The next time you hear phrase 'shared sacrifice' or 'austerity cuts', keep in mind that the recent fiscal cliff deal missed a large source of much-needed revenue -- closing corporate tax loopholes. With the upcoming budget and sequestration matters coming before Congress, here's a chance for them to begin making changes. Large, multinational U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals have avoided paying taxes in the U.S. by taking advantage of tax haven schemes such as the Dutch or Double Irish Sandwich that costs the U.S. Treasury an estimate $150 billion dollars yearly. This, in turn, places the burden on the middle class and small businesses who cannot take the same advantage of the tax code and enacts a very real cost for regular taxpayers who are told austerity cuts to state and local budgets are necessary, increases the national debt and leaves taxpayers, such as you or I, on the hook to pay for the tax subsidies corporations and the top 2% enjoy. Chances are you will have paid more in taxes last year than companies such as Google, Exxon, GE, Wells Fargo or Verizon. It's time to put the 'share' in 'shared sacrifice' and for these companies and wealthy individuals to pay their fair share.

Our public schools are staggering under massive state budget cuts. Students in Pennsylvania have lost almost 20,000 of their teachers in the past two years. Our kids have lost music, art, library, languages, tutoring programs, full-day kindergarten and more. Our children are sitting in classes with 35 and even 39 students. In 2007, the state Legislature's own study found it was underfunding pubic education (especially in poorer school districts) by more than $4 billion and committed Pennsylvania to a six-year plan to fix the problem. But in 2011, the Legislature shamefully betrayed that commitment and cut close to $1 billion from our schools. Then last year, the governor and Legislature locked in those cuts for a second year, compounding the damage. And this year, even with a small increase in funding, Gov. Corbett proposes to mostly continue the compounded cuts while threatening to tie any increase to the pension crisis and alcohol sales, rather than providing leadership to find real solutions to this issue. This cannot stand. Public education is a public good. We need adequate, equitable, and sustainable funding for public education now! More info: yinzercation.wordpress.com

The mentally ill are legally prevented from protecting themselves from outright bigotry and hostility everywhere in our society. I suffer from Major Depressive Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder. Unfortunately, no law, federal or state, protects me from overt and directed hostility in the work place. Not even the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission gives a damn. In effect, the EEOC is a partner of the very crimes repeated every day by employers. 25% of Americans, almost 80 million people, suffer from a mental illness. If you don't stand up, who will? What family member are you willing to sacrifice?

HD2959, if enacted, could have the potential to dramatically reduce disposed waste and recover millions of tons of valuable materials to use as feedstock for new products in Mass., saving money and resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating many jobs. The bill requires that all residents, businesses and waste haulers comply with the existing bans on the disposal of recyclable materials from their point of generation.

Urge General Thein Sein, President of Myanmar to amend the 2008 Constitution with democratic principles and fairness.

During the Obama campaign, we heard many horror stories from people who were unable to get Voter IDs because they lacked birth certificates, were given incorrect info by PennDot employees, were unexpectedly and illegally charged for IDs at PennDOT, were too old, poor, or disabled to get to PennDOT, were confused by constantly-changing State Department rules, had a name on their PA driver's license that differed from the one on their birth certificate, did not want to give up their out-of-state driver's license while attending a PA college, or were harassed for a variety of other ridiculous reasons designed to discourage those who traditionally vote Democratic. We should be ENcouraging people to vote, not DIScouraging them. Time to get Voter ID off the books in PA, once and for all!

I am a disabled American who has to take opioids to relieve my back pain. I've had five surgical invasive procedures and I am sick and tired of the side effects of the opioids. I wish you, governor Scott would legalize medicinal marijuana. I need help, as do millions of other people in our great nation.

All new and existing massage therapy facilities in East Longmeadow, MA are being fined $250 by the town planning board. This law came about due to another business claiming to be practicing massage therapy and allegedly soliciting prostitution with expired permits and licenses and are currently still open and operating. This fine should be revoked and the real people involved in this behavior should be punished, not everyone else.

Governor Brownback proposed even more tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.

Could affect me

years ago i was an eligjble receipient of HHA; my 4 children and i were able to move into a 3 bedroom apartment and with assistance from the state and a part time job i paid $320.00 for our unit. our family decided to let their dad back into our family; so we reported HIS income, and relinquised financial assistance from the state; so with HIS income and my part time income our rent was raised to $730.00- still cheap; but we felt it unfair that other families in the same housing area;drove nice cars; wore nice clothes and had more people in their units then allowed-probably didnt report income changes. there should be an annual mandatory re-eligibilty for HHA. and add a back to work program for ALL adults tenants. today our family is renting in the private sector and struggling but paying monthly rent of $2500.00 for a 5bdrm 3 bath home

In light of other states considering changing the way in which Electoral College votes are cast for the election of President, I understand that some legislators and Governor Snyder are actively pursuing such a change which would, essentially, rig the outcome of a Presidential election regardless of the will of the people. I urge this nonsense to stop and preserve the will of the people in electing our President.