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

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. Charles Schumer has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but he is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add him 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. Tim Kaine has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but he is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add him 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. Bill Nelson has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but he is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add him 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. Ron Wyden has supported closing the inversion loophole in the past, but he is not on record in support of the version of the bill. If enough people weigh in, I'm confident we can add him as a supporter. 1. http://goo.gl/eEMZqV 2. http://goo.gl/BjGSaq 3. http://goo.gl/psrmNp

On June 17,2015, my son was at the Shelby community center playing basketball when he suffered a heat stroke. He collapsed three times, hitting his head twice and losing control of his muscles and vision. Luckily his dad arrived and began pouring water on his head and ran him home to a cool bath before heading to the emergency room. The temperature in the gym was 105°and the water fountain only had hot water. He was treated at the hospital with iv fluids and underwent multiple tests. His headache is going on day three and he still has little strength and energy but otherwise was able to come home. This could have ended in tragedy and the next child might not be lucky enough to recover so well. When I contacted metro parks I discovered that Shelby center was one of 6 centers that still had not been upgraded with a/c and proper fountains. Since budget and funding are the only things keeping these centers from being upgraded, we need more funding allotted to these centers immediately. No child's life should be in jeopardy in a place created to be a safe environment for them and no amount of money will ever be worth the loss of life that could occur.

Contrary to the clear intent of Board of Education policy, the Superintendent has been discharging non-tenured teachers without following the Board's dismissal procedures. Rather, he has chosen not to renew their contracts (non-renewal). Dismissal of poorly-performing teachers is a necessity at times, but hiring and orienting new teachers is expensive and disruptive. To learn well, children need stability and predictability in their schools. Dismissing teachers without clear reason creates a climate of uncertainty for children, parents and teachers, and it disrupts the conditions needed for positive, productive school communities.

On Thursday, June 18, with mostly Republican votes, the House passed a fast-track trade bill that would attempt to pre-approve the job-killing, environment-destroying, medicine price-raising Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, a week after a Democratic rebellion blocked the proposal in the House. Now the fate of this proposal lies before the Senate. The proposal will be blocked in the Senate if 41 Senators vote against “cloture” to proceed to a vote – that is, if 41 Senators support a “filibuster.” Populist champions Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Sherrod Brown have led the fight in the Senate against this proposal. Now we need them to pull out the stops. A “talking filibuster” – where Senators hold the floor, speaking against Fast Track - would galvanize public opposition to the bill. It would be a televised national town hall on how our current trade policies are worsening extreme inequality, undermining democracy and human rights, and giving more wealth and power to the 1% at the expense of broad public interests. Urge Senator Sanders to lead a talking filibuster against Fast Track by signing our petition.

I live in the Santa Clarita Valley and the we do not need our neighborhoods destroyed by this ill-conceived project. We need water. Our lakes, rivers and reservoirs are drying up with each passing day. The farmers use 80% of the water and the remaining 20% is for consumer usage. We are told to conserve, which the majority of us are doing, but how wrong is it to have our taxpayer dollars wasted on the vanity project of our out of touch governor when his constituents are suffering. Please sign to let him know how we all really feel. Thank you.

Pennsylvania Counseling Services, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation company brand new to Harrisburg, rapidly and unexpectedly bull dozed down the LAST playground in South Allison Hill, an inner city neighborhood with one of the highest densities of children from single parent homes in the entire nation! Hundreds of high risk children played at that park every day. The adjacent building to this playground was a shuttered school and it and the park together were zoned institutional. In order to receive the zoning variance for a drug and alcohol counseling service in a residential community, this company had to prove that they had community support. They initially garnered support by offering a vision of restoring the playground and having a postive impact on the immediate community. Instead, without any warning to the people that his plans had changed, the new owner decided to “go another way,” which was his way of saying he was forcing the children out into the streets to play. He did this in order to put in a parking lot of almost 100 parking spaces. The children will be fenced off from the blacktop where they rode their bikes, played organized sports, and nightly organized old fashioned group games and ran happily. To add to the the atrocity, they began their demolition of all the playground equipment and basketball courts by cutting down down a thriving 60 foot maple that grew in the middle of the asphalt. The children loved that tree. It was the only tree they interacted with and because of its location, it was always 'home base'. It bloomed flowers in the spring and had stunning crimson leaves in the autumn. Generations of children sat in its shade and climbed up to read in its branches. They butchered it down in a couple hours and the children watched in shock, feeling marginalized, helpless, and victimized by the adults in this city. In addition, this created a tremendously negative community impact. Directly across the street from the park sits a free library, where there is a safe house and free books and food and snacks and playground equipment that the teachers who live there provide year round. The retired couple who have run the library for years had utilized the park to reach out to the children almost no one else can reach, working for free where no one else wants to go. That decades old heart of the city that tunneled children toward their safe house was taken in 36 hours, before anyone, anywhere had time to react and now they have to be seriously concerned with all that traffic coming into the easement sitting just about 20 feet from the free library steps where, for years, there has occurred heavy child pedestrian traffic. There wasn't so much as a construction courtesy notice. These children and good adults lost this park to a developer that made decisions about profit over people. He used insurance costs as an excuse but he was entirely aware of the playground and library and the condition of the community before he began gathering signatures for zoning variance. He should never have continued with his efforts to acquire the property once he realized he might have to eliminate the playground. He began to discuss that concern in the first of the zoning meetings but we cannot find where it was ever officially stated, in the many months of process and permit applications, that he had decided his company couldn't afford the insurance and was intending to tear down the only playground these children had. He never reached out to the community to partner to save the park, though meetings for collaboration were requested by local activists on more than one occasion. As a Dr. of Psychology he must certainly have realized the negative impact this would have on the morale of the community, on the effectiveness of the Stone Soup Library, and on the already traumatized and under served children of this neighborhood. The honest businesses and good people are working hard in this city, giving all they have to pick these kids off the street one hard case at a time, and this man instantly put hundreds of our youngest and most at risk kids on the streets. He had no right to make this unilateral and anti-transparent decision for this city. He never gave a single meeting or community gathering to make the decision WITH the residents, he never warned any of us. The city cannot allow this kind of abusive landlord behavior to continue, to be welcome in Harrisburg. We need to show our ethical businesses and our good people, that we won't let bad business and bad people continue to ruin our city and give us all a bad name. Please sign this petition to request the revocation of Pennsylvania Counseling Service's business privilege license. It is called that because it is a privilege to do business in our city and our investors should treat it as such. It should be wrong to make money at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens. Let's send a message that we won't settle for bad business here. Thank you.

We humans are mistreating each other and wrecking the planet—creation, the environment, our life support system. Our leaders need motivation and encouragement to stand up and join Pope Francis' clarion call for humanity to FIX the critical problems created by our misbehavior. Our leaders must actually LEAD us to SOLVE these problems, and not deny they exist or site excuses.