According to U.S. Bureau of the Census, there are 11,459 households within Cheboygan County, Michigan. If each uses 9 plastic shopping bags per week, a total of 5.3 million plastic bags are distributed within Cheboygan County, Michigan, each year. According to the EPA, fewer than 5% of the plastic bags used in the U.S. are recycled. so 5.0 million of the plastic bags that are distributed within Cheboygan County are sent to landfills. According to www.worldwatch.org/node/5565, plastic bags take thousands of years to decompose. According to the Great Lakes Alliance on Adopt-A-Beach, plastic bags make up 13% of the trash on the beaches within Cheboygan County, Michigan. Animals, including turtles, fish, and birds, are killed when they ingest plastic bags.

I have been personally affected by the current child support system in a negative manner. The current law is outdated, unfair, and in many instances, unconstitutional. Reform is needed so that the modern family and our diverse situations can be correctly addressed. This will ensure that proper guidelines are being mandated and followed. No child deserves to be subjected to witnessing their parent fall victim to the child support system.

We, as Denver Park Participants, join together in requesting a dismissal of the proposed pilot project of banning legal consumption of alcohol in Denver parks, beginning with Wash Park. We contend that there has been gross negligence of investigation, as well as an exaggeration, on the the accusations that alcohol is the root cause and driver of the following behaviors: unruly citizens, lewd behavior, public intoxication, public indecency, public defecation, parking violations, etc. Under current regulations and laws, these behaviors can and should be ticketed. The lack of current enforcement due to an underestimation of the popularity and use of public parks does not warrant additional regulation. We agree the safety and enjoyment of our fellow park participants is the priority and charter of the parks system. We support legitimate and sound recommendations to park improvements, and look forward to working with our local governing body to make public and informed decisions that will impact all Denver Park Participants.

We are Sociology major students at California State University, Chico. We are taking part in Professor Paul Lopez’ Sociology 350 class, Ethnic and Race Relations, and we have a petition we would like to bring to your attention. The petition is to make the members of a jury represent, as best as possible, both the plaintiff and the defendant; that is, if the indicted are a female and a male, then half the jury should be female and half male; if the indicted are black and white, again, jury should represent both parties. We have had enough of the all-white (or mostly white) jury deciding the fate of all, especially minority populations that overwhelmingly crowd the prisons. Over the years there has been a great disparity among races in our prison systems and we believe this has to do, in part, with the fact that there continues to be racial discrimination when selecting jury members. Across the United States people of color are underrepresented on juries as a result of racially biased use of peremptory strikes; this is especially prevalent in capital cases and other serious felony cases. In many jurisdictions the peremptory strikes have been used at higher rates as a means to exclude racial minorities from jury service. Many communities across the country have failed to make juries more inclusive and representative of everyone who has the right to serve. In 2001, African Americans held the highest rates of incarceration; they constituted 900,000 of the total 2.2 million incarcerated. Data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics documented that one in six African American men had been incarcerated. As of 2010, African Americans were incarcerated at a rate of 5,525 per 100,000, Latinos 1,146 per 100,000 and 671 for whites and 43 for Asians. We believe this problem needs a solution because excluding racial minorities from juries only leads to collateral consequences. The credibility, reliability, and integrity of the criminal justice system is compromised when there is even an appearance of bias and discrimination. This will lead the legitimacy of the system to be called into question. Communities of color across the country have rejected and will continue to reject criminal verdicts handed down by juries that are unrepresentative of them. Research has suggested that compared to diverse juries, all-white juries tend to make more errors, consider fewer perspectives and spend less time deliberating. Having a racially diverse jury helps improve a jury’s ability to assess witness testimony, evaluate cross-racial identifications, avoid presumptions of guilt, and fairly judge a criminally accused. We believe there should be a greater homogeneity when it comes to the race of the individual on trial and the amount of people of the same race on the jury. We need to have an anti-discrimination enforcement that is dedicated to help prevent any racially biased jury selections. At the end of the day, everyone must have guaranteed equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment and the exclusion of minorities from the pool of potential jurors violates this right. We write this letter because California is, and always has been, a leader when it comes to civil rights and hopefully after reading this petition you will also agree. Sincerely, Dr. Paul Lopez, Araceli Sanchez, Chelsea Givens, Isabel Hood, Janel Walter, Mandee Perez, and Monique Schofield

Millions have signed up under the ACA but millions more have been frightened away by false and misleading propaganda. They are now uncovered for health expenses until 2015. Many will go bankrupt or worse for lack of insurance coverage.

As the Turkish community in California and around the world we are strongly opposing bills and resolutions regarding the so-called Armenian Genocide · AB 659 · AJR 1915 · AJR 35 · SJR 41 · SJR 21 · SB 1380 United States has ratified 1948, United Nation Convention and became law in the land. In order name any event Genocide should have international court ruling. Otherwise it is slandering. Every single court in US and Europe rejected Armenians claim. What ever your personal feeling is on this issue, we urge you to comply with US Federal law. The so-called Armenian Genocide has no HISTORICAL OR LEGAL BASIS. For your personal and political gain you are slandering Turkish nation is ILLEGAL, UNETHICAL and IMMORAL. Please take the necessary steps to stop slandering and propagating ancient hatred and passing it generation to generation. Instead we are urging you to build bridges promote peace.

