I am sick and tired of our financial systems robbing and cheating us while nothing gets done about it! Are we really powerless? Are the people of the United States of America truly voiceless in this matter? We cannot sit back and do nothing as our elected officials have done. We have to try to change this, or the majority of us will continue to suffer while the wealthiest continue to amass greater and greater fortunes at our expense. We WILL become the new serfs of this age if we fail to act! There is, believe it or not, a silver bullet that can solve this problem if we can just persevere. There is no choice but to publicly finance the campaigns of our elected officials. Let’s take the power the banks and corporations have over our government back! If you want to do one small - yet powerful - thing, sign this petition to change our Constitution, and pass it on to others who want to stop this downward spiral. Estoy harto de que nuestros sistemas financieros nos están robando y engañando mientras nada se está haciendo al respecto! ¿Somos realmente impotentes? ¿Las personas de los Estados Unidos realmente no tienen voz en este asunto? No podemos quedarnos con los brazos cruzados y no hacer nada como nuestros funcionarios electos han hecho. Tenemos que intentar cambiar esto, o la mayoría de nosotros seguirá sufriendo mientras los más ricos siguen acumulando fortunas más y más a nuestra costa. ¡Nos convertiremos en los nuevos siervos de esta época si no actuamos!

I walk up and down Gardner Street frequently, but I often have to walk in the street, because sections of the northeast side of the sidewalk are a jumble of loose and torn-up bricks. This sidewalk had to be repaired in 2004, 2009, 2010, and again (this month) in 2013. It's time for a permanent fix for this sidewalk: a reconstruction that doesn't fall apart every few years, that makes the sidewalk usable by all, and that is appropriate to the architectural styles of the neighborhood.

The United States Supreme Court has announced their decision in Shelby County v Holder, a critical case in the fight for voting rights. At issue in the case was the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act (Section 5) which requires states with a history of discrimination to get approval from the federal government before enacting new voting laws. The court in its decision did not directly address Section 5, the preclearance provision, but instead strikes down Section 4, the coverage formula, thereby placing the responsibility on Congress to create a new formula. This means the country will be effectively without the preclearance provision until they do. This is a devastating blow for voting rights. Within hours, the Texas Attorney General announced that the discriminatory photo voter id law was effective immediately. Congress must act immediately to develop a new coverage formula and protect the right to vote! More info at http://www.empowerthevotetx.org/Shelby_County_v_Holder.html Also, like us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerTheVoteTexas - and follow us on Twitter - @EmpowerTheVote

Monsanto needs to be stopped, their patents on seeds repealed, and all the top-ranking government officials with ties to the company must be investigated and persecuted accordingly for conspiracy to commit agricultural terrorism in the USA and abroad.

The far right is attacking the voting freedom of Black people, women, young people and other people of color. It is clear that far-right politicians are trying to keep the rising American majority of young people, women and people of color away from the polls.

The Supreme Court just struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act -- invalidating a key achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, that protected voting rights for people of color in areas with long histories of voting discrimination. The right to vote is the foundation on which our democracy was built -- yet our Constitution does not guarantee that right for all eligible citizens. In the court decision, Chief Justice John Roberts said that “things have changed dramatically” since 1965. Yet with increasing Republican attempts to limit voting rights through voter ID and other measures, it’s hard to see what’s so changed. Tell Congress to strengthen our democracy and pass a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote.

On June 20, 2013, a group of women went to Rep. Issa's district office in Vista, California for a scheduled meeting with the district director. Three of the women were from Mexico (two mothers - one of whom studied law in Mexico and the other pursuing her Bachelor of Arts now - and one youth attending college), and the other three were American ladies from the faith community. At the beginning of the meeting, the district director interrupted and said that if anyone was "illegal," they would all have to leave the office, because it is the office's duty "to uphold the law." After trying to reason with the staff member, the group of women left the office, feeling very afraid. Elected leaders in our country should not use their power to bully and intimidate constituents, and the color of a person's skin should never make them targets for such discriminatory behavior. Democracy is not built on fear and hate, and Rep. Issa's office should be reminded of this.

We wish to thank you for your leadership in climate change policy. After decades of indifference and denial, climate change is now the international emergency of the highest order. Nothing less than survival of life on Earth is at stake.

Whether it's corn on the cob, or big juicy tomatoes, or a pint of raspberries, summer is a great time to eat whatever's fresh off the farm -- nature's bounty at its finest. But these days, it seems that food is a bit more complicated. Additives, preservatives, artificial flavorings -- not to mention, genetically-engineered food. Maybe you want to eat 100% organic. Maybe you don't mind some artificial something-or-other. But the one thing I think we can all agree on: You should have the right to know and choose what's in your food. The big multinational food, chemical, and pesticide companies -- like Monsanto, DuPont, and Dow -- would rather keep you in the dark. That doesn't work for me. That's why I support the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act.

In California right now, youth can be locked in a room for 23 hours a day with little oversight or justification. Solitary confinement is a form or torture and this must end. SB 61 prohibits the use of solitary as a punishment and allows it ONLY for safety reasons and can keep kids locked up for more than 24 hours ONLY after getting written approval by the directors. It also requires juvenile facilities to maintain records on when and why kids are put in solitary confinement.

SCOTUS dismantled the Voting Rights Act today, vacating nearly 50 years of civil rights advancement. And this comes hard on the heels of the shocking attempts at voter suppression attempted for the 2012 election, which were only stopped because of the VRA.

Background: On June 25, 2013 President Obama announced the most ambitious national plan ever to combat carbon pollution and lead global efforts to tackle climate change. It would: • Cut carbon pollution from power plants, the largest single source of this pollution • Increase energy efficiency of appliances • Boost clean, renewable energy, like solar • Help American people, businesses and communities deal with the effects of climate change. If America fails to act, climate change would be even more severe: More destructive and deadly extreme weather; rising global temperatures; rising seas battering coastlines; life-threatening diseases; and skyrocketing costs for disaster recovery.