Now that President Obama has been re-elected, it's time we show support by backing his decision to raise taxes on those households earnings over $250,000, and retaining the tax cut for the rest of working American middle class families.

Did you receive multiple emails a day during this election cycle, asking for money? I sure did. And it's the fault of the uber-rich right-wing super PACs. If they raise obscene amounts of money, what choice does the other side have but to try to match these dollars? Our elections should NOT be about money! The role of these super PACs in elections MUST be stopped.

Billions of our State’s precious transportation dollars are at stake for the next 30-40 years if Governor Bentley allows ALDOT to start the proposed Northern Beltline around Birmingham – a bypass that will extend 52 miles out into rural Jefferson County West and northeast of Birmingham. This completely unnecessary highway will cost $5.445 billion in federal taxpayer money; relieve no more than 1 to 3 percent of traffic; take almost 4 decades to build; not have a payoff until 2048; and cause users – if there are any – to make a costly 52-mile detour around the city. Proponents admit it is being built for developmental purposes only. Most people know there are cheaper ways to create jobs than at a cost of $104.7 million per MILE. Alabama’s transportation priority should be the backlog of state roads & bridges that need repairs NOW – not a risky development project that may never pay off. Most alarming, the Federal Highway Administration is now running a deficit, and limited federal funds for this road are guaranteed ONLY through 2014. The result of starting Birmingham's Northern Beltline could be a colossal mis-step for Alabama.

The Insurance companies have been giving health providers no raises. As a clinical psychologist I had no raise in fees since the 80's. MDs are struggling with something almost as bad. We have all stayed doing our jobs on 'out of network' rates. That will go away with the existing health care bill. Insurance will set a rate even lower than 1986 for me. (94$ a session then. 92$ now) i will have to find other work.

Facebook is becoming a media institution and as such, should allow the members of the service to vote on any and all future Terms of Service. This will protect its users' privacy rights and allow them to actively participate in any changes that could directly or indirectly affect them.

Why Is the Obama FCC Plotting a Massive Giveaway to Rupert Murdoch? hat if I told you the Obama administration's first major post-election policy move was a big, fat gift for Rupert Murdoch? You might ask: The same Rupert Murdoch who owns Fox News? The same Rupert Murdoch who scandalized England with phone-hacking, influence peddling and bribery? The same Rupert Murdoch who stays up late Saturday nights pondering things on Twitter like what to do about "the Jewish-owned press"? Crikey. Murdoch already owns the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Fox News Channel, Fox movie studios, 27 local TV stations and much, much more. Word is that Murdoch now covets the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune - the bankrupt-but-still-dominant newspapers (and websites) in the second- and third-largest media markets, where Murdoch already owns TV stations. Under current media ownership limits, he can't buy them. It's illegal ... unless the Federal Communications Commission changes the rules. But according to numerous reports, that's exactly what FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski plans to do. He's circulating an order at the FCC to lift the longstanding ban on one company owning both daily newspapers and TV stations in any of the 20 largest media markets. And he wants to wrap up this massive giveaway just in time for the holidays. Democracy Diversity Disaster If these changes go through, Murdoch could own the Los Angeles Times, two TV stations and up to eight radio stations in L.A. alone. And he's not the only potential beneficiary: These changes could mean more channels for Comcast-NBC, more deals for Disney and more stations for Sinclair. For anyone who actually cares about media diversity and democracy, the gutting of media ownership limits will be a complete disaster. These rules are one of the last barriers to local media monopolies. Without them, we will lose competing voices for local news. We will see the mainstream media get even more monotone, monochrome and monotonous. The FCC's own data show ownership of broadcast radio and television stations by women and minorities remains at abysmally low levels. Women own less than 7 percent of radio and TV stations; people of color control only 3.6 percent of TV stations and 8 percent of radio stations. More media consolidation will push out smaller owners - who are disproportionately women and people of color. The more concentrated local media get, the harder it will be for underrepresented groups to compete. That's why groups like the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Center for Media Justice and the National Hispanic Media Coalition have spoken out against any further relaxation of ownership limits. Déjà Vu All Over Again Genachowski's proposal is essentially indistinguishable from the failed Bush administration policies that millions rallied against in 2003 and 2007. Ninety-nine percent of the public comments received by the FCC opposed lifting these rules when the Republicans tried to do it. Genachowski's proposal is nearly identical to the one the Senate voted to overturn with a bipartisan "resolution of disapproval" back in 2008. Among the senators who co-sponsored that rebuke to runaway media concentration were Joe Biden and Barack Obama. At the time, Obama blasted the FCC for having "failed to further the goals of diversity in the media and promote localism," saying the agency was in "no position to justify allowing for increased consolidation." Nothing has changed - except which party controls the White House. The federal courts have repeatedly - and as recently as 2011 - struck down these same rules, noting the FCC's failure to "consider the effect of its rules on minority and female ownership." The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the FCC to study the impact of any rule changes before changing the rules. The FCC has done nothing of the kind. When the Republicans were in power, they held at least seven public hearings on ownership rules in front of the full commission, where near-universal public opposition to these changes was evident. Yet Genachowski himself has participated in zero public hearings on media ownership. Same goes for the two newest commissioners, Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel and Republican Ajit Pai. The senior Republican, Robert McDowell, did attend hearings ... five years ago. Only Democrat Mignon Clyburn has attended a public hearing on media ownership during the Obama administration. Yet if Genachowski gets his way, according to reports, the FCC will vote on this major overhaul "on circulation" - that is, in secret and behind closed doors - with no public participation or accountability. It's shameful. Now You Do Something? Genachowski's behavior is inexplicable because the clearest and easiest path on media ownership was to do nothing. After losing in court, he could have punted the issue and waited for the next review in 2014, when the diversity research could have been finished and the industry trends might have been clearer. "Do nothing" is so ingrained at the FCC it could be the agency's motto. And yet the one time inaction is called for, Genachowski is making every effort to side with Murdoch against the masses. We can still stop this terrible plan from moving forward. The other members of the FCC can dissent and send this thing back to the drawing board. The dozens of senators who voted against this very policy less than five years ago can speak up again. The Obama administration can think about cross-examining Rupert Murdoch instead of appeasing him. None of that will happen unless millions of people make some noise. We should be breaking up these giant media conglomerates, not bolstering them. But right now we need to kill this policy for good - and remind the FCC that 99 percent of the public opposes media consolidation, no matter who's in the White House or the FCC chairman's seat.

