The students of Eastern Middle School have been crippled with this new problem in the water fountain. Two of the most important water fountains in the school no longer are effective. These are the most commonly used water fountains in the entire school.

We are one of only three states that jointly celebrates the man who fought to end segregation alongside a man who fought for the Confederacy.

This bill is a thinly veiled attempt to allow businesses, institutions and organizations to discriminate against LGBTQ's. It will likely have further reaching ramifications if passed. There is no room in our society for discrimination at any level.

Hillary Clinton made $675,000 for three speeches for Goldman Sachs. So far she has refused to release the transcripts to those paid speeches. Clinton's aides and allies have sought to downplay the need to release her speech transcripts. Her pollster, Joel Benenson, said at a Wall Street Journal breakfast on Feb. 5, "I don't think voters are interested in the transcripts of her speeches." Actually, we are. As voters, we deserve to be well informed about what our candidates do. Therefore, we demand that you release the transcripts to the public immediately.

I'm a MoveOn member that's watched our elections with alarm since the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United. More and more, big money interests have been spending unlimited campaign dollars to promote and protect the special interests of billionaires and big corporations. The President has spoken passionately about the problems with the Citizens United ruling, and right now he has a unique opportunity to give power back to the American people.

To: The Honorable Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin. The Democratic Party nomination should be decided by who gets the most votes, and not who has the most support from party insiders. The superdelegates make up about 15 percent of all the Democratic delegates casting votes for a nominee at the party's summer 2016 convention. There are 712 superdelegates, made up of Democratic elected officials and other prominent party leaders, who have the power to tip the scales. This process is undemocratic and fundamentally unfair to Democratic primary voters. Why does this petition single out Illinois Senator Dick Durbin? The Answer; Common Ground. Flashback to the Iraq War: Senator Dick Durbin (IL), voted against the Iraq War and stated on the Senate floor in April 2007 that as a member of the Senate intelligence committee, he had known in 2002 that US intelligence knowledge did not match the Bush Administration's public case for war. Robert Naiman reported in the Huffington Post, Durbin said. "So, if they didn't want to read the reports themselves, information we had in the intelligence committee was not the same information being given to the American people, I couldn't believe it." Senate Democrats had another option. They could have met with Dick Durbin, and asked him: "That's why we have Democrats on the intelligence committee, to enable that conversation.” Since 21 of the 50 Democratic Senators voted against the Iraq War, including both Dick Durbin and Bernie Sanders, it has become obvious who didn’t do their homework, many of them superdelegates for Hillary. The Democrats have approximately 4,768 total delegates, with about 2,385 needed to win, Clinton's 500 (or so) means she's already one-fifth of the way there, but why? Bernie Sanders has enjoyed a special agreement with the Democratic leadership in the US Senate. He votes with the Democrats on all procedural matters in exchange for the committee seats and seniority that would be available to him as a Democrat. Sanders is free to vote as he wishes on policy matters, but he has almost always voted with the Democrats. Bernie is known as the amendment king because the works across the aisle and has a fine legislative reputation. Fast Forward: Senator Durbin (and others), with the current political gridlock in Illinois, the established politicians are becoming increasingly unpopular, but why? Could it be the privatization of schools (Charter), parking meters, red light cameras, and fewer funds for education and other public programs? Back in 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) went on strike to fight for educational justice. CTU members stated, “We do not intend on taking this anymore." But Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel characterized the protest as "a strike of choice" because, he claimed, "The city has already made an offer that is close to the demands of the union." But in reality, nothing could have been further from the truth. Why were the teachers striking? The Chicago Teachers Union was looking for a contract that included: fairness in pay, protection of benefits, fair evaluation procedure, teacher training, and a timetable for air conditioning. On February 9, 2016 in a move the Chicago School district acknowledged was unprecedented for the middle of a school year, Chicago Public Schools cut millions of dollars from school budgets, forcing principals to refigure their plans with the second semester just underway. In fact, community colleges and universities across Illinois have had their budgets slashed (including Map Grants) in direct connection to the budget gridlock between Governor Bruce Rauner and ultra high-ranking democrat Michael Madigan, many teachers have lost their jobs, and the populace is getting restless. Chicago police dash cam video of Laquan McDonald's final moments, where the 17-year-old is shot 16 times walking away from officers, and certainly did not continue “to approach the officers,” as stated initially by law enforcement. Bernie Sanders said in a statement about Rahm Emanuel back in December of 2015, “Any elected official with knowledge that the tape was being suppressed or improperly withheld should resign. No one should be shielded by power or position.” The truth is, the public call for Rahm Emanuel to resign has come from diverse groups, and his approval rating is dismal. Rahm is also a superdelegate for Hillary Clinton. The time has come for the established members of the Democratic Party to distance themselves from those members with negative approval ratings stemming from manifold scandals. We are calling on Illinois Democratic superdelegates to pledge to support the will of the voters at the Democratic Party convention in Philadelphia. Commit to honoring the voters, and let Illinois know that you won’t allow your vote to defeat our votes. Announce that in the event of a close race, you’ll align yourself with regular voters, not Democratic Party elites. One thing is increasingly clear about the race for the Democratic nomination for president: This is going to be a long primary season, and why pledge allegiance to the status quo if the populace votes for Bernie Sanders. Sincerely, Eric Sterling: IL 16-CD for Bernie, Dekalb Area For Bernie

