On the election trail, we know candidates are hearing the frustration of We the People with the huge amounts of dark money being spent in elections. Voters see that big donors have acquired a megaphone, which is drowning out the voice of ordinary constituents. The need for money to fund their campaigns means politicians have to spend much of their time fund-raising versus speaking to or for their constituents. We ask candidates to endorse I-735. This initiative urges the Washington state congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment clarifying that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations; that spending money is not free speech under the First Amendment; that governments are fully empowered to regulate political contributions and expenditures to prevent undue influence; and that political contributions and expenditures must be promptly disclosed to the public.

As a former Special Education teacher, I believe the children of Flint,Michigan are going to need specially trained teachers to educate them. I am not sure if teaching colleges and universities are prepared. Now is the time to prepare those schools to train teachers. Those teachers need to be in the pipeline now.

Every year around this time, I hear nothing but complaints from others about the schedule disruption of Daylight Savings Time. As a father of young children, I see the negative impacts of this artificial change on mood and temperament. And there are numerous studies linking DST to health risks. Daylight savings time no longer serves any purpose worth the hassle. It's time to stop disrupting our circadian rhythms twice a year for no reason.

As a physician and a human being, I am disgusted by governors refusing #MedicaidExpansion because the constituents affected are too poor and powerless to fight back.

As a physician and a human being, I am disgusted by governors refusing #MedicaidExpansion because the constituents affected are too poor and powerless to fight back.

As a physician and a human being, I am disgusted by governors refusing #MedicaidExpansion because the constituents affected are too poor and powerless to fight back.

On January 1, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would begin apprehending individuals who had deportation orders. They were looking for individuals who had orders of deportation since the summer of 2014 when there were vast amounts of unaccompanied minors who were fleeing Central America. The people that ICE is looking for are specific to a geographic location. They are from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and are individuals who came to the US seeking refuge and protection.

Mitch McConnell and other senators are obstructing the appointment of a Supreme Court Justice...because they want to, and apparently they can. These Senators took an oath to uphold the Constitution. To sue for a writ of mandamus would force these officials to do their job whether they want to or not.

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan has actually done one good thing; it's brought light to the fact that knowingly contaminated water is being pumped into homes across the U.S. For more than a year now, families in regions of North Carolina have fallen victim to the contamination caused by Duke Energy and other large corporations. These people have had to resort to living solely on bottled water for their drinking, cooking and cleaning, and have no alternative for their bathing water. Governor Pat McCrory, a former employee of Duke Energy for 30 years, has ignored these people and has refused to publicly address this issue for far too long! Not only has he allowed these heinous wrongdoings to persist, he has actually lowered the fine over leaking coal ash pits throughout North Carolina from $25 million for just one site, to $7 million for all 14 sites across the state. The health of our citizens needs to start coming before big business! Join me in telling Governor McCrory and the rest of the NC State Legislature, "WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH! WE WILL NOT BE IGNORED ANY LONGER!" For more information and personal stories from those who have been directly affected by this, check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/logan-smith/echoes-of-flint-as-north_b_9486756.html

To equalize health insurance premiums for all Coloradoans who rely on individual policies. Currently, rates vary as much as 50%, making health insurance unaffordable for many in higher cost areas.

Its only proponents are the followers of the billionaire class whom he is against them having it all. For the sake of this and all future generations of Americans, please stand up to them and reject this assault on our natural heritage. By doing so, you will secure a lasting environmental legacy preceding your administration.

BACKGROUND: UGI Utilities has asked the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for approval of a 19.7% rate increase for all UGI natural gas customers. The proposed rate increase will produce approximately $58.6 million to cover costs associated with the distribution of gas to residential and commercial customers. According to UGI, the requested rate hike is being driven, in part, by the cost of replacing outdated bare steel and cast iron distribution lines. This work was required by a PUC order following a deadly 2011 Allentown gas explosion that resulted in the deaths of five people, including one infant. While gas companies have been pocketing profits for years, they now want to reach into the pockets of consumers to cover the costs of what should have been routine and ongoing maintenance. Pipeline replacement should have been covered within the cost of safely operating a gas utility, but as we know, companies are often willing to forego routine maintenance in exchange for profit and at the expense of the consumers. These costs should not be forced onto consumers. UGI is the lead investor in the proposed PennEast/UGI Pipeline, a project with a $1 billion price tag. This project is unnecessary and will not benefit PA Natural Gas Customers who are already enjoying historically low natural gas prices. In fact, the opposite is true. In PennEast’s application to FERC, they claim that this proposed interstate transmission line from Luzerne County, PA, to Mercer County, NJ, which will distribute 1 bcf of natural gas at approximately 1500 psi, is not to serve local communities, but to expand natural gas service to “southeastern Pennsylvania, parts of New Jersey and beyond.” It is this last entity that suggests this natural gas is for exportation, making this rate increase even more disturbing. While UGI aims to expand its service area for profit, it is neglecting the safety and security of its current customer base. Consumers should be forewarned that they will pay for the costs of the proposed PennEast/UGI pipeline if it is approved. The cost of this unnecessary pipeline will be added to any rate increases approved by the PA Public Utilities Commission and will be borne by residential and commercial UGI customers.