The AARP-sponsored American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has teamed up with a coalition of far-right lobbying groups to launch the “Save Our Country” campaign protesting the public health quarantine orders put in place to reduce the health risks of COVID-19. As The Washington Post recently reported, the ALEC-led coalition’s focus is on “pushing for the White House and GOP lawmakers to push back against health professionals who have urged more caution." Among health professionals, the consensus is clear on the risks of rolling back protective measures too early. As a prominent epidemiologist from Columbia University put it, “The math is unfortunately pretty simple. It’s not a matter of whether infections will increase but by how much.” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious-disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, has warned that “unless we get the virus under control, the real recovery economically is not going to happen.” Prematurely moving to lift public-safety regulations poses a clear threat to public health.

100% of the Licensed Hair Salons and Barbershops in New Jersey have been abruptly shut down since the onset of the Coronavirus quarantine, even though safety measures could have been considered and implemented to prevent a total shutdown. Governor Murphy has allowed several other businesses, such as home improvement stores, Ice cream shops, liquor stores, coffee shops, etc., to be deemed “essential” and allowed to operate. Governor Murphy is also allowing all NJ beaches and boardwalks to reopen as long as social distancing is practiced. Why can’t hair salons and barbershops be allowed to reopen under the same conditions ? The NJ Board of Cosmetology has stringent requirements that must be followed to ensure the health and safety of every client, many salons have been implementing theses guidelines for years. With the implementation of additional safety measures hair salons and barbershops can safely service clients. I ask that those In agreement petition for all licensed hair salons and barbershops to immediately be one of the first businesses on the list to reopen.

We The People of the United States of America cannot tolerate an anti-democratic president who lies, abuses power, breaks the law, suppresses the truth, silences scientific experts, spreads propaganda, incites hatred and racism, refuses to lead in a responsible or thoughtful manner and refuses to act in the country’s best interest. Our “democratic” system has failed us when a minority of the population elects our President. We, the majority, will not tolerate this inept sociopath any longer. We cannot wait for the next election while Trump and his allies chip away at our Democracy. They must be removed now and replaced with an Interim President who can start to heal and guide the nation in a responsible way until we can have a free and fair election, hopefully this November. The Electoral College must be abolished to prevent this type of dangerous and irresponsible person from ever gaining power again.

This action is important for so many reasons, such as Mr. Trump and his administration’s: 1) racist and violent rhetoric; 2) dangerous refusal to sufficiently handle the current COVID-19 pandemic and its numerous associated issues; 3) shameful detention of immigrants and their families; 4) purposeful raiding of taxpayer funds to benefit the richest segment of US citizens; 5) flagrant unethical and unlawful behaviors; and 6) other issues too numerous to mention. - - - We must make our disapproval unequivocal. Please lend your voice to this political action. - - - “There is a power that can be created out of pent-up indignation, courage, and the inspiration of a common cause, and that if enough people put their minds and bodies into that cause, they can win. It is a phenomenon recorded again and against in the history of popular movements against injustice all over the world.” ― Howard Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train: A Personal History of Our Times

Family and Friends across the nation are not getting their life-saving cancer surgeries and hospital workers are being furloughed due to not enough work. WE can't allow our HEALTH Care system to collapse!!

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing us to confront the vast inequities in our society that have made this virus more deadly in some communities than others. Congress has the opportunity to provide aid for people who need it the most, and their relief must help nuclear frontline communities. US nuclear weapons activities have–and continue to–hurt communities through harmful and sometimes deadly radiation exposure and related problems. Because of that exposure and other factors, these communities are now more at risk of COVID-19. Since the beginning of the Manhattan Project in the 1940’s, uranium mining, weapons production, and atmospheric nuclear testing exposed many individuals and communities in the United States to radiation and other toxic chemicals. These exposed populations are disproportionately Indigenous, people of color, veterans, low-income, and/or from rural areas, and often face significant barriers to receiving adequate health care.  Now, the survivors of this radiation exposure are also at greater risk from COVID-19 due to underlying factors including their radiation exposure, air, soil, and water pollution, poverty, poor nutrition, etc. These factors can result in underlying health conditions and weakened immune systems.  Effective COVID-19 response requires that those who need care can receive it. It also means recognizing who is at greatest risk and addressing their needs. As we gear up for another stimulus package, we are calling for Congress to include funding for health care access for these frontline communities.  We call for inclusion in the next stimulus package of provisions of two bipartisan bills that would address this issue: The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments (H.R. 3783 and S. 947), which would expand health care compensation for communities exposed to radiation, and the Covering our FAS (Freely Associated States) Allies Act (H.R. 4821 and S. 2218), which would restore promised Medicaid coverage to Compact of Free Association residents living in the United States.

Massage is therapeutic and improves people's lives. Reduces stress, improves mobility, improves immunity, decreases pain, improves circulation, lowers blood pressure.

This economic shutdown will have major long-term impacts on employment, government revenues, and our collective ability to recover. Public banks can be an engine for a just and sustainable recovery, bringing money into communities and not corporations.

1. We have had numerous calls from clients requesting us to come to their homes. Nail Technicians will eventually start doing nails at home and in client's homes. When this happens, sanitation requirements are not going to be able to be followed properly and exposure will become heightened. 2. Many Nail Technicians have received unemployment and it will give them some income. For most nail technicians, this is not enough as most of their income comes from the commission and the tips that they make. 3. For the self-employed, it is even more of a struggle trying to manage both home and work bills. Having no source of income, lease agreements to pay rent, along with many other expenses that come from being self-employed, this puts many of us under stress that is effecting our mental health. 4. Many nail technicians and nails salons have now been without income since the businesses have closed back in March. A lot of salon owners are facing financial hardship and the longer the salons stay closed, the more possibility of some of us having to close our doors permanently. Please ask Governor Sununu to Consider us as an essential business and allow us to reopen. Thank you for Support & Consideration.

