Childcare now costs more than public college in most states in our nation, leaving hundreds of thousands of people struggling to pay for high-quality childcare. But this fact is relatively unknown by our elected leaders. When there is no full-time stay-at-home caregiver in most American families because the adults need to bring home paychecks, this adds up to a national emergency – yes, A NATIONAL EMERGENCY! -- with dire consequences for our littlest learners and the national economy. In order to work, parents need safe, enriching places for their kids to be so they can work; and kids need high quality child care so they can thrive. Investing in early learning boosts our families and economy alike. Sign on to MomsRising message and this open letter, which we'll deliver to our Congressional leaders. ____________________________________________ Dear Member of Congress, Moms and kids can't wait any longer! Increased investments in affordable, high-quality childcare and early learning opportunities to ensure all children are ready and successful for school and life are needed now. Childcare now costs more than public college, making this a national emergency. It’s time to invest in early learning. Research tells us that the first 2,000 days build the critical foundation for a child's readiness to be successful in school and life. Leading economists agree, investments in high-quality early learning programs like preschool actually save future dollars for everyone. In fact, children who have high-quality early learning experiences are more likely to succeed in school, graduate from high school, gain stable employment, and are less likely to be arrested later in life. Studies show that for every dollar invested in high-quality early learning, we see a return of up to $7.00. Voters understand that it is important to spend now in order to save later. In fact 71% of voters (both Republican and Democrat) want to invest in early learning now to save future dollars. Sadly, quality childcare now costs more than college in our nation—and even though parents need safe, enriching places for children to be so they can work, too few options are available. It’s a national emergency. We can't afford to lose another day. Please support increased investments in high-quality early learning opportunities like preschool and childcare now.

In recent experience, several Deaf patrons have experienced frustration at captioning devices being unavailable or nonfunctional because of improper maintenance at several Alamo Drafthouse movie locations. Messages to the movie theater via their website have gone unanswered. There is a large Deaf population that is being excluded due to Alamo Drafthouse's actions.

The oil industry is saddling firefighters with the threat of oil train fires and explosions that few, if any, fire departments can contain. Even after a record year of disasters, the US Department of Transportation has yet to take action to stop these bomb trains. It's time to take the next step and demand that President Obama protect our nation's firefighters and the 25 million Americans who live in the oil train blast zone.

Four years ago I had a baby when I was is in prison. I'd barely had time to hold my little girl in my arms before they took her from me. For three years, I didn't get to see her. I missed her first smile, her first step, her first three birthdays. I never got to hold her little hand in mind, never got a chance to dry her tears. I could only hope and pray that she was loved, that she was cared for, that if she had bad dreams at night, that somebody would be there to comfort her. Finally, I got into a program at Coffee Creek prison that helps families. The program, called The Family Preservation Program, has been in operation for 4.5 years and served more than 100 women and children in a number of ways. Mothers learn parenting skills, something many of us never had a chance to learn because our own parents were unable to care for us or had problems of their own that were so enormous they didn't have anything left for us. FPP made all the arrangement so our kids could visit us twice a month. Unless you've been separated from your children, you can't really imagine how much that means. Not just to us, but also to our kids. They worry about us when we're in prison. They're afraid we'll be hurt or that we don't have enough to eat or that we have to sleep on cement floors. With all these worries, kids are vulnerable to emotional problems. They might not do well at school. But when they get to see us every other week, and they can see that we're doing okay, their worries are lifted. The time we spent with them is precious not just because of the emotional connection, but because during this time, we have activities together that build strong bonds. In the 4.5 years of the program, not a single woman who has been released from prison has reoffended. And now the program is going to be shut down because of funding issues. I'm out of prison now. I have a job. I'm in transitional housing now, but will soon have my own place and my daughter and I will live together at last. The issues of children of incarcerated parents are well documented and now 1 out of 8 children in the United States has a parent in prison. The problem is so huge that Sesame Street now has a character on it whose parent is in prison. This program is helping these children stay connected to their moms. It is helping moms become good mothers, which will pay off for the mother, the child, and the community when she is released from prison. This program helped me immeasurably and it will continue to help other women who have made serious mistakes and ended up in prison. It has given many families a second chance. It has helped children know they are loved and kept them connected with their mothers. Please help me keep this program going by signing this petition to ask the people who made the decision to close it, to keep it open.

I have been wrongfully punished for a minor incident involving myself and my aunt. My mother has filed a "Beyond Parental Control" and I have not committed a single crime.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote soon on an authorization for the use of force in Iraq and Syria against ISIS. When there is a vote on an AUMF, it is expected to pass overwhelmingly. But the committee will have the opportunity to impose limits on the use of military force. Senator Kaine’s proposal would prohibit the use of ground troops except for rescue missions and "limited operations against high-value targets" – that is, against terrorist leaders who directly threaten the United States. It would expire in one year unless renewed by Congress and would require the White House to give legislators a list of groups that might be covered by the authorization because they are associated with the Islamic State. [1] Urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support Senator Kaine’s efforts to limit the use of force by signing our petition. References: 1. “Senate hearing set on role of Congress in military actions,” Bill Bartel, Virginian-Pilot, December 6, 2014, http://www.stripes.com/news/us/senate-hearing-set-on-role-of-congress-in-military-actions-1.317718

Alan Gottlieb has created an ad that incites the execution of our President

The "Schools on the Hill" are historic landmarks situated on the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. They were built starting in 1930s and until 1951. They were the last schools built specifically for African Americans prior to integration. They are a beautiful example of the progress that was made during the early years of the twentieth century. The historic architectural environment should be preserved for all to appreciate.

Republican leaders have already promised to bring the Keystone Pipeline back up for a vote in January. We need to prevent lighting the fuse on a carbon bomb that could blow up our climate. Tell Sen Markey and Warren to pledge to filibuster the KXL pipeline bill when it comes up for a vote in January.

Military Spouse Advocacy Network is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and empower military spouses and their families. MSAN works in partnership with local agencies, military agencies, and local and state representatives to propose initiatives that fill the gaps of support for military families. A Target in the city of Alamogordo will bring great employment opportunities to the military spouse community and citizens in the area. *MSAN does not promote or endorses a political party, politicians or running candidates. The sole purpose of this petition is to support the needs of military families*

As a social worker, I take the mission of enhancing the well-being of individuals, families, and communities very seriously. In the wake of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner rulings, social workers are needed more than ever to create and support positive change.

Lizard Squad is shuting down XBL and PSN for fun and are going to attempt it during christmas. it has effected many of us when we try to play our favorite games online and even offline for some of us so lets make a stop and take down lizard squad