The Honorable Leaders of the Republican Party The United States Congress Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McConnell, & Congressman McCarthy, On November 8, 2016, approximately 25 percent of the American people elected Donald J. Trump as the next President of the United States of America. He was elected without winning the popular vote. During this election we were divided as never before. The vitriol on both sides has surpassed that of any election seen in our lifetimes. Acts of hate on a level not seen in decades have erupted since the election. President-elect Trump promised to be a president for all Americans; we count on you to hold him to his promise. Therefore, we ask you to help mend the breach, on behalf of all Americans. With this in mind, we request the following: 1. Protect the entire Constitution from any infringement, particularly the 1st Amendment, as ardently as the Republican Party has in the past fought for the 2nd Amendment; 2. Publically reject hate-speech and actions, and hold elected and appointed officials, as well as citizens, to legal account for such actions so all Americans, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation, can continue to feel safe in their country; 3. Provide support for the rights of women and racial, religious and sexual minorities; 4. Work with members of the Democratic Party to find solutions for all Americans; 5. Provide children and persons with pre-existing conditions with paths to gain insurance; 6. Focus any tax cuts on working poor, and not on the wealthy or corporations who can most afford to contribute to our country; 7. Continue to fund public education so our children may receive the best this country has to offer, and gain the skills to carry it through to the future; 8. Continue to fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and similar initiatives, that they may persevere in their research for the benefit of all Americans; 9. Protect our National Parks System and environment in accordance with scientific evidence and consensus for our children to enjoy in the future; 10. Hold President-elect Trump and his cabinet accountable in their conflicts of interest due to their extensive business holdings; 11. Work to ensure all appointed positions are filled by fully qualified nominees; and 12. Provide support for the men and women who have been victims of sexual abuse. We hope you take this petition as intended, as a first step towards rebuilding unity in our great country. While we may have different opinions on politics and policies, we are all American, and all believe in our fundamental rights as laid out in the Constitution. Do not allow the fears of many Americans, laid bare in the past year and a half of campaigning, to be realized with the curbing of our rights to religion, free speech, assembly, and a free, investigative press. The American people look to you to perform your checks and balances on President-elect Trump with as much vigilance as you did President Obama. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Concerned Citizens of the United States of America

On March 17, 2018, a coal silo collapsed at PNM’s San Juan Generating Station (“San Juan”) Unit 1 and caused an explosion and fire. Coal is highly flammable. Thankfully no one was injured. San Juan County fire & rescue crews responded to the incident. The Unit 1 explosion has caused that unit to be inoperable. Only one of PNM units – Unit 4 – is currently operational. PNM shut down Units 2 and 3 in December 2017 as a result of regional haze violations. On July 3, 2017, PNM filed an Integrated Resource Plan with the PRC, concluding that its “Most Cost Effective Portfolio” for the future operations of PNM includes the full retirement of San Juan in 2022. As a voter in New Mexico I urge the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (PRC) to reject any further financial investment in and life extension of the San Juan coal plant given that: 1) Electricity produced at San Juan is currently more expensive than electricity purchased on the wholesale market by about double (according to PNM’s own testimony); 2) The cost of solar and wind power have continued to decline. New Mexico has some of the most productive solar and wind resource potential in the United States, which significantly improves the amount of energy generated for every dollar of capital investment; 3) Coal is the single greatest driver of climate chaos and in 2017 climate-related disasters caused a staggering $306 billion in total damages in the US, making last year by far the most expensive one on record for disasters in the country. Reducing carbon emissions from existing power plants is fundamental to mitigating against the worst impacts of climate disruption; 4) New Mexico is experiencing extended drought and coal-powered production is water intensive, and the San Juan coal plant consumes billions of gallons annually. Solar and wind use little to no water; 5) Coal-fire power production generates coal ash waste, which is a highly toxic material known to cause cancer and health defects. San Juan produces more than half a million tons of coal ash annually; 6) San Juan Unit 1 began operating in 1973, making the plant 45 years old. It requires constant capital improvements and pollution controls just to continue operating and to do so “safely”; 7) Investments in solar and wind (rather than extractive resources) will help our economy, will create jobs, are better for our environment, climate, and health; 8) Investments in solar and wind will help meet anticipated accelerated state renewable energy requirements; 9) More cost competitive solar and wind provide operational flexibility and energy security; and 10) Environmental and economic justice principles require that no further investments be made at San Juan which will exacerbate environmental and health hazards that disproportionately impact Native communities. I urge you to reject any further investment in PNM’s San Juan coal plant and demand corporate accountability.

