Every school day, my neighborhood is filled with kids walking to and from David Douglas High School, and every day I worry about their safety. Why? There have been at least 30 traffic deaths in Portland this year. Among those was a teenage boy that was struck and killed crossing the street in Northeast Portland in August. Just a week earlier, a teenage girl was killed by a speeding motorist while crossing SE Hawthorne. It’s important to talk to our children about awareness and safety – but it’s also time for real action to make our streets safe for all. The City of Portland adopted Vision Zero, which aims to move our transportation system toward zero traffic-related fatalities and injuries over the next ten years. However, East Portland still has considerably fewer sidewalks and bike lanes than the rest of the city. We need to do more than talk about safe streets – we need to invest in accessible, safe pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. We can save lives.

Let's think ahead about the common good.

Making derogatory comments about a group of people is not responsible journalism. Giving accurate information to help the people in Haiti through the storm should be a priority and not the time to make racist and demeaning comments.

Medicare Should Include Dental Care Whether or not you're a senior citizen, hopefully, you will be someday. When that happens, you're going to want complete health care. One of the most important, and least covered healthcare costs for seniors is dental care. And yet, dental care is not included in most post-retirement insurance plans, including Medicare. In other plans, it's a very expensive option. Medical research has linked poor dental health to the most serious health hazards including Heart Disease, Diabetes, and many other age-related diseases, including a weakened immune system, which gives rise to Pneumonia, Influenza and other infectious conditions. Improved dental care could help reduce and delay the onset of these serious diseases in this vulnerable segment of our society. If we could reduce the incidence of these diseases, we could significantly reduce illness, reduce the case load on our medical and hospital systems, and promote better, more efficient health care for yourself and your family. Providing dental benefits will improve the overall health of seniors. It will also result in a healthier Medicare and medical insurance system. Sooner or later, that will benefit everyone.

If something "probably" causes cancer, it's time to stop using it. The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified the herbicide glyphosate, commonly sold as Roundup, as a “probable human carcinogen." Americans are being regularly exposed to glyphosate through their air, water, and food – and that’s not right. It's time for the EPA to suspend the use of glyphosate until a meaningful evaluation of the herbicide's carcinogenicity is done. The FDA should also begin monitoring and enforcing tolerance levels for glyphosate residues immediately. Sign the petition to urge EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to protect public health and end the use of Roundup!

Bayer and Monsanto are already giant corporations. If allowed to merge, they would control enormous market share in GMO seeds and related pesticides. This is the latest in a series of big agriculture company mergers — leaving just a few companies with control over the building blocks of our food system. This consolidated market leaves farmers with fewer options and higher prices, and it results in fewer real options for everyone at the grocery store. Monsanto and Bayer already exert outsize influence to downplay the negative consequences of their products, including neonicotinoid pesticides, which harm bees and monarch butterflies, and glyphosate, a probable human carcinogen. Federal regulators should block this merger to prevent further corporate control of our food supply. Sign the petition to the Department of Justice to reject this mega-merger!

There are no rules or laws protecting birds in the food industry; yet 98% of the animals living in factory farms are poultry. The Humane Slaughter Act actually excludes poultry along with other species of animals. That is wrong. All animals need protection.

Chained dogs suffer from the weather, from boredom and loneliness, lack of socialization and other neglect. Chained dogs become twisted around stationary objects and are at risk of attack from other free roaming animals. Dogs are social animals and they should not be chained outside 24/7.

To get my brother out of prison. He has been wrongfully accused.

Some members of Congress are calling for U.S. military action against Russian and/or Syrian military forces in Syria. [1] Under the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution, such U.S. military actions must not occur without a prior vote by Congress to explicitly authorize them. Members of Congress who want the U.S. to take military action against Russian or Syrian military forces in Syria should introduce an authorization for the use of military force to enable these actions so that the proposed military actions can be publicly debated and critiqued before plunging the U.S. into yet another war. Urge your Senators and Representative to insist that Congress debate and vote on an authorization for the use of military force before any U.S. military action against Russian or Syrian forces by signing our petition. References: 1. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/298800-four-military-options-for-obama-in-syria

Developers are proposing new market rate apartments at 2902 Adeline, threatening to increase neighborhood rents, exacerbate parking and traffic problems, and continue the ongoing process of gentrification and displacement in the Bay Area. If our neighborhood is to be developed, the community demands that these negative impacts be mitigated. Through a community-led process involving over 300 people, local residents developed these six demands and sent them to the developers on August 12, 2016. We requested but did not receive a response from the developers within 30 days.

Bill Clinton is an American hero, and a masterful saxaphonist. He is best remembered for balancing the federal budget, negotiating the Oslo Accords, and playing saxophone on Arsenio wearing sunglasses. With 100,000 signatures he will have no choice but to obey the will of the people and play "Baker Street" at his wife's inauguration ball next January.