We have been asked to reopen at a time when our health department strongly recommends that staff and children with pre-existing medical conditions stay home. This is critical for safety; however it also means that our pre-pandemic staffing crisis is much worse and we need to operate below capacity while many of our children remain home. Our operating costs have skyrocketed, we have little access to supplies, and social distancing is not possible for young children. We have a work environment at very high risk for infection, even with strict regulations and highly trained staff. Our programs are facing an unprecedented staffing crisis and revenue hit and we were already in crisis before the pandemic. There are centers that do not have enough staff to open or can only partially open, and we need funding to bridge this gap. In addition, we need to protect our current staff so that we can reopen to full capacity when the crisis is over. There are a number of ways that we can ensure the solvency of the childcare industry, but there are three systems in dire need of long-term public investment. Those three systems are healthcare, wage supports, and access to childcare financial assistance. As we attempt to re-open, we will be missing a substantial portion of our staff that fall into the "at-risk" categories, meaning we need to support what little workforce we have left. Those teachers that are able and willing to return to work are going to need guaranteed access to healthcare and childcare financial assistance. Historically, teachers that did not qualify for these things would either quit or work part-time as they juggled schedules. In addition, our average wage is just over $12.00 per hour. This is at or below many other lower tier essential jobs and we often have higher education degrees and continued education. Without public investment in wage supports for our teachers and directors, many of our workers may never return. Even with our best efforts, many programs cannot resume operation on June 1 or can only partially open due to lack of staff and/or lack of children. Programs that have teachers and/or directors out will not be able to resume full operation or may not be able to open at all. Without continued financial support, these programs risk permanent closure. In addition to lack of staff, programs will have reserved spaces sitting open with no income for those at-risk children that cannot return, or for those families that have experienced lay-offs. This creates a precarious financial situation for an entire industry. We need continued stabilization grants and continued allowance for subsidy reimbursement for both open and closed programs; otherwise the system is penalizing programs that have staff and children with pre-existing conditions. Without continued financial support, open programs will have operating expenses that are higher than their tuition income, closed programs will cease to exist and not be available to provide care when it is safe for staff to return. Supporting current programs will allow the industry to bounce back from the pandemic much faster than allowing programs to fail and then trying to restart anew. In addition to financial investment, all programs will need assistance with health and safety measures such as procuring PPE, cleaning supplies, and groceries as well as testing and contact tracing. We don't have the buying power of large businesses and have little access to the supplies that we need to operate safely. Our work environment is close contact and high risk for disease transmission. We need PPE for our workforce to try to prevent widespread illness and additional center closures. We will need regular access to free testing for our workforce and our families as we try to monitor and control infection. In addition to the testing, we need clear and enforceable protocols for keeping staff and children safe and that do not leave wiggle room for parents to send in sick or possibly contagious children. Lastly, we would like to mention that there will be a significantly increased need for social/emotional support for children as they return to group care and funding for mental health and case management services will be needed as we help children cope with the effects of a pandemic. We realize that this list is extensive and will require significant financial investment, but it addresses many of the issues that our profession is currently facing and will face in the future. If we can secure permanent funding for wages, subsidy, healthcare, and a path back to re-opening during a health crisis, then we will have helped to create a much more sustainable model of early education that should last us years into the future. Thank You for Your Consideration, The Early Educators of Vermont

As a matter of public concern, Officer Greg Anderson should not have been prevented from speaking or requested to remove his video from youtube.com. Although in uniform and speaking pursuant to his duties as a peace officer, his topic of address was of public concern and therefore constitutionally protected. It did not place undue burden on the government in fulfilling its role, it simply encouraged officers to engage with the public in a fashion that is legally consistent, nor was his speech a matter of personal redress or personal satisfaction. As such, to penalize an officer of the law in his fulfillment of his duties and the exercise of his constitutional rights is a violation of the federal law of this nation. It is a very short trip from suppression of speech to the attempted suppression of the God-given rights of the individual. Tyranny cannot stand. The violations inflicted upon the individual, when overlooked, often become a violation foisted upon the whole. Take a stand with this Officer and support him by signing this petition. If we speak loud enough, perhaps even those deaf individuals within our own government will hear.

To increase the electability of Vice-President Biden put aside your personal feelings about the candidate, set aside your personal feelings about the candidate's specific policies. Some Bernie fans cannot imagine voting for Biden. There are other voters who would rather abstain from voting than to cast their vote for Biden. Remember 2004 when Ralph Nader attracted not only independent voters and helped to place George W. Bush into the White House. Remember when numerous voters sat out the election in 2016, refusing to vote for Hillary Clinton. If they had chosen “the lesser of two evils” (as many described their choices), and cast their votes for Hillary Clinton whom they regarded as an “imperfect” candidate, Donald Trump would not have won! A non-vote for the Democratic candidate, adds one more vote for Trump. We believe that by naming strong possible candidates for a cabinet, Biden will remarkably increase his chances of winning. Remember the amazing group of Presidential Candidates? Imagine them as cabinet members: Corey Booker Kamala Harris Bernie Sanders Tom Steyer Elizabeth Warren Amy Klobuchar Pete Buttigieg Bill de Blasio Julian Castro Jay Inslee We want Joe Biden to choose a Winning Team now. Please sign the petition.