What has happened to Mary G. Sykes, can happen to you. American society--and our judicial -- is teaching our children what is theirs is theirs and what is yours is theirs. Protecting your golden years is not a spectator sport. My mother, at 90, filed a petition for a protective order to stop her eldest daughter, Carolyn Toerpe, from financial exploitation and willful deprivation of her liberty, property, human and civil rights, and Toerpe hired attorney Peter Schmiedel (law firm of Fischel and Kahn in Chicago) and along with two guardian ad litems, attorneys Cynthia Farenga and Adam Stern, railroaded Mother into a guardianship (in 2009). Schmiedel, Stern, Farenga, and Judges Jane Louise Stuart and Maureen Connors have not only successfully sanctioned the laundering all of mothers (over 1 million dollars) estate (sold her home, too) but also, stolen and converted all of my assets and estate, which included a medical account of at least $210,000, to be used to pay attorney Peter Schmiedel and the law firm he's associated -- and not, as Toerpe claims, for mother's care! Please WATCH: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/mickey-rooney-testifies-elder-abuse-actor-control-finances-stripped-health-13042199 My mother now 95, is unnessarily drugged, prevented from access to the Courts and cannot appeal, and isolated from all family and friends for almost 5 years. Mother invited me to visit her on June 22, 2013 where she was illegally confined at the Senior Living facility in Naperville, Ill and the first thing my mother said when she saw and heard my voice, was "I knew you didn't abandon me. I knew you'd come save me". Toerpe arrived 40 minutes later, and while facility staff watched, she overtly physically abused Mother, and told her that she'd "NEVER see" me again. What has happened to my mother and me can happen to you: court sanctioned abuses of the elderly and disabled must stop! Attorneys like Schmiedel, Stern, Farenga and Judges Connors and Stuart are dangerous because they are empowered by our judicial and agencies like the Illinois Attorney Registration and Discipline Commission. (The attorney of my mother choice, Kenneth Ditkowsky, her friend, was sanctioned for trying to help her!) Carolyn Toerpe was estranged from the family and like a thief in the night, stole everything my Mother and Father worked their entire lives for including her freedoms and liberties -- and then, having retained the right attorneys, (Fischel and Kahn law firm) and with two supporting Guardian ad Litem, pauperized me too. The next step in the Cottage Industry's plan, is to over or under medicate or suffocated my Mother: cremate her, although not Mother's advance directive. Yes, this sounds unbelievable, but it's the biggest scam against the elderly and disabled -- an American Holocaust. Please help save my Mother and in doing so, will save the lives of millions of elderly and disabled people! Mary G. Sykes wrote letters to the Judge and anybody who would listen, but Judge Maureen Connors and Jane Louise Stuart turned a deaf ear: WATCH: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcAU3Svl_SQ

I've heard a lot of things from Rep. Steve King, but recently he reached an ultimate low. He said children of immigrants who came to the US children without papers should be immediately deported instead of allowed to serve in the military. While discussing the ENLIST Act, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to join the army and eventually earn citizenship if they arrived before they were 15, Rep. King said: "As soon as they raise their hand and say, 'I'm unlawfully present in the United States,' we're not going take your oath into the military, but we're going to take your deposition and we have a bus for you to Tijuana." "We have a bus for you to Tijuana?" Who says that about kids -- especially kids who want to join the military? This is outrageous! These comments about aspiring members of the military are unacceptable. Rep. Mike Coffman, a Republican from Colorado responded by saying, “As a Marine combat veteran, I believe there is no higher expression of citizenship than serving our nation in uniform.” and I agree! The Reason Rep. Steve King gets away with his horrible rhetoric in Congress is because Tom Latham and other leading Republicans in Iowa refuse to stand up to him. Why are Republican members of Congress in places like Colorado publicly condemned these comments -- but we have heard nothing from Rep. Latham from here in Iowa? Please join me in demanding that Rep. Latham condemn these comments.

Making sure ALL kids have access to great education early in life is a smart investment for Colorado -- and it's the right thing to do. Let's tell state lawmakers we want them to make sure everyone, including corporations, pays their fair share so that we can invest in priorities like high-quality preschool for all!

On 11/20/09 William Levea intentionally and repeatedly rammed Christopher Spacks truck until he lost control and was hit by oncoming traffic on RT 370 in Cato, NY. Chris lost his life at the early age of 41. This was INTENTIONAL NOT AN ACCIDENT!!! This man should not be released from prison due to medical conditions. Do they release other MURDERERS for medical conditions? This man has a violent history and should not be released for any reason!!!

Last year, the oil industry succeeded in stopping anti-fracking measures in the California Legislature. Since then, fracking has continued to expand in California, putting our communities and the climate at risk. But now it’s our chance to fight back. Senators Holly Mitchell and Mark Leno introduced SB 1132, a strong moratorium bill that, if passed, will protect California from fracking. The oil industry will spend huge amounts of money and exert tremendous political pressure fighting this bill, so we need to speak out to make it clear that we expect our elected officials to vote for a fracking moratorium.

There are countless people in need of equality. It is every citizens right to marry who they wish.