President Obama would have had many more votes if some of the states where there are Repub. governors had not engaged in voter suppression and in some instances fraud. For example: voters having to wait in line for as long as twelve hours in Florida and nearly as long in a number of other states, changing early voting targeting minorities, the handicapped, and bogus lists of voters said to be ineligible, groups signing up voters and destroying the paper work of those they knew would vote for the party they did not support, each state having vastly different methods of signing up voters new to their state, demanding photo ID's and making it impossible for some to obtain, etc., etc. Imagine a nation wide data base that would allow eligible voters to move to new locations and not have to go through the sometimes daunting process of re registering to vote.

Mr. Obama: Please explain to the American Public what TPP is exactly, and what the justification is for it. Explain why these Multi-Nationals are being given power to override our US laws. As we understand it, this Agreement has been dubbed by many as “NAFTA on steroids” and a “corporate coup,” only two of the TPP’s 26 chapters actually have anything to do with trade. Most of it grants far-reaching new rights and privileges to corporations, specifically related to intellectual property rights (copyright and patent laws), as well as constraints on government regulations. We hear the Administration “intends to bestow radical new political powers upon multinational corporations,” and that you have emerged as strong advocates “for policies that environmental activists, financial reform advocates and labor unions have long rejected for eroding key protections currently in domestic laws.”. Thank you.

As parents who are residents of the State of New York, we strongly oppose Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to give merit pay for teachers rated “Highly Effective” on the State’s flawed teacher evaluation system. We stand with our teachers, so very many of whom were already truly highly effective before the implementation of the new APPR standards. We insist that you do not impose this merit pay upon our teachers and our school districts. As parents, this is our commitment to our children and to our teachers. Our teachers should never need to compete with each other in this way; they should work together for the good of all of our children. This competition for “merit” pay will also lead to an increased emphasis on testing and teaching to those tests – rather than on teaching our children how to learn and how to develop their best talents and abilities.

Senator Alicia "Chucky" Hansen has always been knows for her inflammatory, insensitive, and bazaar comments. This petition is to raise awareness and to request that Governor John DeJongh issue a statement condemning the senator. With that said, she took it to another level by stating.. "Hansen announced she did not understand how a wife could be raped by a husband. She then qualified that slightly, saying "if it is forcefully against the will of a spouse then that is a problem. But if a woman says no and he still wants something, I don't know how you can call it rape. Maybe because I am not a "no" person, I don't know." Here is the link to the Article...http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2013/09/10/hansen-outrages-other-senators-rape-bill-comments Please sign and say "NO" to Chucky. Thank you. -J-

Recently Verizon announced that it will be ending unlimited data plans for those that have been grandfathered in order to generate more revenue. This comes on the tails of charging $30 just to upgrade to another device. "As attracting new customers grows more difficult, finding new ways to increase revenue from the customers Verizon already has is becoming the company's top priority." from that CNN.com article. Let's not mention the fact that Verizon experienced a 13% increase in revenue over last year, having over $18 billion in revenue. This isn't enough? Verizon has become too big and have lost sight of what has made them successful. Between long waits at stores for customer service associates and these types of rate hikes, I for one, am fed up. It is time that the consumer unites for change.

School lunches are too small in size and are not enough to satisfy many active students and those who are poor and cannot afford to eat at home. According to Feeding America.org, 26.7% of American kids face food insecurity, which means for many (more than 20 million school children) school lunches and breakfasts are their only meals per day. New law requires lunches to be only 750-850 calories, when active teens require 2,000 to 5,000, according to Kids Health.org. Also, kids who live in poverty are possibly only getting maybe 1,000 calories or less per day! Please, help improve school lunches for the better good of those who need it. There are better ways of fighting child obesity, such as investing in active programs and creating new programs for more children to participate in.

The State of Louisiana currently allocates ZERO state dollars towards HIV/AIDS prevention or services. With the privatization of our public hospitals, our state matching dollars have dwindled. As a result, the federal dollars for HIV prevention and services will be shrinking. The latest news is that our state actually had SURPLUS revenue in the past year. Can't we spare a few dollars to help save lives today and tomorrow? Louisiana is currently in the top 5 states in the US relative to HIV infection rates and AIDS diagnoses. NOT funding proven methods of HIV prevention have resulted in an alarming increase in new HIV infections. The right thing to do - morally and economically - is to FUND HIV/AIDS PREVENTION & SERVICES in Louisiana. As our wise elders have said to us many times: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) must revise its qualifications for daycare center directors to recognize proven experience and leadership—not just academic degrees. Providers who have held a license in good standing and have demonstrated at least 10 years of high-quality care, professional development, and community leadership should be eligible to serve as directors. We are calling on Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Senators Jabari Brisport and April N. M. Baskin to: • Lead the effort to change OCFS policy • Introduce or support legislation that opens director roles to experienced, licensed providers • Ensure New York’s childcare system reflects equity, lived expertise, and the realities of today’s workforce This change would directly benefit working families, improve retention in the field, and honor the contributions of providers who have been doing the work for decades.

 Dear Governor DeWine,  We, the undersigned Ohio families and constituents, are deeply concerned about the future of public health in our state and across the nation. The current administration’s anti-vaccine rhetoric — now even extending to common medications like Tylenol — risks undoing a century of medical progress and could expose our children and communities to preventable diseases.  We urge you to join the Northeast Public Health Collaborative alongside states such as Maine, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. By working together, Ohio can:  • Strengthen readiness for public health threats, • Ensure access to vaccines and evidence-based care, • Share information to improve outcomes, and • Collaborate on strategies to prevent and respond to infectious disease. Governor DeWine, please keep Ohioans safe and healthy by standing with our neighbors in this essential initiative.   Sincerely,  Your Ohio Constituents

News just broke that a few weeks before Pride 2024 is set to begin, Target is abandoning the LGBTQ+ community AGAIN by not selling Pride Merch in HALF of its stores this year. Unfortunately, this isn't new. This is a pattern of Target caving to bigots, homophobes and transphobes. Just one week before Pride Month was set to begin in 2023, Target caved to an orchestrated attack by anti-LGBTQ+ bigots and pulled items from their 2023 Pride merch collection off their shelves—which featured items produced by small businesses owned by queer and trans creators, designers, and artists. Target removing pride gear further puts their LGBTQ+ employees and customers at risk of harassment and danger by drawing a line of who is protected, who is supported, and who is listened to that further marginalizes queer communities. It is completely unacceptable for Target to abandon our communities to appease right-wing extremists.