Republicans are refusing to allow any of President Obama’s extremely well-qualified nominees for the D.C. Circuit court—the second most important court in the land—to get a vote. In 2005, at a similar crisis point, senators from both parties agreed that they would only filibuster a judicial nominee under "extraordinary circumstances." However, despite the fact that many of the Republicans who were central to that agreement are still in office, now they are ignoring it. These same Republicans are refusing to allow a vote on anyone President Obama nominates for the court, and not because of "extraordinary circumstances." Instead, they are pushing to eliminate the vacant seats on this court altogether because they don’t want anyone Obama nominates to serve. Senate Republicans are not acting in good faith. Please sign our petition urging Senate Majority Leader Reid to exercise the nuclear option and end the filibuster on judicial nominees.

The U.S. Senate will be voting after Thanksgiving on a bill to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over the years. The bill would also increase the tipped minimum wage, which has been $2.13 an hour since 1991. Huge majorities across the political spectrum support an increase in the minimum wage. It's good for workers, good for local businesses, and it's the right thing to do. Tell Senator Kirk: it's time to raise the minimum wage.

The U.S. Senate will be voting after Thanksgiving on a bill to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over three years. The bill would also increase the tipped minimum wage, which has been $2.13 an hour since 1991. Huge majorities across the political spectrum support an increase in the minimum wage. It's good for workers, good for local businesses, and it's the right thing to do. Tell Senators Shaheen and Ayotte: it's time to raise the minimum wage.

The U.S. Senate will be voting after Thanksgiving on a bill to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over the years. The bill would also increase the tipped minimum wage, which has been $2.13 an hour since 1991. Huge majorities across the political spectrum support an increase in the minimum wage. It's good for workers, good for local businesses, and it's the right thing to do. Tell Senators Chambliss and Isakson: it's time to raise the minimum wage.

On September 1, a new contractor, Novel Service Group, replaced the prior cleaning contractor. Novel Service Group went on to cut the wages of the janitorial staff in half and eliminated their health insurance and pension benefits. As business owners and tenants at 295 Madison Avenue and nearby, we believe that the best possible investment in New York's economic future is by making sure people have good jobs with good benefits and wages. That is why we’re urging the Eretz Group to ensure that a responsible janitorial contractor returns to 295 Madison; a contractor that will restore the wages and benefits for the hardworking men and women that clean 295 Madison . These building workers need good jobs with decent wages in order to properly care for themselves and their families. Join us in demanding good jobs with good wages and dignity for these hard-working building service workers!

The way to boost incomes and employment, raise tax revenues and lower budget deficits is to grow the economy. That can only be done by getting money into the hands of consumers via community banks, credit unions, infrastructure improvements, personal and business loans, and into Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. $2 trillion injected over time will produce $12 trillion in GDP, $10 trillion in income, 50 million new jobs, and $4.8 trillion in new tax revenues to balance the budget and lower the debt. Let the Fed sell a new round of bonds and direct all sales proceeds into M1, the source of all new growth.

MSNBC hosts Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell are strong defenders of labor and progressive causes. And now they have a chance to stand up for workers at NBC. Producers and associate producers for Peacock Productions—which is owned by NBC and creates nonfiction and reality programming for MSNBC, NBC, CNBC and other networks—have been trying to organize for fair pay and better working conditions for more than a year. But Peacock has fought them at every turn. After workers started to organize, Peacock began to hold mandatory group and one-on-one meetings to badmouth unions. Despite that, workers persisted and finally got to vote on whether to unionize. But Peacock has used legal tactics to impound the ballots and stall workers from getting the voice on the job they deserve. Peacock workers have called on Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton and Lawrence O’Donnell to stand with them. It’s time these MSNBC hosts practice what they preach and support the rights of these producers and associate producers to organize.

I'm Just Mad As Hell. Tired of Congress' disrespect and disregard of the voters and the office of the President of the U.S. The Tea Party Congress would be pleased if we reverted to the old Jim Crow Laws. Why are they so against abortions? Because White Women have a lower birth rate. They are no longer the majority. Why are they so against the IRS? Because the IRS is scheduled to hire more workers to handle Obama Care. ACA is Obama's Katrina. Not even close. I'm tired of the News Media not correcting the Fox news and Republican lies. Media turned against the President when the government went after the person who leeked information to the press. If no one else noticed these things I have and more.

"Over 10,000 ex-prisoners are released from America’s state and federal prisons every week and arrive on the doorsteps of our nation's communities. More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release" according to USDOJ website. President George Bush stated in his 2004 State of the Union Address, "“This year, some 600,000 inmates will be released from prison back into society. We know from long experience that if they can’t find work, or a home, or help, they are much more likely to commit more crimes and return to prison…. America is the land of the second chance, and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.” If someone can reach the 5 year mark without re-offending, they should be able to be able to obtain gainful employment at their skill level. What many people do not know is that even to work at McDonald's these days you have to go through a background check. A lot of employers have moved to online applications that automatically screen applicants by doing a background check! Think about this for a second, what does a background check of more than 5 years do? Are you the same person you were 6 years ago? Have you grown mentally and spiritually in that time? Many states are already implementing this and seeing that recidivism drops because you put the ability for felons to be able to make an honest living. Is a career criminal really going to be trying to get a job at a big corporation? If so shouldn't the companies interview process eliminate these people instead of throwing everyone that ever made a big mistake into that group? Being turned down time and time again because of something that was done in the past is demoralizing. It's just not fair! I say put and end to background checks after 5 years and it will make the world a better place for everyone!

