The corrosive combination of coronavirus and capitalism is tearing through our communities to underscore the deepest divide between us, that of the haves and the have-nots. The most egregious assault lands where it always does, in the most marginalized communities among us: the poor, with multi-generational (often multiple) families living together; black and brown communities, who were discarded by society long before coronavirus; single mothers, who are forced into the impossible choice between rent and food for their children; immigrants, who are deprived of any safety nets and devoid of rights; the unhoused, for whom the phrase “stay at home” is cruel and absurd; the out-of-work breadwinners who can no longer provide for their families; domestic abuse victims who are pressed to “shelter” in place with their abusers; the newly unemployed masses now frequenting foodbanks; the imprisoned, detained, or institutionalized; and the anti-stay-at-home protesters, who assert “my job is essential too.” The middle and impoverished classes lack the privilege of escaping to the Hamptons, to their personal island, or to their well-stocked yachts. In many cases, they lack the “luxuries” of running water, the room to socially distance, paid leave when they or their family members are sick, and personal protective gear for their jobs, which – in an act of cruel irony – have now been heralded as “essential.” A contagion of greed infected our society long before the arrival of coronavirus. Lulled into complacency by sleek models, shiny gadgets, and digitized entertainment, we became prime targets for hungry overlords, who amassed their spoils off our labor and consumption. Nursing at the teat of consumption, we became “unpaid data laborers,” while gaping maws scrambled to exploit our data for profit. These titans of industry filled their own pockets on the backs of their workers – fellow humans who markets invisibilized and rendered disposable. This colossal corporate greed is what informs our “Democracy.” Those who usurp our power leave us begging for scraps or working in unsafe conditions, and these immoral deficits have never been more evident than with four rounds of coronavirus stimulus packages. Profiteers advance on the imperiled masses with glee, hoarding the lion’s share of the stimulus and pillaging the coffers designated for the poor. Our representatives listen to the lobbyists in DC, where they’re plied with sweet deals and lavish funds for special interests. The lobbyists work to promote the corporate agendas of those who have money and those who will do anything to protect that money. Whether Democrat or Republican, our representatives evidently and appallingly need greater incentives to look out for the common good and essential needs of the citizens. It is up to us to demand that they do. In a world cracked open by COVID-19, it’s time for the masses to assert their own power – they and we matter. We are not dispensable. We are not disposable. We are not invisible. It is time NOW for the PEOPLE to use the powers that they still have – the powers of their vote, their voice, their pen, their labor, and their consumption. VOTE, WRITE, STRIKE, BOYCOTT together while apart like your life – and the lives of all those you love – depends on it. Because it does. At the nexus of coronavirus and runaway capitalism, it is imperative that we untangle the essential rights of citizens from profit. This is a moral choice. We must IMAGINE a better world where all are deserving of conditions that will enable us to not only survive, but thrive. The time is now for Medicare for All, for a guaranteed basic income, for housing standards that ensure shelter for all, for green jobs with livable wages, with paid sick leave, healthcare that’s not tied to our paychecks, and where workers own the rights of production. While our citizens suffer a devastating mix of uncertainty, isolation, grief, and economic despair, the richest people on the planet are poised to determine our fate. We shelter on this globe together, and the time is ripe for demanding fundamental and lasting improvements to our social safety net. Our top-heavy society is fragile in ways that leave us increasingly vulnerable to coronavirus and future pandemics. We must build resiliency from the bottom up, collaborating with our communities, and honoring the diversity therein to protect us all. We’re riding a slow train of uncertainty amidst an amorphous viral threat. If quarantine teaches us anything, it brings home the truth that the health and wellbeing of ONE is intimately connected to the health and wellbeing of ALL.

Haven’t we learned anything from our current pandemic? Factory farms and processors need to be held accountable. The cruelty animals suffer and the horrifying conditions they live in must stop.

If we can spend over 75 trillion on war and murder,we can spend millions to help end poverty in America.It costs the tax payer more to put someone in prison then to provide housing.Housing is a basic need for life,along with air,food and water-other things we have in abundance.The predatory capitalist system that commodifies essential needs has left homes empty-while billions are on the street in the wealthiest nation on earth.

“All of members of community have suffered due the COVId-19. Students have been impacted in numerous ways: • Changing instructional distance learning • Loss of employment, • Loss of housing • Loss of social and academic support • Grieving and mourning COVID related losses and illness • Many students were not eligible for the stimulus check nor unemployment • Loss of access to campus provided internet • Loss of access to printing • Loss of graduation ceremony and graduation related activities Western Michigan University only provided $40 off the tuition for Summer I which would not even cover the cost of internet for a household in lieu of accessing WMU’s campus as par of our usual tuition. SIGN HERE to ask WMU and President Montgomery to provide more substantial financial relief to students! Universities should support their student and faculty community, not add hardship to hardship!

