I have been personally affected by this issue and now i see it happening again with a family member. Young people generally do not know their rights until they have been caught up in the system then they begin the process of learning the mistakes they made. The most significant but unspoken fact is that this also creates a perpetual cycle where those who are intimidated into cooperating become leaked as snitches in society both public and privately. Therefore their lives are never the same the are either ridiculed or haunted from then on. Prosecutors create these dilemmas for young men who don't know their rights well enough to plead the fifth "My son was with another family member when a friend was killed. My son is hurt confused and really caught up in the middle of a family/friend situation. So he chooses to stay neutral. Well the detective and or district attorney doesn't want him neutral he wants him to either be a witness or a suspect. Not knowing what to do, how to think. His back is up against the wall. Either you tell what you know and we give you a proffer or you take your chances in court. These young adults or scared. Our fifth amendment should not be used against us in this type of way. This need to STOP......

“In the name of tort reform, a conspiracy of corporate interests and elected officials has thrown obstacles in the path of victims even getting their day in court, let alone financial judgments: gutted consumer protection laws, capped financial compensation, and drastically limited attorney's fees — to the point that they cannot afford to take cases. The justification for (what they call) reform is that runaway juries swayed by heart-wrenching cases award mega-millions in punitive damages that can hurt their bottom line — the dead, maimed, and injured be damned! In the name of all injured Americans past, present, and future, it’s time to reform tort reform — and call it what it is. “ Stephen L. Goldstein

I want our democracy to work. I want ALL Americans to be able to do their civic duty in voting on every Election Day. Let's free people up to vote and honor Election Day by making it a national holiday. Thanks.

Other Republican-led states have done it. Virginia voters strongly support it. And the state Senate just passed it. But right now, some Republicans in the House of Delegates are standing in the way. If they continue to block Medicaid expansion, they'll be catering to an extreme slice of their own base rather than helping get health care to the state's neediest residents.

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell is standing in the way of getting affordable health care to nearly 200,000 of the state’s poor and disabled residents—despite the support of Virginia voters. As speaker of the House, Howell plays a key leadership role that impacts the health and welfare of the entire state. From his district in Fredericksburg to Roanoke to Virginia Beach, families know the suffering caused by lack of affordable health care—and are waiting for the House of Delegates, under Speaker Howell’s leadership, to do the right thing and move immediately to expand Medicaid eligibility. Accepting federally funded Medicaid expansion would save lives, save financially-at-risk rural hospitals, improve public health, create jobs, and boost the state economy. Expansion would get affordable medical care to Virginians in the “coverage gap” — those who aren’t currently eligible for the state’s Medicaid program but don’t make enough to qualify for subsidies under Obamacare. Hundreds of thousands of Virginians are in “the gap,” and the majority are the working poor, people who work for low wages and still can’t afford health care. The cost of Medicaid expansion will be paid 100% by federal dollars (that’s money Virginia taxpayers have already sent to Washington) during the first three years. After that, federal support will taper to 90% of the cost by 2020. This is coverage Virginians have already paid for; without expansion, those dollars will go to other states. And polls show there’s bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion. Whether Republican or Democrat, Virginia voters support expanding access to life-saving health care for the state’s neediest residents. Speaker Howell: It’s time to listen to Virginians and stop blocking Medicaid expansion. Let’s get our families and neighbors the health care they need.

All winter, the Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Rockford has opened its doors to the homeless whenever overnight temperatures fell below freezing. On most nights, nearly 50 people would seek life-saving refuge from the bitter cold. The church is acting on their beliefs -- namely, that Christians have an obligation to care for those who are cold, hungry, outcast, and excluded. But last Wednesday, the city of Rockford cited the church for code and zoning violations and demanded that they cease sheltering people at night. According to the church's pastor, the city warned them that it would be illegal for the church to continue opening their doors to the homeless. City officials have a rightful responsibility to protect the public from harm, but in this case, they're doing more harm than good. Most seeking shelter in the church have no other options during dangerously cold nights. Barring the church from welcoming these people could cost lives. Let's show the mayor that thousands of people from all over the country are standing with this church!

While the loss of flight 370 is tragic, the entire mainstream media has covered absolutely nothing else since it's disappearance. Even when there were no new developements, the mainstream media persisted in speculation and inumerable repititions of information that was already widely known. It is the responsibility of the newsmedia to ensure that viewers are aware of all pertinant and current events. The practice of extended wall to wall coverage of this or any other issues by the mainstream media is a failure to meet their obligation to keep the viewers informed on newsworthy events. The signers of this petition collectively ask, both now and in the future, that media organizations do not engage in the practice of wall to wall coverage and keep people updated on ALL current events.

To protect the freedom of the press which part of the first amendment congress does not have the right to decide who press is and is not.

Angela Corey is known as the "killingest prosecutor," and her reputation of racial bias and overly harsh prosecutions speaks for itself. It's unacceptable. Florida Governor Rick Scott has the power to help us stop Corey. He has the authority to help free Marissa and suspend Corey for unjustly and excessively punishing her.

Corey is known as the "killingest prosecutor," and her reputation of racial bias and overly harsh prosecutions speaks for itself. It's unacceptable. Florida Governor Rick Scott has the power to help us stop Corey. He has the authority to help free Marissa and suspend Corey for unjustly and excessively punishing her.

It's time for Massachusetts to put expanding opportunity for everyone ahead of special tax breaks for a few huge corporations. Corporations dodge taxes by booking profits made here to offshore tax havens that levy little to no tax. We could close that loophole at the state level -- without waiting for Congress -- and recover $79 million each year. Oregon and Montana have already passed this reform in those states. If we invested that money in early education, we could take 8,953 kids off the wait list and put them into classrooms. Studies show this one the most powerful ways we can eliminate the opportunity gap and give every child a fair shot. Kids who go to preschool do better in school, and are more likely to go to college and get a good job. But it's just too expensive for many families, and tens of thousands of kids are on waiting list for public programs in Massachusetts. We can do better. We've got just a few weeks to convince lawmakers drafting the budget to put kids ahead of corporations. I know they will be hearing from the corporate lobbyists who benefit from these loopholes. The only way we'll win is if they hear from you, too.

As a parent of a person in long time recovery, I know all too well the devastating effects addiction can have to the addict and their entire family. The United States, with about 5% of the world’s population is now consuming more than 84% of the world’s oxycodone supply, and more than 99% of the world’s hydrocodone supply. Please excercise your authority and responsibilty to advocate in best interest on protecting the health and well being of the public.