SHB 1441, the tribal sovereignty and oral health access bill failed to be brought up for a vote on the house floor before cutoff on February 17. Our original petition garnered statewide support from over 1200 individuals in a few short days. Your messages were powerful and have built a sturdy foundation for the work that lies ahead. Why another petition? Throughout this legislative session there were legislators who listened to facts, respected tribal sovereignty, and recognized the enormity of the oral health care barriers in Indian Country. They were the decision-makers who put the needs of kids in pain over the need for a check from the dental industry. Lets keep them with us for the next round by sending a big thank you for their courage and action. We at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board will be moving forward with legislative, congressional and Tribal strategies, standing with those who know what solutions work best for their own communities—the Tribes themselves. We hope we can count on every single one of you in those efforts. Thank you, and onward!

Last June, the Senate approved "Fast Track" procedures for consideration of the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] agreement, by a vote of 60 to 38. [1] 47 Republicans and 13 Democrats voted yes. [2] Under the legislation, once President Obama submits the TPP agreement to Congress, Congress must consider it under expedited (“Fast Track”) procedures, by which the bill can come to the floor without action by the leadership, and can receive a guaranteed up-or-down vote. [3] Now, some of the same Republican Senators who voted for Fast Track for Big Pharma's TPP deal that "will make life-saving treatments unaffordable for those who need them most" [4] are saying there's no hurry to consider confirmation of President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court. If it's left up to these Republican Senators, the "timetable" for confirming President Obama's Supreme Court nominee could be "never." Urge the Senate to support "Fast Track" procedures for confirming President Obama's Supreme Court nomination, similar to the "Fast Track" procedures the Senate approved for considering the TPP, by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/business/trade-pact-senate-vote-obama.html 2. http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/114/senate/1/219 3. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43491.pdf 4. http://msfaccess.org/about-us/media-room/press-releases/there%E2%80%99s-still-time-stop-tpp-cutting-critical-lifeline-affordable-

We just legalized gay marriage last summer, and we are letting (potentially) religious beliefs control our political and civil concerns. Why are we regressing on this now? This needs to stop. EDIT: The bill is Legislative Bill 975, the Child Welfare Services Preservation Act

I have been a victim of this newly introduced program last year, and know others who were affected negatively by it, some by being forced to put their job searches on hold in order to comply, others - by having their access to Career Center resources that would be valuable to them restricted because of low availability due to overutilization by those, forced into the program against their will.

I am a very religious man myself, and it does go against my beliefs to be homosexual. It also goes against my beliefs to treat people as if they weren't human simply because they have different beliefs as me. Jesus would frown upon you if he knew you were using his name to give you an excuse to not let Homosexuals adopt kids.

A close family friend battled with addiction. Years ago, he was arrested and sentenced for possession with intent to distribute. Although he may have had no intention to sell the drug, the amount he had in possession at the time of his arrest led to these charges. After a few years in jail, isolated from family, friends, and social support he was released. My family, his family, and a few friends tried to offer support, but he refused to accept help. He roomed with an old friend and began to isolate himself, we didn't see him for weeks at a time, and he had trouble finding full-time employment and worked in a bar until late at night. Roughly eight months after his release his roommate found him unconcious in his room and called 911. He was not breathing and was rushed to the hospital only to be pronounced dead at arrival. I believe in a fair and just democracy. I believe people should have a second chance and given the appropriate resources to change and attempt a life in recovery. I believe that social support heals and that isolation can worsen mental conditions and addiction. I believe that people have a right to raise their voice to correct an injustice that many individuals have served in the presence of drug addiction and/or social, emotional and physical distress, or mental anguish that are a leading cause of substance abuse.