We are Portland residents who care deeply about our children's education and value the opportunities and benefits of our community-based, walkable, neighborhood schools. The proposed idea to close Longfellow and Hall Schools and combine the two districts into a large, consolidated school at an undisclosed location is in direct opposition to the School District’s previous goal of creating the best small “urban” school district by 2017.

Our Governor is making vicious attacks on the American middle class, taking our hard-earned dollars and squandering them by giving them to Big Corporations. When does all of the child play and greed stop?

Our tenth grade son was subjected to faulty curricular planning by his history teacher as she was allowed to present a movie with nudity and sexual content without the knowledge of my wife and I. Local public school boards, Principals, and Site Based Management Teams should never agree to allow the showing of cinematic media that is inclusive of content that goes against the discretion of parents, especially when the psychological and emotional welfare of minors are at stake. Parents should always be given notice well in advance, which inquires and requires their permission.

I was Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at a top NY Hospital. Budget cuts and hospital mergers cut staff. When care was not safe I as always put my Patients best interest first as I should, however the Hospital runs as a business even if it cost lives. I was told to shut up or I will be destroyed for life. I was removed from schedule, my personal belongings taken, my sick time, all benefits forfeited and my life destroyed. We must have a "Good Samaritan law to protect Morally sound Hospital based Physicians"

I am a concerned citizen and I am personally affected by the lack of water here in Los Angeles. Preserving our natural water should be a top priority. Stopping external companies from bottling and exporting our own water is one step in this direction.

The United States and eleven other nations are working on a massive new trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. According to Public Policy Polling, 63% of Oregonians oppose the TPP, and 73% oppose giving the president “Fast Track” authority to ram trade deals through Congress without amendments. Oregonians are right. In 2012, President Obama pushed through a similar “free trade” agreement with Korea. He promised it would increase exports and create jobs. He was wrong. It hurt exports and killed more than 93,000 US jobs. The failed Korea agreement is the template for the TPP. The TPP would increase the number of foreign corporations able to challenge any US federal, state, or local law: any law that might jeopardize foreign corporate profit, including laws on environmental protection, food and water safety, public health, working conditions, and internet network equality. Forget due process. Judgment is passed by secretive tribunals whose rulings are final. There is no appeal to regular US courts. The number of such claims filed under existing “free trade” agreements is increasing: from a few in 1995 to at least 600 by 2014. But the proceedings are conducted in secrecy. The actual number may be higher. The TPP will fuel inequality, kill jobs, and undermine health, environmental and financial regulations. Oregonians are right: it must be stopped.

The attack on America’s diplomats in Benghazi, Libya in 2012 was a tragedy. We lost four of our finest public servants, and there are lessons to be learned from the incident. Instead of focusing on improving our diplomatic security, Republicans in Congress have turned the Benghazi investigation into a yearlong, $3 million taxpayer-funded political witch-hunt directed at Hillary Clinton. The U.S. House’s “Select Committee on Benghazi” has failed to produce a single actionable finding after wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. And yet, its chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) has already hinted that his “investigation” might not be done until right before the 2016 election! Our country faces enormous challenges, here at home and abroad. We have our work cut out for us. We should be focused on improving security for our diplomats abroad, and we can’t afford to keep wasting time and money on this political sideshow. Sign the Petition: tell Congress it’s time to end the Benghazi madness and get back to work!

I was a beneficiary in this system for many years, and successfully returned to the workforce after furthering my education. I have been given many opportunities in life, and want to see our legislators reform this system so those who are able to return to the workforce are able to receive job training without penalty. The current system places severe time limits and income restrictions on beneficiaries who want to move ahead with their lives. In a time of huge inequality, everyone should have the opportunity to improve their future.

Right-wing forces that want to maintain Israel-Palestine in a state of permanent war have attached provisions to the trade bills before the House that would make it US policy to promote illegal settlements in Palestine, reversing longstanding US policy. These provisions would require the US to oppose European restrictions against trade with illegal colonies in Palestine. These European policies to uphold international law are supported by Human Rights Watch. Trying to protect the settlements from international law would be an endorsement of permanent war, because any plausible diplomatic resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict requires that the threat of illegal colonies to Palestinian statehood be eliminated. Supporting the settlements means opposing a plausible diplomatic resolution to the conflict. Without a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, more war is inevitable. Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer is in a unique position to force the removal of these pro-war provisions, because 1) he has been a champion of US diplomacy in the Middle East and 2) he is among a handful of House Democrats who have indicated that they are likely to support the trade bills; Blumenauer voted for them in committee. Urge Rep. Blumenauer to publicly demand the removal of the pro-settlement provisions from the trade bills by signing our petition.

State Correctional Institute-Greene inmates have been on a hunger strike since 5/16/2015 due to staff mistreatment. There are good and bad staff within any establishment. We request a thorough investigation to remove the corrupt ones, who support: 1. Illegal gang units without a policy or funding from Department of Justice. 2. Unwarranted investigation in which an arbitrar denies prisoners procedural due process involving their confinement. 3. Housing prisoners on administration custody status pending so-called separation transfer as a way to keep prisoners locked down on A.C. status for months on end. 4. Tampering with inmates' outgoing and incoming mail, which violates D.O.C. policies and procedures as well as constitutional standards. 5. Violating of D.O.C. code of ethics on many aspects arranging from falsifying reports etc., 6. Denying prisoner’s property such as basic life necessity upon their arrival to RHU. 7. Denial of eye glasses to prisoner with severe medical condition involving their eyes while in RHU. 8. Destruction of prisoner’s legal property and personal property which interferes with prisoners appeals. 9. Improper screening process of potential C.O.'s

In December, the world will reach its deadline to hash out a global-climate treaty, some calling it our last chance to save the planet. But what good is a climate treaty if the nations that sign it lose their sovereignty to multi-national corporations? Trade deals such as NAFTA and the TPP bestow corporations with outrageous new powers, including the right to directly challenge participating governments for enacting any measures that jeopardize their profits. These corporate grievances are heard by unelected, unaccountable trade tribunals—and as history has shown, the energy and mining giants will seize on them to try to gut all manner of environmental laws. The expansion of such agreements has gone hand in hand with the accelerating rise in greenhouse gas emissions. In short, this corporate free trade model that the TPP represents isn't only destabilizing our economies—it's also a key reason why our governments have failed to come to grips with the climate crisis. If President Obama and the U.S. Congress are going to be serious about climate change, they need to start by rejecting the TPP.

Republican Member of Congress Rep. Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation that would ban pregnant women from entering the United States. The law would require women entering the United States with B-1 or B-2 nonimmigrant visas to bring a note from a doctor certifying that either they are not pregnant or not expected to give birth during their time in the country. This outrageous legislation is anti-women and anti-family. Please urge your Members of Congress and President Obama to oppose HR 2484.