I have worked more than 2+ Years to sub-divide the land which was left behind after the fire destroyed the house on the property. This area of Monte Sereno is R1-8 zone , that means most of the lots in this zone are with lots of approximately 8000 Sq feet lots. Even though this 1 Acre of land could have been sub-divided into 4 lots ,I have proposed that this be divided into three lots with 30' setbacks for all the adjacent neighbors. Even though some of my adjacent neighbors have 2 story houses we are only proposing to build Single Story Homes with only 9' ceilings and one of the homes would even be flat roof to minimize the heigh further. We had to fly a plane to Topo the entire hill, We had to take care of nesting birds ( environmental reports), Acoustic Reports , Traffic Reports , View Simulation to demonstrate how these houses would look in 5-10 years .To minimize the height of of these houses and Grading we had to propose 100 year flood retention systems in these houses and on top of that Run a pipe under Hwy-9 to drain water. In simple words we had to go through an extremely lengthy process which was financially straining as well. In most cities sub-division of your own land would be an "AS-OF right" if it already conform to Zoning and General Plan but but in Monte Sereno this needs to be voted by City Council. The reason our state and Communities are in such shortage of housing is that because such small Projects ( 3-4 houses ) are not undertaken by big developers who have all the resources ( Land Consultants, multiple Attorneys on board ) to make their points and Most small developers or homeowners like myself give up on the Project by the shear intensity of research . Then there are neighbors who would oppose no matter what you would propose and inversely condemn the land. The shear magnitude of getting something done is immense and is like moving a mountain. One of the neighbors have started a petition to oppose this Project and has started collecting signatures to be delivered to City Council . In response to that I request you to sign and support this Project. Since I don't live in Monte Sereo and neither do I have friends in Monte Sereno so that I can collect signatures via mere relationships therefore I'm relying purely on explaining the merits of this Project and my Good intentions. I'm willing to come personally to any one who cares to support/oppose but I ask for your compassion to at-least hear my side of story before you take your position either way. In nutshell : Preventing from subdividing is essentially theft, and lessens the value of everyone's else's property because it sets the precedent that you cannot use your own property in the way that the law allows it . God forbids something would have to happen to your property in Monte Sereno then the same would happen and it would be stuck in years of Grid Lock. Therefore , Please support my petition .

Dear Congress: I am writing to you today out of concern about a provision that was included in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Section 634 of that Act decreases Medicare outpatient reimbursement for Cobalt 60 stereotactic radiosurgery (“Gamma Knife®”) for brain disorders by more than 50%. This drastic and unsustainable cut will reduce access to an important treatment for Medicare beneficiaries, result in certain patients being treated with less clinically effective and more risky technologies, and potentially impose cost increases on the Medicare program over time. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) refers to a range of minimally invasive modalities used to target high-energy radiation to small areas in the body. Gamma Knife is a type of SRS designed specifically to treat brain tumors and other complex brain disorders by delivering precision results not available with other types of SRS equipment. The precision afforded by Gamma Knife is critical to outcomes achieved in patients, especially when the disease is in close proximity to sensitive brain structures that would otherwise be exposed to two or three times the radiation when treated with other technologies. Unfortunately, the reimbursement cut imposed by Section 634 will make it very difficult, if not impossible, to use Gamma Knife for Medicare beneficiaries in the future. Further, Section 634 misaligns reimbursement levels for Gamma Knife with other SRS technologies, which over time could result in cost increases to the Medicare program. Purported to bring Gamma Knife in line with other SRS technologies, Section 634 seems to assume that Gamma Knife can be compared on a single session to single session basis with other SRS technologies. But the truth is that more than 50% of the time, other SRS technologies require between 3 and 5 fractions to achieve the same results as one Gamma Knife fraction in brain treatments. And even where other SRS technologies can accomplish the same results as Gamma Knife with one fraction, the reimbursement methodologies are not identical. When all related reimbursement codes are included, Gamma Knife and other SRS technologies have similar reimbursements on a fraction by fraction basis. Thus, the Section 634 reimbursement cut does not