John McCain is one of seven current Republican Senators who voted in 1997 to confirm Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, the second most important court in the nation. The then-Republican Senate confirmed Garland 76-23. Maine Senator Susan Collins is another of the seven remaining Republicans who voted to confirm Garland in 1997. Now, Senator Collins is one of two Republican Senators calling for a vote on President Obama's nomination of Judge Garland to the Supreme Court. But John McCain has been silent. [1] The other Republican Senator calling for a vote on the Garland nomination is Illinois Senator Mark Kirk, who told a Chicago radio station his colleagues should "man up" and vote. [2] Urge "Straight Talk McCain" to join Susan Collins and Mark Kirk in calling on Senate Republican leaders for a vote on the nomination of Judge Garland by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.bostonherald.com/news/national/2016/03/senate_gop_in_1997_playing_politics_with_judges_is_unfair 2. http://www.wlsam.com/2016/03/21/kirk-protesters-despite-support-of-vote-on-scotus-nominee/

The NRA leadership is once more trying to flex its corporate muscles where it should NOT: By actively working to derail the U.S. Senate confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate really needs to hear from us, because by outward appearances the NRA shenanigans seem to be working. On Fox News Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell actually said: “[I] can’t imagine that a Republican majority in the United States Senate would want to confirm…a nominee opposed by the National Rifle Association...” Was McConnell implying that gun industry lobbyists like the NRA leadership have the power to advise and consent on Supreme Court confirmations? Outrageous! Tell Leader McConnell and the U.S. Senate that gun industry lobbyists like the NRA should not be permitted to dictate who sits on the U.S. Supreme Court and that the Senate should do its job and move forward on Judge Garland’s confirmation now!

The Maryland General Assembly wanted to strengthen our state's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which helps working people who struggle to make ends meet. But then, some legislators introduced language that would give a tax break to the wealthiest 1% of Marylanders while giving the rest of us almost nothing. We need to stop this corrupted version of the EITC before it passes the House of Delegates and pass one that helps those who are truly in need.

For months, thousands of Maricopa County, Arizona voters had been eagerly awaiting their opportunity to vote in the primary election on March 22, only to learn upon arrival that their polling station had been closed with no notice. With record turnouts in previous primaries this year, it is unconscionable why Helen Purcell would choose to cut the number of polling station locations by more than two-thirds, other than to deliberately suppress voter turnout. Adding insult to injury, Helen Purcell is blaming voters for the lines, issuing a statement saying that voters could have cast their vote early. Send a message to Helen Purcell that voter suppression will not be tolerated! Recall Helen Purcell!

