We have been held hostage to the private insurance companies that provide NOTHING to the improvement of our health. They increase the cost of health care by many times what a single payor plan such as Medicare does. The profits go to overpaid and short-sighted CEOs and overpaid Boards of Directors.

I would like to start a petition to require all vehicles in the State of South Carolina to require vehicle inspections on every vehicle registered in the state, similar to that of vehicles in North Carolina. In particular, setting a standard for minimum tire tread depth's. I have personally witnessed way to many vehicles with bald tires and small children in the back seat of them. These are moving missiles that can tragically change the course of a human being's life in seconds. The greater the tread depth, the greater room for water to pass thru and evacuate the tire, creating a larger contact patch of rubber on the road, increasing traction, decreasing hydroplaning, and leading to an enhanced overall control.

Stop this cronyism !

The City of Santa Monica is modifying parking ordinances so that the number of parking spaces required will be reduced significantly. Lack of parking is already negatively impacting businesses and neighborhoods. Increased density in our city is what is creating cars and parking problems, not the number of parking spaces available.

Governor Scott gutted the Insurance Commission. He intended to promote competition by bringing in more insurance companies. It has not worked, and the average home owner has seen his rate go up by upwards of 30% each of the past three years.

Mass transit is a win-win for Maryland: it helps to create good jobs and it it helps improve and protect the environment by getting cars off the roads. We petition Governor O'Malley, the Maryland House and the Maryland Senate to begin building plans that would allow us to transform Maryland into a greener state with a more solid economy.

Nestles was stopped from putting a bottling plant in Oregon 3 years ago and now they are back. It seems that Oregon Fish and Game isn't hearing the peoples voice and are determined to allow Nestle to place a plant near the gorge to pump out water from the Columbia River. The issues are threefold: We have no idea how climate change will impact the country's drought and thus food chain. Secondly, Nestle's has an awful stewardship around the world and for adhering to the quantities negotiated for bottling. Finally using their corporate might and monies tying up states and countries in court, often coming close to bankrupting those states. See historical data of Florida and Michigan. Bottling water is environmentally irresponsible and it is questionable whether it is the states right to sell the people's water.

Recently there has been a manhunt for former police officer Christopher Doner. Police have fired without warning or provocation, upon several innocent law abiding citizens who basically had a 10% match to the suspect and/or his vehicle. Several people have been hospitalized and thousands of dollars of property damage has occured. Personally I am one thousand times more afraid of being shot by the police than the murder suspect they are looking for.

Yes, and My 170 neighbors Seniors and VETREANS .Every year HUD and MSDA raises our Rent (which takes time and a lot of paperwork ,most of us are over 70 years old) We have a raise in our SS checks (of 1,7%) and the rent goes up and the foodstamps go down ,We senior end up deper in the Hole.All the Change in mailing and printing "the new rent/food/ cost a lot of Money that should be stopped .we senoir over 65 ARE STABLE/finacial/secure in SS check only income! WE have to be freed from the yearly paperwork./EXAME! and we need to keep our rent./(Subzidies from Washington)Money in Michigan NO more out of town/state landlord/Subzides from washington leaving our City or MICHIGAN

As a parent and teacher I have seen the use of standardized tests stifle creativity and problem solving skills by taking over the curriculum in our public schools. Teachers are now spending weeks at a time teaching test taking strategies, drilling kids with rote memorization facts because they know this is how they and their students will be evaluated. Reading and math dominate the curriculum so there is hardly any time for science and social studies. The tests are not a reliable predictor of how smart or talented a student is or how good a teacher is. This must end for the sake of education.

The state of south Carolina ranks near the bottom nationally in education. Improved funding of under performing schools and increasing teacher pay could go a long way to improving the state's educational system. Investing in children and teachers today will yield both monetary and social dividends.

Elected officials in our countries House and Senate continue to attack Social Security and Medicaid programs and organized labor. Those same elected officials receive a life time pension paid for by tax payers, the only job that rewards a pension after only a few years of service. This movement demands an end to tax payer funded pensions for elected officials, requiring the program to be privatized.