The artists of Westbeth are being harassed and forced out of their studios, many losing their livelihoods . No new artist applications are being accepted. Their art is being thrown into dumpsters. The low income tenants on Section 8 have had their rents tripled and the US government is paying the difference, although Westbeth legally is supposed to be low, affordable rents for artists. The hurricane Sandy is being used as an excuse to end Westbeth as affordable housing for artists, and a center for the arts. Artists live in fear for their homes and their art.

Equal Child Custody and Parenting time in Pennsylvania is currently considered "Normal" at just 30% for father's. Children need both parents in their lives and the U.S. Supreme Court agree's. Children and parents should not be used to generate cash for any county or state, nor used as leverage to harm another financially or emotionally. This disparity in child custody nearly cost me my life and has adversely affected my young children and thousands of other children and father's in Pennsylvania, including taxpayer's.

I am disabled and only 33 years old. I am a single mother of two beautiful children. Thanks to the IRIS Program, I am in my home with my children, though I am disabled from the middle of my back to my toes. The reason for this is because IRIS allowed me to choose a care giver, or they would have found me one, figured out a monthly amount I am allotted through the program and is paying my care giver to take care of me and my household. My care giver cooks meals, helps with my children, helps with my pets, does the yard work; he does everything I would and could do before I became disabled. Without this program, I would have to be in some type of nursing or rehabilitation facility for the rest of my life. I would no longer have my children. I would no longer have my life. And that is not all IRIS does! If I were to need a new bed or a repair on my house such as a ramp going up to my door, I would simply submit it to my IRIS case worker, who is available for me during all business hours by phone. She would submit the request, and they would allot me the extra money, as long as it is something I need due to my disability. Please help the weak and vulnerable in the state of Wisconsin. If we can stand up together and save this program in Wisconsin, maybe it can grow and help someone you love.

We need to take care of our infrastructure so that human beings can get to their jobs, spend time with their families, travel without risk. I do not understand why legislative bodies cannot grapple with this basic fact. I commute from New Jersey into Manhattan for work and for fun. I know Mr. Christie couldn't give a darn about me and my liberal ways, but every single lateness on my train is caused by Amtrak switches being broken, bridges not closing right, wires subject to high winds. These things cost NJ millions in worker revenues. Why cannot the transit, whether it be roads, bridges, dams, tracks, whatever, why can't that be funded adequately to keep people safe? Even if Amtrak is a losing Congressional proposition, surely we in NJ, who have so much Amtrak rail, could chip in to bring it into the 21st century to save NJ lives? And worker headaches? Surely?

The canyon communities of Silverado, Williams, Modjeska and Trabuco Canyons are home to over a thousand tax-payers (mostly seniors & families), yet there is no public transit available in this area. These rural, historic communities are within the Santa Ana Mountains, OC's largest wild and scenic area. The mountains are a major outdoor recreation destination for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, picnickers and tourists. Transportation to and from this area is extremely difficult, unless one owns a personal vehicle or is willing to ride a bike or walk 12+ miles along a remote highway from Santiago Canyon College in Orange or Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo. If residents and tourists can take public transit to and from the beach, why can't they take it to and from the mountains?

Water is a basic human right. We shouldn't allow drought to rob people of their basic privileges.

I work for the USPS and see 1st class mail not being delivered!

Do you want to end homelessness? Do you have family or friends struggling to pay rent? Do you want the State to work towards a Hawaii where all can be safely and securely housed? Hawaii needs more affordable housing and NOW is the time to take action. Recently, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released a report finding that while Hawaii has the highest rents in the nation, the median hourly wage of a Hawaii renter is only $13.86 – less than half of what is needed to afford a 2-bedroom unit at Fair Market Rent. Housing is simply not affordable in Hawaii and more needs to be done.

Mayor Bowser is deciding within weeks if she will kill the DC Street Car or expand it in a new, cost effective way. Investments in high-quality public transportation bring economic opportunities and environmental progress. The street car can do all of this more quickly and less expensively than the Metro for areas of D.C. that won't benefit from Metro stops. Neighborhoods like Benning Road, H Street and Anacostia have been in shambles since the MLK riots, and now they have a chance to come back. But the plans to scuttle the street cars could pull the rug out from under them. The DC government screwed up; they spent too much, and stands accused of corruption and ineptitude. But if that's the reason to kill the streetcar, that's the reason to cut everything the DC government does. Instead we should demand more from our new mayor and our city. We need a city government we can count on. That can raise the standard of living for everyone in DC while protecting the environment our children grow up in. D.C. made a promise. The City made a promise to areas of our city that are just rebounding from decades of under-investment, and they are rebounding based on the promise of the Street Cars. Now is not the time to move backwards. It’s time to move forward. I hope you’ll join me in calling on Mayor Bowser to move forward in a cost effective, bold way to move forward on the D.C. Street Car Program.

The high rate of homelessness of families and others amidst the vast wealth in Silicon Valley, and caused by the influx of high-tech workers into Silicon Valley, needs to be addressed.

Amachi Pittsburgh serves children impacted by parental incarceration and their families.

In 2002, the South Miami-Dade community was promised Metro-Rail services. After over a decade of broken promises, we have decided to take action. With the fastest growing population in South Miami-Dade County, commuting by vehicle and bus has become an unbearable attack on our quality of life. South Miami-Dade County calls upon Miami-Dade County Transit, MDX, and the MPO, to deliver Metro Rail services to South Miami-Dade. As a result of broken promises made to the people of South Miami-Dade, the following situations have occurred: • A round trip from Florida City to Downtown Miami costs an estimated $15.28 in gas and tolls per vehicle. • For those working fulltime on minimum wage, the costs of driving can cost residents up to 24% of their yearly take home pay. • The drive from Florida City to Downtown Miami can frequently take up to two hours. • Florida City residents who commute to Downtown Miami spend an estimated 500 hours a year just commuting to work. • It takes a child four hours (round trip) to visit the Perez Art Museum from Florida City by bus. • It takes a Florida City resident up to six hours (round trip) to use Miami-Dade Transit/bus to reach the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). • It takes almost a three hour trip on Miami-Dade Transit/bus (one way) to reach FIU MMC Campus from Florida City. • Traffic congestion is persistent on US1 and with the expected growth in the South will only get worse. South Miami-Dade communities of Florida City, Homestead, Pinecrest, Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, & Unincorporated Dade, stand together in our resolve for equal access to all that Miami-Dade County has to offer its citizens.