In English We, Russian -speaking residents of Hallandale Beach, would like the city to consider building an A-rated, academically intense, K-12 Russian-immersion school. Such a school will allow our Russian speaking children to stay connected to their roots, and help native English speakers learn about Russian culture, thereby promote collaboration and enforce unity within our diverse community. Over the past 5 years the Russian community of Hallandale Beach has tripled its size. Each year there are more young families moving into the neighborhood. Hallandale Beach offers affordable housing, excellent infrastructure, beautiful new parks, beaches, and much more. Hallandale Beach is known to Russian-speaking communities around the world as not only the vacation-destination but also as a potential relocation destination. However, there is a great need for an A-rated school. There are only 3 A-rated Broward public/charter K-8 schools in proximity of Hallandale Beach: Beachside Montessori Village, HAAS, and Ben Gamla. Each of those schools have large waitlists and are very hard to get into. There are no A-rated High schools in the vicinity. Families with older children entering middle school and with the prospect of high school in the future three years, choose to move to better school districts such as Aventura, Boca Raton, Weston, or Davie. If such a school existed in Hallandale Beach, it would encourage many hard working families that want the best for their kids to stay in Hallandale Beach and encourage other families to move to Hallandale Beach. In Russian Мы, русско-говорящие жители Халландейл Бич, очень заинтересованы в открытии академически сильной школы с русским уклоном. Школа такого типа позволит нашим русско-говорящим детям не забывать их корни, а также, у англо-говорящих детей появится возможность познакомиться и изучить русскую культуру, что укрепит дружеские отношения в нашей разноязычной общине. За последние пять лет, русско-говорящие население в Халландейл Бич удвоилось, а может быть и утроилось. Каждый год все больше и больше молодых семей переезжает в наш район. Халландейл Бич имеет дома и квартиры за приемлемые цены, отличную инфраструктуру, великолепные новые парки, пляжи, и многое другое. Халландейл Бич известен русско-говорящему населению мира, не только как место для отпусков, но также как реальный вариант переселения в данный район. Тем не менее, в Халландей Бич есть огромная необходимость в открытии сильной школы, которая сможет получить высший бал 'А'. В Броварде существуют только три школы, от детского сада до 8 класса, с высшим белом 'А', которые находятся недалеко от города Халландейл Бич: Beachside Montessori Village, HAAS, и Ben Gamla. В эти школы нашим детям трудно попасть из-за длинной очереди ожидания. Семьям, у которых дети должны перейти из начальной школы в среднюю, а затем и в старшие классы, приходится переезжать в такие районы, как Авентура, Бока Раtон, Вестон или Дейви, поскольку в тех районах есть отличные школы. Конечно, существуют и частные школы, но большинство семей не имеют финансовой возможности дать детям частное обучение.

In 1946, U.S. coal miners faced the prospect of a long strike that could have hampered our nation’s post-war economic recovery. The government took action, signing the historic Krug-Lewis agreement, which created a welfare and retirement fund in cases of sickness, permanent disability, death or retirement. Knowing the dangers of the industry, Krug-Lewis also created a separate medical and hospital fund. Over the past century, nearly 105,000 miners were killed on the job and another 100,000-plus have died from black lung disease. These workers accepted less in wage increases and pensions so that more money could be dedicated to their health care in retirement. But as America’s coalfields face depression, companies are filing for bankruptcy and receiving approval to shed their retiree obligations. The United Mine Workers of America Pension Fund lost a significant portion of its value in the Great Recession. With approximately 13 retirees for every active union worker in the coal industry, the fund can’t rely on employee contributions to close its shortfall. To address the financial pain of the situation, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) have introduced legislation—S1714, the Miners Protection Act of 2015—that would amend the Coal Act once again to allow retirees from recently bankrupt companies to get health care from the UMWA Health and Retirement Funds. The bill also would repurpose the balance of an existing appropriation to provide funding to shore up the pension plan. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) has introduced companion legislation in the House.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has affected between 440,000 and 1.3 million people in Brazil. Although transmission has not been documented in the United States, the virus has struck returning travelers. Local cases also have emerged in Puerto Rico and 36 other countries or U.S. territories. In light of recent outbreaks, the number of travelers visiting or returning to the United States with the Zika virus is likely to increase. Short-term strategies for controlling its spread include killing mosquitoes, cleaning up habitats where they breed, encouraging women to consider the advisability of becoming pregnant and restricting travel to countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. But options are slim for some of those who are most at risk. Women in countries with little to no reproductive rights are being told not to get pregnant for two years. In countries like El Salvador, fewer than 10 percent of the population uses birth control, which is hard to obtain and expensive. Abortion laws are so strict that women can be jailed for having a miscarriage. These same countries are placing a huge burden on women who have very little choice. This is a human rights issue and we must combat it. In the long term, we need an initiative for research, treatment and possible vaccine development. When Ebola broke out in the United States in 2014, it highlighted evidence of inadequate worker protections in a privatized health care system driven by profit. Funding to improve our health care infrastructure remains woefully inadequate, and budget cuts have weakened the ability of our universities and research institutions to develop vaccines and preventive measures. The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and USAID have requested $1.9 billion in additional funding from Congress for education, research, development, and vector control efforts. Nevertheless, preparations for full protective measures and monitoring should begin immediately, including implementation of mechanical disinfection devices that help stop the spread of mosquitoes through aviation without utilizing harmful pesticides.

