Last month's budget showdown shut down the government and hurt the economy. The next budget showdown—which may be just six weeks way—could result in a "grand bargain" that cuts Social Security and Medicare benefits. We can't let that happen, we can't allow this important social safety net be whipped out from under us! Everyone in Missouri needs to speak out now, ask Sen. McCaskill to co-sponsor this bill so it can come to a vote before then and get signed into law. We are all affected by this: those who are already seniors or disabled who depend on Social Security, as well as those who are paying into Social Security for future retirement.

Social Security benefits barely keep recipients above the poverty level of income and COLA increases are not even keeping up with prescription and other medical costs. Sen. Tom Harkin and other progressive lawmakers are advancing commonsensical and reasonable legislation to address the needs of today's retirees. Sen. Nelson needs to add his name in support of these improvements to strengthen the message to Congress and the White House that balancing the budget on the backs of the elderly is not acceptable.

A political operation working with gun lobbyists decided to declare December 14 -- the anniversary of the tragic massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary -- "Guns Save Lives Day." You read that right. Naturally, they immediately bowed to pressure to not hold their crass political event on the anniversary of the shooting deaths of 28 people -- most of them children -- to score cheap political points and raise cash to support their organization. So they pushed it back -- one whole day. But they're still trying to profit -- politically and financially -- off of an unimaginable tragedy. Please take a second to add your name to our open letter to make them cancel this ghoulish sideshow. I've worked in politics a long time. But it is really rare to see something so crass and so brazen as to try to exploit the senseless deaths of children to build your network and raise money to support the very thing that stole them from their parents and friends. Even worse, their terrible antics give a bad name to so many well-intentioned gun owners -- the majority of whom fully support sensible reforms like I-594, our initiative to require background checks on all gun purchases in Washington.

Tom Harkin has introduced the Strengthening Social Security Act of 2013 to expand Social Security, not cut it. The bill needs more co-sponsors before it can be voted on.

Social Security is a contract with the American People between them and their Government. All cuts or reformulations need to be taken off the table when negotiating with the opposition. Please cosponsor Sen. Harkins Strengthening Social Security Act of 2013. Then vote for it.

The next budget showdown—which may be just six weeks way—could result in a "grand bargain" that cuts Social Security and Medicare benefits. We can't let that happen. Senator Tom Harkin has submitted a common sense plan to expand Social Security. He needs co-sponsors to that plan. This petition is to request that our Senators from the state of Colorado join in and co-sponsor Senator Harkin's plan and improve Social Security not cut it.

I am getting by, about half on Social Security, about a fourth on a charitable remainder trust mutual stock fund, about a fourth the generosity of my sister and brother-in-law.

I was widowed at age 29 with three small daughters. Without Social Security my children and I might have become malnourished and homeless. With the help of Social Security, my daughters are all college educated and leaders in their communities.

Immigration reform is personal to me. Grace, my good friend, was one of the 11 million people working in our shadow economy. She lived and worked in the United States for 15 years without the protection of basic civil rights or labor protections, without access to many services, and in constant fear of persecution. Her story has a happy ending; Grace now has a “Green Card” through the sponsorship of a qualifying family member. We need to help millions of others who deserve a happy ending to immigration vulnerability. Immigration reform is, and should be, a priority to correct decades of wrongs. Let’s work to support a road map to citizenship with a reasonable time frame, economic protections and a fair system to deal with the future flow of immigrants coming to pursue their own chance at the American dream. This legislation has passed the US Senate and should soon come up for a vote in the US House. Please sign this petition urging our legislators to do the right thing. Pass immigration reform legislation.

Maria's fiancé Brigido has been a devoted father to their three-year-old son, and has been the only dad her 13-year-old daughter has ever known. But now immigration officials are planning to deport Brigido and tear their family apart -- despite the fact that he'd likely qualify for a pathway to citizenship currently stalled by Republican leadership in the House of Representatives. Brigido's entire case hinges on an incident from over ten years ago when his valid tourist visa was -- for reasons still unknown to him – stamped with an alleged expedited removal order at the airport. Threatened with six months detention if he didn't return to Mexico right away, Brigido did as they said. Now ICE officials are detaining him based on that decade-old alleged expedited removal order. In the years that Brigido has been in the US, he has devoted himself to being a loving dad, and runs an insurance business together with Maria. If he's deported, the effects would be devastating for Maria and their two children, both US citizens. Fortunately, there is a temporary fix for Brigido and his family. Immigration officials in the Obama administration have the power to grant Brigido "prosecutorial discretion" and defer his case. We just need to show that we support Brigido and his family by adding our voices! Right now Brigido would likely qualify for the path to citizenship the Senate passed months ago. But with the House stalling on reform, the Obama administration shouldn't punish Brigido for Congress' inaction. In fact, because they support the Senate's legislation, the administration shouldn't be deporting immigrants like him at all! Please join us in demanding that the immigration official overseeing Brigido's case stop his deportation. Brigido's kids shouldn't be separated from their dad -- we need to help keep this family together. They're depending on us!

News, BET, LOGO, and CBN have their own network, as well as different cultures and races. I feel cheated as a paying customer of Comcast Cable and DirecTV that I am not offered a station to watch Native American shows--this is the true history of how and why we are America today, and we should have access to it. We the People have the right to see and experience programing of the most beautiful culture of them all

As a disabled American already struggling to make ends meet on Social Security, cutting benefits could easily leave myself and other disabled people and senior citizens in a position of not buying food or medication just to keep a roof over our heads.