As parents, grandparents, parents-to-be, and community supporters, we believe that the food served by our public schools is a significant financial and social investment intended to help our students attain better health, enhance their learning, support food security, and foster a lifetime of good eating habits. However, at present, it’s not uncommon for schools to sell and market chemical-laden, sugary foods to our children, nor is it uncommon for processed meals containing additives, some of which have been shown to cause cancer, hyperactivity, and other behavioral impairments in children, to be routinely served. Healthy School Food Maryland proposes this legislation, in part, to help parents and community members know more about the foods sold in our children’s schools, and to enable us to participate in the process of establishing wellness policies for our schools. We believe that Maryland’s public schools can do more to maximize federal, state and local investments in school food so that they enhance rather than detract from the health of our children. We ask that you support the following legislation to address these concerns: Jane Lawton Farm-to-School Act Expansion: Expand Maryland farm-to-school week from one week a year to two weeks a year, one week in the fall and one week in the spring. School Lunch Diabetes & Obesity Reduction Act: Ask each school district to write and implement a plan to reduce sugar loads for all school-provided foods to within limits recommended by the American Heart Association. Thirsty Kids Act: Offer free, unlimited water to children in school cafeterias by using reusable water bottles and offering cups. Chemical-Free School Food Act: Prohibit chemicals in school food that have been shown to be carcinogenic in animal studies or associated with hyperactivity and/or other behavioral and health problems in children. Healthy School Snacks and Marketing Act: Require 24-hour compliance with local and state guidelines for food and drinks sold and/or served in schools on a regular basis; marketing limited to only compliant foods and beverages. School Food Transparency Act: Improve transparency of foods served in schools by providing parents with a list of a la carte, breakfast, and lunch menu items. Require menus to be posted on the school’s website, including ingredient lists and nutritional information for all foods sold. School Wellness Committee Act: Establish standing wellness committees with parent and community representation. For the full details and bill text, see: http://www.healthyschoolfoodmd.org

In a rapidly changing world, we need to open the doors to a new generation and new mentality of Democratic leadership. A return to Clintonian centrism is not what our country needs right now and by stepping aside and joining the progressive wave, Ms. Clinton could do far more good than as President.

President Obama was right in his State of the Union address: The secret billionaire and big business "dark money" enabled by the U.S. Supreme Court’s disastrous Citizens United ruling is pulling "our politics into the gutter." And he can do something about it right now by issuing an executive order requiring government contractors to disclose their political spending. He doesn't even need agreement from the Boehner-McConnell Congress. That way, We the People will know which corporations are spending how much either backing politicians who may help them get lucrative government business that our tax dollars pay for or attacking politicians who do not. While we continue building nationwide grassroots momentum for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and working on other remedies to the plague of money in politics, we need President Obama to take this one simple step right now that will at least shed light on the political influence of corporations that get taxpayer-funded business from the federal government.

We must give the President a chance at a diplomatic agreement with Iran about its nuclear program. Neocons in Congress, such as most Republicans and many Democrats, would rather scuttle diplomacy and go to war with Iran to enact regime change. That would be a disaster and yet another war/quagmire costing many lives. Democrats and Republicans who support negotiations should walk out on Mr. Netanyahu before he makes his pitch for aggression against Iran.

I'm starting a petition because me and my husband's parental rights were terminated to our children in 2007 after we both completed a parental agreement. I feel that our rights as parents should be restored after we finished a parental agreement and learned from it. Stopping parental rights from being terminated after parents comply should be intact, which does affect me and my husband very much. Please sign my petition if you agree that a parent or parents rights should not be terminated after complying with a parental agreement from their state.

Senator Warren just introduced the Medical Innovation Act, a bill that would essentially act as a swear jar: whenever a huge drug company that is generating enormous profits as a result of federal research investments gets caught breaking the law, it has to put some money in the jar to fund the next generation of medical research. She explained that pharmaceutical companies deserve some of the credit for life-saving drugs, but the government deserves some too. The same drugs that generate billions of dollars in profit for these companies don’t just come overnight. "Drug companies make great contributions, but so do taxpayers. In other words, we built those medical innovations together," she said. Sign this petition and tell the senators of the United States that we need them to cosponsor the Medical Innovation Act and to fight against Big Pharma.

Having been personally affected by the impact of addiction through several family members, I see an immediate need for legislation to be passed. Not enough is being done to help addicts have a chance at a new life through proper long term recovery services.

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.