Early settlers came to his country to escape debtors’ prison, yet we have recreated this situation here. While the Department of Corrections’ stated mission is to protect the public, our prisons are filled with people who commit minor crimes, suffer from mental illness, owe child support or even unpaid traffic tickets. While substance abuse treatment costs about half of what imprisonment costs taxpayers, we are still putting people in prison for using drugs. Yet we let out dangerous criminals who commit violent crimes after short terms in prison. People who are not a danger to the public should not be imprisoned. Money owed the state can be collected from their tax returns, pay checks, or welfare checks. Prisons can be converted to substance abuse programs, mental health facilities, housing for the homeless, or sheltered workshops to put low functioning and mentally ill people to work rather than paying them disability payments, and thus providing jobs for the corrections workers who would be laid off with prisons closing.

Our country's representatives should show their solidarity with the American people in this time of economic downfall by taking a pay reduction. By signing this petition, we would send a message to Congress that we want to see more than just an intellectual identification with the American people. Congress will most impact the American people's faith and trust in our system with tangible sacrifice. This reduction in salary must be made immediately for optimal effectiveness.

If congress had the same medical plan, medicare, and the same retirement supplement plan, social security, their actions and votes in congressional sessions would have more value since it would effect them as well.

We, the undersigned, demand that the era of high-stakes standardized tests in Colorado must end immediately.

Amazon.com KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) messageboards are aflame with reports from people whose books are being banned for objectionable content. While many of these books may indeed have content that is not fit for everyone, none of these books whose bans we are protesting are violating Federal or State Laws. This very same content that Amazon believes to be Objectionable from Independent Publishers is "permissible" when it comes from big name authors and book series such as George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series, Terry Goodkind and his Sword of Truth Series (which contains a demon rape scene), Stephen King's various novels, and the explicit scenes contained within The Bible. These are unfair business and sales practices being conducted by Amazon.com's KDP services to marginalize Independent Publishers in favor of the large publishing houses. These unfair actions are disgusting at best, anti-trust at worst. This IS CORPORATE CENSORSHIP akin to ELECTRONIC BOOK BURNING and BOOK BANNING and IT MUST BE STOPPED NOW!

All of congress to go on Social Security and eliminate their current retirement program.

Help Free the innocent being RAILROADED by the system! There's to many innocent people doing time for a crime they did not commit. Truth be told, if there's no one fighting for them on the outside their going to be in prison till their last breath. I am not only fighting for the freedom on my brother Akman, but for all the innocent people who are the real victims along with their families who are suffering to support them with little or no finances. Please help free the innocent by signing this petition. Thank u in advance.

The petition is about supporting New York State public school students and parents who are deciding to opt out of high-stakes testing. You should sign it because high-stakes testing is harmful to the teaching-learning process.

Alot of people are going to jail because they are "in actual physical control of a motor vehicle", even if the vehicle is not running and there is not intention to drive. The state of Illinois says it is a crime to SIT behind the wheel of a vehicle, when your license is revoked or suspended. This goes back to slavery days, when blacks were not allowed to sit where they wanted, but the voice of the people got everyone involved and changes were made. We need to have this statement omitted from ALL vehicle codes, in order to keep innocent people out of jail, and focus more on drunk driving!!

Sign this petition to get Medicinal Marijuana on the 2012 Florida Ballot.

Subject: Let's Have Honesty In Our Equality, America! Hi, The 14th Amendment doesn't actually grant Equal Protection to all Americans, the way that most of us have been raised to believe. There is a gradient of justice. In fact, Justice Anton Scalia went so far as to remind us in an interview with California Lawyer that issues of gender discrimination that are brought before the Supreme Court are given intermediate scrutiny while issues of race are given strict scrutiny, even though they're both immutable traits. (http://www.callawyer.com/story.cfm?eid=913358&evid=1) EQUAL PROTECTION SHOULD MEAN EQUAL WHEN IT COMES TO PROTECTION UNDER THE LAW. Right now, the Supreme Court is also more willing to promote the rights of corporations above its citizens, when it is their job to interpret the Constitution and adjudicate cases based upon it - not to create new law; that is the legislature's job. In one amendment, we can remind our Supreme Court that corporations are not equal to people, but are made of people, and are not deserving of natural rights, and welcome traditionalist justices into the 21st century with a the meaning of equality that every American understands as true.

Your political rights are being taken away! Want to stop it and reduce government corruption at the same time? Reduce money in politics!