I am tired of the Congress, specifically the Republican-Tea Party of trying to destroy this country. Government is compromise and their attitude is take no prisoners. They have consistently tried to stop or defund Obama care in stead of doing the business that they were to do, work together for the better of the people. By trying to defund Obama care with the extension of the debt ceiling to run the government it in turns harms our service personnel and the folks that need the services that the government provides. Yet ironically they cut 35 billion for food stamps. It is time to stop this send a strong message that we are tired of this.

I am starting this petition because we have been loyal Disney patrons for many years. The reason for our devout loyalty to Disney Theme Parks and Resorts/Timeshares lies in the fact that it is one of very few places that our son, who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder, feels welcome and whole. He is not treated like he is an outcast and is invisible amongst the crowd, not standing out as DIFFERENT. He experiences the kid like magic of imagination and as a family, we get to experience that with him. We want to preserve this one magical family vacation experience and ask Disney to reconsider their new assistance program. We wholly support Disney's efforts to create a program that deters fraud, but does not do so at the expense of those who truly benefit from the assistance program. With the new Disabled Assistance System, it will preclude many families from enjoying Disney Theme Parks as they did before.

The Los Angeles City Abatement Department spends roughly $28 million dollars per year to paint over tagging and art work from private and public properties. With the recently lifting of the decade old mural ban, we see an opportunity for youth to learn about civic empowerment through the permit process at the district and city levels. We feel education and hands on experience through our ART PEACE PARK initiative can help ensure the new outdoor murals ordinances are understood and used in a manner all can enjoy. We are asking The City of Los Angeles to dedicate 1% of the budget they are spending on the current abatement program for educational initiatives like Art Peace Park.

Before his mother's death, she and Noah were to move here to N.C. with us so Noah would be removed from the influence of gangs. To be in an environment conducive to having a fair shot at education, a social life without having to hide away in his apt. to be safe, was our goal. Child Protective Services in Newport News, Va., where Noah is from can do nothing according to them. Child Protective Services in Seattle, Wa., where Noah has been taken can do nothing w/out the police being involved according to them. The police there say they can do nothing unless the police from Newport News, Va. contact them concerning this situation. Now, the police in Newport News say there is nothing they can do, according to the states attorney. Where is the justice for Noah? He is in an environment with a 40 yr. old man who has a felony record, gang affiliation, and Noah is not used to this type of an environment. We, [his Aunt] and I are very worried about Noah.

To much police brutality In America People do not feel safe people are afraid of the very people who work for the people so much abuse by police shooting innocent bystanders Police drinking while on duty Police sexual abuse among woman when being stopped while driving Children afraid of the police Just to much crime in the police department and to many cover ups by dirty cops something has to be done now Stop Police Abuse

House Republicans have a plan to cut SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the food stamp program), by at least $40 billion over ten years, affecting up to 6 million hungry families—including children, seniors and veterans.. The plan to vote on these life-threatening cuts in the coming days. The new House proposal is harsh, and continues the attack on working families and poor people by the GOP. Their scheme would deny SNAP to at least 4 million to 6 million low-income people — including some of the nation’s most destitute adults — as well as to many low-income children, seniors, and families that work for low wages. The people the proposal would cut off SNAP include but are not limited to:  2 million to 4 million poor, unemployed, childless adults who live in areas of high unemployment — a group that has average income of only 22 percent of the poverty line (about $2,500 a year for a single individual) and for whom SNAP is, in most cases, the only government assistance they receive;  1.8 million people, mostly low-income working families and low-income seniors, who have gross incomes or assets modestly above the federal SNAP limits but disposable income — the income that a family actually has available to spend on food and other needs — below the poverty line in most cases, often because of high rent or child care costs. Some 210,000 children in these families also would lose free school meals;  Other poor, unemployed parents who want to work but cannot find a job or an opening in a training program — along with their children, other than infants. We demand that Congress cease playing political “hunger games” that hurt vulnerable families, children, and local communities. Instead, Congress should close corporate tax loopholes and make large companies such as Apple, General Electric and Verizon pay their fair share of federal taxes. Please sign our petition to stop the cuts of food to our most vulnerable neighbors. As former Vice-President Hubert Humphrey said, “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

As home child care providers, we partner with New Jersey’s working families to care for their children while providing flexible hours and a safe & loving environment. In 2007 we won the right to organize a union and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement. Our first contract was a huge victory and now we’re negotiating a second contract that will increase our wages AND our ability to provide the children we care for with the necessary resources to be successful in their lives. We’re just two of 2,000 home child care providers in New Jersey earning wages so low we could qualify for taxpayer-funded public assistance programs. In fact, home child care providers contracted by the state of New Jersey to care for the children of working parents, haven’t received a raise in over five years. Some of us have degrees in education and early childhood development – and all of us work upwards of 50 or 60 hours each week. We’re also classified as “independent contractors” which prevents us from accessing workers’ compensation, unemployment, social security retirement or even basic health care coverage. We struggle to make ends meet – not just for our own families – but also for the children we care for. We frequently pay out-of-pocket for food and basic supplies…even diapers! Many of us also take on the important work of caring for physically and developmentally disabled children who require more attention, extra support and additional resources. As hard-working professionals who care for New Jersey’s next generation we deserve to earn enough to provide basic needs for our own families. We also deserve the resources and support that the children we care for require to be successful in all the developmental stages their lives. Please support our efforts and tell the New Jersey Department of Human Services, to negotiate a fair contract for home child care professionals! Sincerely, Shawanda Jones-Velez, Newark, NJ Danisia Valadez, Passaic, NJ Professional Child Care Providers in New Jersey

The existing requirements of CCD-55 are not adequate to protect abutting neighbors from negative impacts or create the type of projects that realize this neighborhood's vision for new development.

