In 1986 Congress granted immunity to vaccine makers against all lawsuits. The Government (i.e. we the taxpayers) is now grudgingly paying billions to parents of children damaged by vaccines, but only after years of litigation. This, at a time when the vaccine makers such as Merck make billions in profits. The compensation money comes from a $0.75 excise tax that taxpayers pay for each vaccine. The vaccine makers continue to make more vaccines and are lobbying state legislatures to remove existing exemptions (e.g. SB 277 and SB 792 in CA). There is talk of making vaccination mandatory for adults also. In this environment of only profits and no liability, there is absolutely no incentive for vaccine makers to make vaccines safe. Vaccine makers cannot lobby/pay politicians to force mandates on us and not pay for the damages their products cause! Not in the LAND OF THE FREE!!

It is important and fair to all involved that the following are taken into consideration before making a decision on a proposal. 1) The Selection Criteria. We request that the Committee carefully read these criteria before next Tuesday’s meeting and be prepared to discuss all the criteria in an open session before taking any action. Moreover, the addition of other criteria (density, low cost housing, etc) is not authorized in the decision-making process, and the addition of these unauthorized criteria, and affording them a weight even greater than the criteria that were authorized, could be seen as a violation of the process. 2) The guidelines of the ILPC. Because any building on that site will require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Ithaca Landmarks Preservation Commission (ILPC), the Commission’s guidelines (and initial reactions to the proposals) should be considered as the County Legislature deliberates upon and eventually selects a proposal. The ILPC is required to issue a “Certificate of Appropriateness” based on the following guidelines. “In consideration of this and all approvals of proposals for alterations, new construction, or demolition in historic districts, the ILPC must determine that the proposed exterior work will not have a substantial adverse effect on the aesthetic, historical, or architectural significance and value of either the landmark or, if the improvement is within a district, of the neighboring improvements in such district. New construction located within an historic district shall be compatible with the historic character of the district within which it is located.” 3) The concerns of the Dewitt Park Historic District neighborhood, including the signatures of 525 people supporting adaptive reuse; This is largely a residential neighborhood. Adding a 20-unit dwelling is reasonable in this historic neighborhood like this. Adding 60 units is huge, it could have an irreversible and negative impact on the area. The old library is a massive structure designed to hold the weight of the books. “Embodied energy” describes the amount of energy that went into those materials, all of which would be wasted if the foundation were destroyed. The Franklin plan calls for removing only 10% of the embodied energy, and some of that material will be re-used on site. Because of this and the heating system proposed, the energy footprint of the Franklin project is far lower than the other proposals. Finally, we believe that the adaptive re-use of the building is the best fit in regards to massing and style for this historic neighborhood. Trees and mature plantings are a big part of what makes a neighborhood feel old. Destroying many of the existing trees in order to build a large complex would do irreparable harm to the historic look & feel of The Dewitt Park Historic District. An adaptive reuse would be a strong statement about Ithaca’s commitment to sustainability and energy use.

Our children in public K-12 schools are suffering from the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing, such as curriculum narrowing to focus more exclusively on tested subjects and content (English and Math, at the expense of other subjects like science, social studies, and the arts), more test prep and drilling in early elementary (despite going against the advice of early education experts and developmental psychologists for more play-based experiential learning), loss of instructional time due to school wide testing days and test prep activities (and even more days of testing if we move to PARCC), loss of computer lab opportunities for actual learning due to new computerized PARCC tests. It's time to end this trend.