There is so much evidence to support the fact that Fluoride is harmful and not helpful to our health. Just do a quick internet search for "fluoride in drinking water" if you want the details. We won't sit back and allow our cities to be poisoned through our water supplies and we shouldn't have to purchase expensive reverse-osmosis machines to remove Fluoride from the water in our homes. It just doesn't need to be added and shouldn't continue to be added to our water. Let us decide what we put in the water we drink. Period!!

On Thursday evening, November 7, Wake County Animal Services, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Frederico, initiated an unannounced raid at the home of Carol De Olloqui, Founder of Calvin's Paws Rescue. In light of the irregularities and deviation of protocol that took place during this raid, where 60 cats were euthanized unnecessarily, please accept my formal request demanding the resignation of Dr. Jennifer Frederico. We ask the Department of Environmental Health and Wake County Commissioners initiate immediate action to terminate her employment. We are independent animal rescue volunteers. We are not associated with Calvin's Paws Rescue. For the record, while we do not condone the total number of animals that were found located at Ms. De Olloqui's home on that Thursday evening, the extreme actions on behalf of Dr. Frederico in this case begs for a strict review and finally, her dismissal as Director of Wake County Animal Services. Facts: -Ms. De Olloqui was physically restrained and not allowed to provide veterinary documentation to support each animal -Four of Ms. De Olloqui's personal cats were destroyed -Four of the cats present on the property at the time of the raid were being held as a courtesy for an owner that recently lost her home in a fire -Several of the cats euthanized were under various area veterinarians' care. The veterinarians were available but not allowed to present any documentation at the time of the raid -Several of the cats euthanized were the property of other rescues -Calvin's Paws Rescue and many other rescue fosters were in route to Ms. De Olloqui's home to retrieve animals and provide them with shelter but were turned away. Many are approved partners of Wake County Animal Shelter. -Ms. De Olloqui granted access to Dr. Frederico and her team into the home of her own accord -Calvin's Paws Rescue is an approved partner of the Wake County Animal Shelter -This is not the first quick rush to euthanize animals by Dr. Frederico. In a recent raid at a home in Holly Springs, the media reported 42 cats were euthanized. In 2012, Sassy, an owner surrender dog to the Wake County Shelter was euthanized within minutes of being presented to the shelter. The owner had a change of heart and returned to the shelter to find the dog had been euthanized, the shelter staff citing aggressive behavior. Points for consideration: Per Section 3 of the NC Legal code, article 19A-49 , each animal cruelty investigator at his own expense must attend annually a course of at least six hours instruction offered by the North Carolina Humane Federation or some other agency. The course shall be designed to give the investigator expertise in the investigation of complaints relating to the care and treatment of animals. Failure to attend a course approved by the board of county commissioners shall be cause for removal from office.all animal cruelty investigators are to attend an annual. Do we know that the officers on site had the proper training to handle this type of case? Where there have been other raids such as puppy mills, search and seizures in our state, the animals confiscated were reviewed and held. Only the most ill were euthanized. Citizens lined up at the shelter in one particular case to "adopt" the highly sought "pocket book" type dogs like Maltese and Pomeranians. Rescues took most of the dogs that had medical issues to foster and hopefully, rehome. Was there prejudice in this case because the animals that were euthanized, just CATS, and not the highly adoptable designer dogs that can provide the shelter with a great press coverage and quick adoption fees? Government agencies are challenged with cut backs and reduced spending during these hard economic times. There were alternatives available that would have avoided impacting the tax payer and saved the animals lives. Why was Dr. Frederico given this latitude? In the recent interview with WRAL reporter, Renee Chou, Dr. Frederico stated that available space at the shelter was one of the main reasons for euthanasia. Ms. De Olloqui has been charged with three counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty charges and the raid is considered a criminal investigation. In criminal investigations, the animals are considered "evidence" and are required to be held. If the Dr. Frederico and her team did not allow the vet and rescue documents to be viewed and substantiate the status of each cat, by law, the animals would have had no "proof of ownership" and therefore are required to be placed on a stray hold by the shelter, typically 72 hours. This did not happen. The reports released in the media changed daily. Initially, the cats were reported healthy. The reports the following week advised that 60 of the cats were ill and required to be euthanized. Where are the documents that support this decision? Why would you allow the opinion of one person, who is on record for being quick to euthanize and in previous documented cases, made questionable decisions, be allowed carte blanche when the lives of so many animals were on the line? Dr Frederico references that when hoarding situations arise, "they are handled on a case by case basis". Not true. There is a protocol and it was not followed. This was a feline genocide. The rescue community and animal advocates are outraged. The people that make up this network are tax payers and registered voters and as a group, demand this case it's due diligence. As county commissioners and state government employees, the more important question to be answered is why does the State of North Carolina have such high numbers of unwanted and abandoned animals? Why are the county animal shelters and rescue organizations completely full? Continual pet overpopulation and lack of legislation to require mandatory spay/neuter for all companion animals is the crux of the problem, not people like Ms. De Olloqui as Dr. Frederico would have everyone to believe. Dr. Frederico and Wake County ...

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