The reasons provided by the city for this project have varied -- originally it was stated that this project was to create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere downtown to bringing Heron and Wishkah Streets into compliance with state DOT regulations since they are part of state highway 101, but the city has not actively asked for business and resident input, nor has a traffic impact study been done to determine if businesses and local residents will be positively or negatively impacted by the lane reductions. I am asking that concerned Grays Harbor county residents request that the city and state perform a new traffic impact study before starting the project, and to also hold a well advertised (local radio, newspaper, and social media ads) town hall meeting to specifically discuss this project with our community. Revised on 7/24/2015 at 12:57 PM - Additional information about traffic study: A traffic study was done in 2000, and as written in an article by Kyle Mittan of the Daily World, "The study provided data on traffic patterns in the area, and also considered the idea to reduce the lanes from three to two, Scott added. Those changes were abandoned." (http://thedailyworld.com/news/local/council-approves-lane-revisions-wishkah-heron) The traffic study is outdated and a new one should be done before the project moves forward.

Our political parties should run their conventions on donations from "we, the people," not lobbyists and PACs. Democrats did that in 2012, but the Democratic National Committee just announced it will take money from PACs and lobbyists to fund its 2016 convention. Common Cause is calling on every candidate for president to demand a ban on PAC and lobbyist convention funding as a necessary step to change Washington's pay-to-play culture. Any candidate who wants to be president has to stand up to big money and stand for people — letting PACs and lobbyists buy the national conventions is a step in the wrong direction. But a candidate who took a bold stance against the party insiders, would distinguish himself or herself as a champion for reform. Hillary Clinton should put public pressure on the DNC to reverse this capitulation to special interests. If its presidential candidates speak out loudly and swiftly, party leaders will act.

Our political parties should run their conventions on donations from "we, the people," not lobbyists and PACs. Democrats did that in 2012, but the Democratic National Committee just announced it will take money from PACs and lobbyists to fund its 2016 convention. Common Cause is calling on every candidate for president to demand a ban on PAC and lobbyist convention funding as a necessary step to change Washington's pay-to-play culture. Any candidate who wants to be president has to stand up to big money and stand for people — letting PACs and lobbyists buy the national conventions is a step in the wrong direction. But a candidate who took a bold stance against the party insiders, would distinguish himself or herself as a champion for reform. Bernie Sanders should put public pressure on the DNC to reverse this capitulation to special interests. If its presidential candidates speak out loudly and swiftly, party leaders will act.

Our political parties should run their conventions on donations from "we, the people," not lobbyists and PACs. Democrats did that in 2012, but the Democratic National Committee just announced it will take money from PACs and lobbyists to fund its 2016 convention. Common Cause is calling on every candidate for president to demand a ban on PAC and lobbyist convention funding as a necessary step to change Washington's pay-to-play culture. With money taking more and more control of our system, any candidate who wants to be president needs a plan to put We The People back in charge — standing by in silence while PACs and lobbyists buy the national conventions would show a lack of commitment to this needed goal. But a candidate who took a bold stance against the party insiders, would distinguish himself or herself as a champion for reform. Democratic candidates should pressure on the DNC to reverse this capitulation to special interests. Republican candidates should demand that their party join in rejecting PAC and lobbyist money at their convention.

North Carolina could benefit so much from legalization of cannabis... we have the 8th, 3rd, and 1st poorest cities in all of America according to the last few years of census data. Unemployment is ridiculously high in the state. Legalizing cannabis would create thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue, and most importantly, save or greatly improve lives. Even if you're against complete legalization so that anybody could use it (like alcohol which has been proven in countless studies to be significantly more damaging than marijuana) at least allow people who have genuine medical conditions who could benefit from it to have access to it. At least give North Carolina hope for a better tomorrow.

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There's been another mass shooting, this time in Lafayette, Louisiana. Innocent people are being killed every single day by guns and this can be stopped by having stricter laws and stricter requirements for purchasers. How many more innocent people have to lose their lives or be seriously injured before something is changed? Change it now!