IT'S ABOUT OUR Health and Our Health Care in Colorado! And, we want to VOTE FOR the ColoradoCare* Initiative#20 in November 2016! We need affordable, quality health care for all Coloradans! We need it now! We cannot wait! . . . *(previously known as the "Colorado Health Care Cooperative") . . . TWO YEARS AGO, starting in May of 2013, over 700 Coloradans, yourself included, signed our petition stating: "VOTE FOR the Colorado Health Care Cooperative in 2013!!!" When you signed this petition in 2013, your signing was communicated to your state elected officials, including Governor John Hickenlooper, and members of the Colorado State House and Senate. Our intent was to have the State Legislature refer the "Cooperative" to the November State ballot that year so all registered voters could make the decision for/against universal health care in Colorado. WE SAID: As my Colorado Senator or Representative, I’m asking you to VOTE to send the Colorado Health Care Cooperative to the voters of Colorado as a referred measure on November 5, 2013.” We added: “It’s our Health and our Health Care! We Coloradans have the right to make the decision for ourselves at the ballot box!” We further declared: “It’s about our Health and our Health Care in Colorado! And, we want to VOTE FOR the Colorado Health Care Cooperative in November 2013! We need affordable, quality health care for all Coloradans NOW! Let us vote! Let us decide! We need it now! We cannot wait!” EVEN BEFORE THAT, in late 2011 through early 2013, many of us, including you possibly, over 1450 Coloradans, signed an earlier petition stating: "We need affordable, quality health care for all Coloradans! We need it now! We cannot wait!" This earlier petition also went to the same set of decision-makers in Colorado, and was delivered personally to Governor Hickenlooper's office, while our elected representatives in the State House and Senate were notified by emails. BOTTOM LINE RESULTS ACHIEVED SO FAR (as I see it) were that . . . The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was affirmatively accepted in Colorado, and despite some strong opposition, Colorado created its own marketplace, known as a State Exchange, and accepted Medicaid expansion even though the U.S. Supreme Court made the Medicaid expansion "voluntary" for states in June 2012. So far, Colorado's "uninsured rate" has fallen from ~17% to ~11% . . . so I would argue that Colorado very much still needs what our earlier petitions have been asking for and seeking to promote as a unique, Colorado solution . . . Everyone covered . . . Billions of dollars saved . . . Comprehensive health prevention and health care benefits . . . In the ColoradoCare Health Plan now referred to as ColoradoCare Initiative#20 . . . Designed in Colorado for a healthier Colorado . . . LESSONS LEARNED: It’s up to us, the citizens and registered voters of Colorado, to make this happen . . . so now in 2015, it’s past time for us to do what needs to be done to GET OUR VOTE FOR the ColoradoCare Initiative#20 in November, 2016 . . . Gather ~100,000 valid voter petition signatures by October, 2015 . . . This really is up to us! . . . To do! . . . or not . . . That is TODAY'S BIG QUESTION! . . .

Where is Massachusetts going to get the money to improve the T, expand early education to every child or invest in job growth? Well, we can start by looking at the Cayman Islands. Corporations dodge taxes by booking profits made here to offshore tax havens that levy little to no tax. It’s about time that these corporations start living by the same rules as the rest of us. It’s time to close these loopholes and invest in an economy that works for everyone. Oregon and Montana have already passed laws to recoup money stashed in offshore tax havens. If we enacted the same policy here in Massachusetts, it would generate $79 million dollars, and legislation has been filed in both the State House and Senate. [1] On Tuesday, June 9, legislators will be considering this bill at a meeting in the statehouse. Massachusetts Fair Share hand deliver all your signatures at that time. Massachusetts legislators are hearing plenty from the big corporations. Help us make sure they hear your voice, too. 1. Full text of the bill available here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H2477

