The greedy state government in Honolulu is again trying to deprive us of our fair share of the visitor tax. This means higher taxes for all outer islanders if it passes.

ICE, the federal agency in charge of deportations, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on inhumane tracking of immigrants facing deportation. Thousands of people are forced to wear ankle monitors and suffer random home inspections -- even though many of these people have no criminal history and pose little flight risk. While just 3% of criminals on probation wear ankle monitors, 29% of the 21,000 immigrants in this heightened supervision program live with these devices 24 hours a day, even plugging them in to recharge while they sleep at night. Behavioral Interventions, a subsidiary of private prison company Geo Group, is receiving $378 million from ICE to monitor immigrants this way. There should be no profit in this process. It's excessive, it's wrong, and it's up to us to make our voices heard for fairness and humanity in the treatment of America's immigrants.

I returned from selling art in New Orleans where, since the failure of the Levees, New Orleans has had this method of nurturing art and artists in their work and supporting collectors of art to participate in culture by connecting with and supporting local artists. It is good for tourism, world opinion of the city and it cultivates culture directly with very little bureaucratic handling.

To the dismay of parents, the Florida PTA, other parents groups and their supporters, the Parent Empowerment in Education Bill, a.k.a Florida’s “Parent Trigger” bill, has once again been introduced into the Florida House of Representatives and Senate. After failing last year due to the concerted efforts of parents and parent groups, legislators saw fit to reintroduce the bill once again to see if Florida parents and their supporters had changed their minds regarding this issue. Such insistence on a “parent trigger” bill in Florida can only be described in the manner that Diane Ravitch, the former Secretary of Education, describes “parent trigger” policy in general:“ It is the quintessence of a corporate power grab.” As stocks for corporations managing charter schools rise, the passing of a bill that would streamline the creation of more charter schools from these “triggered” public schools amounts to a systematic attack on public education in favor of for-profit businesses that aim to privatize the education system. The variety of points in opposition to Parent Empowerment in Education bill has been concisely summarized by the Florida PTA: 1) Why would legislators reintroduce a bill that was vehemently opposed by a significant number of parent groups? 2) Uses the rhetoric of parent love and empowerment to hand a neighborhood school over to a private entity with no guarantees for a better alternative. 3) Promotes for-profit charter takeover thus robbing Florida taxpayers of a capital investment as for-profit charters do not answer to any elected official. Furthermore, the corporation managing the charter school profits from public, taxpayer dollars. 4) Pits parents against themselves during the petition process and pits parents against teachers by raising suspicion on the ability of every teacher. 5) Allows for multiple opportunities for virtual vendors to market and lobby to parents. 6) Strips away local School Board control as the Board of Education ultimately makes the decision on the turnaround option. 7) Ignores pre-existing laws that allows School Advisory Councils consisting of parents, teachers, and community partners to determine the direction of an underperforming school.

Stop stockpiling petroleum coke on the banks of the Detroit River!

Stop the influence of big money against your rights.

Get Corbett out of Harrisburg now before he sinks the whole state in bankruptcy.

A horse slaughter plant is poised to open in New Mexico, despite the fact that 80% of all Americans strongly oppose the slaughter of horses. Horse slaughter plants have a history of polluting local water supplies, lowering property values and are a drain on local economies. In addition horses, not raised for food are given a wide variety of drugs and veterinary treatments that make their meat unfit for human consumption. Horses slaughter is the most barbaric form of slaughter as horses are flight animals. The Horse Slaughter industry poses threats to the health, environmental and economic welfare of New Mexico and thereby warrants the issue of an Executive Order that will Ban Horse Slaughter in the state of New Mexico.

I have been out of work for over a year now due to the fact that the company that I was working for closed down. I have two degrees and have applied for close to four hundred jobs. I also lost my home of thirteen years to foreclosure. I am also in the process of trying to clean up my credit. And in doing so; I am finding that employers are running credit checks to see if you are a good candidate for a job. My circumstances should not be the factor of whether or not I can do a job. It also brings down your beacon score every time someone pull up your credit. What I am trying to correct; they are adding to the problem and it should not be allowed. Finally, I know that I am a great employee!

Exempting the poor and elderly from sales tax when and if the proposed State income tax is abolished. No one should pay sales taxes on benefits or retirement income.

The far reaching intrusions of the Fedral Government should be repealed and returned to what the constitution intended.

I am a Mortgagor, not getting credit on my mortgage for funds I paid to an Assignee(s), Servicer(s).