bring Gamma Knife in line with other SRS technologies, but instead misaligns the reimbursements significantly. This point appears to be supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) who just one month before enactment of Section 634 declined to modify the Gamma Knife reimbursement based on their own substantial cost data. I can only assume that the significant time pressures associated with enactment of the American Taxpayer Relief Act did not allow for a sufficient analysis of the potential adverse impacts of this provision on Medicare beneficiaries, or the added costs this reimbursement modification may bring to the program. Medicare beneficiaries deserve a more complete and thorough review before having their benefit hollowed out for this critically important treatment for serious brain disorders. Section 634 should be repealed before its April 1 effective date so that CMS can properly review the current reimbursement policy and determine whether it should be modified. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter, and please feel free to contact me at with any questions.

Petition to Cancel the MAP® Test in Seattle Public Schools To Superintendent Banda and the Seattle School Board: We the undersigned families, members and supporters of the Seattle Public Schools community request that the Seattle School District discontinue the use of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP®) test in our schools as soon as possible, for the following reasons: The MAP® test is: 1. Unreliable and inappropriate: MAP® is not well-suited for children in grades K-2, advanced learners, English Language Learners and Special Education students. Its margin for error is often greater than the margin of growth. The recalibration in 2012, in which the vendor, Northwest Evaluation Association, Inc. (NWEA), recalculated Seattle student MAP® scores retroactively for the past three years, also calls into question its accuracy and reliability. 2. Not aligned to our curriculum. MAP® does not correspond to what our children are learning in class. And with the introduction of a new Common Core State Standards test (already being piloted in some Seattle schools) MAP® is increasingly irrelevant. 3. Stealing valuable instruction time, access to library and computer resources. Schools devote weeks at a time to administering MAP®, 2-3 times a year. This lost class-time, and lost access to libraries and computer labs hurts student learning and is particularly inequitable for students who do not have computers at home. 4. Costly: By some estimates, MAP® has cost our district as much as $11 million in subscription, administration and related expenses. At a time when our district is facing significant growth, and capacity challenges, cutbacks in teaching staff, counselors and other essential resources, MAP® is not a responsible use of our district’s limited resources. 5. Unnecessary: Student portfolios of work and in-class assessments are more meaningful and accurate measures of our children’s progress and growth. MAP® is not necessary. 6. Used incorrectly: MAP® is being misused by the Seattle School District as a gatekeeper for access to advanced learning, to determine middle school math placement, and to evaluate teachers. These applications are prone to error and are uses for which the test was not designed. 7. Excessive: Our kids are simply being tested too much. In Seattle, as early as kindergarten, children are given the MAP® test as often as three times a year, plus the MSP test annually, beginning in 3rd grade, and the EOC, HSPE, SAT and ACT in middle and high school, and now, tests aligned to Common Core. This shifts the focus of education to test-prep and testing, at the expense of deeper learning, critical and creative thinking. Overall, MAP® has proven to be a costly and damaging misuse of precious resources. Therefore, we respectfully request that the Seattle School District discontinue use of MAP® as soon as possible. (For more information see: “15 Reason Why the Seattle School District Should Shelve the MAP® test – ASAP” http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/15-reasons-why-the-seattle-school-district-should-shelve-the-map%C2%AE-test%E2%80%94asap/)

FEDERAL ANTI-INFLATION ACT of 2013 This Bill is being delivered to Congress and incorporates the Public Interest by empowering Congress to: - declare War on Inflation - allow the creation of a publicly regulated class of US public corporate chartered national banks that may issue US Treasury Notes of $1, $5, $20, $50, $100 and $1000 denominations using capital reserves based solely on Zero (0) percent (%) interest yielding US Treasury Bonds and a capital ratio requirement of 1::9 or higher capital reserve requirement and distributing annual dividends to stockholders. Stock ownership in these US public corporate chartered national banks is limited to individual US citizen private investors representing 100% individual US Citizens where no single investor may own more than 1000 shares or One (1) percent (%) of One (1) Trillion shares of total outstanding stock. Outstanding unsold stock will be held by US Treasury Department. Splitting of total outstanding