Medical researchers have found that energy drinks can lead to: (2,3,4,5,6) • Seizures • Arrhythmia • Increased blood pressure • Kidney problems • Hyperactivity and inattention • Increased anxiety • Addiction As carbonated beverage sales drop for the 10th straight year and energy drink sales increase, Coca-Cola is purchasing a 16.7% stake in Monster Energy and getting two seats on its Board of Directors in order to increase profit (7,8,9). Under this deal, Monster Energy may become as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola. According to a Coca-Cola press release, “The Coca-Cola Company will become Monster’s preferred distribution partner globally and Monster will become The Coca-Cola Company’s exclusive energy play” (10). Tell Coca-Cola’s CEO and Board of Directors: Place the health of children over profit! Drop Monster Energy! The American Association of Poison Control Centers has an alert specifically for energy drinks and reports receiving 2,810 calls about exposures to energy drinks in 2014 (11). So far in 2015, 61% of the calls to poison control centers across the U.S. about energy drinks have been in relation to children 18 and younger (12). Monster Energy has been criticized for marketing to youth through social media, music and sporting event sponsorships, celebrity endorsements, high school athlete recognition, and alcoholic references(13, 14). In 2013, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation investigated Monster Energy and other energy drink makers for marketing to youth and recommended standards for more responsible marketing practices (15). The recommended standards include to stop marketing to youth under 18 and to stop featuring underage youth in marketing and promotional campaigns (16). Monster Energy refused to comply with these and other recommended standards, according to a 2014 report by U.S. Senators Edward Markey, Richard Durbin, and Richard Blumenthal (17). The American Medical Association recently came out in support of banning the marketing of energy drinks to minors (18). The American Academy of Pediatrics states that energy drinks “should never be consumed by children or adolescents” (19). The American Academy of Family Physicians adopted a resolution “to advocate for a ban on stimulant drinks for individuals younger than 18” (20). Tell Coca-Cola’s CEO and Board of Directors: Protect children from predatory marketing! Drop Monster Energy! This petition is endorsed by the Public Health Advocacy Institute and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. This petition is sponsored by the UNITE HERE Parents Committee. Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165, Nevada affiliates of UNITE HERE, represent over 55,000 workers in Las Vegas and Reno, including at most of casino resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. UNITE HERE represents 270,000 workers in gaming, hotel, and food service industries in North America. -- REFERENCES (1) The Coca-Cola Company and Monster Beverage Corporation Enter into Long-Term Strategic Partnership. The Coca-Cola Company Press Release. August 14, 2014. http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/the-coca-cola-company-and-monster-beverage-corporation-enter-into-long-term-strategic-partnership (2) Babu et al. 2008. Energy Drinks: The New Eye Opener for Adolescents. Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine 9(1):35-42). http://com-emergency.sites.medinfo.ufl.edu/files/2013/02/energy-drinks.pdf (3) Marcie Beth Schneider, MD, FAAP. Statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics. July 31, 2013. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-113shrg88760/html/CHRG-113shrg88760.htm (4) Schwartz et al. 2015. Energy Drinks and Youth Self-Reported Hyperactivity/Inattention Symptoms. Academic Pediatrics. Published online February 8, 2015. http://neuropl.us/assets/1-s2.0-S1876285914004252-main.pdf (5) Trapp et al. 2014. Energy drink consumption is associated with anxiety in Australian young adult males. Depression and Anxiety 31(5):420-428. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24019267 (6) Marin Institute 2007. Alcohol, Energy Drinks, and Youth: A Dangerous Mix. http://alcoholjustice.org/images/stories/EnergyDrinkReport.pdf (7) Kell, John. U.S. soda sales dropped for the 10th straight year in 2014. Fortune. March 26, 2015. http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/soda-sales-drop-2014/ (8) Wong, Venessa. Overcaffeination Concerns Haven’t Dented Energy Drinks. Bloomberg Business. June 6, 2013. http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-06-06/overcaffeination-concerns-havent-dented-energy-drinks (9) The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company and Monster Beverage Corporation Enter into Long-Term Strategic Partnership. Press Release. August 14, 2014. http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/the-coca-cola-company-and-monster-beverage-corporation-enter-into-long-term-strategic-partnership (10) The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company and Monster Beverage Corporation Enter into Long-Term Strategic Partnership. Press Release. August 14, 2014. http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/the-coca-cola-company-and-monster-beverage-corporation-enter-into-long-term-strategic-partnership (11) American Association of Poison Control Centers. Alerts: Energy Drinks. Website. http://www.aapcc.org/alerts/energy-drinks/ (12) American Association of Poison Control Centers. Alerts: Energy Drinks. Website. http://www.aapcc.org/alerts/energy-drinks/ (13) Staff of Senators Markey, Durbin, and Blumenthal 2014. Buzz Kill: A Survey of Popular Energy Drinks Finds Majority of the Market Unwilling to Make Commitments to Protect Adolescents. http://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2014-12-30-Report_BuzzKill_EnergyDrinks_ScreenV.pdf (14) Staff of Congressman Markey, Senator Durbin, and Senator Blumenthal. What’s all the buzz about? A Survey of Popular Energy Drinks Finds Inconsistent Labeling, Questionable Ingredients and Targeted Marke...