Be concerned about the issue because it could be you! There could always be a time when you need assistance because your monetary benefits have decreased. Better yet, it could be a family member or friend who needs food assistance! Please help! Advocate for those who do not have!

On April 3, 2005, Sabrina was born to Nancy Hey. She weighed 7 lb. 4 oz. Mother and baby were released from the hospital on April 5, 2005. On April 8, 2005, Ms. Hey took Sabrina to the pediatrician for a regular post-birth follow-up. The baby had lost weight (from 7lb. 4oz. to 6lb. 12oz.) so the pediatrician recommended supplementation with formula (Ms. Hey was nursing) and a follow-up visit several days later. Ms. Hey saw the pediatrician three more times after that initial visit. Although Sabrina%u2019s weight only dropped to 6 lb. 10 oz., she did not exhibit a sustained weight gain. As a result, on that third visit, the doctor who saw Ms. Hey and Sabrina indicated that Sabrina%u2019s weight loss and lack of sustained weight gain was more significant than Ms. Hey had been led to believe and he instructed Ms. Hey to admit Sabrina to the hospital. So, on April 16, 2005, Sabrina and Ms. Hey were admitted to Virginia Hospital Center. Sabrina was admitted with a failure to thrive diagnosis. After increasing the amount of formula used to supplement Ms. Hey%u2019s breast feeding, Sabrina gained weight. On April 19, Ms. Hey was visited by a social worker from the Arlington County Child Protective Services. On April 20, Ms. Hey and her live-in companion, Kit Slitor, (not the biological father of the baby) were compelled to sign a %u201CSafety Plan%u201D presented to them by the Arlington County CPS social worker. They were informed a refusal to sign would prevent the baby from being discharged. The following day, Ms. Hey and Sabrina were released from the hospital. On the date of release, Sabrina weighed 7 lb. 5 oz. On April 22, the social worker and one or more home nurses visited the family. The social worker returned the next day, Saturday, April 23; however, Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor refused her entry, stating they wanted a %u201Ctime out%u201D while they retained legal counsel (a letter to that effect was handed to the social worker). Over the weekend they sought, and by Monday morning they retained, an attorney who immediately attempted to contact the social worker. (Another attorney who is a friend had attempted to contact the social worker over the weekend.) Notwithstanding the fact that counsel managed to speak to the social worker sometime late Monday morning, the social worker went forward with a request for an Emergency Removal Order which was granted. The Order was executed that day, April 25, and Sabrina was placed in foster care. At the time of removal, Sabrina weighed 8 lb. 1 oz., a 12 oz. gain from April 21 the day on which Sabrina was released from the hospital. On May 2, the Court made a finding of abuse and neglect and ordered psychological evaluations for both Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor. Those evaluations, which were performed by individuals hired by the County, occurred over the course of the next two weeks. Following those evaluations, a Foster Care Service Plan was developed by the County. The Plan%u2019s stated goal was %u201Creturn home%u201D and it imposed several obligations on the parents, all of which they have complied with. On July 5, the Foster Care Service Plan was presented to the Court and accepted. Although visits were occurring between Sabrina and Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor, they did not occur on a set, regular schedule. The visits that did take place, took place at the County offices and were only approximately one hour in duration and usually no more than twice a week, although some weeks there was only one visit. By early September, for all intents and purposes, the visits had ceased, because Sabrina had exhibited increasing signs of distress. At a follow-up hearing on October 25, the Court ordered that a home visit occur. That visit occurred three days later, on October 28, after which both sides submitted to the Court memoranda summarizing the visit. On November 14, the Court issued a letter ordering that visits continue to occur in the parents%u2019 home. One such additional visit occurred, on November 23, approximately a month after the previous in-home visit. Those two visits are the only visits Ms. Hey had been able to participate in since late August/early September. Mr. Slitor, whom the County wanted to evaluate as the potential primary caretaker since Ms. Hey had been ruled out by the County as such, did have several short visits on his own in October and one in December. (It should be noted that Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor got married in October.) At a follow-up hearing in late November, the Court ordered both sides to submit a plan for facilitating the goal of return home, which both sides did. In mid-December, the Court informed both sides that it had accepted the plan submitted on behalf of Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor, which contemplated regular, frequent visits with increasing duration accompanied by instruction from a qualified home-based services provider. The Court ordered that all visitation cease until the new reunification process could begin with the new service providers. The Court also ordered that Ms. Hey and Mr. Slitor be financially responsible for the services to be provided. Starting in January, that plan was implemented and the reunification process got underway. Initially, the service providers familiarized themselves with Sabrina and Sabrina with them. They then slowly and carefully reintroduced the parents to Sabrina in an effort to properly restart the attachment process. The visits occurred on a set schedule (3 days a week) in the parents%u2019 home and, as time went on, the duration of the visits steadily increased. During these visits, the parents received parenting instruction and once a week they participated in a parent-infant therapy session. The amount of instruction provided by the home-based workers decreased as time went on. This process continued until approximately June 15, by whic...

New Yorkers were promised the Verrazano Bridge would be free after it was paid for. The bridge was opened in 1964, nearly 50 years later, I'm sure the bridge has been paid for and then some. The toll just keeps increasing, $15.00 to get to another borough?! When will it end? Since I have been using the bridge, the toll has increased at least $2.00 a year. That means by the year 2020 we will be paying nearly $25.00 to get to Staten Island. This has to stop now, tolls need to be cut.

The Engineering Firm hired by the City of Norwalk Ct to plan flood mitigation measures to use tax dollars to rebuild Washington Village in a flood plain when other sites nearby are available state that these measures will have an adverse affect on Ryan Park ,an urban butterfly and bird sanctuary lauded for combating neighborhood obesity by teaching organic gardening and sound nutritional practices