Toledo charges Point Place residents 1.7% and up for property taxes while most of Ohio is being taxed at a 1.5% rate. We are treated like second class citizens and deserve to be able to govern our own area with our own tax revenue. There are close to 20,000 residents in our area and we only need 5,000 residents to make a change. Just think of all of the things we could have done in our area if Toledo wasn't taking our tax dollars.

Right now, President Obama could take executive action requiring federal contractors to disclose their political spending. If he does, he’ll be giving us a valuable tool to ensure politicians aren’t trading special favors for campaign cash. We deserve to know who's trying to buy our votes -- if Congress won't act, then the President needs to do what he can.Tell President Obama to take executive action to shine a light on dark money!

I am an MD-PhD student in my 8th and final year at Tufts, and have created this petition on behalf of myself and other graduating Tufts medical and graduate students. We have all made many professional contacts during our time at Tufts, in addition to listing our Tufts emails as contact information in published works and professional forums. By blocking all email that comes to our Tufts accounts starting 90 days after graduation, Tufts will negatively affect our careers as future Tufts graduates. Lifetime email forwarding is provided by many institutions to their graduates, but Tufts is not among them, and this leaves us at a disadvantage. Please sign if you support having Tufts forward our email indefinitely after we graduate, so that we don't risk losing valuable connections. Thank you. -Sam Stampfer

Past and present politicians should not be rewarded for the damage they have done. A national petition by citizens will be required to expose and shame them into doing the right thing. Familiarize yourself with "the Congressional Reform Act of 2012" and I hope you will agree that this is good for the country.

For over ten years, as a Professor of Mathematics and Criminal Justice, I have specialized in teaching Alternative Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice to Criminal Justice Majors at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. I have seen these prospective "cops on the street" go from "no way" to "this could have really made a difference in my friend's life". If police departments would begin a Restorative Justice Program for youth offenders, it would have significant positive impact on the youth, the community, and their department. It is an opportunity to change the dialog from confrontation to cooperation.

Syriza’s victory in Greece’s elections marks a historic turning point for countries attempting to emerge from sluggish economic growth and high unemployment. [1] Syriza has promised to enact alternatives to austerity policies European authorities have imposed on Greece, which have left Greece with extremely high unemployment similar to the U.S. Great Depression, currently at 25.5%, with youth unemployment at 49.6%. [2] The IMF projects Greek unemployment will still be at nearly 16% in 2018, and almost all of their projections since 2010 have been over-optimistic. Greek voters have rejected prolonged mass unemployment and elected a government with a mandate to negotiate a better deal. A government willing to stand up to the European authorities can help Europe move away from economic policies that have been a miserable failure. Syriza has vowed to enact a stimulus, including through boosting public investment; to seek renegotiation of Greece’s debt; to clamp down on tax evasion; and to take advantage of the new quantitative easing program announced by the European Central Bank last week. The party has opposed plans to cut salaries and pensions of public employees even further. [3.] The amounts of money needed to guarantee a robust Greek recovery are extremely small for the European authorities, especially given the size of the ECB’s announced 60 billion euro per month QE. [4.] U.S. officials will have significant influence on European leaders as they formulate their response to the election, both directly and indirectly through U.S. leadership of the IMF. Urge U.S. officials to press European leaders to respect and compromise with the anti-austerity will of the Greek electorate by signing our petition. References: 1. “Syriza Victory in Greece Could Be a ‘Historic Turning Point’ for Eurozone Economic Policy, CEPR Co-Director Says,” Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 25, 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/press-releases/press-releases/syriza-victory-in-greece-could-be-a-historic-turning-point-for-eurozone-economic-policy-cepr-co-director-says 2. “The Greek Economy: Which Way Forward?” Mark Weisbrot, David Rosnick and Stephan Lefebvre, Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-greek-economy-which-way-forward 3. “End austerity before fear kills Greek democracy,” Alexis Tsipras, Financial Times, January 20, 2015, http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/da236d24-9ff9-11e4-9a74-00144feab7de.html 4. “The Greek Economy: Which Way Forward?” Mark Weisbrot, David Rosnick and Stephan Lefebvre, Center for Economic and Policy Research, January 2015, http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/the-greek-economy-which-way-forward

I attend Hobart, and the food served is unhealthy, dismal, and tasteless. Feeding kids moderately healthy, tasteful food leads to more academic success, and the well-being of the student body is increased with actual nutrition in the meals.

It's been 5 years since the Citizens United Supreme Court decision and big money continues to have a negative impact on our democracy. The Massachusetts Legislature has taken some significant steps in addressing this problem but we must do more. Please join me in writing your state legislators today.

Taxi drivers, like me, who work in Montgomery County, Md., work 16-hour days, but many of us struggle to feed our families because of the tens of thousands of dollars in fees we have to pay to companies like Barwood. Many drivers barely make minimum wage and can be fired without cause because we have no protections on the job. But we’re fighting back. We are pushing for the Montgomery County Council to pass a Passenger and Driver Bill of Rights that would lower fees to ensure drivers are paid a living wage, provide drivers with basic workplace protections, make sure customers receive the highest-quality service at lower prices and regulate companies like Uber. Not surprisingly, lobbyists for companies like Barwood and Uber are trying to stop this, so they can keep more money in the pockets of their CEOs. That’s why we need Montgomery County residents to tell County Council members they support a Passenger and Driver Bill of Rights. Sign the petition now to tell Montgomery County Council members you want them to support the drivers’ push for a Passenger and Driver Bill of Rights, so that taxi drivers can support their families and provide the best service to customers.

Burial Hill will be adversely affected with the needless removal of these trees. Burial Hill is one of the country's earliest burial grounds and is part of the original area settled by the Pilgrims. It is of historic, artistic, and cultural importance. We must be stewards to its preservation. If we stand silent we are party to its desecration.

As professionals in the field of education, we are held responsible to high standards in the classroom. We must ensure that we provide excellence and results for our students. We are held accountable not just by supervisors and districts, but by parents who rely on us for honest assessments of their children’s progress and classroom choices that are in the best interest of their children. Fundamentally, our primary responsibility is to our students and as such we must be able to speak freely about what is in their best interest. Since the introduction of high stakes standardized testing, it is even more critical that we are protected to speak honestly about what is happening in our classrooms. If teachers believe, based upon their professional expertise, that high stakes standardized testing and preparation are not in the best interest of their students, they must be allowed to say so. They cannot be asked to support something that their professional expertise informs them is not useful and is in fact detrimental. But teachers currently fear retaliation if they share their professional opinion. Teachers are being told they are not allowed to speak about their concerns regarding PARCC or to engage in discussions with parents who wish to refuse the tests. Concerns are compounded because there is no formal policy coming from many districts, and because many teachers are also parents. There is no more important time for the teachers union to be at the forefront of protecting the freedom of speech and academic freedom of their members. Without that protection, teachers will have to choose between being honest to their professional responsibilities and remaining silent in fear of retaliation.

John Boehner acts as if he represents America. Nothing could be further from the truth.