Our nation has in effect suffered a silent coup by federal security and law enforcement services, replacing Constitutional governance with a surveillance state. Only now, thanks to this courageous young man, are the American people becoming aware of this. Edward Snowden is a hero.

Tires Plus did not perform their duties and it caused by engine to seize and now I am paying $5,300 for a new engine and they will not accept responsibility for what happened. They cover up their mistakes by giving their stores 7 days to make things look perfect and it allows their claims department to deny claims.......

Durham NC was just voted 'Tastiest Town in the South' - which is great! But as someone who has worked for years in the Durham F&B scene, I know that behind our celebrity chefs are a LOT of minimum-wage, hard working kitchen staff. Let's include them (and all Durham's working people) in our appreciation by including them in the City of Durham's Liveable Wage Ordinance (#11333) Acaban de nombrar por voto la Ciudad de Durham como la más sabrosa en el sur, ¡que maravilla! Pero como llevo varios años trabajando en los restaurantes de Durham, sé que detrás de nuestros cocineros celebres hay muchos otros trabajadores apoyándoles y estos trabajadores están ganando salarios mínimos en las cocinas. Debemos incluirlos todos (y a toda la gente trabajadora de Durham) en nuestra apreciación incluyéndolos en la Ordenanza Municipal de la Ciudad de Durham para un sueldo dig (#11333).

As of this week, Iowa Governor Branstad is the sole decider for each Medicaid-funded abortion performed in Iowa! Everyone needs to know about this violation of human rights and women's rights, to be able to make her own personal decision, no governor or government needed.

Our elected officials in Washington work only three or four days and spend the rest of the time fundraising. It is time for them to work at least five days a week like those they govern.

A teacher from the Diocese of San Diego, who is a victim of domestic violence, was fired rather than being helped because of her estranged husband's criminal acts. This is WRONG!

Southwest Florida is known around the world as "paradise." We have miles of beaches, a thriving local economy, and year-round international tourism. It is home to the Florida Everglades, Big Cypress National Preserve, Picayune Strand State Forest, and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. There are many protected and endangered animal species who live in this area. The immediately proposed drill site is in Golden Gate Estates in Naples, Florida, and is very close in proximity of these protected preserves. Families live right next to the proposed drill site and call it home. Golden Gate Estates residents all produce their own drinking water from wells. Drilling for oil at this site would put our families and our sensitive ecosystem in great danger. Dan A. Hughes Company of Beeville, Texas, applied for a permit for "oil and gas exploration" on 115,560 acres they have leased from the Barron Collier Companies. Hughes representatives have been unable to assure us of our safety or that oil drilling will not compromise the safety and integrity of our environment. They have evaded the majority of our community's questions with the response, "I don't know, it's not us." When asked what they planned to do with the oil - if it would remain in the United States or be exported - they didn't know. When asked if it would create local jobs, they didn't know. When asked about if they would be fracking, they responded with, "we don't plan on it, but we can't speak for other companies." They wouldn't put anything in writing. When asked about the dangers to our families of polluted drinking water, hydrogen sulfide, fires, spills, industrial traffic, and noise, they responded with, "getting in your car every day puts you in danger." They have said "you never know how the Earth is going to respond" with nary a thought as to how people and other species can be endangered by the Earth's response. The citizens who live in Southwest Florida do not want oil drilling in our neighborhoods and our preserves. We want our voice to be heard. Please safeguard our families, our way of life, our protected and endangered wildlife, and our parks and national preserves. Please listen to us. Please also register at our website: http://preserveourparadise.org Thank you.

We need some basic operational improvements for our democracy to represent the voters

In ancient Roman law, ambitus was a crime of political corruption, mainly a candidate's attempt to influence the outcome of an election through bribery or other forms of soft power. The Latin word ambitus is the origin of the English word "ambition," which is another of its original meanings; ambitus was the process of "going around and commending oneself or one's protégés to the people," an activity liable to unethical excesses.[1] In practice, bringing a charge of ambitus against a public figure became a favored tactic for undermining a political opponent. -- Wikipedia

Labeling on food products is inaccurate and too often incorrect. Some labels say product of Canada, but that doesn't mean the food source originated in Canada. Force food producers, food wholesalers and food distributors to label all ingredients as to country of origin. Stop the duplicity.

I am a blind person who is trying to help make web sites accessible

There was a day in the not recent past where most state and county governments coordinated the planning for (including establishing the need for) building new cells for additional prisoners with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee in the state or that county that the new space would serve. These CJCC's were sponsored by federal government who also supplied along with the Council of State Governors the methodologies and list of consultants who were approved to provide technical assistance. Members of the various CJS (Corrections, Courts, Probation and Parole, and Police got together along with these Councils to produce Projections Reports for Incarcerated Populations on a yearly basis whether or not any plan for expansion was being. Reports were part of Public Information. Now, it seems, a few states have ignored this procedure and governors have felt free to lobby for passage of facility expansion without any reports being issued to inform public opinion. Arizona, a state with the second highest per capita incarceration rate, is one of these states. Whereas, in 2001 it was reported that an average of 5.3% of the prisoners (across all states) were being held in Private facilities, while some states including Louisiana had 50% of their prisoners in Private facilities. Currently Arizona is fifth (at close to 50%) while Louisiana has backed off to 11th. Arizona has not put out a population Projection Report for several years even though the department was staffed with people who were more than competent to do so. Meanwhile, there are well known accusations that the governor has accepted multiple contributions to her campaigns and according to CBS 5 "two of Brewer's top advisers have connections to CCA" All states, especially those with significant contracts with Private Prison Companies, need, to maintain public confidence, to issue Corrections Projection Reports either annually or in association with efforts to obtain more public money for prison expansion.and these reports need to be developed with local criminal justice coordinating councils and use recognized methods for conducting their analyses.