Governor Rauner’s proposed budget for the year beginning July 1 slashes the Amtrak line item from $42 million to $26 million a year, a 40% cut. [1] This would likely mean service reductions on three downstate Amtrak routes, including the Illini and Saluki trains that serve Champaign-Urbana and Carbondale, two cities with huge college student populations from the Chicago area, many of whom use Amtrak service. These trains are often at capacity. Some Democratic lawmakers have suggested avoiding the cuts by continuing to use the state road fund to pay for Amtrak services, rather than general revenue. Amtrak keeps autos off the roads, reducing wear and tear on the roads and saving lives. Amtrak protects the environment, by using less fossil fuels. And Amtrak saves time, because unlike driving, you can safely do other things while you ride the train. Urge Governor Rauner and your state legislators to protect full funding for Amtrak by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2015-05-20/budget-fix-proposed-amtrak-use-idot-road-fund.html

I'm tired of WVAW getting rate increase and getting richer of of people in West Virginia.

The Pacific NorthWest loves hockey, yet the closest American NHL team is San Jose. The WHL is a common way players enter the NHL, 5 WHL teams are in Oregon/Washington, however, these players must leave the PNW to play in the NHL. Portland has a 100 year history of supporting hockey. It is time we competed on the NHL stage. We need a NHL-Pacific Northwest option!

Michigan Republicans recently unveiled a plan to fix roads in the state by taxing Michigan residents that can least afford it. Their plan proposes to raise $117 million in road funding by eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides the working poor with a tax refund. The EITC is one of the largest anti-poverty programs in the country, and it's a critical lifeline for many of Michigan's poorest families.

On Wednesday, May 20th, California will decide whether to increase funding for disability services or ignore the pleas of people with disabilities and their service providers. Liz Grigsby, like many people with disabilities, wants to keep living in her own home. Without adequate funding, people like her can end up isolated in an institution. Liz wants people to know that "We have a right to live in the community just like everyone else." Tell Governor Brown to approve the rate increase!

We have a 17 yr old girl who lives in Sussex and is looking forward to having a say in her services starting in Sept. Over the years, covered services and items have diminished with cut backs and changes to various programs. This year Art Therapy was eliminated from County Waiver as not scientifically proven successful. We know what works for us and we are finally looking forward to utilizing funding efficiently that meets our daughter's specific needs. Only we really know what works for us not some short sighted untested options. Please help us to continue to have our FREEDOM OF CHOICE.

This is a persistent problem that must be addressed.

The City of Coral Gables has commenced the design of their long-planned project for a complete makeover of its signature street, "Miracle Mile", the heart of the downtown area. This $20 million project will include shrinking travel lanes, and reconfiguring angled parking to parallel parking to allow more space for the pedestrian sidewalk. When designed correctly, there is adequate space to add a protected or standard bicycle lane, so that bicycle riders can access the many retail shops and restaurants on Miracle Mile. The initial plans prepared by the firm hired by the Coral Gables Business Improvement District ("BID") in 2009 increased the sidewalk from 14.5' to 21'. Experts in street planning (Streetplans) found that by reducing travel lanes and parking lanes slightly, bicycle lanes could be added to Miracle Mile, providing a tremendous potential improvement to the safety of the street for pedestrians and bicycles, as well as allowing safe access to the bicycle riding community. Plans showing protected bicycle lanes were included and recommended in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan which was approved by the City Commission in 2014. In 2014 a final financing plan was approved that would create an equal cost-share where the BID and the City (residents) would each pay 1/2 of the total cost. A firm was then hired to commence the design phase services. A steering committee was appointed and the design commenced. At its first public meeting, the designers showed that the travel lanes and parallel parking lane could be narrowed, and all of the extra space would be added to the pedestrian-only sidewalk. Bicycle riders seeking to shop, dine and work on Miracle Mile will be expected to ride on the street. We the undersigned support the inclusion of dedicated bicycle lanes for bicycle riders of all ages to enjoy the many retail stores and restaurants on Miracle Mile without fear of harm from vehicles or risk of injuring pedestrians, and urge the City of Coral Gables to immediately direct the design consultants to include a bicycle lane in their plans.

