Simply put, Los Angeles is the “Wage Theft Capitol of the United States,” with approximately $26.2 million stolen from workers on a weekly basis ($1.4 billion annually) through minimum wage and overtime violations, off –the-clock work, meal and rest break violations, and illegal paycheck deductions. While wage theft primarily impacts low-wage workers, its negative effects touch every member of the city, whether it is through lost tax revenue, unfair competition for law-abiding businesses, decreased monetary infusion into the local economy, or increased public expenditures on health care. It is time to end LA’s reign as the Wage Theft Capitol, and it is time for City Council to take action to help workers collect the wages that are legally owed to them.

The Old City of Philadelphia is a historical district and, much like the old cities in all other countries in the world—i.e. Charleston, Montréal, Québec and those all through Europe and the Maghreb—, it should maintain a "historical" aesthetic. People from all over the world travel to Philadelphia in order to see the the Old City—the place in which the Founding Fathers had first deliberated and set the groundwork for this country. The tourism that the Old City attracts is a source of considerable income for the city and I believe that, if Mayor Nutter is to approve such ultra-modern and unattractive housing projects, as the one that is now about to be implemented, he is contributing to the defacement of one our country's most visited historical districts. Not only is this project going to be a blight to the historical feel of the Old City, but it is also going to set a precedent for the construction similar housing projects in the future and, ultimately and in turn, for the defacement of the entire neighborhood. Thus far, most of the condominiums and estates in Old City proper have maintained a more neutral and antiquated look, but this one is radically modern and clearly does not belong in this part of the neighborhood.

We are Save Our Sandy, which is also our battle cry! We are in a fight to preserve what has existed in rural Marshall County, Illinois for generations. We live along Sandy Creek, where our pioneer ancestors settled after looking for clean water, trees for their cabins, and grass for their livestock. Now a mega hog factory wants to locate next to our beloved creek, and next to us. Their plan is to house nearly 20,000 hogs in three huge buildings, storing the animal waste in deep concrete pits below the hogs. We are devastated by the news. Our fears are many because the environmental track record of hog factories is poor. Many hog factories have been prosecuted for polluting nearby streams. Hog waste contains antibiotic-resistant superbugs and harmful gases. The fumes travel several miles downwind. The proposed hog factory will produce an incomprehensible 10 million gallons of waste annually. We will be unable to enjoy the outdoors or keep our windows open. Our homes will be extremely difficult to sell, losing much of their value. Our county board is against this hog factory, but the decision is not in our community’s hands. Changes to the Livestock Management Facilities Act need to be made so neighbors like Save Our Sandy are protected.

People are growing increasingly aware of the environmental hazards of plastic water bottles; it's time to take it a step further and challenge large corporations to further reduce plastic use and consumption by switching to biodegradable choices where they exist. Starbucks and its subsidiary companies should be leading the change on reducing their environmental impacts by using biodegradable and green to-go products. Further use of single-life plastics is contributing to the global trash epidemic; which is leaving our oceans and lands littered with plastic, creating health hazards and endangering many animal populations.

From the Aurora Sentinel: "Aurora U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican, as recently as January voted against a spending bill that would have set aside as much as $100 million for overtime and additional training for claims processors to reduce the growing backlog of veterans waiting for care. Coffman joined 66 other Republicans in the House, including Colorado congressmen Doug Lamborn, Cory Gardner and Scott Tipton, in voting against that appropriations bill. - See more at: http://www.aurorasentinel.com/news/despite-clear-calls-va-resignations-voting-records-vets-still-cloudy/#sthash.yi3yqSnt.dpuf"

When I signed the contract to take out my loans, I knew I would have to work hard after graduation to pay them back. I thought Sallie Mae would make that process simple. I was wrong. My bills were sent to the wrong addresses. Payments I made on time were marked late. And it was up to me to fight through hours on the phone to fix it. After graduation, Sallie Mae sent notifications to my school email and address, which were both deactivated when I left campus. When I started making payments, they never recorded them, so my paper bills had added penalties. I was always on the phone with Sallie Mae trying to fix their mistakes. Sallie Mae is the country’s largest private student lender, with more than 6 million borrowers owing more than $166 million. I don’t understand how so many mistakes could happen in the lending process. On June 25, the Nathan Cummings Foundation will present a resolution calling for a vote of NO CONFIDENCE in the board of directors at Sallie Mae’s annual shareholders meeting. We need more diverse voices on Sallie Mae’s board, voices of those who can speak up for borrowers and our families. A vote of NO CONFIDENCE will show the current board members that they can no longer treat their customers with disrespect. Join me to vote NO CONFIDENCE in Sallie Mae’s board of directors and ask for a change in leadership at the company.

