I was really unhappy sitting through the House Finance Committee where three restaurant owners were allowed to make wildly unsubstantiated claims, and were repeatedly brought back to testify. When the chair declined to move the bill, and didn't set a date to bring it back up, I was disappointed and frustrated.

If you have been a victim or know anyone who has been a victim of a foreclosure fraud by anyone of the big banks or anyone of their sub-servicing companies . It's time for everyone to ban together to put a END to this type of fraudulent behavior ASAP in the State of New Jersey and around the Country . If you are being mistreated by your mortgage servicer you can file a complaint against them online with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau @ http://www.consumerfinance.gov/guidance Or call : (202) 435-7700 & 1-(855)-411-2372 They really want to hear from you .

El año pasado , mi hermana, Teresa Moreira, se encontró luchando por su vida en el hospital debido a un ataque de lupus. Fue hospitalizada por cerca de tres meses. Durante este tiempo caótico, dejo de hacer un pago por la cuota de su membresía. Desde que había sido hospitalizada , no había cargado nada a su tarjeta, y por lo tanto no tenía un saldo pendiente . American Express le informó a las agencias de crédito sin antes fijarse en su historial ni tratar de contactar a alguien para ver cual era el problema. En un momento en el que ella debía centrarse en su recuperación, ella ha tenido que lidiar con llamadas de teléfono a American Express , llamadas telefónicas a las agencias de crédito sin poder lograr la correccion de este error. Me parece que American Express podria reconocer de inmediato su error y tener la capacidad de corregir esta situación. Después de todo , hay registros médicos copiosas que acreditan su situación. Como esto lr psso a mi hermana, estoy seguro de que le pasa a muchos otros clientes leales a American Express los cuales nunca dejan de hacer sus pagos mensuales. Por favor firmen esta petición para instar a American Express a cambiar sus políticas de información de crédito en caso de enfermedad grave para los buenos clientes leales. Ellos deben recompensar y no castigar la lealtad.

New York State Alternate Assessment for Students with Severe Disabilities (NYSAA) has, since its inception, failed to support students with severe disabilities in approaching their individualized educational goals, and has always been an inaccurate reflection of how our schools provide meaningful, functional education for students with severe disabilities. This year, in connection with the increased pressure for schools to align with the Common Core Curriculum, NYSAA has made a number of changes to the assessment and administration process. These changes have resulted in an assessment that is even less functional, and often downright inappropriate, offensive, and even discriminatory against students who have severe disabilities. The assessment is incredibly labor-intensive, and takes as much as 80% of classtime and preparation time between the months of October and February. As a teacher of students with severe disabilities, I have witnessed first-hand the continued, and increased marginalization of this community due to this inappropriate assessment. I urge you to listen to our teachers and families, and focus the attention of our state and national leaders on this issue. The goal of this petition is to raise awareness about this issue on a local, state, and national level, and to bring a discussion to the state and national levels about how we can begin to plan systemic change. This petition does not offer a singular solution or alternative to this assessment program, but rather suggests that it is time for us to recognize the inappropriateness and ineffectiveness of this program, and to demand discussion about how it will be changed. New York State is not alone is dealing with these issues, which vary from state to state, and are the product of a trend resulting from increased focus on a nationally aligned Core Curriculum and increased pressure on states to assess teacher effectiveness. It is the view of the creator of this petition that assessment of students with severe disabilities should be aligned with Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals, and changes should be made in the way we evaluate the IEP process, and provide quality controls to ensure quality IEPs which are currently not in place. Furthermore, teacher effectiveness should be assessed based on how well teachers create functional goals and adaptations that provide meaningful opportunities to access general curricular areas, as well as compensatory skills areas that are essential for these students. In order to make systemic change, we must first recognize a systemic problem, and then bring our consensus to the state and national levels for a real discussion.

There is no issue more profound or more basic than the food that we put into our bodies. While more research needs to be done on the full impact of GMOs, they are not without risks. For example, some GMOs are designed for increased pesticides, which have been linked to serious health and environmental impacts. Consumers have a right to know when GMOs are in their foods and to make purchasing choices for themselves. Eleven months ago, Whole Foods committed to labeling their store-brand products in response to consumer demand. GMO companies like Monsanto and their Big Ag allies have spent millions to defeat efforts to win labeling laws. However, Whole Foods has shown that if enough of their customers demand it, grocery stores will label their products. Kroger already offers Simple Truth, an organic store-brand, which labels if a product is GMO free. However, those who do not purchase the more expensive organic brand every time are left in the dark. With widespread customer support, we can get Kroger to label all of their store-brand products. People power is what will win this effort – please sign the petition, send it to other Kroger shoppers you may know, and get involved in the local movement.

