The health, safety and economic stability of our residents is a main concern for me addressing the public and calling on our legislators to advance impactful legislation to assist with recovery efforts from COVID-19. In particular, our senior residents and business owners need direct assistance and support during this time of economic uncertainty. As a candidate for Southampton Village Trustee, I urge the Town of Southampton to explore and develop local legislation addressing tax remediation during the COVID-19 epidemic.

The class of 2020 has nothing to look forward to with school being cancelled. I want them to still be able to atleast walk across the stage and receive their diplomas in recognition of their hard work just as the previous classes before them did it also. We shouldn’t just sit down and take this slap in the face as this pandemic will past in due time. It may not affect directly you, but put yourself in their shoes the 1st class ever to have their senior year canceled stripped of everything they have been working toward for all 4 years. We’ve already had our our fun of highschool and moved on it’s a one time experience all should have so why excluded our next generation of successors. I for one say this should be treated as a top class emergency in efforts to save the class of 2020. All those who would love to help spread this and raise awareness your effort are greatly appreciated.

U.S. has until recently had a strong and healthy air transportation industry. Having multiple carriers providing service on same routes encourages competition. Competition improves quality and convenience and reduces prices, all of which benefit the consumer and passengers. On March 31, 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a show cause order (see docket DOT-OST-2020-0037) proposing air carriers offering scheduled passenger service and all-cargo carriers maintain a defined schedule of flights to communities they served prior to March 1, 2020, through September 30, 2020. This is nonsensical as the demand for service does not exist. The airlines have requested to be able to consolidate their passengers onto flights between cities rather than sending five passengers on Delta and five passengers on United. Alternatively, air carriers could reduce the number of flights flown between cities and anti-trust regulations could be furloughed and scheduling could be allocated based on current demand and recent year's marketshare. Perhaps air carriers could each be allocated days or week or specific dates which they are the service provider between specific markets. (For example, American on Mondays and Thursdays, Delta on Tuesdays and Fridays, United on Wednesdays and Sundays, and Southwest on Saturdays.) This would not be much different than how during the 1970s oil crisis people were allowed to purchase gasoline based on their vehicles license plate number. Considering the energy (electricity, water, fuel) cost and health risks (increased number of persons reporting to work as ticketing, gate agents, maintenance service, air traffic controllers, TSA agents, janitors) to operate vast more planes, terminals, and gates than is necessary to service passengers and nationalizing air carriers will result in reduced competition in the future, the USDOT order is ill-conceived and will be costly for U.S. taxpayers. First, there is the $50 billion bailout. Second, many of the airlines will be forced into bankruptcy. Third, to maintain service it will be necessary of the government to takeover ownership (i.e., nationalize) bankrupt airlines, assets (i.e., landing/takeoff rights, gate rights) will be consolidated, and competition will be reduced. Consider last recession. Ford remained private, survived and flourished. GM was nationalized and survived, and near dead Chrysler was resuscitated by private equity funded acquisition by Fiat. Did government improve GM or Chrysler products or services or pricing for customers??? (No.) Let's not let this happen to air carriers in the United States. Yes, some may flourish and some may fail, but let's not force the stronger air carriers and taxpayers drown by being forced to prop up other airlines. Tell the U.S. Department of Transportation to work with air carriers to allow them to consolidate passengers and air cargo and reduce the number of daily flights between cities immediately while fostering survival of multiple air carriers servicing same markets.

Tens of thousands, perhaps millions, will die if this petition is not answered positively.

Without a working healthcare system, entire communities will collapse -- healthcare workers, patients and their families will be affected. Not that one can put a monetary value on human lives, but our economy will never recover from a healthcare collapse.

An endorsement of a large group necessitates an election by its members! The American Federation of Teachers  (AFT) supports Joe Biden for president, says spokesperson Randi Weingarten. But, we professional educators were not asked our opinion and we should have been! The undersigned AFT teachers support Bernie Sanders for President and we think the AFT should do the same because Bernie's platform is the best for our students, from the young child through the college-bound student. There is no question or doubt that Bernie's platform for education from the start is superior and calls on us to make the playing field equitable and education attainable for all. Here is why: Bernie's platform for elementary and secondary school education: • Provide equitable funding for public schools • Give teachers a much-deserved raise by setting a starting salary for teachers at no less than $60,000, expanding collective bargaining rights and teacher tenure, and funding out-of-pocket expenses for classroom materials. • Strengthens the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by ensuring that the federal government provides at least 50 percent of the funding for special education and giving special education teachers the support they need. • Provide year-round, free universal school meals, and incentivizes locally sourced food. • Make schools safe and inclusive by protecting the rights of all students from harassment, discrimination, and violence and enacting comprehensive gun violence prevention laws. • Rebuild, modernize, and green our nation’s schools. • Combat racial discrimination and school segregation • End the unaccountable profit-motive of charter schools Bernie's platform for higher education:  • Guarantee tuition and debt-free public colleges, universities, HBCUs, Minority Serving Institutions and trade-schools to all. • Cancel all student loan debt for the some 45 million Americans who owe about $1.6 trillion and place a cap on student loan interest rates going forward at 1.88 percent. • Invest $1.3 billion every year in private, non-profit historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions • End equity gaps in higher education attainment. And ensure students are able to cover non-tuition costs of attending school by: expanding Pell Grants to cover non-tuition and fee costs, tripling funding for the Work-Study Program, and more. We do not support the AFT's decision to support Joe Biden without full participation. We, respectfully, request that the AFT support Bernie Sanders because he is the best pro-education candidate in this race for the presidency.

