By 2018 all of the Hawaiian islands are due to be blanketed with "smart" meters. The health risks of electromagnetic radiation exposure and other issues such as skyrocketing bills, privacy invasion, in-home surveillance and hacking vulnerabilities have not been addressed. The World Health Organization has classified radio frequency radiation a Class 2B possible carcinogen. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has called for a moratorium on smart meters in homes and schools. Experts agree that smart meters are unnecessary for grid modernization. We're calling on the Governor and the state legislature to stop smart meters until they can be proven safe and secure.

Because of a shortfall in the General Fund, Alabama's Department of Mental Health will have to close the state hospitals caring for patients committed with severe mental illness and move the patients to local communities by September 30. Without enough time and money to prepare local facilities, we risk tragic consequences-- mainly death by suicide but also increases in crime and potentially homicide. We must call on our legislators to fully fund the DMH for our own safety and that of the patients. See more at http://pippaabston.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/alabamas-budget-canary-funding-the-department-of-mental-health/

Reinstate funding to our schools! Reform costly mandates that keep us rooted to an antiquated educational system! Reinvent the tax system into an equitable formula that does not place funding schools on the backs of property owners.

If you reside in the Neshaminy School District and support the Neshaminy School Board's position in contract negotiations with the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers, please sign this petition no later than 8 am Monday, March 12.

Rush Limbaugh has gone to far in the arena of Freedom of Speech when he defamed Sandra Fluke and her request to get contraception. Not only does she pay taxes to support such, but so do all of us who know how important a young person's need for contraceptive information is.

Gov. Scott has cut assistance to those least able to care for themselves. Budgets to Associations for Retarded Citizens (ex. Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens (PARC); had their budgets frozen and cut so that families struggling to continue caring for their disabled children and adults may have to allow them to become full time wards of the state, a much greater expense to the taxpayer.

Govenor Rick Scott has led the battle to get rid of alternative healthcare availability to people who have been in a car accident. He has given absolute power to the car insurance companies to limit your care telling you where to get it, from whom and what care you will be getting. $10,000 in Florida is no more he cut your benefits down to $2500 BUT you will still pay your full premiums for insurance! Sound unconstitutional? I think so...

By signing this petition, you can bring some sanity to Washington State. Instead of paying tens of millions of dollars on psychiatric treatment that doesn't work, we could be putting that money into our schools or other important areas. You will also be forcing the government to provide the kind of mental health care that cures people instead of simply attempting to suppress their symptoms with man-made drugs.

Arizona House Majority Leader Steve Court and his fellow Republicans in the State Legislature still just don't get it when it comes to protecting a liveable wage for low income Arizona workers. Last week, Rep. Court sponsored HCR 2056, a proposal to cut the minimum wage by $3 per hour for workers under the age of 20, and by $2 per hour for tipped employees. This economically draconian bill was endorsed 5-3 by the Arizona House Commerce Committee and looked poised to become law. The good news is that the 99% in Arizona are vigilant. Due to public outcry and widespread media attention both within and outside of our state, the worst has been averted and the proposals affecting tipped workers and youth have been dropped. But the resulting bill is small comfort to Arizona's working poor. It would reverse a 2006 voter approved measure allowing for inflation adjustments to the state minimum wage, freezing the current $7.65 per hour state minimum and limiting further increases except when required by federal law. A strong minimum wage is a critical part of bringing back jobs and opportunity to Arizonans. It puts money in the pockets working people who will spend the money immediately and locally. This helps everyone, the 99% and the 1%: businesses small and large see increases in demand for goods and services, leading them to hire more people to keep up with demand. With the economy making small, fragile improvements, now is not the time to freeze the wages of those who will spend money in our communities and contribute to our local economy. We need our Legislature to invest in workers, not force them further into poverty. If we keep speaking up, maybe our state legislature will finally realize that assaults on low income workers are a "lose, lose" proposal.

We believe Pete Rose should be reinstated to baseball and admitted to Baseball's Hall of Fame, by action of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball under his power to act in the best interests of the sport. Pete Rose has served a penalty of over 20 years and he can serve as one of the sport's greatest ambassadors because of his undeniable love of the game and his record setting accomplishments on the field. After all, he was named named to the "All Century Team" for the 20th century as one of the greatest players ever.

Every time the general assembly meets it is expensive to taxpayers. This is why we must end pay for extra and extended sessions. If this pay isn't brought to an end, we will continue to incentivize and subsidize the lack of leadership in the state assembly. How many other jobs get a bonus for stagnation (not counting Wall Street)? Usually subsidies are from the government to the private sector. Not in this instance. This is a case of the fox guarding the hen house.

The United States need a public early education system (infant to pre-K) because many of our parents work and they need not only an affordable daycare, but a high quality early childhood education. According to the American Federation of Teachers, the positive impact of high-quality early childhood programs on children’s success in school and their future has been well documented. Many studies have demonstrated the importance of the early years for the developing brain. And over the past four decades,numerous studies such as the Perry Preschool Study; the Abecedarian Project; the Chicago Longitudinal Study; and the Cost, Quality, and Child Outcomes Study have indicated that high-quality early childhood education increases the likelihood that children—particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds—will become successful students and citizens. Providing a public early childhood education to our families is not just good for the families, but is also good for the community and the country, Even though providing a universal early childhood education is expensive, "studies consistently show a savings of $7 for every dollar spent on such programs" for middle income families and up to $27 for every dollar spent on low income children. AFT claims that "these savings come as a result of lower costs for remedial and special education, fewer school dropouts, and less delinquency and subsequent unemployment.or criminal activity" (AFT Educational Issues Policy Brief-Number 15 July 2002). Our society needs to recognize that early childhood education should be viewed as an important part of the education continuum. Legislators need to understand that providing a high quality early childhood experiences to all our children will ensure their success at school and in life. Parents with young children across the country must join together and convince our political leaders that the time is now for the country to provide high quality early childhood education for all.