Schools need to be accountable for the actions of students who bully other students in the schools. We are losing to many kids lives over this epidemic. The time to do something.. IS NOW!!! Thank you!!

I am starting this because I want too be the animals voice, not just for Bobcat's, but all helpless animals that can't speak for themselves! Illinois needs to stop making laws up, without asking THE PEOPLE!

I love WGN morning news. The morning crew is the best in the business. They are hilarious, witty, and they make the news (as bad is it can be), tolerable. Paul and Robin need to do the Thanksgiving parade. It will completely ruin my holiday, and I will blame WGN, the Tribune Company, all of its affiliates, the pencil-pushing management, and anyone else I can find to blame for my burnt, dried out and half-drunk turkey. Thanks!

The People of Pennsylvania have invested our tax dollars in building our roads, bridges, parking garages, parking meters, and other infrastructure. Now Gov. Corbett is on track to give the bridges we built to private contractors for 4 to 5 decades. It's true that Pennsylvania's bridges are in sad shape. But there are other, better ways to repair and rebuild our bridges. States that have privatized their infrastructure have found that these deals are bad for the people. We need to stop these bad deals now.

Schools have been mandated to use the Common Core Learning Standards. They are not required to use EngageNY for curriculum. They are allowed to develop their own curriculum as long as they align it with Common Core.

I know many people who would benefit from some form of medicinal marijuana, from my father, who died of cancer a handful of years ago, and suffered greatly during chemo and radiation treatments, suffering that could have been alleviated by marijuana; to a niece of mine who suffers from dozens of seizures per week, to another friend who has to leave the workforce due to debilitating migraine headaches. So much suffering that can be at least partially mitigated, by a simple stroke of the pen.

Cami Anderson, the Christie-appointed Superintendent of Newark Public Schools, is escalating her attack on OUR public schools. This time she is attempting to further destabilize schools and neighborhoods by destroying the relationships between students and our teachers - dedicated teachers that we rely on to help build a strong foundation for our future. Cami is requesting permission from state Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf to use a “waiver or equivalency” to fire hundreds of education workers with no consideration for seniority or tenure. Yes, this shreds the basic rights of union workers, but in the teaching profession it also hurts students like us who rely on stable relationships with experienced and professional school staff. Research proves that high turnover rates in schools hurt students, especially the children of working class families who are already economically disadvantaged. And let us be clear, Anderson’s One Newark plan and her attack on Newark’s public schools disproportionately targets low-income, working-class communities and communities of color. Anderson desperately needs this waiver to remove tenured teachers so she can fill a $100 million budget shortfall over the next three years that SHE CREATED by hiring hundreds of inexperienced TFA teachers to push older, higher paid teachers out of their schools, and by promoting the expansion of charter schools that funnel money out of traditional public schools. She figures that if she can get rid of the highest paid education workers – who earned that higher pay through years of dedicated work on behalf of our fellow students, then she can fill much of that budget gap, AND eliminate unionized workers at the same time. Her Christie-appointed colleague, Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf, is expected to approve her request…just days before he leaves his post on March 5th. How convenient. As students in Newark Public Schools, our teachers influence and support extends far beyond what is in text books. Our teachers and school staff have spent countless hours of their lives advising, teaching, and simply talking with us during our lunchtimes, after school, at sporting events, plays, concerts, college days, and MANY other school related activities. The proof of their work is clearly evident in all of the data. Newark Public Schools met the standards for gaining local control from the nearly two-decade long occupation set by the state QSAC rubric, a measure established by the state to protect their control over our schools. After meeting those standards the state moved the goal post in order to maintain control and prevent Newark’s communities from having a voice in our schools. It is clear that Christie’s control over our schools is not out of concern for academic achievement or student success – it is an attack on Newark’s working-class communities and an effort to turn public money and public necessities into private profit. Anderson has a vision for Newark’s schools. Privatize the system, socialize the costs, and subject students to inexperienced Teach For America (TFA) teachers working for poverty wages under dictatorial conditions. This is not fair to dedicated teachers who have given decades of their lives to Newark’s students. This is not fair to us - the students - who rely on their training, knowledge and experience as teachers and educators to help us build the foundations we need in our lives to be successful. This is not fair to Newark’s communities, to our city or to our future. Kristin Towcaniuk & Jelani Walker Newark Students Union & NJ Communities United Members