We support the efforts of the USW union to improve the wages and benefits as well as working conditions of the striking refinery workers. Jobs in refineries are dangerous and require a high level of skill. As we know from the BP disasters, mistakes can cause catastrophes for the surrounding communities and the environment. These workers deserve to be compensated well and treated fairly. Failure to bargain fairly in these negotiations will only reflect the Shell Oil Company's lack of regard for the workers and the communities in which their enterprises are located. We refuse to buy Shell products until the strike is settled.

Brownback's tax cuts have backfired and our legislature is now scrambling to find a way to save the Kansas economy. Ending the prohibition of marijuana would increase state tax revenues and significantly decrease wasteful spending on marijuana enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration. (A $200 transaction can cost taxpayers and the government $100,000 for a three-year sentence.) Domestically grown marijuana is thought to be the second MOST PROFITABLE cash crop in the United States. Think about the kind of impact that could have on our economy! Look at the U.S. alcohol beverage industry. Ending prohibition on alcohol paid off nicely. In 2011, the industry generated $91 billion in wages and over 3.9 million jobs for U.S. workers. In reality, ending this prohibition would also increase the number of people moving into the state (or at least decrease the number of people we are losing to Colorado) and increase tourism leading to more outside spending with all Kansas businesses. This as a viable solution to our current economic nightmare. The rest of the country is headed this way, so it makes sense to take advantage of the enormous financial benefits of being a pioneer before the rest of the country catches up.

I would promote the value of shopping at Costco even more if it did not carry Georgia-Pacific products, which is a subsidiary of Koch Industries.

President Carter was about to introduce the Metric System and the country was geared up for it when the new President Reagan called it "un-American" and scuttled the change-over. It is high time our country abandons the present medieval and complicated system of measurements.

Sadly Jon Stewart is leaving The Daily Show, and he's leaving big shoes to fill. Enter Amy Poehler -- one of the most hilarious and effervescent stars of comedy today. In an age of political despair and apathy, Amy Poehler offers something else -- a cunning sense of humor and an ability to connect. With the late-night landscape filled only with men, Amy Poehler is an obvious choice to shake things up.

Professional athletes are suspended for unsportsmanlike conduct. How is it possible that Kanye has been allowed to treat other music professionals with such inconsiderate and disrespectful behaviors? Why aren't The Recording Academy Trustees suspending him from attending these prestigious award shows? If the appropriate organizations won't take action on their own, it reinforces this behavior as acceptable. It is NOT acceptable. There should be a consequence from the appropriate Grammy Organization and The Recording Academy, that this unprofessional behavior will not be tolerated! It's not a joke, it's a breakdown of social civility. This would not be tolerated in any other industry. Those making appearances on prime time television have a responsibility to the viewers supporting them, and this is our chance to say, we expect professionalism! Send " Kanye to the Penalty Box" means he ( and anyone else demonstrating unsportsmanlike behaviors ) should be suspended from these prestigious award shows until he (or others) contractually agrees to behave in a respectful and courteous manner. If such agreement is broken, they are fined a million dollars ( or other significant amount)...which, is then donated to a fund that promotes positive outcomes for our youth and society at large. In hockey, one sits in the penalty box 3 long minutes leaving their team vulnerable. The public viewers are left vulnerable to the societal impact of the inappropriate and disrespectful behaviors of those celebrities that have the freedom to behave (publicly) without adhering to an industry standard code of ethics. In other sports organizations, athletes ( and celebrity athletes) can be ejected and fined by officials. Who is protecting the public from the disrespectful and unsportsmanlike conduct aired on TV? It's time to create a code of conduct and hold musicians ( and celebrities) to a higher standard! A standard code of conduct should be signed by all with access to being aired publicly and in such contract, a Penalty Box Component, will be standard and include a significant financial penalty and suspension, whereby such proceeds will be used for the greater good. Sign if you agree Kanye ( and others) should be sent to the Penalty Box for unsportsmanlike conduct on TV!

All public servants should avoid all verbal harassment of women during the normal work hours. The law is in place and it is not being implemented by any government employers. It is time to protect all women regarding this issue, now and in the future. This applies to all women of any age and race in the United States of America.

As Texas MoveOn members we have worked tirelessly to get the money out of politics, to empower the powerless and equalize the playing field for all Americans over the past ten years. Senator Warren speaks boldly about the values that could re-create our democracy in the image we long for. Her dedication to challenging the banks and Wall Street, lowering interest rate on college loans, establishing not just a minimum wage but a living wage, protecting our environment from the reckless fossil fuel industry and calling out both Republicans and Democrats alike when they vote with the lobbyists and against our best interests as Americans makes her one of the most progressive candidate we could elect as President in the 21st Century. But first we need to draft her to run. Sign this petition calling on Senator Warren to run for President in 2016.

