Help reduce poverty and improve the economy.

By raising the minimum wage we give the opportunity to more people to participate in the social happening ,having more money to spend in the local markets and enhancing our culture and local society . States and countries who care about the minimum wage and pay workers a decent pay are healthier more cohesive and stronger as a society . They live longer and happier and are more secure .

Working for $8.73 is absurd, and offers no change of finding decent housing, food, or a reasonable life. It contributes dramatically to the vast inequality in the country; Vermont, though better in ways, is overall no exception. It also has the effect of making wages in the $9-11/hr range seem reasonable, when they are in fact woefully inadequate. A minimum wage increase is not by any means all that is needed to combat the inequality and vast economic disparity of the region and country, but it is helpful, a start, and extremely important nonetheless.

What I'm proposing is for Chicago to implement a Cap-and-Trade emissions policy for carbon within the city limits, thus creating a proven model that can be replicated and spread throughout the United States and world. The details to be worked out by Mayor Emanuel involve MAJOR producers of greenhouse gases having to buy permits to put a certain amount of emissions into the air. Originally a Republican solution (Reagan, and Both Presidents Bush), this policy would financially incentivize voluntary reductions and conversions to cleaner energy sources. And according to Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a 10/14/09 USA Today article, the cap and trade impact on employment would be small. The Environmental Protection Agency (http://www.epa.gov/clearskies/captrade.html) and Al Gore's Climate Reality Project, as well as moderate Republicans and Democrats support this as a viable, market based solution to global warming. We therefore want to start in Chicago and go from there. --------------------------------------- Need more details? Here's a short summary from the US EPA: "Cap and trade is an environmental policy tool that delivers results with a mandatory cap on emissions while providing sources flexibility in how they comply. Successful cap and trade programs reward innovation, efficiency, and early action and provide strict environmental accountability without inhibiting economic growth." EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL cap and trade programs IN THE USA include the nationwide Acid Rain Program and the regional NOx Budget Trading Program in the Northeast. Additionally, EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) on March 10, 2005, to build on the success of these programs and achieve significant additional emission reductions." In other words, it has been done in the past and we can do it again. City by city, this petition starts in Chicago. Named the 2014 Earth Hour Capital of the US by the World Wildlife Fund, Chicago is second to none and this proposal will prove that WE DO HAVE THE POLITICAL WILL to change the course of what the U.S. Secretary of State called in a February 17th article on CNN.com "... the greatest challenge of our generation, and we can create the future that everybody dreams of". You are being called to rise to the greatest challenge to human existence in the 21st Century. I challenge you to get off the couch, sign and spread this petition to answer the call. Be the change that you want to see and thank you.

Help everyone succeeed by passing a Minimum Wage. Passing a $10.10 Minimum Wage in North Carolina will help close the earnings gap for women. The more income that women and men have the better the economy and for all small business owners. Stress will be ruduced in many households as there will be more flexiblity in managing the household. It will also reduce the level of poverty across the board.

In 1968 I was able to put myself through college with a minimum wage job. Now students can barely buy books at that same job! Tuition has increased 1200%! People need a living wage!

Even though Oregon has a high minimum wage compared to many parts of the country, it could be higher. A raising of the minimum wage would create a much needed boost in the Oregon economy.

So New Yorkers get the pay checks that they deserve.

------------------------------------------UPDATE------------------------------------------------ Great News! The Iowa GOP just confirmed that Steve King will not be at the GOP Lincoln Dinner this year! However, Paul Ryan will still be speaking at the event in Cedar Rapids. So, we are holding a rally to demand a vote from Paul Ryan and House Republicans on immigration reform. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On national TV, Rep. Paul Ryan says he supports immigration reform, but here in Iowa he's headlining a fundraiser featuring Rep. Steve King on April 11th. Steve King has done more to hurt the immigrant community than any other member of Congress. He has compared immigrants to dogs and accused DREAMers of being drug mules. In fact, just this week he told DREAMers wanting to join the military that he has a deportation bus to Tijuana waiting for them. He even said giving citizenship to undocumented veterans is like handing out candy in a parade! This is the man Paul Ryan is campaigning with in Iowa! If Rep. Paul Ryan really cared about immigrants and immigration reform, he'd speak out against Steve King's ugly rhetoric. For King, this is another chance for possible 2016 presidential candidates to kiss his ring - and get a photo. Ryan is legitimizing King's anti-immigrant agenda. This is the kind of photo op that may help with King's crowd but it will be a long-term problem for Ryan's political future.

Third party utility suppliers send notification of contract expirations that look like junk mail. If you don't respond, they are then authorized to raise your rates (mine increased 82%). Getting your rate back to a contracted rate, takes months. This is unfair business practice.

Millions of landmines are left behind as reminders of conflict in war-torn places like Colombia. We need to conclude the policy review to ban antipersonnel land mines. I was born and raised in Colombia, a beautiful country that has the dishonorable 2nd place for land mine incidents.

Until research is complete and the safety of our students is ensured the school board should make it their number one priority to protect our children. The potential loss of enrollment and funding will greatly affect the longevity of our local school and is of great concern.