There are already enough bullies in the lunchroom. Now some members of the U.S. House are effectively trying to take our kids' lunch money—by putting forward a bill that guts school lunch programs. An ill-advised update to the Child Nutrition Act came out late last month that jeopardizes free and reduced school lunch for millions of children. This legislation is moving quickly, and we need to stop the provisions that could lead to empty stomachs from coast to coast. Taking away kids' school lunches is being hailed as the fiscally responsible thing to do, even when we know the opposite is true. When students are hungry they can't learn. Providing lunch to children whose families are struggling with food insecurity is a simple investment to make sure that those children are learning. It's just common sense. The House Child Nutrition Re-authorization Bill includes sneaky provisions that would gut the school lunch program -- and would roll back years of progress. [1] If passed, more than 7,000 schools would have their school lunch eligibility revoked. And those more than 7,000 schools? They serve more than 3 million kids [2] Help us stop this bill by telling your representative to stand up for hungry kids. [1] http://goo.gl/I85mAI [2] http://goo.gl/YU5Z7I

Mohamedou Slahi has been unlawfully imprisoned for 14 years by the U.S. government. Thirteen of those years have been at Guantánamo Bay prison, where he was subjected to gruesome torture. The U.S. has never charged Slahi with a crime. The U.S. government's justifications for holding Slahi fail because he has never taken part in any hostilities against the United States. And he poses no threat to the United States. A former chief military prosecutor in the Guantánamo military commissions, Colonel Morris Davis, has said he couldn’t find any crime with which to charge Slahi. In 2010, a federal judge ordered Slahi’s release, rejecting the government's arguments since evidence was tainted by torture and coercion or was otherwise not credible. But the government appealed. The U.S. is currently holding him indefinitely despite his innocence. Soon Slahi will have the Periodic Review Board hearing he should have had four years ago, where he can prove he’s not a threat to the United States. Will you urge the Department of Defense to free Slahi?

With 1,526 overdose deaths in Massachusetts in 2015, we need to leave no stone unturned in combating the opioid crisis. One easy to way to make it harder to move drugs in Massachusetts? Make it a lot harder to move the money. Most businesses have nothing to hide, but if you do have something to hide, it's easy: You just set up an anonymous shell company -- which in America, requires less personal information than it takes to get a library card. Since you don't even have to report who owns the company, anonymous shell companies are a favorite tool to hide all sorts of unsavory behaviors, from terrorism and drug cartels to tax dodging. “Shells are the No. 1 vehicle for laundering illicit money and criminal proceeds,” explained Lanny A. Breuer, former Asst. U.S. Attorney General to the New York Times. [1] Much of the opioids that are trafficked in Massachusetts come from drug kingpins based in Mexico or Colombia. [2] The biggest of Mexico’s drug gangs is the Los Zetas cartel. From 2008, the Zetas used anonymous companies, including from Oklahoma, in a scheme to launder millions of dollars of drug money into the United States, with the true ownership hidden behind front-men. The money was hidden behind the purchase of race horses, some of whom were given names such as ‘Number One Cartel’ and ‘Morning Cartel’. [3] The Government Accountability Office estimates of the $39 billion in drug money leaves the country each year. Of every $100 that goes south, U.S. law enforcement officers intercept only 25 cents. [4] The ease of money laundering makes it all that much easier to flood our streets with cheap drugs. As Massachusetts communities deal with public health problem created by the rising opioid crisis, we can also help make it harder to launder money through shell companies. But given how money is hidden in shell companies, there is a lot of pressure to maintain the status quo. That's why we need people like you to speak out. 1. http://goo.gl/3JhHc4 2. https://goo.gl/4UNWf1l 3. https://goo.gl/Hz8Tb3 4. http://goo.gl/WXbbTo

Free and Fair Elections are the foundation of every Democracy, along with education. The two party system is archaic, outdated and easily corruptible. I'm asking for you support in ending the Electoral College, and giving Americans an easier path to participate. Rank Voting, which requires a simple majority, would increase participation, expand dialogue and end the feeling that many of us have, of either holding our noses or wasting our votes. We've heard testimony of Voting Machines being rigged, votes being stolen and citizens being excluded and disenfranchised. If we are to bother with a democracy at all, it most be equal and fair for all.

