this economy rise or fall. It is the government's spending of this money which determines what programs are funded or not, and what is considered valuable. Well, now it is time for our government to show its appreciation to loyal American taxpayers by helping us through one of the most financial difficulties in current times. Way too often, large companies such as banks receive MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER MONEY so they will not collapse even though CEO's receive million dollar bonuses and the company makes millions in profits. The government is EAGER to provide them with tax breaks and trillion dollar relief funds at American taxpayer expense. Millions of American taxpayers are working making under $30,000 a year, many more are working 2 jobs, such as teachers, just to somewhat survive. The cost of rent, utilities, food, gas, etc., continues to grow except incomes. A basic income of $2000 a month for American taxpayers age 18 and older and $500 a month for children would give a great start in boosting the economy. Once this financial difficulty has lifted, the economy won't take as long to recover.

This is important to curve the amount of staff and inmates from contracting the virus. This is important to save lives. The inmates live in close quarters and congregate within close proximity therefore it would be almost impossible to socially distance while incarcerated.

The corrosive combination of coronavirus and capitalism is tearing through our communities to underscore the deepest divide between us, that of the haves and the have-nots. The most egregious assault lands where it always does, in the most marginalized communities among us: the poor, with multi-generational (often multiple) families living together; black and brown communities, who were discarded by society long before coronavirus; single mothers, who are forced into the impossible choice between rent and food for their children; immigrants, who are deprived of any safety nets and devoid of rights; the unhoused, for whom the phrase “stay at home” is cruel and absurd; the out-of-work breadwinners who can no longer provide for their families; domestic abuse victims who are pressed to “shelter” in place with their abusers; the newly unemployed masses now frequenting foodbanks; the imprisoned, detained, or institutionalized; and the anti-stay-at-home protesters, who assert “my job is essential too.” The middle and impoverished classes lack the privilege of escaping to the Hamptons, to their personal island, or to their well-stocked yachts. In many cases, they lack the “luxuries” of running water, the room to socially distance, paid leave when they or their family members are sick, and personal protective gear for their jobs, which – in an act of cruel irony – have now been heralded as “essential.” A contagion of greed infected our society long before the arrival of coronavirus. Lulled into complacency by sleek models, shiny gadgets, and digitized entertainment, we became prime targets for hungry overlords, who amassed their spoils off our labor and consumption. Nursing at the teat of consumption, we became “unpaid data laborers,” while gaping maws scrambled to exploit our data for profit. These titans of industry filled their own pockets on the backs of their workers – fellow humans who markets invisibilized and rendered disposable. This colossal corporate greed is what informs our “Democracy.” Those who usurp our power leave us begging for scraps or working in unsafe conditions, and these immoral deficits have never been more evident than with four rounds of coronavirus stimulus packages. Profiteers advance on the imperiled masses with glee, hoarding the lion’s share of the stimulus and pillaging the coffers designated for the poor. Our representatives listen to the lobbyists in DC, where they’re plied with sweet deals and lavish funds for special interests. The lobbyists work to promote the corporate agendas of those who have money and those who will do anything to protect that money. Whether Democrat or Republican, our representatives evidently and appallingly need greater incentives to look out for the common good and essential needs of the citizens. It is up to us to demand that they do. In a world cracked open by COVID-19, it’s time for the masses to assert their own power – they and we matter. We are not dispensable. We are not disposable. We are not invisible. It is time NOW for the PEOPLE to use the powers that they still have – the powers of their vote, their voice, their pen, their labor, and their consumption. VOTE, WRITE, STRIKE, BOYCOTT together while apart like your life – and the lives of all those you love – depends on it. Because it does. At the nexus of coronavirus and runaway capitalism, it is imperative that we untangle the essential rights of citizens from profit. This is a moral choice. We must IMAGINE a better world where all are deserving of conditions that will enable us to not only survive, but thrive. The time is now for Medicare for All, for a guaranteed basic income, for housing standards that ensure shelter for all, for green jobs with livable wages, with paid sick leave, healthcare that’s not tied to our paychecks, and where workers own the rights of production. While our citizens suffer a devastating mix of uncertainty, isolation, grief, and economic despair, the richest people on the planet are poised to determine our fate. We shelter on this globe together, and the time is ripe for demanding fundamental and lasting improvements to our social safety net. Our top-heavy society is fragile in ways that leave us increasingly vulnerable to coronavirus and future pandemics. We must build resiliency from the bottom up, collaborating with our communities, and honoring the diversity therein to protect us all. We’re riding a slow train of uncertainty amidst an amorphous viral threat. If quarantine teaches us anything, it brings home the truth that the health and wellbeing of ONE is intimately connected to the health and wellbeing of ALL.

