This petition is designed in order to make an attempt to not have juveniles sentenced to harsh prison sentences. Veronica Bravo is a prime example of a minor being sentenced as an adult, perhaps even receiving a more harsh punishment than some adults. Not only was it a 21-year sentence for a 16-year-old girl, but also of her being violated of some of her rights. Initially, she was interrogated by the authorities without a parent, lawyer, or legal guardian present when first arrested. At which time, she had not been charged as an adult, which still shouldn't make a difference because her age was still 16 years old. When the time came for Veronica to be sentenced, a letter was submitted to the court, or to be more specific, to her judge, basically challenging him to give her an aggravated sentence. In most cases, this would have granted her Change of Venue, but not in this case; she was handed the Super Aggravated sentence for her crime. She has served ten years of a 21-year sentence. In this time, she has done everything that is in her power not only to better herself but to help others as well. She is currently working towards her degree in substance abuse, which will be used to help troubled youth hopefully stay on a better path and for this cycle to not be repeated. Despite being incarcerated, she also helps women further their education by being a tutor. This woman can make an extremely positive impact on many people's lives if only granted the opportunity.

Hate speech and statements supporting and/or encouraging violence don't belong in our public discourse, and much less in Presidential politics. Rep. Cresent Hardy has been silent far too long and it is the responsibility of leaders from all parties to denounce any candidate who uses hateful and violent rhetoric in their public statements. Now is when we need courageous leaders the most. Now is the time for Rep. Cresent Hardy to demonstrate leadership for the constituents of Nevada Congressional District 4.

The Salem Church neighborhood is a quiet residential area comprised of large single family home sites and is zoned low-density residential. The "Project LM" park is planned for an existing homesite lot on a side street called Bonuck Rd. The street is very narrow, windy, and dead ends at neighboring driveways. Richland County Council, spearheaded by Councilman Malinowski, conducted a feasibility study using paid consultants and purchased and planned a waterfront park without any neighbor or community knowledge/input. The county plans to change the current residential zoning to allow for the park, which includes a boat launch, site parking, a fishing pier, kayak & paddle boat rentals, and playground/event area. This park is literally planned to be adjacent to and in the backyards of current residents. There is great concern that the effects of the park will be decreased property values, loitering, water and traffic congestion, and unsupervised activities resulting in safety and security concerns. Additionally, the millions of dollars spent to manage traffic at the intersections of Farming Creek and Salem Church Roads with Highway 6 will have to be reassessed for managing the additional increased volume of traffic. The goal of this petition is to stop the planned park, preserve the current residential zoning, sell the property for residential use only and assist the county in locating a better-suited piece of property for a more suitable community planned county recreation area.

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