Ronald Reagan may have had other accomplishments during his presidency but we do not believe his record on hospice/palliative care is compatible with including him on a list of visionaries especially in relation to the AIDS pandemic. Quite the opposite. We are asking you at AAHPM to remove his name from your list. Reagan was included on the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) list of visionaries because “he signed legislation that established the Medicare hospice benefit”. For those of you who were not around during the early days of the AIDS pandemic here is a little background information: • By the time Ronald Reagan first said the word "AIDS" in public, 36,058 Americans had been diagnosed with AIDS and 20,849 had died. The disease had spread to 113 countries, with more than 50,000 cases. * In 1986 he called for a reduction in AIDS spending. * In 1982 Reagan said:"...AIDS information cannot be what some call 'value neutral'. After all, when it comes to preventing AIDS, don't medicine and morality teach the same lessons." * When family friend William F. Buckley called for mandatory testing and said that HIV-positive men should have the information forcibly tattooed on their buttocks (and IV drug users on their arms) Reagan said nothing. * Between June of 1981 and May of 1982, the CDC spent less than $1 million on AIDS and $9 million on Legionnaires Disease...largely in response to an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in 5 men and 2 women on a cruise ship…but they were not gay men. * Dr. C. Everett Koop, Reagan's surgeon general, has said that because of "intradepartmental politics" he was cut out of all AIDS discussions for the first five years of the Reagan administration. The reason, he explained, was "because transmission of AIDS was understood to be primarily in the homosexual population and in those who abused intravenous drugs." Regarding the LGBT movement in general, Reagan said: "My criticism is that [the gay movement] isn't just asking for civil rights; it’s asking for recognition and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle which I do not believe society can condone, nor can I. Shilts, Randy (2005). Conduct Unbecoming: Gays and Lesbians in the U.S. Military.

I grew up in a small town in Washington state. That small town—Moses Lake—was made infamous after a deadly school shooting. If it can happen in Moses Lake, believe me, it can happen anywhere. We need common sense gun handling laws to both protect our children where they are most vulnerable, as well as to ensure that responsible gun owners are protected. Sadly, the agenda of some overshadows common sense by manipulating the truth with money. There is no price for keeping our children and their teachers safe. Therefore, with safety and protection as paramount and priceless, let us lead the way for transparency in funding.

A rifle owner from the age of 5, an NRA member at age 14, I am disgusted that the gun manufacturers have taken over the NRA and transformed it into vengeful political extremism. I want to reclaim our proud heritage and to loosen the stranglehold that the gun industry has over our legislators.

Virginia has no workplace discrimination law to protect the LGBT members of our community. A new bill sponsored by progressive legislators would change that, codifying the basic human right of all state employees to be free from discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Help us make this bill a reality: sign on now as a citizen cosponsor and we'll send a note to your legislators letting them know you support ending workplace discrimination.

Congress is filled with wealthy folks who can more than afford a cut in their generous pay and pension plans. That's not the case for the military personnel whose pension is on the table for cutting in this budget cycle. This is the worst kind of bad-faith action against the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country. Tell congress that their pay and pensions should be on the table for cuts before any other government personnel.

Bronzeville residents, as with residents in many of the surrounding communities, rely on grocery stores outside of their community to provide fresh food for their families. In May 2013, it was announced that Mariano's was interested in having a grocery store at 39th and King Drive. In December 2013, local media outlets indicated Mariano's plans to purchase 11 Dominick's stores in the Chicago area along with build five new stores in 2014. We the undersigned would like the Bronzeville Mariano's store to become a priority with plans to serve our community by 2015.

The natural order of things

I am a doctor, and thus professionally and personally sworn to do no harm to other people. Having grown up on a farm, I understand hunting for meat and sport, but the gun lobby has pushed their mercantilistic agenda much too far. We need to limit access for criminals and the mentally unstable, and restrict the distribution of weapons of massacre. Divesting will lessen the unwelcome influence of these companies on our society.

Since the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 was signed into law, Americans have seen a steady assault on and erosion of our constitutionally protected rights. These assaults range from NSA spying and warrant-less searches based on suspicion alone to the rapid militarization of local sheriff and police departments. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 is the root of all these assaults. Together, let us uproot this abominable tree! Take action and peaceably petition our government for a redress of grievances and sign this petition demanding that they repeal the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and end this assault on the constitutionally protected rights of all Americans.

I have watched with sadness and frustration at the power the gun industry has over legislators on the federal level. It seemed that there was finaly momentum last year after the unspeakable tragedy at Newtown. However, even that event could not inspire courage on the part of Washington. It was then that I realized if any reasonable restrictions would be enacted it would be state by state. Unfortunately Vermont has not taken this up. So now, rather than enact changes based on sense or ethics hopefully changes can be made based on financial disinsentives. Please divest any and all state holdings in any companies or corporations affiliated with the gun industry. Don't have our state finance an irresponsible industry.

Everyday between 50-150 youth visit our drop-in center. Inside they receive food, clothing, hygiene, safer sex and harm reduction supplies. They can take a shower and use a bathroom. They can meet with a therapist, psychiatrist and medical provider and get their needs met. They can for a moment breathe, relax, feel safe and be treated without judgment and with the respect and dignity every person deserves. Mary Howe, Executive Director is a formerly homeless youth who has dedicated her career to developing and implementing interventions that empower young people to improve their own lives and those of their peers, and to addressing the structural causes of poverty and homelessness and to move beyond the streets. Howe said Homeless Youth Alliance is committed to helping homeless youth in the Upper Haight past the December 25 closure. The agency is looking for a van so it can provide services on a mobile basis and is hoping to find a new space in the Upper Haight. Services for improving the lives of homeless youth are essential and should be made a priority. Move info can be found at homelessyouthalliance.org

One year ago yesterday 20 children and 6 adults were killed due to gun violence. The gun manufacturing industry has continuously campaigned to profit off of gun violence with lies about the fear of a false national gun registry (The Manchin-Toomey Background Check Bill will sentence anyone to 15 years in prison for an attempt at a national gun registry). With 26 school shootings since Sandy Hook, 33 people dying from gun violence every single day, and 64% of the murders in Texas due gun violence. It's past time that Texans Stand Up and tell our representatives we want to Divest From Guns. #SaveLives #PeopleComeFirst