The 2008 financial crisis demonstrated that when the markets aren’t being watched, working people can become victims. While Dodd-Frank reform was a huge step toward fixing regulatory failures within the financial system, more needs to be done. Hedge funds enjoy special tax breaks. But when something goes wrong, everyday Americans pay for it. Our retirement savings are embedded in these funds, and today’s standards fall well short of protecting working families’ hard-earned money. Dodd-Frank gave federal regulators the authority to monitor institutions outside the banking sector and hedge funds need to be at the top of the list. It is time to end the fiction that wealthy investors alone will protect us from the risks these forces pose. Our legislators need to take action.

Retirement security is a crisis we must face head-on. If nothing changes, more than half of today’s working-age households will not be able to maintain their standard of living into retirement. Too many retirees rely only on Social Security. In the private sector, workers have been losing out as pensions have been frozen or cut in favor of less generous 401(k) plans. Half of workers have no retirement plan at all, and far too many have saved little or nothing on their own. Retirees encounter high hurdles in making their savings last throughout their lives. Saving for retirement is a luxury many working families can’t afford. Wages have been essentially flat for decades, and only the very rich have benefited from our nation’s economic growth. The shortcomings of 401(k) plans are glaring. Too many workers are unable to contribute what they need to survive retirement. Fees and expenses are too high. Workers end up making crucial decisions with bad advice or none at all, and there’s no safety net to protect them. Seniors are facing higher costs, but today’s Social Security program isn’t keeping pace. We must reject any calls for cuts and create new plans that fill the evolving needs of all workers and retirees.

Arizona primaries results just don't add up. Voter suppression, DNC fraud and a seemingly lazy Bernie Sander's Campaign are starting to get on real progressive's nerves.

Donald Trump has received nearly $2 billion in free earned media so far in this election – five times as much as Bernie Sanders or Ted Cruz and three times as much as Hillary Clinton. This is happening in part because some of the media have allowed Trump – and only Trump – to call into television shows, rather than appear in person on camera, whenever he wants. This call-in option allows Trump to blanket the airwaves with his message day in and day out. Other candidates have been denied this option, which is unfair and undemocratic. Join us in calling on the major media networks to apply their call-in interview policies equally to all Presidential candidates!

Dear Fellow Massachusetts Residents: I have been working with State Senator Jason Lewis since March of 2013 to get a law passed. If you agree with my proposal, please sign this petition. It will help Representative Michael Day persuade the Joint Committee on the Judiciary to move "An Act to protect the privacy of 911 callers" onto the next stage by May 2. (See below for a link to this bill.) Senator Lewis and Representative Day filed "An Act to protect the privacy of 911 callers" in March 2013, which would protect the privacy of 911 emergency dispatch callers by disallowing public access to recorded 911 calls without the express consent of the original caller. Written transcripts would still be made publicly available upon request, and exemptions for the release of original recordings are provided for law enforcement and court proceedings. In layman’s terms: I believe it to be a violation of someone's privacy for their recorded 911 calls to be aired on the news. Listening to a person in his/her darkest moment seems inappropriate—intrusive and cruel—and airing such a call seems to me to be an example of the media sensationalizing. I believe that to make these folks not only relive those moments but to share them with the general public is unnecessary. A quick Internet search reveals that several states, including Rhode Island, but not including Massachusetts, do, in fact, limit the media’s access to 911 call recordings. Other states have proposed that while 911 calls are public domain, only the transcripts should be accessible to the public, and not the actual emotion-filled recordings. Now I am asking for your help to keep this thing alive. Will you sign today? Thank you! Learn more about the bills: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H1255 Sincerely, Karen M. Lynch Winchester, MA