Before we can truly change the way our country is legislated, we have to change the influence of money in politics. Money's power must be reduced if not eliminated then our politicians' votes would be based purely on what they thought was right for our country instead of who they are indebted to.

My adult son called me last night. His job has been out-sourced to India. However, he has a temporary freelance job in down town Chicago. He walks home every evening. But last evening he was especially disturbed at the number of homeless young adults that he saw. Many had backpacks or a piece of luggage and were huddled in doorways with no place to sleep. Now unemployed and unable to keep up their rent or mortgage payments they are on their own in the now freezing Chicago elements. There are thousands of other “more seasoned” homeless people who have been without work for much longer who are now sleeping in boxes on mattresses under the via ducts. At the END OF DECEMBER the unemployment extensions end unless there is legislation passed. This is the United States of America! Do we not take care of our own people who need our help? Is it the vulnerable: the unemployed, the poor, the mentally ill, and the children who are always the first to get cut from fiscal consideration when there is a “cliff?” This is URGENT! Please give this action priority during December.

Did you know that just being poor does not make you eligible for Medicaid in Utah? To qualify for Medicaid, an adult in Utah must earn less than $8,000 a year and have dependent children or earn less than $15,000 and be permanently disabled. Just being poor is not enough. No wonder nearly 380,000 uninsured Utahns are at risk at losing their health, their job, their personal savings, and their home if they get hurt or sick and can’t pay out-of-control medical bills. The good news is that Utah can make a positive change. Right now, for a minimal state investment, Governor Herbert and the Utah state legislature have the opportunity to make Utah's Medicaid program whole, and provide health care coverage to thousands of your neighbors, friends, and families.

A base of our government's constitution is, The Right to Life. No matter what one's religious belief, the fact is that the government funding abortions could open up many more freedoms being taken away from our citizens. The opposing side's petition for 3,000 names is nearly filled at almost 2,800 signatures. Please act fast.

Tell Congress to pass a law that, groups listed as hate groups should not be allowed a 501c3 charity status. Ministers like scott lively are spreading their message of "hate the Gays" throughout the world. Uganda is about to pass a bill that will put Gay men and Women to death.

I have been personally affected;. I have been barred from refinancing my home since 2009 because I refinanced before May of 2009. Freddie Mac rules, with no explanation of why, will not allow me to refinance. If I and others were allowed to do so, we could reduce mortgage interest rates on existing loans and save thousands of dollars per year. In my case, I would save about $5000 per year. I have already done a petition you can view here by copying and pasting thiks link in your address bar: http://wh.gov/IjfU