Any cuts will negatively impact Boston students, especially those with special needs who are our most vulnerable students. I am a teacher at Young Achievers School in Mattapan and I am deeply concerned that we will not be able to provide the support our children need if these cuts go through. In fact, we need more resources, not less.

There are approximately 100,000,000 Chronic Pain Patients living in the United States. To treat those hundred million Chronic Pain Patients, there are only 2,500 Pain Specialist. That is 40,000 patients per doctor. As a result, most Chronic Pain Patients end up relying on their Primary Care Physicians to prescribe medications and treatments. With the restrictions on opiates that already exist, many Primary Care Physicians already will not treat Chronic Pain Patients. Added restrictions will only further prevent adequate care and pain relief, and will further stigmatize Chronic pain patients as addicts. Only about 2% of Chronic Pain Patients end up abusing their medications. Chronic pain patients don’t want to have to take these medications any more than a cancer patient wants chemotherapy. But they have no choice. Chronic Pain Patients are the ones who will be the most affected by changes in prescribing guidelines, however they are not the ones abusing, selling, or trafficking these medications. By setting limits on the amount of opiates that can be prescribed, it takes the medications away from the patients that need them most. Chronic Pain Patients are two to three times more likely to commit suicide mostly because of inadequate pain care. Are their lives less valuable than the life of an addict? A solution must be found that treats addiction while still ensuring proper and adequate care for Chronic Pain Patients. We demand that Bernie Sanders change his policy in regards to limiting the amount of opiates prescribed. We also demand that Bernie Sanders sit down with Disabled Americans for Change and representatives from other chronic pain groups to discuss this issue, as well as other concerns held by the disabled community. It is time to acknowledge the disabled and to give them a place not only in your policy, but in your campaign. We demand representation. www.DisabledAmericansForChange.org

I'm starting this petition because progressives deserve to have their voice heard and because MoveOn needs to demonstrate its independence from the Clinton establishment.

To stop animal abuse and neglect in the State of Main, people who are repeat violators should be put on a habitual offenders list so we can stop them from hurting animals!

My son, Shayne, was fired by phone tonight from the job he has wanted for 10 years because he did as he was trained and refused to give anyone anything for free. He was never told that the owner was exempt from this. Therefore, Shayne was fired even though he was doing his job as he was told to do it. He has been an exemplary employee since he started at Palace 9 in November. Please help us!! Shayne loves and needs this job, he lives with us and helps with rent and is starting college in 2 weeks.

I'm outraged by the profiteering and shameless promotion of excess consumption of drugs by pharmaceutical companies. Pfizer is a leading offender. Some doctors and hospitals are pushing back. We can help and encourage them: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-doctors-can-pressure-drug-companies-to-lower-prices-203011567.html

My Huffington Post article 'Bernie Sanders hints Elizabeth Warren as Vice President' has gone viral. In less than 24 hours it has gotten over 40 thousand likes and it is an extremely popular topic of discussion.

People should not have to live with a unfair and unjust conviction for their entire life. Wrongful convictions take away the American Dream for millions, and we must reverse this conduct.

In November 2014, President Obama said about immigration enforcement: "We’ll keep focusing enforcement resources on actual threats to our security. That means felons, not families. That means criminals, not children. It means gang members, not moms who are trying to put food on the table for their kids.” [1] But now the Department of Homeland Security is raiding homes to find and deport hundreds of would-be refugees back to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, where they fled "shockingly high levels of gang and drug violence," as the New York Times put it. The Times has called on the Administration to ensure protection and due process for women and children from Central America who face a chaotic and confusing legal process without adequate legal representation. [2] A Guardian investigation found that some deported to Central America have been murdered within days of their return. [3] Senator Bernie Sanders has written to President Obama and homeland security officials, urging a halt to the deportation raids targeting families that fled violence in Central America. [4] “Raids are not the answer,” Sanders said. “We cannot continue to employ inhumane tactics involving rounding up and deporting tens of thousands of immigrant families to address a crisis that requires compassion and humane solutions.” Sanders suggested extending temporary protected status to the refugees, which would protect them from deportation. Urge President Obama to halt the deportations of women and children fleeing violence in Central America by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/21/remarks-president-immigration 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/opinion/a-shameful-round-up-of-refugees.html 3. http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/12/obama-immigration-deportations-central-america 4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/07/sanders-writes-obama-urges-end-to-recently-started-deportation-raids/

Completely breaking the link between free speech and money is the only foundation on which we can base the necessary reforms to eliminate the abusive power of BIG $$$ Interests. Success in all other reforms from the environment to taxes to bribing our representatives... is almost impossible until we first achieve establish this basis. "We don't have free speech. We can't afford it."

President Obama announced a number of executive actions this week designed to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people. While these are important measures much more needs to be done to stem the tide of gun violence in this country. Our legislators need to do their job and pass meaningful, commonsense gun laws to protect our communities. President Obama has pledged that "I will take every action I can as a citizen. I will not campaign for, vote for, or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support commonsense gun reform" and advises us that "all of us need to demand leaders brave enough to stand up to the gun lobby's lies. All of us need to stand up and protect our fellow citizens. All of us need to demand that governors, mayors and our representative in Congress do their part." We know the only way to change the epidemic of gun violence in this country is to make this a “single issue” during the next election, so I stand with President Obama to demonstrate that "the way Washington changes is when people vote."

As former students and concerned citizens of Mashpee we stand united and demand that the Mashpee School Committee take immediate action to terminate Brian Hyde. The public record has proven that Brian Hyde is unfit to serve in his current role as superintendent.