The cost of living continues to go up, but not the salaries of state workers. We use to get raises every year. The raises got smaller and smaller. Now they don't exist. And lately, our salaries have been decreased some more to support the state!!! I am making less money than I did about three or four years ago. Does this make sense to anyone??? Do you know that NY continues to increase the salaries of people who have retired? There is something very wrong with this state and it needs to be cleaned up!!!

Many drivers have no respect for pedestrians or other drivers. The impulse to hit & run after an accident has become a persuasive practice. This is social insanity because we've become an irresponsible society. Driving is a privilege and should be regulated accordingly. This infraction is illegal, immoral, unethical, and barbaric. We all suffer financially and emtionally. We can stop this "NOW". Those found guilty should suffer a harsh penalty. Jail, with no plea bargaining as an idea. When we tolerate insanity, we live the result.

I, and many of those who live in Brunswick County, NC have been and will be deeply impacted by the measures you are ramming through Legislature to reduce our unemployment benefits and pay. I do not recall this measure as part of your election campaign and I am appalled that you are allowing a small portion of the State to decide the fate of those of us who want to work but have been unable to find a job offering livable wages. Our cost of living has far out reached the current minimum wages, and please don't tell me it is the Employers who pay the unemployment insurance fee's we too are paying them. I feel that you and those who are Lobbying for the new "unemployment" overhaul are out of touch with the reality of those of us who attempting to survive. I am a taxpayer, I bought a home, I have when was I able to, contributed to the local and State economy. It is actually our tax payer dollars that are paying your salaries and those who work for the City, County and State government. How dare you cast aside the people who are financially supporting you!

The people of Puerto Rico greatly appreciated Senator Durbin’s position and comments requesting the need to establish a formula to recover federal funds that have been paid, including funds already designated but not yet disbursed towards improvements to the Luís Muñoz Marín International Airport of Puerto Rico, before any plans to lease or privatize the airport may be approved. Not only has $105 million been allotted for the years 2010-2012 for airport improvements; the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) authorized charging $520 million in passengers’ fees (Passenger Facilities Charge –PFC) up to the year 2033. According to the contract, these monies would go directly to Aerostar Holdings LLC, the private corporation that would take over our airport.

Social Emotional Learning is the way that people learn to interact socially with each other, resolve conflicts and emotionally regulate. Schools are important settings in which that learning takes place. By focusing on Social Emotional Learning in schools, we can impact the level of violence and trauma in society, as well as the overall social-emotional and academic success of students from all backgrounds.

Florida's roads are full of unlicensed, undocumented individuals who have lived in the U.S. for years and, because of the always pending immigration reform, cannot become legal residents. We need those individuals to be granted driver's licenses, so that we not only have safer roads and improve the ratio of insured drivers, but also address the marginalization of hundreds of thousands of Floridian families who are living in the shadows of a pending immigration reform. Let's do something about this!

Albert Einstein was thrown out of 3 schools; Winston Churchill spent his school years at the bottom of his class; Edison and Tesla had trouble with learning in traditional ways and the list of the most brilliant and innovative minds of all time goes on and on. One size teaching fits no one. It takes teachers reading their students and monitoring their learning. Educational research has shown that mechanized tests do harm to all: children and, now, teachers and schools as well. Don't be duped by the corporate hype: corporate testing = big business = big profits!

The Violence Against Women Act has been incredibly effective in decreasing domestic violence in the United States. Yet there are still women killed every day by their husbands or boyfriends. Countless women still live in fear of abuse, and one in five have been victims of rape. The House should follow the Senate’s lead and pass the Violence Against Women Act right away.

Maverick Farms stands to loose substantial portions of its productive ground from a proposed NCDOT project to REROUTE an existing dead-end road through our farm fields to build new culvert bridges. Please let the NC DOT know that you stand for family farms everywhere -- they are vital community resources -- and that Maverick Farms' place in building a viable community-based food system cannot be quantified.

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is the only public college in our nation’s capital that confers bachelors and other advanced degrees. The District Council is threatening the existence UDC's four year BA and Masters programs for thousands of district residents and other students who lack the means to attend private colleges. Please join current and former students as well as education advocates in urging the District Council, Mayor and community to support this vital link in the chain of educational and economic uplift.

pure waste ends on roadways in trash and ocean

I am an owner of a one family residential house in Union, NJ, purchased in 1996. My property tax in 1996 was roughly $4,200 and now its $9,400 in 2012.