stock will occur (3 for2 ) as US population reaches Seventy Fixe (75) percent (%) of each Billion citizens. - direct the US Treasury Department to issue Zero (0) percent (%) Interest Treasury Bonds to exchange on the open market for the creation of US Treasury Notes by a new class of publicly regulated US public corporate chartered national banks. - direct the SEC to oversee this new class of publicly regulated US public corporate chartered national banks by Federal Acccounting Standard Board (FASB) generally accepted accounting practice (GAAP) rules and quarterly public posting of financial statements. - coin money equal to Ten (10) Trillion Dollars to provide the initial capital reserves for the first 10 banks and seed money of Ten (10) Billion dollars to initiate business operations. - coin money equal to the total interest payments outstanding on all debts of the above-referenced new class of public regulated US public corporate chartered national banks to be used to fund government and the public good at large. - reduce or eliminate the circulation of Federal Reserve Notes based on US Treasury Bonds yielding an interest rate of greater than Zero (0 ) percent (%). - Allow only US Notes to be used to satisfy capital reserve requirements in this new class of publicly regulated US public corporate chartered national banks - declare US Treasury Notes as Legal Tender, backed by risk-free Zero (0) percent (%) US Treasury Bonds and fully exchangable with Federal Reserve notes in Public, Private and Central Banking Systems - instruct US Treasury Department to buy One (1) share of stock for each US citizen at Zero (0) dollar cost and send it to each US Citizen for Zero Cost (0) to the US Citizen. - make any necessary revisions to the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the Fourteenth and Sixteenth Amendments of the Constitution to: 1) Replace all Federal Reserve Notes in circulation with US Treasury Notes 2) Disallow ownership of these stocks by anyone except living individual US Citizens 3) Exempt Income Tax Requirement for this publicly new class of publicly regulated US public corporate chartered national banks Related: http://wh.gov/pkaC

We the undersigned are the parents, coaches, volunteers, and supporters of the City of Oakland-owned Oakland Bears Youth Hockey Club. Since 2007 we have lost many excellent Bear's families, coaches, players, and supporters. We have done everything possible to work with the current San Jose Sharks Management that runs the Oakland Ice Center and our Oakland Bears Hockey club. At this point we demand that a change in leadership be made forthwith. The current management led by Melissa Fitzgerald has caused good families and coaches to run from the club, and has steadily decimated our youth hockey club in every way. There has been a revolving door of managers, hockey managers and staff at the Oakland Ice Center. Currently there is no Hockey Director and has not been for 5 months. Recently, we were told that "No one even remotely qualified has applied for the position." Not only has the quality of the program and morale been diminished, but most alarmingly, our young children have been repeatedly and recklessly put in harms way. The San Jose Sharks Management team led by Melissa Fitzgerald recently recruited and welcomed a registered sex offender from the State of Michigan who by law was not allowed to work or volunteer with children under the age of 16. This man became head coach of our second youngest team, which included boys and girls ages 8-11. Although this man's background check by CAHA initially flagged the sex offender status and felony conviction, member(s) of the San Jose Sharks Management team assisted this man in obtaining a waiver and he was placed in a position with full access to our children, even behind the closed locker room doors. At no point were parents notified of any of this by the management or were even allowed to make their own decision as to whether they were comfortable with this decision. When the Oakland Police Department intervened and made a notification to the staff at the Oakland Ice Center and arrested the coach, Melissa Fitzgerald phoned the investigating officer and made complaints about the officer's judgment in notifying the staff and also, in the officer's opinion, tried to defend and belittle the actual charges against the coach. Even after this event, volunteers and coaches have been allowed to have access to many of our children without being properly screened and having the required background check. We have felt up until this point that a complete public airing of these deficiencies could cause more harm than good to our club. With these recent events, those scales have now been tipped. A change MUST be made by the City of Oakland and/or the upper Management within the San Jose Sharks organization. As of now, the City of Oakland has failed to respond to our repeated requests to meet. The current management team at the Oakland Ice Center led by Melissa Fitzgerald must immediately be changed to a more responsive and safety-oriented team that will protect our Oakland Bears children. We demand an immediate change in leadership. Go Bears!

