The FDA has ruled that all vape technology is considered tobacco products. This means that small businesses and thousands of jobs that can't afford to pay the millions of dollars in testing will be lost and the FDA will earn more money from giant tobacco companies and big pharmaceutical companies. We must stop this over-step. This ruling means that the vaping industry will come to a grinding hault and many people who have successfully quit smoking will be forced back to cigarettes. This means more money for big tobacco and more money to big pharmaceutical companies. We finally have a safer solution to the smoking epidemic, but our government ignores this fact because it will lose money. Millions of lives can be saved with this new technology, yet the FDA is seeking to stop it before it can be widely accepted. I urge our local, state, and federal governments to fight back towards the FDA and tell them that this kind of obstruction will not stand.

At the age of 10, Rosa Silk's son, Brandon, started having an allergic reaction to an ingredient in Unilever’s popular Axe Body Spray. For eight years, she's been struggling to keep her son, an otherwise happy and healthy young man, in school and out of hospital emergency rooms due to one harmful word in this product: “fragrance.” After many years researching what ingredients might be causing Brandon’s severe reactions, they still have no idea of exactly which chemicals are being used in Axe Body Spray, or what ingredients are causing the problem, because the manufacturer refuses to disclose the fragrance ingredients. Although it's just one little word on an ingredient label, fragrance can contain dozens, even hundreds, of chemicals—including known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, environmental toxicants and other chemicals of concern. In fact, fragrance allergies affect two to 11 percent of the general population. This translates into tens of millions of people that are globally affected by fragrance and studies suggest that this chemical sensitivity is on the rise. Without required fragrance ingredient disclosure, it is impossible for consumers to avoid problematic ingredients or for researchers and regulators to understand the full universe of ingredients used to formulate cosmetic products. On behalf of Brandon and others affected by this life-threatening issue, please help us tell Unilever to disclose all fragrance ingredients on their labels!

The Democratic National Convention's Platform Committee will prepare the platform stating the Democratic Party's stance on a wide range of policy issues. [1] For example, it is likely to state the party's stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement [TPP], and could state whether a vote on the TPP should occur in a lame duck session of Congress after the election. Both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have stated their opposition to a lame duck vote on the TPP. [2] To ensure that the Democratic Party Platform reflects the views of the majority of Democrats, it is crucial that Bernie Sanders supporters be fairly represented on the Platform Committee and the Rules Committee. Urge Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz to work with Sen. Jeff Merkley and Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chairs Keith Ellison and Raul Grijalva to ensure fair representation for Bernie Sanders supporters on the Platform Committee and the Rules Committee by signing our petition. References: 1. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/1f5a37abda654bfdad8b53309d36b475/sanders-wants-supporters-represented-party-convention 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-does-not-back-obama-trade-vote-in-post-election-congressional-session/2016/05/05/ce94f76e-12d7-11e6-8967-7ac733c56f12_story.html

HB 386 is working its way to the Governor in Louisiana. This bill would extend the mandatory waiting period for an abortion to 72 hours. Under the bill, women who live as far as 149 miles away from a clinic would be forced to drive over three hours to the clinic, take three or more days they may not have off of work, and find child care and a motel room to sit and wait out the government's intrusive clock. All for a common, safe procedure that 1 in 3 women will undergo. But some women cannot wait this long due to personal need or medical circumstance, and those who can will travel to other states. That means waiting periods for everyone. States that have passed similar laws have wasted millions defending them in court also, and Louisiana is about to do the same. Aren’t we in a budget crisis? Governor Bel Edwards and the legislature should focus on fixing the budget rather than attacking women.

Whereas, On October 18th, Corey was shot by officer Nouman Raja while Corey was waiting for a tow truck. Corey, who is a churchgoing man, had just finished a band gig when plain clothed Officer Nouman Raja pulled up in his unmarked car and murdered Corey. We demand the arrest of Nouman Raja. We demand a full investigation. We demand that Nouman Raja be brought to trial for justice for the murder of Corey Jones.

The Governor of Georgia is proposing to change the constitution of Georgia to allow the state to control and takeover schools in high minority and improvished areas. If this law passes it will allow resegregation of these schools by putting them into one district and labeling them all as failing

Voting machines have been proved over and over again to be anything but perfect. Votes can be recorded incorrectly or not all by malfunctioning machines. Confirmation screens and paper receipts let voters know that their votes are being counted and correctly. Confirmation screens and paper receipts can also help catch malfunctioning machines so they can be taken offline before even more votes are incorrectly recorded. At my polling place in Pickens County on February 27th, 2016, there was no accountability from the machines used for the primary election. Through contact with the local election board it was revealed that such machines are being used across the state of SC. Voters deserve to know their vote was cast correctly and should be provided with machines that provide confirmation screens and receipts. In SC, an Independent running presidential candidate must gather 10,000 signatures to be added to the state ballot. We hope to reach at least that many signatures of SC residents to present this petition to the election board.

The assertion that people from different races do not possess equal music ability is inaccurate, extremely offensive and counter to the values we as music teachers and music teacher educators hold most dear. We would like to see the government create a task force to address diversity in music education that will construct a list of timely, actionable, constructive goals for addressing issues of inclusion in the music education profession.

Creating awareness to the community about how the effects of being happy with yourself can benefit a person physically, emotionally, and mentally. It will stop society's views on the human body. Staying positive in any situation is key! Men and Women should each be happy with the body they have and love every inch of it. In 2015 students from around the world participated in the 'Science of Happiness' experiment created by the Greater Good of Science Club. Throughout the 10 weeks as the students were involved in more activities that made them feel good, their outlook on themselves also changed. They felt more confident to take more risks, try new things, and become leaders in their community spreading awareness of how important happiness is. It is important for young boys and girls to accept themselves in who they are so that they can begin breaking down walls and creating successful paths to the new generation. Be happy with your eyes, nose, tummy, heart, smile, and laugh. You are you and you are great!

MARTA has outsourced its paratransit service before. The result was so horrible that the federal government issued an injunction against MARTA under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which MARTA is still not in compliance with today! MARTA Mobility, the only means of transportation for many of our city's most challenged citizens, is too important to be experimented with again. Cutting the pension and benefits of low-wage workers, and hiring new workers at even lower wages, will not improve the quality of MARTA Mobility service. Changing the eligibility process and adding new hurdles to disabled people applying for MARTA Mobility will not improve the quality of the service. County Commissions appoint MARTA Board members and approve public funds for MARTA. I am watching this issue, and related MARTA ballot initiatives, closely.

As a person of color, I'm not always startled by racism. The two Jimmy John's commercials that I saw back-to-back did shock me , though. They both play on stereotypes about Hispanics and Asians that are openly racist.

Since he was appointed in 2012 by Governor Jerry Brown, Mr. Chet Widom has repeatedly violated the law that says he cannot decrease access standards that were first enacted in California in 1981. These early access standards set a high level of accessibility that greatly shaped the Americans with Disabilities Act. As someone who has represented the disability community for 40 years in California’s development of access standards, I have never witnessed such blatant violations of law. Nor have I ever seen such a shut-out of the disability community from any meaningful participation in the development of state regulations - regulations that impact the daily lives of people with disabilities. Please sign this important petition!