A basket of Supreme Court opinions, culminating in Reynolds v. Sims diluted the representation in rural counties in thirty states in 1964. Up until that decision, California, and many other states, had roughly one state senator for each county. This was consistent with the Connecticut Compromise as implemented in Article I, Sections 2 and 3 of the US Constitution where the House of Representatives is determined by population and the Senate is comprised of two individuals from each state ensuring small or less populous states have an equal footing in Congress. The Warren Court in 1964 invalidated this form of government for thirty states by manufacturing the doctrine of “one man, one vote” from the 14th Amendment which used population as the sole arbiter of representation in both houses of the state legislature.

I am starting this petition because I refuse to fall for the scare tactics of the wealthiest 1% in our society attempting to turn people in the 99% against each other. This offensive attempt to distract us from the obscene degree of income inequality and wealth concentration is shameful!

In the wake of one Free Trade Agreement after another, I've watched several local businesses like Bobs Candies, Merck Chemical, and Delphi close their plants here in America, then re-open them outside our borders. I've observed the negative economic impact, like the cheap foreign-made bicycle sales that Big-mart Stores have wrought upon local business icons like Owens Sporting Goods, only to later watch the prices rise again after having eliminated that competition. The imported products that NAFTA & CAFTA style agreements inundate our markets provide an economic incentive to see even more local business interests give way to international ones. That's caused me to come to the horrible conclusion that the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that I've heard so much about lately isn't good for our local economy and is a job killer, not a job creator. Even worse, the jobs that aren't killed outright have their wages slashed in order to compete with workers in places like Malaysia and Vietnam. We could and ought to have open debate on the pros and cons of the specifics contained in the 26+ chapter, 1000+ page TPP agreement. International interests and those aligned with them oppose public participation because when claims like the creation of 650,000 new jobs get debunked by investigative reporting from sources like the Washington Post as being closer to zero, their credibility for advancing American interests erodes. Besides, who wins if we must compete with Korean workers who make $1/hour? Are we supposed to count on such poor workers over there to purchase enough American made vehicles to make up for our other job losses? What will they buy our products with...they've got virtually no purchasing power now and with a $1/hour rate of upward mobility...they never will. It looks great when the plan is drawn up. Unfortunately, the field implementation never goes according to plan and America gets left on the hook, every time. Now I've been informed that Congress has introduced a Bill to give President Obama the authority to negotiate the terms of the TPP, in secret meetings, without public scrutiny, by invoking a procedure know as Fast Track Authority. Under Fast Track, the final version of the trade agreement achieved by the President cannot be debated or amended by Congress when it gets sent back to them. This final version is offered only for an up or down vote. It's an ultimatum, not a negotiation. I'm not willing to hold hands with Washington by trusting them to do what's right to prevent sending more jobs overseas, again. Neither should you! Please consider signing on to this Petition to encourage both our Senators and Representatives to oppose Fast Track and embrace the warmth that sunshine brings to the open and public disclosure of trade negotiations.

Since 2000, when adjusted for inflation, state funding for Illinois public universities has been cut by over 35%. As a result, average tuition and fees for entering freshman in Fall 2014 was the 5th highest in the country and the highest in the Midwest. Seventy percent of graduating seniors in Illinois have student debt that averages over $28,000. Gov. Rauner’s budget would increase tuition by over 50%, gut programs, and lay-off staff and faculty critical to providing quality education at all Illinois public universities. Public higher education is an economic engine for the state of Illinois. Not only does a college degree result in higher earning potential for our students and graduates, but an educated workforce is crucial to improving productivity, ingenuity, and scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial innovation. Education is what drives our economy, and it must be funded.

My children have grown up in Europe as bicultural bilinguals; America is their "other" home. They are 49er fans, prefer reading in English and are indistinguishable from US-based Americans their own age. But their children - my grandchildren - will be denied citizenship unless my kids spend 5 continuous years in the US, which may or may not suit their career plans. This is unfair.

Stop Bank corruption right now. Lets send a message to CONGRESS: SUSPEND the proposed sale of One West Bank to CIT Group until there is a full investigation of the homeowner complaints with AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION LIKE THE WATERGATE COMMISSION. STOP the biggest ROBBERY in the History of the U.S. Right this moment, you can help stop the outrageous flow of BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars from the FDIC into One West Bank, and in turn into CIT Group....those misdirected funds can feed a lot of people, pay student loans, help military families, and fix a lot of highways and bridges. This money belongs to THE PEOPLE...not to 5 men owning One West Bank. SIGN this Petition, please. This is a battle for the future of our Democracy.

Many of us had the dream of getting an education that would lead to a better future; instead we were scammed, have degrees that are worthless, and are deep in debt.

On behalf of the Northern Indiana Coalition For Immigration Reform, we call upon Indiana Governor Mike Pence and Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller to withdraw our state's amicus filing in the Federal case of Texas v United States that seeks to end President Obama's executive order providing administrative relief for millions of immigrants. We further call upon our state's government to join with those states, cities, Members of Congress, Labor and community organizations that are calling upon Federal courts to uphold President Obama's executive order that established the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). It does not serve the interests of the people of Indiana for our state to seek to overturn President Obama's executive order that will allow immigrant families to stay together, come out of the shadows and be full members of our communities.

I am a victim of this for-profit fraudulent business that operates its scam in the name of education. The only thing that I gained from this experience is worse financial despair than I have ever had in my entire life! They destroyed millions of lives! Please help put an end to these predatory businesses operating under the name of education!

This petition is the result of experiencing this type of violence and having to deal with this issue with little awareness around how serious Adult Bullying is and have noticed that most people have little to no understanding and/or knowledge about this problems that effect so many people not only in the U.S but all over the world. The emotional, physical and financial destruction as a result of Adults being allowed to bully other adults should not be tolerated and must be stopped.

As our economy continues to tank, more and more people are finding themselves without shelter and food security. At the same time businesses and municipalities are creating and building obstacles and edifice-additions that discourage and prevent people desperate for shelter and rest from using those spaces.

To Stop XeNOphobia and to find Justice for the victims of xenophobia in South Africa