The roads, bridges and power grid in our country are getting too old for comfort. The roads and bridges were made many years ago for less traffic and lighter loads. It is time for totally new construction before more bridges collapse and more people are killed. The insufficient bases are causing roads to crack and buckle. Black outs will be getying worse because of an outdated power grid.

The City of Santa Monica is modifying parking ordinances so that the number of parking spaces required will be reduced significantly. Lack of parking is already negatively impacting businesses and neighborhoods. Increased density in our city is what is creating cars and parking problems, not the number of parking spaces available.

mary mcginniss did not do her job correctly to get money owed to me by social security due to my disabilities, and socialsecurity went along with it, legal aid sarah williams did not want to do her job to fix it to get me what was owed after complaints multiple times, my case worker elaine hsu at social security has every one else take her biddings as she has ignored me and still does many complaints have been made and nothing gets done correctly, my father reggie sears has faut for social security since 1977 for rare blood disease and in 1996 he recieved his social security for a rare blood disease and did not get what was owed to him but social security will not give what is owed when he is 100 percent disabeled disintegrading spine, social security cant do there jobs correctly even when making complaints to the head office they know they are wrong and nothing gets done about it. and we have to keep paying for it what will be done lets get it fixed.

I'm in the middle of a custody battle for my children. The state of Ohio has done every thing in their power to steal my children and have me write a check to raise them.

The programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc. helps those of us especially when we are in need. We cannot ignore the elderly, all of us at one point will age and in need of these programs, too. Food stamps are great to have available in case their is a need, everyone participates into putting money into these programs in case we ever need some help. I personally will be retiring this year, and look forward to getting funds that I put into it for the years I worked...I also want to live the remainder of my retired years without having to worry how I am going to pay my bills.

Dramatically increased life spans require that we make common sense adjustments to Social Security and Medicare. Proposed solutions that "grandfather" everyone over 55 show political cowardice, are divisive, and assume those of us closer to retirement aren't willing to share in the sacrifice. I believe all age groups love this country and are willing to pitch in as long as they feel the sacrifice is equally shared. Since raising the retirement age disproportionately affects the poor, equal sacrifice would call for eliminating the Social Security and Medicare payroll caps. This would ensure all Americans contribute the same percentage of their income (whether from work or investments) to these programs. Finally common sense dictates that these programs should be means-tested so that benefits are not automatically paid to those fortunate enough to not need them.

Since its inception, the Illinois I-Pass program has been run by a nameless 3rd party company that was awarded the contract by the Blagojevich administration. All of these years later, their I-Pass website still features the same crude out of date functionality that prevents I-Pass users from resolving simple issues without a phone call to their customer service center to wait on hold for extended periods, which costs Illinois taxpayers unnecessary funds. In addition, this company's system has also been prone to billing errors whereas they have charged many I-Pass user's credit cards in error. They also hold user's funds as "deposit" for years on end. It's time to bring the Illinois I-Pass system into the 21st Century by opening up the I-Pass contract to bids from other companies who can operate I-Pass more efficiently for less burden on Illinois taxpayers.

The Post Office, Save Social Security, medi-care and medi-cade

Many Texans with special needs cannot receive funding to live in their communities at lower costs due to the monies being spent on 13 state living centers which are soaking up millions of medicaid dollars. Save medicaid dollars and allow freedom of choice.

Many people walk across Light St at E Henrietta St and Warren Ave in Federal Hill every day -- walking their kids to school, heading to work, going up to the Park, walking their dogs, pushing strollers, to the shops on Charles St. This crossing is dangerous because of the staggered ways E Henrietta St and Warren Ave intersect with Light St. There is no crosswalk, and because of on-street parking, you have to edge out into traffic to see oncoming vehicle traffic clearly. Further, because Henrietta is a popular route out of the neighborhood to Russell St and the highways, vehicles coming from Warren have to perform an awkward zig-zag, which is risky and unpredictable (are they going to turn on to Henrietta or continue on Light?) to walkers in the intersection. Map: http://i.imgur.com/A3tXtAY.jpg Pedestrian safety and traffic calming physical improvements are necessary to continue to make this popular intersection safe for our community. Here is a very crude illustration of the proposal: http://i.imgur.com/rExdJ9I.jpg