I've seen too many young people die from alcohol--from alcohol poisoning, drunk driving, suicide, and other ways too. Commercials make it look like you have to have it to enjoy sports, sex or life. Kids believe it. Tobacco is gone; it's time for alcohol.

Autism Awareness is needed for people with autism that have comprehension, and speech problems. They could easily be misunderstood, which could lead to confusion or violence. Our Schools, and Police Officers in Zachery, LA need to know there are special risk people in the community that have trouble communicating with anybody, including teachers and police officers. Autistic persons would not understand a command " To put your Hands up " or " Get down on the ground." Without awareness, the Autistic Person could easily be shot. that is scary to everyone with autistic children. We will be moving to Zachery, LA, Copper Mill. Please Support this Petition for Autism awareness and training. Thank You.

I am a Certified Nurse Assistant and have worked 15 years in health care, during which time pay scales have not changed for CNA's in Missouri for myself nor for my peers. The purpose of this petition is to bring public and political awareness to the unfair wages paid to CNAs, with hope that change will follow.

Specifically, we are calling on Congress to: Recognize the devastation of homicide and violence suffered by communities which experience a disproportionate amount of violence across the nation; and the traumatic repercussions experienced by children, youth and families who are constant witnesses to these events by providing funding, research and trauma informed programming to combat these circumstances. These resources and programs will serve to interrupt the "contagion" of violence and the number of homicides in heavily impacted communities. Deem homicide a public health epidemic for men of color ages 13-34, as supported by our nation's statistical data. Furthermore, allocate funding, education, advertising and research resources to address the rapidly growing social crisis. Pass gun bills, pending in the House and Senate, that will minimally, reduce gun violence through background checks; closing gun show loopholes; and restricting the sale of guns to individuals who are under age; mentally ill, or have criminal records. Reform and amend the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) in order to provide equal access to benefits, without discrimination, to families of victims of crimes in communities with high rates of homicide. In addition, provide community based mental health services and support to families who have lost loved ones to violence.

You may have read in the papers that Governor Scott is encouraging private business to rent our State Parks for grazing cattle or growing and harvesting trees. Myakka River was first, but Paynes Prairie is now in the sights. The future of Florida’s state parks depends on your apathy or your action. It is your choice. The Ocala Star-Banner reported: Jim Stevenson, retired Florida Park Service chief naturalist, was chairman of a committee that wrote the management plan for Paynes Prairie when it was bought by the state. They voted to remove the cattle, Stevenson said, adding that state parks have historically been managed for their natural values rather than human uses other than recreation. “We felt the cattle should go and they were removed, and the fences were removed. It became a state preserve instead of a cattle ranch,” Stevenson said. “That's been in play for 47 years and everything has been fine until the DEP secretary decided that he wants cows on state parks.” But Governor Scott has a different plan - Cattle ranch owners have already been invited to government meetings to discuss setting aside part of the Prairie for grazing cattle. Whether or not you support Governor Scott on other issues, you will hopefully agree that this is a misuse of our park system. Forbidding certain sectors of publicly-owned land to the general public, while allowing a small subset of the public to use those sectors for individual profit, is not what the State Parks were created for, but it seems to be what the current administration has in mind. A few years ago, Governor Scott’s previous DEP Secretary told his deputy secretary that he wanted to privatize the entire state park system. The deputy advised against it, knowing there would be a huge public outcry. The current game plan to reach that goal: 1. Exploit the natural resources through hunting, cattle grazing and timbering which will require “private” contractors and further crush morale of the park service staff. 2. Starve the parks by eliminating more staff and funding each year including professional biologists and education staff. DEP has recommended cutting 209 park service positions during the Scott administration. Instead, the Legislature cut 78 positions. 3. In the absence of adequate staff and funding, the parks won’t be able to get their job done. 4. Gov. Scott increases “Free Days” which reduces revenue while park managers are struggling to increase revenue. 5. The parks’ facilities and resources will deteriorate and the politicians will criticize the poor management. 6. Since the park service will not be able to maintain the resources, DEP is justified to “privatize the state park system.” Of course government should be run like a business. End Game is achieved.