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

section 8 housing illegally evicting me off of section 8 housing as well as losing everything i owned ripped me off over 100 thousand. and still threaten to take me off of my voucher if they don't stop receiving there illegal paper work as well as legal aids illegal documentation

Nevada Legislature needs to protect medicaid, food stamps, low income housing for Nevada Low Income Seniors, Disabled, and Families living in Nevada! Here is the 2013 Poverty Guidelines Size of family unit Monthly Income Annual 1 Person $ 957.50 $ 11,490 2 People 1,292.50 15,510

My two brothers are veterans, one 20+ years. This has affected him and his family. As a result, he continued to work other jobs to have a decent standard of living. After three tours of Viet Nam and receiving a Purple Heart for bravery, you would think that America would be more supportive and appreciative of his valor for his country.

putting a freeze on childcare for low income families will only hurt the families and the economy more that ever. After all, if childcare funding is taken away what is going to happen to the parents who are bearly making ends meet. They will have to quit their jobs, get on welfare, or worse yet send their child to a babysitter that is not certified, which opens another door regarding child's safety. Keep the kids first. stop the cuts

Yes

I have worked and paid into the system since I came to this country in 1991. On applying for my Social Security benefits I was told I am subject to a windfall elimination of approximately $100 per month simply because I worked in another country and am entitled to receive a pension from that country. I understand there are more than a million people in the U.S. who suffer such a reduction in their paid-for benefits. This provision is antiquated and grossly unfair and should be repealed.

The Postal Service is being unfairly burdened by their pension requirements.

Free public Wi-Fi is to the 21st century what free public schools and free public libraries were to the 20th century. Ref "Washington Post", "The proposal from the Federal Communications Commission has rattled the $178 billion wireless industry, which has launched a fierce lobbying effort to persuade policymakers to reconsider the idea, analysts say."

The 2006 lame duck Congress passed a bill requiring that the USPS fund its employee pensions 75 years into the future within a 10 year time frame. This government overreach into the free market of postal service is bankrupting our US Postal Service. USPS is suspending Saturday mail delivery because of this undue financial burden and in time will go bankrupt altogether. Congress should rescind the 2006 law and let the USPS operate in free market conditions.

There ARE easy things we all can do to generate more revenues for the USPS; and hopefully more postal workers will remain employed.

Universal wifi provided free of charge to the residents of the Commonwealth would stimulate the economy and draw more businesses to locate here. With speeds as much as 200 times faster than the typical commercial offerings, innovation and entrenprenurial activities will be encouraged. It is the wave of the future that Massachusetts should ride ahead of the rest of the country, except of course where it has already been adopted. See Kansas City.