Exposure to radon can cause multiple kinds of cancer; allowing the use of Lake Michigan water to replace radon contaminated water can literally save lives. And the water will be returned to the lake, allowing for no net loss of water from the Lake Michigan watershed.

As Americans, we are proud of our history of freedom and representation. However, through the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. has funded the genocide of innocent Yemenis. It is time we investigate the use of the weapons we sell, as the U.K. has done, and end the funding of genocide in Yemen. Watch our advertisement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0MFtmTX1j0&feature=youtu.be

Two years ago 37 Main was established in Johns Creek, GA. The live entertainment venue was then given the green light to open by city officials in the commercially zoned area. The city is now changing the "rules" and ticketing the establishment for noise violations. However, there is currently not a noise reading of dB levels in Johns Creek. We are asking for your support to help get this resolved with the city as a fair reading of dB levels like the ones used in surrounding area cities.

I'm starting this petition because this refugee crisis is a real problem. Refugees have to take a deadly journey to find a safe place to live. And most of these refugees get sent back to their country. PLEASE help solve this problem.

I'm personally affected by any child unfairly treated as something they're not. A child is a child not an adult; they do not have the mindset, understanding, comprehension nor self-control as an adult is expected to have. Despite the actions of the juvenile, trying them as adult is an injustice and is unjustifiable.

Some Facts About 2,4-D: 2,4-D was first used in the United States in the 1940s. Agent Orange, an herbicide used during the Vietnam War, contained both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. Pets may be exposed to 2,4-D if they touch grass or other plants still wet from spraying and then groom their feet or fur, if they drink the pesticide, or possibly if they eat grass that has been treated with 2,4-D. Dogs may be more sensitive to 2,4-D than other animals. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared 2,4-D a possible human carcinogen, based on evidence that it damages human cells and, in a number of studies, caused cancer in laboratory animals. More conclusive is the proof that 2,4-D falls into a class of compounds called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, compounds that mimic or inhibit the body's hormones. Dozens of epidemiological, animal, and laboratory studies have shown a link between 2,4-D and thyroid disorders. There are reports that 2,4-D can decrease fertility and raise the risk of birth defects. But even though fetuses, infants, and children are at highest risk of these, no studies have looked directly at the effects of 2,4-D on those groups. Also problematic: 2,4-D sticks around in the environment. Depending on the formulation, it can drift through the air from the fields where it is sprayed or be tracked inside homes by pets or children. By the EPA's own measure, 2,4-D has already been detected in groundwater and surface water, as well as in drinking water. It can also poison small mammals, including dogs who can ingest it after eating grass treated with 2,4-D. Sources of the Above Facts: (https://www.nrdc.org/stories/24-d-most-dangerous-pesticide-youve-never-heard) (http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/24Dgen.html)

The UW Board of Regents’ insufficient action on the matters of tenure and Civil Service changes dramatically affects the entire state by stifling the ability of the UW (as a statewide entity) to serve its historic mission of being committed to the “search for truth” and to “improve the human condition”.

Governor Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature eliminated IRIS, the nation's largest self-directed services program, in the 2015-2017 WI state budget when they voted to completely overhaul our long-term care system in favor of big insurance taking over. The people did not want this and aging and disability experts advised against it. The WI Department of Health Services & legislators said this overhaul had to happen to control costs. Facts show that this is not true. Health care costs, the real cost-driver, can be addressed without disrupting our long-term care system. We ask the legislature to listen to the people & the experts and to follow the facts, not the big insurance lobby. Please Save IRIS and leave Family Care alone.