Virginia has a vast number of poor and disabled residents who are in dire need of the benefits of Medicaid. It is absolutely foolish not to accept the federal aid that is available to help them.

Last year, Congress passed the so-called Monsanto Protection Act. The bill allowed Monsanto to plant genetically-engineered crops even if a court found they were approved illegally. It protected Monsanto from lawsuits even if those crops turned out to be unsafe, and kept the USDA from having any authority over its effect on the environment or the lives of local farmers. The bill has now expired, but will you sign our petition demanding Monsanto stop buying policy and policymakers and keep this from happening ever again? The only reason the bill passed is because Monsanto recently spent record amounts lobbying our representatives and corrupting our legislative process: More than $6.3 MILLION. The company continues to fight state-led efforts to label GMOs and even lobbied to prohibit such labeling at the federal level. We need your help to stop the madness! Act now to safeguard farmers and the environment from potentially hazardous genetically engineered crops. Our legislation needs to protect the people from corporations -- not the other way around. Don't let the latest biotech industry plot slip under the wire. Please sign our petition to Monsanto now.

A three-judge panel has stuck down “Net Neutrality” – the principle that no corporation or state authority can censor, slow down, block, or privilege certain content on the web. It's the basis for what has made the Internet a place for creativity, free speech, and innovation. Without Net Neutrality, the very startups that make the Internet a force of innovation will be throttled – unable to compete with incumbent businesses that can pay to provide their access faster than any startup could. Carriers can now charge content providers to make sure their content works well – something that privileges companies already dominating the market at the expense of the startups that have made the Internet great. Facebook or Google might be able to afford preferential treatment – but what about the startup that otherwise could replace them? It’s incredibly insidious, and it threatens to take away the level playing field that’s made the Internet such an incredible boon for society. The FCC, however, has the power to protect Net Neutrality – if they classify broadband as a communications service, something we all know it is with all the time we spend communicating with friends and loved ones via e-mail and social media, they’ll have the power to reinstate Net Neutrality rules.

New Jersey just became the third state to ban the innovative car company, Tesla. We can't think of a better example of how money is corrupting politics — and business — on a local level. The New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (CAR PAC) spent more than $155,000 last year lobbying for a rule that will now make Tesla sales illegal. Why? Because Tesla's model of selling cars directly to consumers threatens the current structure of dealerships and middle-men. Rather than innovate, the CAR PAC has decided it's better off spending its money to influence government. We need to let New Jersey politicians know that a money-driven legislative process is unacceptable. This isn't about whether or not you buy a particular car; it's about special interests taking away the right for you to have that choice. The People should be steering our political process, not special interests. Tell New Jersey that this decision needs to be reversed and that money holds too much power over our democracy.Reverse the anti-competitive ban on Tesla Motors. Campaign contributions should not allow businesses to thwart competition in the state of New Jersey, and even more importantly, should not be the determining factor in how our democracy is run.

We have a huge opportunity to expand access to health care in Virginia but, to do that, we'll have to show Republican legislators that their constituents support accepting these funds.

Washington is awash in Big Money and it’s time we do something about it. From creating jobs to the budget, Big Money warps Congress’ priorities and erodes public trust. Both parties are guilty. We must break the dependence on huge campaign donations so that Congress can focus on the people’s priorities -- not special interests. The Government by the People Act will help give a voice to everyday people. We need you to become a citizen co-sponsor of the Government by the People Act (H.R. 20). The fact is, Capitol Hill is full of well-intentioned people who came to Washington with noble goals and deeply held principles - most chose this path out of a strong desire to better their community and the broader American public. But the need for non-stop fundraising corrupts our system of government. It forces good people to shift their focus away from their constituents and towards finding the next big campaign check. If we are to reclaim our Republic for the people, we need a movement by those people -- it's up to you to start it.

Nobody should have to use a hospital emergency room as their only access to healthcare. Our legislature has an opportunity to expand Medicaid, and should do so now. Please sign this petition and pass it on.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is set to create a virtually permanent corporate rule over the people. This is the trade scam NAFTA globalized, a devil's deal that has nothing to do with trade and everything to do with corporate protectionism — of the 29 chapters in the TPP, only FIVE actually cover trade issues! Lax food safety regulation, unregulated fracking, overseas job shifts, rocketing drug prices, Internet monopolies, slashes to public services to profit Wall Street robbers... these are just some of the effects the TPP's passing will have on our world. And we can't let corporate interests and their money control our future! Don't let your government pass this corporate coup d'etat. Call on the US to back out of the TPP now and let the public know what has been happening behind closed doors with corporate representatives!

You know the NFL as the National Football League. But the IRS knows them better as the Nonprofit Football League – that’s because the NFL has not paid any taxes since 1966 and average Americans are left paying higher taxes to make up for that lost revenue. Senator Coburn is trying to change that, and we support his endeavor. The NFL has spent $3.6 million lobbying in recent years, and contributed more than $1.6 million to members of Congress. It leads all professional sports leagues in lobbying expenditures. Lobbyists demonstrated their prowess by adding, “or professional football leagues” to the language regulating 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations back in 1966, and it has remained there ever since. No wonder Senator Coburn has yet to gain the support of his colleagues – we know how powerfully corrupting money in politics and the role of lobbyists has become. The only way Congress will act in the people’s interest is if the people begin demanding it and show them where we stand!

While the VA has increased recognition of mental health issues, the time it takes to process claims and to provide treatment often takes far to long. In many instances it takes 6-9 months for our veterans to get the help they need, and up to two years for claims that have been denied due to non-specific dates and times of their mental health claim. The VA admits to being overwhelmed, and in some areas, they are literally "buried" in paperwork. Our government foolishly sent our soldiers into harms way, without anticipating the overall costs, both financially and physically. We owe our veterans the very best, and Congress needs to allocate as much funding as is necessary to greatly improve these problems. With 22 veteran committing suicide each day in 2010, and with more deaths from suicide than there were in combat in 2012, we are failing in our responsibilities to our veterans. . As a nation, we owe a debt to those that have served this nation, now is the time to demand better from our government.

Expanding Medicaid access to Virginia's poor and disabled is the right thing to do on so many fronts: It will save lives. It will create jobs. And it will save Virginia taxpayers billions of dollars every year.

You have the two best players in the game and continue year after year fail to surround them with 2 respectable players. Neal and Kunitz are fine, but Sid should not be stuck with Dupuis/Bennett/Stemp and Geno should not be stuck with Jokinen. Kunitz will only start to decline from here on out. Sadly, these are some of the better forwards that these two have played with. Sid and Geno are no longer 20 years old, it is time to properly utilize them. STOP signing guys like Orpik and Scuderi. They are not good players. Stop only drafting Dmen. You should probably play some young guys regularly to save cap space and to maximize their value. Shero's 2013 off-season: Re-signed: Dupuis and Adams Signed: Kobasew, Jeffrey, D'Agostini, Scuderi 3 of these idiots were waived Shero's #1 mistake - signing Bylsma to an extension Shero should be relived of his duties. His strategy of modeling the team after the Nashville Predators, yes, those Predators who have won 2 playoff series in their history.