As a Marine I believe that America should return to the pre-Bush Doctrine of military engagement only when a country has attacked America and it is in our direct National Security interests. We learned from Vietnam to not trust politicians waging wars. We forgot when Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Bremer and their co-conspirators in conservative media and talk radio engaged to push the false war in Iraq and to castigate any who dared to challenge the immoral nature of that war and the new "Pre-emptive strike" mindset of the Bush Doctrine.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy was voted to replace Rep. Eric Cantor as Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a key leader in the Republican Party, he can help to ensure that immigration reform actually comes up for a vote! He's supporting one measure to help provide a path to citizenship for young immigrants who are also members of the military, and his district is 35% Latino. If any Republican can "get it", he can.

I'm a parent of a child playing Junior Softball with the City of Binghamton Parks & Recreation. Before her season started, the following notice was posted on the Binghamton East Side Youth Association Website indicating the potential for injury. Attention Parents: We need your help!!! The city of Binghamton has decided to add an inch of topsoil plus grass on the infield of the upper softball field at Fairview park. This has greatly effected the field making the field almost unplayable on. We have fought hard to get this softball field and is one of the few that remain in the City of Binghamton. The addition of this topsoil has made the field a potential safety hazard for anyone playing on it. The same thing was done to the softball field in west end but the city has since changed the field back to normal. We need all of the parents to contact the city let let them know that you are unhappy about this change at Fairview. Let them know you are concerned about the safety of your children playing on this field. You can contact the Parks and Recreation Director (Bill Barber) by telephone at 772-7017. He can be contacted by email at the following link: http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/node/330 Appropriate attention to this matter has not been provided and, as a result, one of my child's teammates suffered an injury in their game last evening at this field. Please encourage Director Barber to pay equal attention to boys' and girls' sporting events and to take steps to ensure the safety of our girls.

The State of California cares for its prisoners so badly that in 2005, a judge mandated federal oversight of their prison healthcare system after it was documented that one person dies in California prisons every day from extreme medical malpractice or neglect. But as horrific as these crimes of neglect are, it shocks the conscience anew to hear that the medical care that was provided to prisoners included forced sterilization as recently as 2010. [1] Eugenics is a word that sounds to too many of us like it belongs only in the history books, but the eugenics programs started in California in the 1920s were found still alive and kicking in its prisons until very recently. While mainstream, and mostly white, women's rights advocates celebrated and defended legal abortion, too little attention has been paid to genocidal medical violence practiced against members of society deemed 'unfit' parents due to poverty, mental health, or non-white ethnicity. As Loretta Ross, an African American victim of forced sterilization at the age of 23, wrote recently, "After my sterilization, I felt empty, lost, and butchered. I was in shock and felt powerless." [1] There is no justification for an atrocity like this and the State of California must immediately act to ensure that state power is never again abused to deprive people of their right to parent and make their own decisions about their family size. Tell Governor Brown to ask the California legislature to act immediately to pass SB 1135 and safeguard against forced sterilization of vulnerable populations. [1] - "Eugenicists Never Retreat, They Just Regroup: Sterilization and Reproductive Oppression in Prisons," Loretta Ross, RH Reality Check, June 12, 2014. http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/06/12/eugenicists-never-retreat-just-regroup-sterilization-reproductive-oppression-prisons/

For a long time I have witnessed the flybys that leave chemicals. These chemicals sit in the sky and spread out and as a result the morning blue sky turns grey. We need our sun. You are killing this planet. Why? You make claims that other countries have weapons of mass destruction. My view is this is the greatest weapon of mass destruction.

The Houston Rockets have a rich culture that is not portrayed in their current brand. Bringing back our Championship color scheme and style pays homage to the past so we can continue to build our legacy.