The Twelve Steps Corporations are not people, greed is not good, money is not speech, rights are for all, and justice is a moral imperative. We offer these Twelve Steps to Stop the Stupid Now, cleave corrupting money from politics & Rebuild the Great American Middle Class! 1. End Corporate Personhood: Pass and Ratify the 28th Amendment to end this corrosive legal fiction of Citizens United/SCOTUS decision that grants human rights to a lifeless legal entity, on the basis that money is speech, with no evidence of corrupting influence in politics. 2. Guarantee Voting Rights: Enact the VOTING RIGHTS ACT to secure the ballot box, guarantee ease of access, availability for all citizens nationwide. Remove voting from political influence and purchased allegiance. 3. Outlaw Lobbying: Close K Street and the Banking/Defense/Medical/Congressional revolving door that breeds systematic political bribery, delayed promises of employment, hiring of family members. Register for public disclosure all meetings between elected officials and their employees. 4. Restore Banks & Regulate Wall Street: Restore Glass-Steagall, Tax Financial Transactions, Breakup the Big Banks. Too big to fail and too big to prosecute means too big to allow, risk or tolerate. Outlaw commodity ownership by hedge funds. 5. Prosecute Financial Crimes as Crimes: Mandate Jail-time for big and repeat offenders, enact a Corporate Death Penalty for egregious repeat offenders, and mandate full disclosure all regulatory settlements, on public media. 6. Get the Greed Out of Politics with Political Campaign Finance Reform: Full Financial Disclosure for all PACs and NPOs, Set strict donation limits and Publicly Finance State and Federal Political Campaigns, establish equitable Non-partisan Congressional District Reform to end gerrymandering. 7. Simplify the Tax Code with incentives for First Homes and Education: Tax All Income at same progressive rates, Close Corporate Loopholes, Keep Deductions on First Homes, add Student Loan Deduction. 8. Guarantee Workplace Rights: Equitably Adjust and Index the Minimum Wage, Mandate Equal Pay for Women, guarantee Workers Right to Organize. 9. Establish Smart Grid based on Neighborhood Energy Production: Fund and Implement Home Solar Expansion, Build the Smart Grid and Mandate Peak Time Solar Buy-back Rates to promote decentralized green energy production. 10. Guarantee Human and Health Rights: Reestablish oversight of NSA and reverse the militarization of local police forces, establish basic Medicare for All with Reproductive Rights, enact Real Immigration reform with dignity and citizenship. 11. End the War on Drugs: Treat Addiction Medically, End Jail for Minor Drug Offenses, Accurately Reclassify Marijuana as Class 3 narcotic, and release all nonviolent marijuana offenders. 12. End Prisons for Profit: Don't outsource Justice. Justice is our Public Duty and cannot be responsibly assigned for money. Lack of money is not a crime and must never cause incarceration.

