This year, the Connecticut Legislature passed a smart, forward-looking budget that will put our state on the path towards a more competitive economy and make sure Connecticut remains a great place to live. Facing projected deficits, it closed corporate tax loopholes, asked the top 1% of wealthiest residents in the state to pay a little more, and took other reasonable steps. This allowed them to avoid gutting services and to promote real, long-term economic growth by investing in quality schools to educate a skilled workforce; efficient transportation that enables companies to bring their products to market and people to commute to work; and safe, stable communities. Now the legislature is holding a special session at the end of the month to discuss reversing these smart policies, which would force cuts to education, healthcare and transportation, due to pressure from big business looking to avoid paying their fair share. Instead of cutting these vital services, legislators should stand by their balanced, pro-economic growth approach. Tell Connecticut legislators to reject the proposed $224 million in cuts to state services.

Under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 111 Sections 31 & 143, we are petitioning for an independent, thorough, and transparent health and safety evaluation of the threat posed by the WRLP segment of AIM to the health, well-being, and property of the residents of West Roxbury, Dedham, Westwood, and the surrounding areas. An explosion of this 750psi pipeline would cause certain devastation to an area as large as a 30 city block radius. Leaked fracked gas passing through this pipeline has toxic components like PCBs, arsenic, radon, and methane. The risk of leaks is increased by live blasting in the immediate area of a planned Metering & Regulating station opposite an active quarry. The imminent construction of this station and a 750 psi pipeline in a densely populated area that includes three schools and a nursing home is an intolerable risk that requires an urgent halt for a thorough and independent review of the health and safety effects of frequent blasting in the immediate region of a high-pressure pipeline.

The nine people murdered by a racist terrorist in the Emanuel African > Methodist Episcopal Church, Charleston, South Carolina.

Your life and the lives of everyone who commutes using the roads in America could be at risk. Due to negligent work performed on my vehicle by National Tire & Battery (NTB), I could be DEAD. After going to NTB for a simple wheel alignment, the front, right passenger side of my car buckled while driving. Thank God it did not buckle while moving at 65mph on the expressway, but having your entire wheel to buckle while moving at any speed is dangerous. After the incident happened, I called NTB to inform them of this horrific experience. The NTB employee who actually serviced my car claimed I was not in his system as a "recent" customer. That, I had not been to NTB for many years! Therefore, I went to the store in person, to look this liar straight in the eyes. Even still, this grinning, and lying NTB employee denied it; and he denied it all with a calm, but devious smirk on his face. The police had to be called to the store, (by me) and I was then provided with a number to call in order to make a complaint. I called the number to complain, and nothing was done. I then called the local store again, and was provided with another number to call for a refund. It was eventually acknowledged that I HAD been a recent customer for a wheel alignment. (After MANY, MANY LIES, showing of receipts, and a call to the authorities.) After my death defying experience with NTB, I decided to do some research on this organization. What I learned was that my horrific experience with NTB was not an isolated incident; (as they tried to lead me to believe) that many others had very similar experiences. Even friends of mines knew NEVER to go to NTB for ANYTHING! Not even to take shelter from the rain! So, why was it that I did not know this? I didn't know because I had not done my research. At this point, I knew it was time to take action. If I didn't know, many others probably did not know either. Also, the next customer's car to be negligently serviced by NTB, may not live to tell about it. So, a social media page entitled: "NTB SUCKS" was created. Now, customers who were harmed by NTB had a place to come and share their experiences, or better yet to warn others; and that is exactly what we do. Now, instead of performing a massive internet search looking for NTB reviews, there's a centralized, easily found page on Facebook. This makes research easy. We do our very best to prevent others from having to experience the same kind of pain we all had to endure. Just in case you have never heard of NTB, let me provide you with some background information. National Tire & Battery is a chain retail store that provides automotive services, and is owned by the "TBC Corporation". NTB has had numerous customer complaints regarding: hiring non-certified & inexperienced auto mechanics to service vehicles while hiding behind their business name; improperly installing automobile parts causing severe damage to vehicles; or, not installing the paid for parts at all; selling services such as oil changes, and tire rotations, not providing the customer with the services paid for; using “scare tactics” and lies to sell unneeded auto parts; over or double charging customers especially women, young adults, and the elderly; bullying customers; & refusing to honor warranties sold by their organization. These are only the complaints which show a pattern, there are other grievances not mentioned above as well. NTB’s poor workmanship, and cutting corners in order to make that extra dollar places lives in danger. Not just your life, but everyone with or around you is at risk. If your tire falls off your car while you are moving at 65mph, think about whom else this could harm. When NTB is directly contacted regarding an issue, they generate more lies, giving the infinite runaround, leaving you with a damaged vehicle. Sometimes, NTB will provide a refund for the negligent work provided after weeks or months of jumping through their hoops, but in many cases (like mines), a refund may not be enough due to the damages NTB has caused. Due to their negligence, the customer has to hire a real certified mechanic to repair possibly thousands of dollars in damages NTB has caused. Sadly enough, even NTB employees are unhappy with NTB. They are well aware of how NTB operates as an organization, and many of them do not agree with what is being done to the customers; or, how they are being asked to participate in the dishonesty. They especially don't like being cheated out of their salary, but because they need work they stay until they can find something better. On the other hand, some NTB employees take pleasure in cheating unsuspecting customers. Therefore, we are here to FINALLY take a stand. It is time for NTB to change their corrupt standardized business methods and practices. So, please sign our petition helping us to stop this organization from being the cause of someone's death. You just might be helping to save your own life. Also, please be aware that the "TBC Corporation" owns more than just NTB. They also own: 1) Carroll Tire Service 2) Midas 3) Big O Tires 4) Tire Kingdom International 5) Merchants Tire & Auto 6) Treadways 7) R.O Writer, and 8) SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune Up Unfortunately, I’m sure that TBC runs all of their companies under the same unethical practices, so shop wisely. Please visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/NTBSUCK?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

I know many workers who can barely get by in this great state. They need to be able to pay for just basic needs, like food and rent. This would allow them to do that. So many employed Oregonians barely get by with the minimum wage, some have to live with parents and many need food stamp assistance just to keep food on the table. Lets make Oregon a place with fair wages for fair work.