The future of our country and American Democracy where reason prevails and there are not supposed to be autocratic dictators (if it's not already too late) is at stake.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado teachers have had to adjust to "at-home" virtual classrooms; the demands on them have been longer days (without additional pay), "home-office" expenses, increased utilities during these teaching sessions, and increased workloads to accommodate individual student/parent interactions. Now, Governor Polis is suggesting that these alternative teaching methods (and virtual classrooms) may continue beyond this 2020 spring school year and extend into the fall, impacting the 2020-2021 school year. Our educators cannot physically, emotionally, and psychologically carry this entire burden. Governor Polis needs to publicly support this proposal and sign it as part his upcoming budget approval process.

The University of Colorado (“CU”) wants to build a massive new campus on land that is in and near the South Boulder Creek Floodplain. The new campus could include housing for several thousand students, staff, and faculty; 8 academic buildings; permanent sports facilities; and parking lots. Development at CU South will destroy habitat for endangered species and many other plants and animals that live there now. It would eliminate a hugely popular recreation spot, and put people in harm’s way in the event of another catastrophic flood. CU cannot build unless and until the City annexes the land. We believe that a land swap would be much better than building in the floodplain and ask Council to take the following actions: 1. Prior to decisions about annexation, Council should expedite a planning process and urban services study to evaluate city-owned land in North Boulder suitable for development that could be exchanged for the “CU South” land. The urban services study is the first step towards a land exchange. 2. The Planning Reserve land at Jay Road and 28th St. is the best option and has already been identified as "potentially suitable for new urban development.” 3. Commit to preserving and restoring the wetlands and grasslands in the South Boulder Creek Floodplain for flood mitigation, environmental values, and recreation. CU SHOULD DEVELOP ELSEWHERE 1. Since the 1970s, the popular recreation area now known as “CU South,” has been targeted for official designation as Open Space. The land is bordered by Open Space and a State Natural Area, and is considered the missing piece in Boulder’s Open Space greenway. It's also a key part of the South Boulder Creek Floodplain. 2. CU could build on higher, drier land appropriate for development, not a floodplain containing endangered species as well as rare and irreplaceable habitat. 3. CU's demands for annexation and development at "CU South" would cost the City tens of millions of dollars initially and create long-term financial risks and liabilities for the City. NOW IS THE TIME FOR A LAND EXCHANGE 1. The University of Colorado has stated its willingness to consider a land swap for the Boulder Planning Reserve land. 2. A land exchange would protect wetlands and open space in and adjacent to the South Boulder Creek Floodplain, be consistent with intelligent land use planning and science, and meet CU's need for housing plus 30 acres of playing fields. These are substantial advantages to a “CU North” campus. City Council should ACT NOW on this opportunity for a win-win solution.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented collapse in the price of oil. Because there's now an oversupply of oil, for the first time in history oil prices have gone negative -- meaning producers will pay you to take oil off their hands, since they have no place to store it. Donald Trump wants to bail out the oil companies and prop up a fossil fuel industry that is causing a massive environmental and human crisis. We should instead pass a Green New Deal that provides jobs for everyone, including fossil fuel industry workers. doing work that helps reduce carbon emissions rather than increases them. Congress is debating the stimulus bill right now. We need to make it clear to them and to the Federal Reserve that they cannot hand fossil fuel companies billions in bailouts.

Composting is often cheaper than sending waste to landfills, and is a way to produce clean energy, as well as needed fertile soil for farms or city residents planning to garden. Recycling is also important, as we need to reduce our waste and the spread of microplastics in our ecosystem. Read more here: https://pathtopositive.org/how-city-composting-benefits-communities-and-climate/

To achieve the just, democratic society that is the goal, the ideal, of the United States of America, we must have elections that are free, fair, and draw the participation of all voters who are able vote. But a long, dark history of efforts by some partisans to prevent elections from resulting in outcomes they don't want has led to the current situation we face, where immoral and often illegal acts of many different sorts are perpetrated by those in charge of elections in order to obtain the final results they desire. The success of these actions often depends on people working under the supervision of these bad actors following their wrongful orders and directives. When these recipients of wrongful orders and directives decide to honestly, forthrightly follow their oath of office, to refuse to participate in election perfidy, and to report such activities to the proper authorities, they protect us all from illegitimate government and all of its attendant injury to our society. The make this nation the great democracy it it can and should be.

The survival of the independent beauty professional is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

This year's graduates are missing out on their long-awaited ceremonies. Today, the Class of 2020 is united by a feeling of uncertainty and separation. What better way to unite our graduates while they're apart than a national commencement speech? A commencement speech by Barack Obama would provide a memorable moment of hope.