President's Trump's treatment of PBS correspondent Yamiche Alcindor as she fulfills her professional obligations during a national crisis is unacceptable. Recently, during COVID-19 conferences, he told her, “Be nice. Don’t be threatening,” and called her questions “nasty.” Consider the messages he is sending the world about Black women and girls. Trump has a long history of mistreating people of color, women and the press. His aggressive attitude toward Alcindor is a culmination of these biased, undemocratic and dangerous behaviors. As the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) recently pointed out in a joint statement: “As far back as November 2018, Trump leveled verbal abuse at Alcindor along with fellow Black women journalists Abby Phillip of CNN and April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks… Both groups have noted the president’s pattern of using demeaning language toward women journalists of color and other journalists.” Sources: NABJ and JAWS statement: https://jaws.org/2020/03/31/jaws-and-nabj-stand-against-unacceptable-treatment-of-yamiche-alcindor/ Examples of Trump’s racism: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-racist-examples_n_56d47177e4b03260bf777e83 Trump attacks the press: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/trump-calls-the-news-media-the-enemy-of-the-people.html Women who accuse Trump of sexual assault: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-running-list-of-the-women-whove-accused-donald-trump-of-sexual-misconduct_n_57ffae1fe4b0162c043a7212

No one needs to be in ICE detention as they await their case to work through the courts. Forcing people to remain there during the coronavirus pandemic is cruel and inhumane. Along with ICE’s already horrific record of medical neglect and denying basic necessities for maintaining health and sanitation, people locked up in immigration detention are extremely vulnerable to the spread of infectious disease because they are unable to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves like social distancing and sanitizing regularly. There have already been 10 reported deaths in ICE custody in the last six months alone, and multiple ICE officers and people detained have tested positive for COVID-19. Acting Director of ICE Matthew Albence must act now, before it is too late and the virus spreads like wildfire through detention centers. The answer is clear: release people now.

UBER and Lyft drivers are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, shuttling people back and forth who still need to go to work and get groceries. But UBER and Lyft have yet to extend protections their drivers can actually take, including sick days and paid leave. And these companies aren’t providing the drivers who do want to keep working with adequate sanitary supplies. That means drivers might feel forced to work when they feel ill, or when their family members are sick and need care. These drivers are taking care of us during this pandemic, and the companies they work for need to take care of them by providing critical benefits that protect them, their families, passengers, and communities.

Big Pharma companies are already trying to profit from drugs to treat or prevent coronavirus infection -- and we need your help to stop them. Last week Gilead Sciences was caught attempting to get exclusive rights to one drug that has shown promise in treating covid-19. Under intense public pressure they backed off, but they and other Pharma companies still have the ability to raise the price high and gouge everyone for desperately needed medicine. Under a federal law known as Section 1498, the government can override a patent at any time as long as the company receives "reasonable compensation." This gives the government critical leverage to negotiate lower prices. And the government could even start producing lifesaving treatments itself under the Defense Production Act. Will you help use that leverage to save lives and stop Big Pharma from gouging people?

Every single human being is stressed now with everything that has evolved as a direct result of this crisis. Pharmaceutical drugs have proven to wreak havoc around the world causing many deaths. while cannabis is a safer alternative for many and has never killed anyone. Re-legalize cannabis NOW, it is the only humane thing to do at this point.

1099 business have been literally tossed by the wayside and ignored. We have needs, responsibilities, families and obligations, just as any other business in Maryland and we should not be treated, as if we do not matter, when we still pay taxes. Business taxes, personal property taxes, sales taxes, bottle taxes., etc.Our rents and mortgages on our businesses are due, just like every other business in Maryland and it's time we stop being ignored.