The American public deserves debates for the highest office in the land - President, that provide detail on each candidates positions, factual statements with regard to their and their opponents records and positions, probing questions that provide insight, and sufficient time to "debate" serious topics. I respectfully ask that any network hosting a debate (Republican, Democrat, or Presidential) adopt the following rules: 1. Commentators of the debate should be above the politics and non-biased in their questions. If they want to have their own opinion aired in the debate forum, run for office, but do not commentate a debate. 2. Have separate and thorough debates by issue so there is sufficient time to explore and get answers to questions (i.e. Immigration, Foreign Policy/National Security, Budget and Deficit, Healthcare, etc.). Cramming everything into one debate does justice to nothing. 3. Ask each candidate the same questions and allow them time to answer in more than a “sound bite”. 4. Only allow candidates to discuss their position not spend their time demeaning someone else’s position. Have faith in the American public that if provided each candidate’s position, they are capable of reaching their own conclusion as to which one most aligns with their thinking. 5. If a candidate does not answer the question but rather pivots to campaign rhetoric, stop them and politely ask them to answer. If they refuse they forfeit their right to answer that question. 6. Provide “one set of starting facts”. Facts are facts. While each candidate can have a different opinion, they cannot have a different set of facts. [i.e. the deficit is what is , unemployment is what it is and the number of jobs created is what it is]. This goes for national “facts” as well as each candidate’s record, particularly if they want to use their record as a factual statement about their success. When asking a question that relates to a “fact”, state the fact in the question. 7. As a topic (as mentioned above like Immigration) is discussed, the voting record of each candidate should be shown on the screen. The commentators should call out candidates, who mislead or misstate their record. 8. In the recent debate, we are well aware that all of the candidates disagreed with President Obama on the Iran Nuclear deal. However, not one was asked what he or she would do in the alternative. If a candidate(s) wants to take an opposing position, either to the current or a former President or candidate of their or another party, it should be done respectfully. But more important, they can say, “I disagree”, and here is what I would propose or what I have done in my position. 9. There were so many non-factual statements made during the debate that went unchecked. Most records / statements are fact checkable. Employ independent, non-partisan, fact-checkers and stream fact checking simultaneously with the debate. Perhaps this will cut down on false statements. 10. Since each debate will be devoted to a particular topic, eliminate coverage of “spin doctors”. Make the post debate coverage an independent discussion of non-partisan journalists or economists or experts in a particular field to discuss the pros and cons of each position.

It seems like the government has become confused as to who they work for – that is the American people (not illegals, welfare recipients, nor themselves). 1. No Tenure/No Pension. All politicians collect a salary while in office and receive no pay when they are out of office. Being elected is NOT the gift that keeps on giving. 2. Congress, House of Representative, Senate, and Supreme Court Justices and the rest of the government (past, present & future) participate in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and will not be used for anything other than Social Security. 3. If you don’t pay into Social Security, you don’t get Social Security. No free rides for illegals or anyone else who chooses not to work. 4. Politicians can purchase their own retirement plan with their own salary, just as all Americans do, or they can just live on their Social Security. 5. Politicians will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Salary will rise by the lower of CPI or 3% or they can put it on the ballot for the people to vote on. 6. If unemployment is at 10% for a state, elected politicians lose 10% of their salary for failing us. The rate will be determined by averaging the percentages from three different, independent statistical companies and not from a government source which is always lower. 7. Government officials representing states with a low number of welfare recipients (below 10%) shall be rewarded with a yearly raise (while the low number is maintained). For each percent that the state reduces its welfare recipients, the officials shall receive a raise of 3 percent. 8. Politicians lose their current health care system and participate in the same health care system as the American people. Welcome to Obama-Care! Perhaps you should read it now. 9. All Politicians must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. Drug testing should be mandatory and a convicted felon (who can’t vote by the way) cannot hold a government position. 10. All contracts with past and present Congressmen, Senators, House of Representatives and any other government politician are void effective immediately. The American people did not make this contract with them and do not wish to honor what they did not authorize. Politicians made all these contracts for themselves which will stop immediately, any and all future contracts will be placed on the ballot and voted on by the American people. 11. Term-Limits for ALL elected Politicians! Congress – Two (2) four-year terms; House of Representative – Two (2) four-year terms; Senate – Two (2) four-year terms; Supreme Court – Two (2) four-year terms. 12. While elected officials are in office, they shall NOT participate in fund-raising activities – they are there to work full-time, not solicit funds for their political party. 13. No life time salaries and benefits. When the elected official leaves office, all salaries and benefits stop. 14. A non-partisan, private audit company shall audit the government yearly. Let’s find out where the money is really going!