BIG POLLUTERS ARE ILLEGALLY INJECTING WASTE INTO DRINKING WATER SOURCES: SHUT THEM DOWN! Sign today! Petition will be delivered THIS WEEK Stop Big Polluters from ruining our aquifers! Californians are outraged. In this time of severe and prolonged drought — while we’re struggling to conserve water and worried for the future of our communities — our own state government has been permitting oil and gas companies to inject vast quantities of hazardous waste fluid into our aquifers. Reports surfacing now reveal that drilling operations dump chemically-contaminated fluids into the California water supply, and the state’s Division of Oil Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) — the government agency under Gov. Brown tasked with supervising these operations — confirmed that they authorized the systematic pollution of groundwater. DOGGR verified the reports but did not change course, and Big Polluters still have permission from the State of California to carry on with business as usual. Despite public outcry and in obvious violation of federal law, oil and gas companies are sticking with state-authorized groundwater pollution to solve their hazardous waste disposal problems. They must be stopped. As Californians, we understand the value and growing scarcity of our groundwater, and extreme drought has bound us together in our struggle to conserve. When our public officials fail to protect our sources of water that would be suitable for drinking, they betray our efforts and risk our vital resources. Voters are outraged: Take action now! This is a joint campaign of: Clean Water Action: www.cleanwater.org, @cleanh2oca and California League of Conservation Voters: www.ecovote.org, @clcv

Please impeach Brownback for violating the sacred trust between governor and people and for putting the will of lobbyists and corporate backers before the needs of the people.

The death penalty is a cruel and out of date form of punishment, therefore it should be put to an end.

Le Corbusier's famous Capitol Complex in Chandigarh is about to be ruined by the construction of 19 towers, each between 12 and 36 stories tall, on land located just to its north. This project, called 'TATA Camelot', is being developed by TATA Housing, the real estate wing of TATA Sons, one of the largest industrial houses of India. This petition to stop TATA Camelot is directed at Ratan Tata, Chairman (Emeritus) of TATA Sons, who is an architect (Cornell '62) and Pritzker Prize jurist. ARGUMENT 1. The transparent relationship between the Capitol buildings and the agro-pastoral landscape and the Himalayas to its north is an integral part of the design of the Capitol Complex. Le Corbusier documented this extensively, and carefully controlled all development in this area to ensure that it did not interfere with this relationship. He even moved the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to prevent the building of a military cantonment within the sightlines of the Capitol. (See Documentation below.) 2. Due to political exigencies (i.e. the redrawing of state boundaries in 1966), a portion of the land just to the North of the Capitol is no longer under the jurisdiction of Chandigarh Administration, but under that of the state of Punjab. The TATA Camelot project exploits this loophole to cash in on the exorbitant real-estate values of Chandigarh by proposing the construction of this high-rise residential tower complex. More than a hundred members of the Punjab legislature are shareholders in the project, raising question of due process. 3. The towers are guaranteed to destroy the integrity of the design vision of the Capitol Complex. It will be a lamentable eyesore both from the Capitol Complex and from the Lake. The small sliver of land just to the north of the Capitol Complex deserves to be protected as a common heritage of the tri-city region. There is ample developable land around Chandigarh on all other sides. 4. While TATA Housing claims that its towers are "green", a development of the size of Tata Camelot will severely disrupt the sensitive hydrology, natural habitats and rural ecologies of the area around it. It is proposed on land that is at the very first flats at the foothills of the Himalayas. It is immediately adjacent to a national reserved forest. It is sited on former riverbed, created by diverting an intermittent river. Sukhna Lake, the preeminent public space of the city and a renowned wild-life sanctuary, is located just to its east. Three villages and extensive farmlands abut it. 5. Chandigarh was a prominent part of Jawaharlal Nehru's post-colonial vision for independent India. It was designed by Le Corbusier (along with a team of other European and Indian architects and planners) and is a signature destination of global modernism and the founding of the Indian nation. J.R.D. Tata, Mr. Ratan Tata's predecessor, was an integral collaborator on this project, flying Le Corbusier on Air India regularly, and hosting him routinely in Bombay (now Mumbai). The democratic values of the Indian nation-state, and of modernism, enshrined in the Capitol Complex deserve to be protected. 6. Since two previous attempts to reach Mr. Tata and the senior management of TATA Sons have fallen on deaf ears, and while a legal argument is pending in the courts, this online petition is designed to appeal to Mr. Tata publicly. Complete visual documentation at - http://chandigarhurbanlab.org/?p=1318