Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano released a letter to President Obama promising to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits." Within two days, the letter had more than a dozen co-signers, but to date, Rep. Lois Capps has not signed on. When struggling families encounter serious illness, they need to be supported in order to keep our entire country strong.

I live in Mainlands 4, a retirement community, next to a proposed development that will add over 1,000 residents in a narrow slice of land with only 1 point of ingress and egress. This will create extremely dangerous conditions on the ONLY road leading into and out of the development. There are no sidewalks and the 2 lane street was not designed for an additional 1,000+ vehicles a day. Most of you are aware of how vehemently this development has been opposed from the beginning. We were lied to by past politicians who promised this would never happen. Now it's time for you to right this terrible wrong. Protecting our citizens and our way of life should be your top priority. Do the right thing and stop this hated, ill conceived development. Save our way of life!

H.R. 676 has been introduced before every Congress since 2003. This year it has 37 original co-sponsors, 12 more than last year’s initiating group (which eventually grew to 77). Why has Congressman Blumenauer refused to sponsor or publically support this measure? He is in the progressive caucus, but does not stand up for this essential legislation. None of Oregon's congressional representatives has endorsed Medicare for All. Contact them.

People are greatly affected by cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits. My relatives rely on these programs to get by.

The health care profession already has a shortage of primary care providers and with the advent of Obama care will see a tremendous need for over 50,000 more providers. Chiropractors are educated as primary care providers with the exception of prescription drugs. With some advanced training to include prescription drugs, chiropractors can help to fill that gap.

My mother is 85 years with Dymentia and also in a wheel chair. Cutting these benefits will severely affect my mother and all seniors like her.

Oregon received $25.8 million from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a reward for enrolling children in its Medicaid program CHIP. The money is available for whatever purposes the Governor and Legislature choose. The people of Oregon should have some input on how the money is spent.

Last week Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano released a letter promising to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits," and asked their colleagues in Congress to join them in taking a clear stand against efforts to cut America's social safety net. With the gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else steadily growing, we must demand that our lawmakers protect these programs that support the elderly, the poor and the vulnerable in our society. We need to make sure that every member of the U.S. House of Representatives knows that their constituents want them to take this vow to protect these vital programs.

Mississippi has joined 32 other states in a coalition to demand the labeling of our food products, many of which have identical legislation before their legislators in the 2013 session.

The impacts of global warming pollution are accelerating, and Thomas Steyer is the right person to build on Dr. Steven Chu's example of leadership in green energy as the next U.S. Secretary of Energy. "Global warming is not something that you can deal with in between foreign policy and tax rates," Mr. Steyer says. "This is your foreign policy. This is your tax rate." Tom Steyer, one of the most successful investors in the world, knows how to take on oil companies and right-wing attacks on clean energy, winning the fights to protect California's landmark climate legislation and closing corporate tax loopholes to support green energy investment. He knows that climate change is "the overwhelming issue of our time." He opposes the Keystone XL pipeline and has used his fortune to help build green-energy research centers at Stanford, Yale, and Ohio. “I look at Keystone XL as making a 40-year-investment in producing very dirty fossil fuels," he says. "I think we should be doing something else." Other candidates for Secretary of Energy, like Dr. Ernest Moniz and Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, are proponents of increasing our dependence on fossil fuels like fracked natural gas and so-called "clean" coal. We need an Energy Secretary who will lead the war on carbon pollution, not help carbon polluters build profits at the expense of our children's future.

Clean up ted Cruz

For 20 years, I have worked in public service, teaching underprivileged youth in low income districts. I received my B.A. in Secondary Education, then my graduate degree in addition to an Elementary Education certification. My total borrowed was $17,000 in federal student loans during my undergraduate years. The rest I paid out of pocket. When I married, my then-husband and I consolidated my $17,000 undergraduate loans and his $117,000 loans. As a couple, consolidating our loans gave us a lower interest rate and lower monthly payments. But, in 2005, we divorced, splitting everything between us -- everything except these consolidated loans, which are illegal to split. For years since my divorce, I have contacted the company owning the loan and finally ASA (once they acquired the loans) about deferments and forbearances, only to be given the run-around. Continually, ASA habitually “lost” or “never received” my paperwork. Later, ASA informed me that both my ex-husband and I had to defer for the exact same reason or the deferment would be denied. Since I had very limited contact with my ex, coordinating to file paperwork for us to defer for the same reason was impossible. Later when I contacted ASA, I was informed that since my ex-husband was listed as the primary holder on the account, no information could be divulged to me personally without his permission, even though I'm equally responsible. My ex-husband stopped payment on this consolidated loan years ago and ASA was not sending any mail to me, which caused the loan to default in both our names - a loan that had grown, with added interest and penalties, to almost $300,000. Since the default, my once-perfect credit score is now destroyed and over $1,000 a month is garnished from ONLY my paycheck; yet, ASA refuses to even discuss the loans with me. To date, I have paid over $13,000 toward our joint student loans. Additionally, despite the fact that it’s MY wage being garnished, ASA sent my ex-husband the 2012 1098-E, as if HE were the one paying on the loan. ASA continually refuses to give me information for an account that I pay for and, even though there have been multiple efforts on my part, I cannot get any information to allow me to fix the situation. I am a single mother raising two teen daughters. I have tried desperately to work with my lender to separate this student debt, to negotiate, or to offer any sort of relief. Now I am asking for your help. Please help me reach 50,000 signatures to be delivered to ASA demanding they separate my consolidated loan. I was granted a divorce eight years ago. Shouldn't our loans be separate, too? I am asking that these loans separate so I can move on and help support my two daughters with their college careers now and in the future.