This petition is for our U.S. Government to get involved - STOP ignoring this devastating tragedy and stop the killing of innocent Haitians. Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent will be deported back to Haiti, or worse could be killed. Haiti has not yet recovered from the devastating earthquake of 2010. Some will die from diseases from starvation; these are women, men, children, elderly. Countless Haitians have been and will continue to be killed in the Dominican Republic; there is a CRISIS going on. This affects me greatly; my son is a U.S. Citizen. He is of Haitian descent, and the thought of my child or a family member to be taken away from me and the only home they know is outrageous. To be treated inhumanly because you are Haitian or of Haitian descent - it has to stop. Next time you have your sugar, think about where it may have come from - Haitians working on the D.R. fields working low-wage jobs and some not even getting paid at all.

The Dominican Republic has arbitrarily, capriciously , and summarily stripped its Black citizens of their citizenship BECAUSE they are Black leaving them stateless with no rights and no protection. Their objective is to drive Black people out of the Dominican Republic. This policy of the DR is as bad, if not worse than South Africa's former practice of apartheid, and the entire world is in agreement that THAT was intolerable and well outside acceptable practices in the community of nations. As a country with a substantial Black population, it is unconscionable for the United States to tolerate such practices in a country with whom we maintain diplomatic relations. We must take the lead in isolating the DR , bringing these practices to the attention of the world., and implementing appropriate sanctions. Our country is weary of racism. We are working to eliminate it from within our own borders, and we don't want to provide support for it elsewhere.

These statues are a form of subliminal and institutional racism and must be removed.

I've been a Costco member since 1987 and applaud its move toward organics. However, I'm troubled to see Monsanto's Roundup in proximity to organic products and don't feel that Costco should be selling something that is quite possibly a human carcinogen.

We must take concrete steps to end racism! The Confederate flag honors the history of slavery in the United States. The message it conveys keeps dirt in a wound that deserves to heal.

Last year, it was Burger King. Now, it's Monsanto. The agribusiness giant Monsanto is considering a plan to buy Syngenta, a European agrochemical company. (1) The move would allow it to declare itself a foreign company for tax purposes. If Monsanto does indeed renounce their status as a U.S- based company, it will mean they will be taxed at a much lower rate than American-based companies, in a scheme that is referred to as "corporate inversion." The crazy thing is, they don't actually have to move their CEO or any of their central offices, they can just claim on paper to be headquartered in the UK, much in the way that Burger King is now, on paper a Canadian company. It would also allow Monsanto to permanently avoid paying taxes on the $4.4 billion of profits it has reported as holding offshore. According to the Center for Effective Government, "Monsanto could owe as much as $1.5 billion in U.S. taxes on these offshore profits, an amount that could be permanently avoided if the new company engages in complex legal and tax transactions following an inversion." (2) We can't let big corporations continue to dodge taxes with high-paid tax lawyers -- everyone should play by the same rules. How can we invest in education or job growth if large, profitable companies are scheming to avoid paying their fair share? We hear a lot of talk about how Congress wants to help the middle class. Well, they can start by stopping the biggest companies from playing a rigged game and passing the Stop Corporate Inversions Act right now, which would save us $34 billion over the next decade. (3) Sen. Barbara Mikulski has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but she is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add her as a supporter. 1. http://goo.gl/eEMZqV 2. http://goo.gl/BjGSaq 3. http://goo.gl/psrmNp

Last year, it was Burger King. Now, it's Monsanto. The agribusiness giant Monsanto is considering a plan to buy Syngenta, a European agrochemical company. (1) The move would allow it to declare itself a foreign company for tax purposes. If Monsanto does indeed renounce their status as a U.S- based company, it will mean they will be taxed at a much lower rate than American-based companies, in a scheme that is referred to as "corporate inversion." The crazy thing is, they don't actually have to move their CEO or any of their central offices, they can just claim on paper to be headquartered in the UK, much in the way that Burger King is now, on paper a Canadian company. It would also allow Monsanto to permanently avoid paying taxes on the $4.4 billion of profits it has reported as holding offshore. According to the Center for Effective Government, "Monsanto could owe as much as $1.5 billion in U.S. taxes on these offshore profits, an amount that could be permanently avoided if the new company engages in complex legal and tax transactions following an inversion." (2) We can't let big corporations continue to dodge taxes with high-paid tax lawyers -- everyone should play by the same rules. How can we invest in education or job growth if large, profitable companies are scheming to avoid paying their fair share? We hear a lot of talk about how Congress wants to help the middle class. Well, they can start by stopping the biggest companies from playing a rigged game and passing the Stop Corporate Inversions Act right now, which would save us $34 billion over the next decade. (3) Sen. Debbie Stabenow has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but she is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add her as a supporter. 1. http://goo.gl/eEMZqV 2. http://goo.gl/BjGSaq 3. http://goo.gl/psrmNp