The music and arts educational programs are of very important cultural significance! Every child should have the opportunity to bring forth the song in their soul, the skill in their minds and their hands, and the passion in their heart! http://www.ijreview.com/2015/06/336560-atlanta-cut-kids-music-education-schools-new-superintendant/?source=FBshare

Act 31 of 1983 ended our state's 50% reimbursement guarantee of local school funding. Every year since has seen a reduction of state funds going to local school districts. Currently, Pennsylvania only funds 36% of local education expenditures--ranking near the bottom as 45th in the nation for low state funding. The Pennsylvania legislature has shifted the burden of financing PreK-12 education onto local property owners. The local property owners in Pennsylvania, people like you and me, pay over 45% of education costs compared to an average of just 29% in other states. The Pennsylvania legislature, since 1999, has also failed to fund $29 BILLION in pension obligations while local school districts and school employees have continuously made the required contributions. Now the legislature is trying to shift the burden of these unfunded obligations onto the local taxpayers. This is unacceptable. New funding sources need to be accessed to rectify this issue. We believe that the Costing Out Study of 2006 was a move in the right direction toward adequacy because it determined the base cost of educating a student to meet state education standards. And now that the state is the prime determiner of educational adequacy, they should be the prime funder of education. We believe that the Funding Formula of 2008-2011 was a step in the right direction for allocating funds to School Districts with equity. It would make sense for the state to continue in that route by developing a method for FAIRLY allocating funds to districts based on an equalized local effort and not on the lop-sided local spending formulas and political vote-swapping in use today.

Motorcycles have poor cooling and create a lot of heat. Motorcyclist wear a lot of extra gear and do not have A/C like cars do. The potential for a heat stroke in the summer months is there. Also this will improve safety as motorcycles won't have to lane split illegally. It will improve the flow of traffic. Safety being that it is used in high congestion times of traffic and cyclist only go no more than 10-20MPH of the current speed of traffic and no more than 45 MPH in such cases they should use the existing lane. It will also promote new riders and possibly promote more fuel efficient travel to and from work during commuting hours.

In 2013, a sit-in at the Center for Care and Discovery ended with the violent arrest of four Trauma Center Coalition protesters, one of them a graduate student. Now, nine protesters are being arrested while advocating for trauma care. Glass was shattered in their faces, and they were forcibly removed from a University building. The lack of a Level I Adult trauma center on the South Side of Chicago is a disgrace. City officials, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and doctors from across the city agree that the facility is desperately needed, and yet, the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC), “at the forefront of medicine” refuses to address the Trauma Center Campaign -- a community demand now more than five years old. We urge the University of Chicago to drop the charges against these protesters, and act with urgency to address the lack of trauma care on the South Side of Chicago.

Tens of thousands of nail salon workers throughout New York are exposed to dangerous health hazards on the job everyday. Many nail salon owners only pay workers between $35 and $80 a day, and cases of wage theft are all too common. The majority of the work is done by immigrant women from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, with limited English proficiency and mixed immigration status. The New York Healthy Nail Salons Coalition (HSNC) is bringing New Yorkers together to create a fair, safe and healthy nail salon industry for workers and consumers. New York State has declared a potentially historic commitment to improving the nail salon industry. Governor Cuomo’s Multi-Agency Task Force is already educating workers, employers, and customers about their rights and obligations, and working to ensure effective enforcement of new regulations. Recently introduced legislation - A. 07630 / S. 05748 will bring thousands of nail salon workers out of the shadows, allowing the state to take a critical step forward on the path to eliminating exploitation and abuse in New York's nail salons. Nail salon workers cannot afford to wait until next year for legislative action. Please tell your legislator to act now!

My community is personally affected by the disproportionality of wrongful convictions of African American males as well as the disparate numbers of African Americans in prisons for the last two decades and beyond. It is time we take action when we are made aware of these injustices. You may not be able to march, or attend meetings, or take a message to your legislators or governor, but you can sign a petition. That does not require you to leave your home and it costs you nothing but a few minutes. Please sign - they could have been your relatives.