As a US citizen, I am writing you to ask you to stop the presecution and imprisonment of poor hard working immigrants. Do not distroy the our families, do not harm the families of our children. Fix our broken immigration system.

Many ex-offenders have been personally affected by this issue. Many are so frustrated trying to obtain work that they become repeat offenders due to the fact that employers will not hire them. Government agencies should also offer incentives or tax breaks by employing ex-offenders and background checks into criminal histories should be limited to seven years. Even ex-offenders deserve the opportunity to become active productive member's of society. And at the end of the day and starving man is going to eat. Lets him them do it the honest way and not fall back into the same trap.

I feel personally affected because I believe that this is an issue for all.

As the relative of a gay individual and a transgender person, I have witnessed suffering from discrimination up close. As an RN, I appreciate that the development of gender identity is not decisional, but related to one's God given attributes, as is heterosexuality.

The United States Supreme Court is currently considering the rights of same-sex couples to enjoy the same responsibilities and privileges as opposite-sex married couples. Polls indicate that the American public supports marriage equality, and it is important that public officials affirm their support as well.

I believe that for too long an internally supervised process has created grave injustice in the salaries and benefits that lawmakers "earn" as "public servants." Throughout the difficulties of the economic recession none of them has had any reduction in salary or benefits, while an extremely high number of Americans who pay the taxes that pay their salaries have had to face major economic setbacks.

Now is the time for all good Democrats to come to the aid of of our brothers and sisters who cannot be married simply because they are the same sex. The Supreme Court will rule soon on both DOMA and Proposition 8, either striking down discriminatory laws against same sex marriage or letting this prejudice continue. ASK REP. PETE GALLEGO TO TAKE A STAND FOR EQUAL JUSTICE!

Support for marriage equality in Mississippi has nearly doubled in the past 8 years. It's time to make sure the rest of the country, and our Supreme Court, understands that Mississippi is moving forward! Especially in the light of the poor press exposure Mississippi recently faced regarding Amendment 13, let's stand together in urging Rep. Thompson to publicly voice our district's support for equality of ALL Americans!

Governor Corbett forced the closing of dozens of Philadelphia schools by slashing over $1 billion from education funding. Now Governor Corbett says privatization through charter schools is the only answer to the education problem that he created. As more and more public money goes to charter schools, tax payers deserve to know if their education dollars are being well-spent. Unfortunately, charter schools do not have the same level of accountability and transparency that public schools have. Schools should be in the business of teaching our kids, not making corporate profits. It’s time to level the playing field and hold charter schools accountable. Philadelphia cannot afford another avoidable education crisis courtesy of the Corbett administration.

Last year, more than 30 states proposed laws that would restrict the right to vote, restrict ballot access and hamper democracy. But luckily not Connecticut. From our landmark Citizens’ Election Program to our adoption of Election Day and online voter registration, Connecticut has always been a leader when it comes to guaranteeing a transparent, participatory and responsive democracy. That's why it's so alarming to see one bill advance in Connecticut that would be a major blow to our democracy. The bill, SB 1146, which would ban cross-endorsement, was recently passed in committee in the legislature, but we've got to stop it. Under the cross-endorsement system, familiar to most Connecticut voters, minor parties can support either their own candidate or the candidate of a major party. This is healthy for democracy. Banning cross-endorsement would narrow the electoral process, limit voter choices, and discourage voter participation, especially from voters who don't feel well-represented already, like students, immigrants and low-income voters. More than 80,000 people voted on a minor party line for a cross-endorsed candidate in 2012. There's no justification for limiting the choices and expression of those voters. The legislature would do our democracy and our citizens a serious disservice if it passes this proposal. Please join me in calling on the legislature to shelve it immediately. Thank you for all you do, Miles Rapoport, Former Secretary of the State of Connecticut and President of Demos

Several cities and towns, most recently Terrebonne Parrish, LA, have passed laws that ban the wearing of baggy pants. These laws 1) infringe on an individuals right to wear whatever they wish; 2) establish a code of dress that is unconstitutional and impossible to enforce; 3) specifically target the young and predominately minority population; 4) put people into the legal system with fines, jail, records for making a stylist statement; and 5) this unfair law is totally arbitrary because similar laws are not passed against the shirtless or scantily clad which many may find equally or more offensive. This is the slippery slope that politicians always want to guard against. Stop this trend in its tracks by signing this petition.

Social Security didn’t create the budget deficit, and seniors and disabled veterans shouldn’t suffer to make it balance. Changing the Cost of Living Adjustments to Social Security by using a Chained CPI hurt seniors. The Chained CPI is based on the idea that seniors can find cheaper substitutes for products when prices change, but as they age seniors have significant expenses that are medical, and co-pays on drugs and medical care aren’t flexible.