Governor Cuomo of New York just declared a ban on fracking based on a recently released scientific study demonstrating "significant public health risks" associated with fracking, including water contamination and air pollution. Former Governor O'Malley of Maryland ordered a study of the potential impact of fracking on Maryland, which estimated that drilling and extraction could support as many as 3,400 jobs and generate millions in tax revenues--but that those benefits are likely to last only a few years, and that energy development could hurt tourism and outdoor recreation, two other industries on which Maryland relies. Although O'Malley concluded that fracking could be done safely if very strict regulations are placed on companies for protecting the environment, experience has shown that in practice, regulations are often violated at the expense of the environment. It's not worth the short-term financial gain to put Maryland at risk for long-term disastrous environmental consequences. It is time for Governor Larry Hogan to take action and ban fracking in Maryland now.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death if all cardiovascular illnesses are considered as number one. More research is needed to find cure for cancer and this petition will generate support for more cancer research. Nobel prizes are important. History may have overlooked Otto but together this petition will help shine the light of inspiration.

We need to stop corporations like AT&T, the Koch brothers, Monsanto, Cargill, ConAgra, Chevron, Exxonmobile, BP, Gannett News, Rupert Murdoch, Time-Warner, Comcast etc. from unfairly dumping huge amounts of money into Republican and Tea Party Republican campaigns to overwhelm candidates like Progressive Candidates who do not have the campaign funds to compete. Publically funded campaigns would make it an even playing field for candidates to not be "bought" by large conservative corporations to push their secret agendas.

The country in charge of the investigation, Holland, excluded Malaysia, the country whose airline was the operator of the crashed airplane, but allowed Ukraine to participate. Ukraine is one of potential perpetrators of the crash and including it in the investigation is a blatant conflict of interest. Additionally, Holland refused to reveal the details of a secret agreement allowing each member country to block the release of any information it considers undesirable.

The financial sector was expanded at the expense of the real economy and should be shriveled to its core tasks. The financial part of education was expanded and financial products were created and promoted that caused the 2008 financial meltdown. Housing, health care and job creation are vital necessities that are missed with precarious make-shift work, speculation and profit-mongering of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

People only pay in to social security on the first $117,000. If they earn $5 million, they only pay into the fund on the first $117,000. Social security saves millions from dire poverty. Social security creates public spirit, that joy and thankfulness that can make life exuberant and interdependent. Generations could trust and respect one another with sorrow "more distant than a star" (Donovan). The cap is an anomaly that makes no sense in our day of near zero interests and outsourced manufacturing.

The acreage they want to give away is the most scared lands of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. They want to strip all of the copper ore out from under the lands where the tribes have used for burials and scared ceremonies of hundreds of years. The company even admits this will cause "a little subsidence" of these lands. What that means is these mountains will collapse after having a huge amount of rock removed from under them.They do not even talk about the fact that this scared mountain is an important part of the water supply to the entire very arid region. Another fact ignored is that they will have to pollute the water resources that are already used in this area in order to get the "Low grade copper ore" out from under them since water is necessary for ore processing. What will the scared lands look like in 10 years? This area of fragile ecology supports many endangered species. All that will be left is a smoldering pile of pulverized rock surrounded by drying up ponds of polluted water. This will not only be an environmental disaster, but the total destruction of the San Carlos Apache Tribe's culture and past. Why are we even talking about allowing a foreign company to destroy Native American property? This does no benefit anyone except a company with ties to China and Iran. Or perhaps certain politicians. The Native Americans have been lied to and cheated by the American Government too many times already. Now they want to allow San Carlos Apache Tribe's most sacred lands to be destroyed so a foreign company can get richer? This is completely immoral and should be totally illegal! Some other American National lands scheduled to be given away or heavily exploited include: 1,600 acres from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington State for industrial development 70,000 acres of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska would be opened to logging A couple thousand acres of National Lands in North Carolina There are hundreds of thousands of acres of American to be handed off or tied up for industrial destruction in this massive land grab. Why is is all hidden away inside of a defense bill when it has nothing to do with defense, but everything to do with greed? Just when I thought that our Congress could go no lower, they find a new way of demonstrating their complete disdain for the people that they are supposed to be representing. Now they are helping themselves to land that is supposed to belong to all Americans The Congress is giving away out National lands to anyone that they want to. Where do they get the right to give away any American National Lands? Also included in this horrible bill are other areas important to people that they want to give away including National properties in North Carolina. Our National lands belong to the people of this country not to Congress! These people need to be stopped before they destroy the entire country so they can get wealthier! They will be able to afford to leave the remains of this beautiful country after they pillage and rape it, but millions of Americans will not have the same luxury. This is our future generation's heritage that they are so callously wiping out for the purpose of a few selfish people getting richer.

The United States is the only developed nation that uses torture. Obama, as well as several of our past presidents should be prosecuted for signing off on that. During our endless foreign wars we have murdered over a million innocent civilians as "collateral damage". Future presidents will continue this process unless they see that ignoring international rules has lethal consequences.

Many people get most, or all, of their news and opinions, from one sorce, be it MSNBC, FOX, etc. This has led to increasingly divided voting blocs, in the public, and in Washington.

Not only would such a bill allow everyone the chance to have good health insurance, it would also shore up Medicare!! Wouldn't that be an utterly simple goal to work towards? No new network to be formed. No one forced to buy insurance from a profit making company, no one FORCED to do ANYTHING!!! Totally a free choice! This should have been part of the ACA but the insurance companies would not allow it and the Dems went along to their enduring shame (and trouncing at the polls).

Florida's nickname of the Sunshine State is entirely appropriate. We enjoy one of the greatest numer of sunny days per year anywhere in the US. It is time we put all that energy to work for our State and provide much needed clean and non-polluting electrical power to our economy. Such enterprise could provide a large number of well remunerated high technology jobs to our citizens for many years to come. Reducing our dependency on fossil fuels could set the example for our nation and the world.

No more bad behavior by banks and speculators in the housing industry, a too big too fail sector of the national economy.