I in 10 kindergarteners entering Charlottesville City Schools is overweight or obese. From the 4th Grade on, it's 1 in 3. In addition to the short and long term health burden on our community, overweight students tend to suffer emotionally and psychologically and perform poorly in school. Sugar is directly linked to weight gain and is considered by many experts to be an anti-nutrient. Yet, on any given day as many as 4 of these items - cookies, ice cream, sugary yogurts and cereals and candy - are offered to students at CCS. We're calling on the School Board to take a stand.

Despite reams of legislation that prevents discrimination against the disabled in federal employment, such discrimination continues in many local branches of federal offices, particularly in the United States Post Office. Federal oversight for the protection of employee rights needs to be strengthened.

The Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in all civil cases over $20. The Federal Arbitration Act, and court rulings interpreting it, have supplanted this cherished right with an expensive, secret and biased system, favoring businesses over individuals, and denying justice to thousands of victims. The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 addresses and corrects the abuses of arbitration, bringing fairness and balance to the civil justice system for everyone, and restoring the Constitutional right to trial by jury.

The alcohol tax has not been raised in many states in 20 years. Yet the cost of alcoholism and drug abuse on our country has skyrocketed. If they can spend millions on Superbowl ads, Alcohol companies should be made to spend some of their outrageous profits to benefit the consumers and the victims of their consumers by providing substance abuse treatment and supportive services to foster youth who have been taken out of their home due to substance abuse.

The H.R. 3 bill would create a law that women and small businesses provide health insurance covering abortion to pay more on taxes. So a woman would have to provide documentation to IRS, that the abortion was due to forcible rape, incest, a life threat to the mother, OR that the health insurance she has doesn't cover abortions. It would prevent most women from receiving any financial help from health insurance companies for abortion. We should put our money and efforts in sex education and prevention and ASSIST victims of rape and assault, not make it harder. And remember... All this is following a recent budget cut threat to Planned Parenthood.

Two thirds of all U.S. corporations do not pay federal income tax. If they paid their fair share, we wouldn't have to cut teachers, firefighters and public services. Every year corporate tax havens cost us $100 billion. That's nearly enough to balance the budgets of all 50 states. Corporate tax avoiders are bankrupting the United States.

TransCanada wants to build a risky tar sands oil pipeline right through the Sandhills and Ogallala Aquifer. They are bullying Nebraska landowners and threatening our state's economic activity. We cannot risk the Ogallala, which provides clean drinking water for 85% of Nebraskans and crop irrigation water for two million Americans in other states. Get more info at boldnebraska.org

Help save quality child care programs in California from being cut in the California State Budget. All child care programs in California have received a 15% across the board cut. But now, quality preschool and infant toddler centers that meet the highest quality standards are at risk of being cut by AN ADDITIONAL 10% CUT OVER the 15%. These centers will not be able to stay open if they are cut. We are calling upon the Legislature and Governor to stop high standard centers being singled out for an unfair ADDITIONAL CUT.

Recently Representative Ron Saunders, Leader of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, made the following statement regarding Representative Daphne Campbell’s anti-choice votes in the Florida House: “The abortion issue is deeply personal and emotional. The Florida House Democratic Caucus did not take a position on any abortion bills and all members, including Representative Campbell, were free to vote any way that they wished on those bills." This statement is UNACCEPTABLE to the women, men, and organizations, across political party lines, who support comprehensive women’s health care and the Constitutional right for women to choose to have an abortion. And it is even more outrageous because it was made by a leader of the Democratic Party, the party whose national platform strongly supports choice and access to reproductive health services.

We need an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to stop the legalized bribery of elected officials by big business, labor unions, lobbyists and wealthy individuals. Only registered voters should be allowed to sway the candidates by donating money to their campaign and their political party. While Congress could pass laws to accomplish this, they clearly are not willing to give up this bountiful source of money.

Gov. Tom Corbett's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced on April 27 that it will allow expanded fracking for natural gas on state forest lands. This new drilling will mean 3,800 wells. There are currently 164. Former Gov. Ed Rendell instituted a moratorium that prevented expanded drilling. It is completely within Corbett's power to maintain the moratorium and keep our state forest lands protected. Tell Corbett to keep the moratorium in place.

I hereby oppose the sale and/or shut down of 90.3 WXLV and hereby donate my name to the cause of keeping this force alive.