The present disability determination process is inaccurate. Full of paperwork & repetition. Physician reports are normally completed by non professional office staff "interpreting" physician files. Determinations are made by team members who have no personal knowledge of the capabilities & limitations of the applicant. Determination reports often contain damaging errors. In my case, my letter of denial cited a report from a doctor & location I never heard of. Among other discrepancies in the letter, it was stated that I had a sound memory. My application made 13 references to my poor memory. I phoned my contact person to inform her of the errors. Her response was insistent & firm: That's what the team decided; you can appeal. I was reporting a decision based on blatantly false information - errors on their part; but still had to go through the routine appeal process. Nonchalant staff incompetency cost me big time: I lost my life savings & lost precious time in slowing progression of another medical condition that was developing. While I waited, actually ineligible applicants began receiving benefits. Disability determination reform will save billions of tax dollars now spent on fraudulent beneficiaries & needless repetitive ineffective processes, & will greatly expedite the provision of medical care & basic needs income to those who are actually unable to work. Staff & resources need to be redirected from incessant repetitive paperwork, mailings, & appeals to direct contact between applicants & staff, requiring only one swift decision based on actual fact. At this point the vast majority of legitimate applicants end up appealing initial applications twice before being approved. Worse yet, some applicants who clearly can't hold a job, run out of appeals & must wait to submit another initial application & go through the whole process again. Citizens who have worked & paid taxes & become unable to work deserve an accurate timely disability determination process. Tax payers shouldn't have to pay taxes for inefficient repetitive determinations & for Social Security Income & Medicare for hundreds of thousands of ineligible beneficiaries. Please help me convince the White House & Congress to begin taking action - to go after beneficiary fraud & revamp the disability determination process. Of note: going after Medicare Provider fraud has already saved billions of dollars. PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION NOW.

Mayor Bloomberg refuses to adequately fund our public libraries unless they sell off assets including crown jewels of the system, a plan that is wrong-headed and counterproductive.   We are in a period of steadily increasing use of libraries by all sectors of New York’s population, attendance is up 40% and circulations are up 59%, while the amount required to properly fund libraries is a pittance compared to other city expenditures.      Public libraries enrich their communities and are an important part of the tax base and a stable economy, providing jobs, community space and serving as a buffer against economic downturn.   They provide a safe haven for seniors during the day, teens after school, for parents with young children, for job seekers needing computers, for the growing number of freelance professionals, and for those needing literacy and technical skills.   Bloomberg’s plan would eliminate irreplaceable and historic crown jewels, such as the research stacks underneath the main 42nd Street library, and demolish Brooklyn Heights Art Deco style building, housing 62,000 square feet of library space replacing it with only 15,000 square feet of space in a developer’s high rise.  The removal of the Brooklyn Business Library from Brooklyn’s central business district in downtown Brooklyn, the hub of commerce, transportation, and next to universities is a travesty.  These are just two examples of a scheme to shrink New York’s public library system, eliminating resources that communities depend on.   We need to immediately halt real estate deals that involve selling any more branches to private developers until the libraries have been properly funded and until the needs of the public’s library system are the first priority. Libraries should not be hostages for development.  The city should cease the practices of bribing the public into approving bigger and denser development and pressuring communities into accepting libraries housed in smaller spaces with fewer services. Developer-driven partnerships that put developers in the driver’s seat and render competitive bids meaningless are bad public policy that must be avoided.  The practice of using developers who specialize in insider deals, who treat the communities poorly and have a record of failing to deliver promised benefit violates the public trust. There should be no elimination or sale of irreplaceable assets such as the crown jewel research stacks under the 42nd Street main library or elimination of the Business and Career Center Library on the border of Brooklyn Heights and downtown Brooklyn. There should be no premature library closings such as Donnell library, closed in 2008 and still awaiting a replacement.  Any library closing should have a binding contract for its prompt replacement with solid assurances, including full up-front payments and financing in place.   There should be no mass sell-offs of libraries.  Sales of library properties, if any, should be sequenced so that multiple libraries are not closed at the same time and only when it is in the best interest of the public's library system. “The knowledge of different literature frees one from the tyranny of a few”  -Jose Marti   Plaque on 41St Library Walk   New York’s libraries, the lifeblood of a democracy, have contributed to making our city economically vital and a cultural powerhouse.  We must not sacrifice it to shortsighted planning and the interests of powerful developers. We demand protection for public libraries, the city’s trusted place to learn, grow, be inspired, and connect with great minds.   Relevant articles: • New York Times: Critic’s Notebook- In Renderings for a Library Landmark, Stacks of Questions, by Michael Kimmelman, January 29, 2013.  • Wall Street Journal: Undertaking Its Destruction, by Ada Louise Huxtable, December 3, 2012. • Noticing New York: New City-Wide Policy Makes Generation Of Real Estate Deals The Library System’s Primary Purpose, by Michael D. D. White, January 31, 2013.   • Center For An Urban Future: Report - Branches of Opportunity, by David Giles, January 2013