Had the minimum wage of 1968 been adjusted for inflation, it would be well above $10.00 an hour today. Productivity has also risen considerably since 1968: The typical worker is almost twice as productive today as he or she was then. Adjusted for both inflation and productivity gains, therefore, the minimum wage should be at least $15.00 an hour. American workers deserve to make a living wage. The President and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have proposed raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour, but the minimum wage should be $15 an hour because: (1) $10.10 an hour isn't enough to lift full-time workers and their families out of poverty; (2) Unlike 45 years ago, today's typical low-wage worker is not a teenager; he or she provides all or a large percent of family income; (3) The minimum wage would be at least $15 an hour if the minimum wage we had back in 1968 were adjusted for inflation and for the productivity gains we achieved since then; (4) Because some employers now pay wages that don't lift their employees out of poverty, the rest of us pay for their Medicaid, food stamps, housing, and other assistance -- in effect, subsidizing these low-wage employers; (5) Some jobs may be lost by raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but many more people will be lifted out of poverty; (6) The economy will also benefit as low-wage workers have more money to spend, thereby creating more jobs; and (7) At a time in our nation's history when 95 percent of all economic gains are going to the top 1 percent, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is the right and decent thing to do.

Florida is blessed with a unique and beautiful environment, from America’s Everglades to endless miles of pristine beaches. Our economy and quality of life depend on keeping Florida clean – and that’s not worth sacrificing for the short-term gain of corporate polluters intent on using hydraulic fracturing – “fracking” – to extract fossil fuels under ground and off our coastline. Protecting Florida’s groundwater is absolutely critical – our aquifer is our clean water source, and fracking puts it at great risk. Add your name. Sign the petition to ban fracking in Florida!

Listed among NOW's priorities is ending racism and promoting diversity. However, they are seemingly a part of the patriarchal supremacist thought machine as they have alienated stay-at-home mothers, limited the number of women of color in leadership positions and as members, and had to be publicly embarrassed by their refusal to admit lesbians. It's difficult to understand the lack of diversity in a national organization for women. Not until Sandra Bland has NOW spoken up for women of color who have been criminally discriminated against, brutalized, jailed and murdered. Where was the voice of support from NOW for Marissa Alexander, who was jailed, has faced decades in prison and now has a permanent criminal record for protecting her children and herself from an abusive husband and a jaded judicial system? Where was the voice of support from NOW for Bree Newsome, the courageous young woman who removed one of the symbols of dehumanization of immeasurable proportions? Where was the voice of support for the twelve year-old girl whose ribs and jaw were broken by police officers? Where was the voice of NOW when seven year-old Aiyana Stanley-Jones was murdered by police in Detroit in 2010 while sleeping in her home? Where is the voice of NOW for the many trans women currently being killed? The voice of NOW was missing for these women killed during police encounters: Tanisha Anderson in Cleveland 2014, Yvette Smith in Texas 2014, Miriam Carey in Washington, D. C. 2013, Shelly Fry in Houston 2012, Darkish Harris in Louisiana 2012, Malissa Williams in Cleveland 2012, Alesia Thomas in Los Angeles 2012, Shantel Davis in New York 2012, Rekia Boyd in Chicago 2012, Shereese Francis in New York 2012, Tarika Wilson in Ohio 2008, Kathryn Johnston in Atlanta 2006, Alberta Stroll in New York 2003, Kendra James in Portland 2003. NOW has been asked and has yet to answer: "Is the leadership of NOW racially and culturally diverse? Where are the women of color in leadership positions?" They must make moves to include and help all women or get out of the way ~ remake or break, NOW!

Terrance Shaw is one of the hardest workers I know. He has an opportunity with the Veteran's Hospital to get treatment for the first time for his PTSD and then to take their training to become a mentor for other Viet Nam veterans who are also suffering from this malady. He was one of our compassionate release candidates but was denied. This is another example of the DOC's refusal to take into account the fact that people change.

I have been working with prisoners and their families for 15 years and know many of the Old Law Prisoners and their families personally. The heartbreak and suffering caused by our present policies is hard to communicate in words. I have come to greatly admire many of these man and women forever entombed for they have become mature and wise despite incredible abuse and neglect and many want nothing more then to give back to their communities. It is also hard to understand WHY we do not adopt a wise policy since our state is in serious debt and the DOC is strangling in health care bills for 60, 70 and 80 years olds. We hope that this petition drive will help families and concerned citizens coalesce into a real movement.

I am a resident of New Mexico and feel like little is being done about this ecological disaster. I am also a member of the Navajo Nation and this River is sacred to us; it's a life line to many who use its waters for farming and ceremonial purposes.

We feel that the new 2015-2016 school transportation policy is creating an unfair and unnecessary burden for families with non-traditional custody arrangements, as well as for families with non traditional work schedules. Under the current policy instituted for the 2015-2016 school year, each child will only be given one location to be picked up and dropped off from for the entire school year. While we understand that the previous policy may have been too lenient, creating difficulty in planning bus routes and creating a safe transportation option for all students, we also feel that this current policy lacks flexibility for families and children with non traditional living conditions (such as the ones listed above). This petition will be presented on August 17, 2015 (regular scheduled School Board meeting) to the Cameron R1 School Board, on behalf of those who signed . PLEASE MAKE SURE TO SIGN WITH FULL NAME. (Thank you)

Donald Trump is the current Republican frontrunner for President of the United States. After the recent Fox News debate in Ohio, Trump said disparaging things about Fox News host Megyn Kelly, telling a morning show host, "she had blood coming out of her ears, blood coming out of her...wherever." He has called a woman "disgusting" for stepping away to pump breast milk, and has used words such as "dog," "fat pig" and "slob" to describe other women.

This petition calls into question the ethics of the Sayreville BOE in the handling of the Sayreville Bomber Football hazing scandal. It is believed by many in the community that Superintendent Labbe did not follow appropriate protocol when dealing with the crisis (he created) and that he acted not in the best interest of the children but for personal political notoriety. He has tainted the image of our athletes and community as a whole with inaccurate statements to the media prior to obtaining facts, meeting with parents or conducting a thorough investigation on the matter. See attached link with HIB guidelines on reporting. http://www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/behavior/hib/tutorials/ParentTut4.pdf We are still at a loss as to why he felt it necessary to go to the media using what has now proven by a court of law to be inaccurate statements. Our community is divided, our children are emotionally scarred and reputations are damaged. It is almost a year later and we have still yet to receive an answer. This is completely unacceptable. We are respectfully requesting that the School Ethics Commission of the NJ Dept. of Education open an investigation.

We all know how important women's health care is to a strong society.

We are starting this petition because our children are paddled and spanked for any small violation of the policy. There are some practices, such as corporal punishment which we need to get rid of because of the fear that it instills in children who are already exposed to a high degree of violence inside the community.

Gov. Doug Ducey recently bowed to right-wing attacks and ordered the Arizona Department of Health Services to investigate Arizona Planned Parenthood and to adopt emergency rules to prohibit the sales of fetal tissue. This is nonsense. Planned Parenthood of Arizona does not donate fetal tissue, much less sell it. The sale of human tissue is illegal in all 50 states. Last month, my teenage daughter was on vacation in another state and developed a painful urinary tract infection. Planned Parenthood was the only clinic available to treat her that day. Planned Parenthood is a valuable community resource and should not be the target of a witch hunt.