We need safe roads in North Carolina now!

You can call your Supervisor at 565-2241. Some facts, as reported more fully, with footnote hyperlinks and graphs, in the SonomaIndependent dot org: While Sonoma County’s economy is surging, and tax revenues are surpassing projections, County libraries are facing their fifth year of the worst funding crisis in a century. As reported in the Sonoma Independent.org, despite being one of the wealthiest counties in California, Sonoma County spends just $34 per capita on libraries. That’s half of what Napa and Marin County spend, and barely one-quarter of the $124 per capita that San Francisco spends. As a result of this underfunding, in 2011, Sonoma County libraries cut back their weekly hours system wide by 25%. This ended Monday and nearly all evening hours at 11 libraries. The result has been that the most vital public resource of our community has locked its doors on tens of thousands of patrons, including toddlers, teens, parents, and seniors, who had relied on regular library service. Library visits, with Internet service and book and DVD lending in a free, safe working space for all, had not been diminishing until the enormous cutback in hours caused them to plummet. Fewer hours has translated into a 22% reduction in visits, meaning 600,000 fewer trips to the library each year. Cutback hours has created lines for computer usage, and reduced services for the more than 100,000 citizens who use our libraries. No other countywide public service experienced similar cutbacks during the recent recession. And no other reductions in services provided by the County missed being restored by an economic recovery that will bring a record $13.5 million surplus to the County’s treasury this fiscal year (ending June 30). An even larger surplus is projected for next year. Yet our County Supervisors continue to insist that there is no money available to restore library hours, and that this is not their responsibility because a dedicated parcel tax funds our libraries. This ignores the fact that many local governments add funding for libraries, and that the County Government regularly adds funding for services, like roads and law enforcement, when dedicated funding falls short. During the four years since the Monday closures, inflation-adjusted spending for libraries has dropped 3%. During the same period, the total Sonoma County budget has increased by 16%, and, despite declining crime rates, inflation-adjusted spending on prisons and probation has increased by 23%. Sonoma County’s Library Director estimates that it would cost $1.2 million per year to reopen the 11 main County libraries on Mondays. This is less than 10% of this year's projected budget surplus, and a small fraction of what the County will spend, from the General Fund, to augment dedicated road repair revenue. Sonoma County expects to add at least $6 million this year to nearly $50 million in its “rainy day” reserve funds. We want our Supervisors to know that this unprecedented cutback in hours has created four years of rainy days for the many thousands of us, and our families, who use and love our County libraries. We hope that in 2016, a tax initiative can permanently resolve the library funding crisis. Meanwhile, we urge you to place $1.2 million less in the reserve fund this year and next, and dedicate these funds to restoring Monday hours, starting this summer. Sonoma County’s government website says, “We Work For You.” Our County Supervisors need to fund our library hours shortfall and stop making excuses. Four years of closed Mondays is long enough.

Last night, an Amtrak train tragically derailed, leaving at least seven people dead. The very next day, Congress took an initial vote to cut $262 million from Amtrak’s budget [1]. This is a devastating cut to an agency that is already radically underfunded. The exact cause of last night's accident is yet unknown, but safe trains don't pay for themselves. Is this risk worth the consequences? Tell Congress: Stop the Amtrak funding cuts. [1] Hours after deadly crash, House panel votes to cut Amtrak budget, Politico: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/amtrak-budget-house-panel-crash-117904.html

I have personally used this service for school and work. I do not have the luxury of a personal vehicle to travel in, and I do not make much money. The New Mexico Rail Runner Express has been there for me to use when I had no other transportation. To hear state officials say it may not be worth the money is sad. Discontinuing service would hurt not only me but all of the current 4,500 riders who use it daily.(1) If you have ever used this service or know someone—whether it be a friend or family member—who uses it, please sign your name and let New Mexico's lawmakers know we want this train to stay!