Southeastern Minnesota is the home to some of the state's most stunning landscape. The "bluff country" encompasses the tourist towns of Winona, Red Wing, and Lanesboro just to name a few... It is also the home of the Root River and the Root River State Bike Trail. My husband and I put all of our savings together last year, (making the leap from Chicago, IL to rural southeastern, MN) and bought our first home last year in Lanesboro. This year we learned about the ensuing frac mining that may take place in the region. We are terribly concerned that frac sand mining has the potential to devastate and contaminate the natural beauty that drew us here to the 'driftless' region in the first place. It could also curtail our livelihood as working artists and B & B owners, along with our fellow community members' livelihood, whose work is directly affiliated with the tourism industry.

Doing away with the corrupting influence of lobbies and replacing them with online polls and petitions.

This is about the U.S, foreign policy, the fact that we shot Bin Laden instead of capturing him and seem to feel no shame over bragging about it. That we use drones, knowing that we may take innocent lives and knowing that this sort of war policy will do nothing to bring about peace in the end and in fact will contribute to further crimes of hate and revenge aimed at U.S. citizenry.

The NCAA behaves like a profit making business not a nonprofit concerned about young peoples' education and participation in sports.

The Republican party has captured the myth laden ideas of "freedom" and "religion" and uses them, with great success, as propaganda to further their corporate agenda. They imply that it is patriotic, and in the service of freedom, to have a closer union of church and state. The founders would be appalled; they recognized that the separation of church and state was necessary for religious freedom. The radical union of church and state proposed by the religious right is a threat to both religion and to freedom.

Wal Mart has systematically destroyed viable business throughout the USA. There employees are paid so poorly they qualify for Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Section 8 Housing. Wal Mart does not produce goods and services in United Stated but sell to the US. How many jobs could be created in the America if businesses like Wal Mart moved their production by to America.

Promises and pragmatism won't support our veterans and their families. I have a simple free enterprise plan to engage all 300m Americans, without any taxes, to raise $1b annually. Contact me immediately before our Afghanistan troops come home which will only aggravate the already grievous problems that are a shame on all of us.

Much is at stake, let’s be proactive.

Since the mid-1930's possession or growth of marijuana has been a federal crime. It was born out of racism since, at the time, it's use was mainly among blacks. Over the years, various methods have been used by the federal government to enforce this "crime." With the advent on the "War on Drugs," it has truly become a war. People including women and children are being murdered daily and dumped in the streets of the Mexican border towns. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been used to enforce the drug wars with no tangible success. And despite the fact that at least ten states have legalized marijuana for various uses, the federal government continues to prosecute those caught with even small amounts of the substance.This has made the U.S. the nation with the highest number of prisoners incarcerated of any country in the world for drug offences.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Granting politicians no limits on their time in office is granting them absolute power. This petition is proposed to limit the number of years that a politician can serve in office and the benefits they receive while in office.

Congress must use the healthcare that is avialable under the Affordable Care Act. They can purchase other insurance if they want or need to at their own expense without taxpayer funds. They must purchase their own insurance once they leave office and it cannot be funded by taxpayer dollars. Let's stop the waste in government spending.

A human health disaster is unfolding in Appalachian communities near mountaintop removal coal extraction sites.Four thousand excess deaths happen annually in mountaintop removal communities. Unborn babies are subjected to horrible birth defects. cancer, and heart disease rates are shockingly elevated. For the first time ever, a bill has been introduced in Congress that would end mountaintop removal and save innocent lives. The Appalachian Communities Health Emergency (A.C.H.E.) Act is the best hope Appalachian people have for a healthy, decent future. I live with my family near such sites. Your action can save lives.