Haven’t we learned anything from our current pandemic? Factory farms and processors need to be held accountable. The cruelty animals suffer and the horrifying conditions they live in must stop.

The future of our country and American Democracy where reason prevails and there are not supposed to be autocratic dictators (if it's not already too late) is at stake.

Under this pandemic, WORKER SAFETY in OUR hospital must be your #1 PRIORITY Kate Becker! CEO Kate Becker has failed to protect UNMH health care workers who care for COVID-19 patients. She has refused to bargain with our Union District 1199NM over our health and safety. We raised the alarm to UNMH administrators nearly two months ago about the need for access to Personal Protective Equipment, strong internal safety procedures to prevent community spread, paid administrative leave for those under quarantine and who are infected with COVID-19, and hazard pay to acknowledge the risk we take every day. The CEO has disregarded our safety and the dangers posed to our families. WE VOTE NO CONFIDENCE in CEO Kate Becker. La SEGURIDAD de los TRABAJADORES en NUESTRO hospital deben ser la PRIORIDAD número uno. La Ejecutiva Principal de UNMH, Kate Becker (CEO por siglas en inglés) ha fallido de proteger a los trabajadores de salud que hagan trabajo expuestos al COVID-19. Ella ha negado negociar con nuestro sindicato District 1199NM sobre nuestro salud y seguridad. Hace dos meses levantamos una alerta a los administradores de UNMH, sobre las necesidades de los empleados en relación con el Equipo de Protección Personal y sobre los procedimientos dentro del hospital para prevenir el contagio de COVID 19. También sobre el tiempo pagado por ser expuestos al coronavirus durante la cuarentena, pago por el riesgo de ser expuesto. Becker ha ignorado nuestra seguridad y los peligros posados a nuestras familias. VOTEMOS… NO CONFIANZA en Kate Becker.

Because just as those who have been out of work are at risk and need help, so are the people who still have to go to work every day...

Because my brother is now sick himself and with my mom being sick I need him home ASAP and his entire family needs him home we have been praying and wishing that one day this would all be over and TIL this day we are still fighting for his release.

My name is Magaly Licolli, and I am a grassroots organizer with Venceremos, an organization dedicated to protecting poultry workers against the injustices of companies like Tyson. Every day I speak to poultry workers who are terrified for their lives and the safety of their communities. They need your help now more than ever. In Arkansas alone, where Tyson is headquartered, there are over 30,000 workers producing the chicken that ends up on plates all across the country. These workers are immigrants, refugees, minoritized communities that are not afforded the opportunity to speak out against this injustice. We demand that Tyson give paid sick leave to employees in addition to providing safer, cleaner working conditions. Poultry workers must also be compensated for being quarantined to prevent further spread of the virus that can potentially harm more workers. Finally, they must receive generous hazard pay for risking their lives as COVID-19 rapidly spreads in our communities. Worker health is public health! Please sign and share this petition.

Collapsed economy. State violence. Food, medicine, fuel shortages. Blackouts. Sanctions. Threats of war. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Venezuelans are facing one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. And the U.S. helped create this nightmare. Today we have a chance to join with a movement of progressive partners pushing to designate Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Because luckily, the House already passed a nonpartisan bill calling for TPS for Venezuela. And now it’s the Senate’s turn. Are you ready to get loud? Ask your Senators to support S.636 calling for TPS for Venezuela NOW!

About 78,000 adults have felony convictions in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Local citizens with misdemeanor convictions adds about 195,000 people with records. For someone with a criminal record, a chance to get back on track is more difficult because they are denied a safe place to live before the rental application is completed. It is an established fact that policies ensuring those returning from incarceration have access to reliable and safe housing help reduce recidivism rates. A “Ban the Box” policy that prevents landlords from asking potential renters about their criminal background until it is determined the candidate is qualified to rent will ensure a fair and equitable process for all people applying to rental housing. Full Ordinance Proposal: https://www.dropbox.com/s/15j6a7f3qmtqrnc/FINAL-DRAFT-Equitable Access to Rental Housing Proposal.docx?dl=0