The Fed wants to stop the economy, because they think we’ve recovered from the financial crash, but for people like me, there hasn’t been a recovery. My name is Maria Sapia. I am a Latina woman with a Bachelor’s Degree and I’m struggling to find a full time job. I have taken numerous temporary and part-time jobs to make ends meet. I am currently only working less than 20 hours a week to just to survive but the Federal Reserve doesn’t consider me nor millions like me that are underemployed across the country when making interest rate decisions. I have not been able to find full-time work but I have not given up. It is hard enough to find any type of work now, just think how much more difficult it would be for me and many others in our communities if the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates before everyone has a job that provides them with a living wage. Raising interest rates now means less opportunity for employment, and will obviously affect women and families of color like mine that are trying so hard just to get by. I am a hard worker who just wants a job that can provide me with the security of a roof over my head and food on my table. My story is just one of many in here in Cleveland and across Ohio. The black unemployment rate is almost 3 times the white rate here in Ohio and while the unemployment rate is around 4%, this doesn’t take into account those of us who are underemployed or those who have been searching for so long that they have given up hope of finding a job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the real unemployment rate is close to 10%. According to the New York Times, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Toledo are 3 of the top 10 most economically distressed cities in the country. When President Mester says our economy is "solid", I disagree. This is an unacceptable time for the Fed to stall our economy. When the Fed raises interest rates the economy slows down so employment and wages freeze or start to fall again. When the Fed says they want to raise interest rates, they’re telling us to get used to the economy as it is: twice as many people as before the recession working part-time because they can’t find full time work, double-digit unemployment in black communities, and decades of flat wages. If the Fed continues to raise interest rates, then they’ll be stopping the economy before giving us a chance to get back on our feet. The Fed has a dual mandate: to maximize employment and to maintain stable prices. The only reason to raise interest rates would be to stop inflation. But there isn’t any inflation in the economy – we are still below all the Fed’s target rates. The Fed is sacrificing all the jobs that we could be getting and all the wage gains we could win if we kept interest rates low, all for the sake of an inflation threat that doesn’t even exist. Most of those unnecessary sacrifices of jobs and wages will be losses borne by Black communities and communities of color. The work of the Fed isn’t done: we need a recovery that works for everyone, including communities of color. We need to keep interest rates low so working people and families like mine have a chance for better jobs and better wages.

Across the country we are struggling to feed our families. As Walmart associates, we work every day surrounded by groceries, but many of them are too expensive for us to actually buy. Walmart could decide to alleviate some of our burden, by joining the ranks of Trader Joes[1], Whole Foods, and Target[2] in offering an employee discount across ALL food items. The current Walmart discount (10%) does not cover "most grocery items other than fresh produce"[3]. We don't get any discount on basic groceries like milk, eggs, and bread. The policy is vaguely written, but I and other associates have noticed that we can get a discount on candy and chips, but not other basics that would help us eat healthier. My name is Nancy Reynolds and I know that to many, a 10% employee discount may not seem like a lot. But we know as Walmart associates, it could mean the difference between putting food on the table and going hungry. I have diabetes, and the food I’m eligible to receive a discount on isn’t good for me. I need to eat healthy food multiple times throughout the day and simply put: that is hard on Walmart pay and hours. If Walmart would extend its employee discount to cover ALL food items it would help associates and our families across the country-- and we know Walmart can afford it. This is a win – win. Walmart is one of the only large grocers in the United States that doesn’t have an across the board employee discount for food. A ten percent discount would allow Walmart associates to spend more money on food at Walmart. The company would get more money and we would be able to be healthier workers. I've even talked to Walmart associates in Canada who said that they receive discounts on all of their food, so why not here in the United States too?” With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, we want to be able to relax and celebrate with our families. A 10% discount on all food items could mean that Walmart workers across the country won’t be going hungry this holiday season. Tell Walmart: We need it NOW. Thanks, Nancy Reynolds Walmart store 771 Merritt Island, FL [1] http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/which-retail-chains-have-the-best-employee-discoun#.ggyzDxyR [2] https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits/financial-benefits [3] http://www.united4respect.org/walmart_employee_discount_information_as_of_oct_2015

Hi, my name is Sandy Lindsey. I’ve lived in Cincinnati, Ohio my whole life, where I’m a leader with Communities United For Action (CUFA). Together with our allies at National People’s Action, we’re fighting for healthier and fairer communities. I’m also the proud mother of three beautiful children: Destiny, D'Aijha and Dyson. I’m writing to you today because of them. My youngest daughter, D’Aijha, suffers from acute asthma. She couldn't participate in outdoor sports until she was 7 and missed weeks of school to go to the hospital. It’s still tough to let her go out and play without worrying that she’s going to have an attack. I know I’m not alone. It sometimes seems like every other kid in our neighborhood suffers from something like asthma or severe allergies. President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, if implemented the right way, can continue the progress we are starting to make. By limiting carbon emissions for the first time, the Clean Power Plan will continue slowing climate change pollution, reduce the air pollution that causes asthma, and can bring green jobs to the communities that need them most. In some states, like Ohio, state governments are putting corporate profits before people and the planet. They're refusing to create strong state Clean Power Plans and refusing to protect communities like mine from air pollution. We deserve better. We deserve a clean energy future that puts people and planet first. I’ve always blamed our bad health on the environment. You see, in 2012 Cincinnati had the 8th worst air quality in the country.[1] It’s not hard to see why. Cincinnati is surrounded by dirty, coal fired power plants that pump pollution into our air. That pollution ends up concentrated in neighborhoods like mine, where people are mostly black and mostly low-income. People here can’t always afford air filters or the health care we need to cope. At the same time that these coal-burning power plants steal years from our lives and sicken our kids, they spew out greenhouse gases, which cause climate change. Climate change, like air pollution, hits communities of color and low-income people first and worst. We all deserve clean air, a stable climate and an economy that creates good jobs, not pollution. That’s why we need the EPA to create a strong federal implementation plan for states that refuse to create powerful Clean Power Plans. The federal implementation plan will also serve as a gold standard for other states to look to as they build their own plans. Sign my petition and tell the EPA to make sure that all kids are protected from pollution and climate change, no matter where they live. [1] State of the Air 2015. American Lung Association. http://www.stateoftheair.org/2015/city-rankings/most-polluted-cities.html

Wall Street speculators are buying up neighborhoods across New York and the United States.[1] Their goal? Make a profit off of struggling homeowners. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (which are overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA) have refused to offer principal reduction to struggling homeowners, and yet they turn around and sell troubled mortgages to Wall Street speculators at a deep discount. These speculators then turn the properties into rentals, often bundling them into securities for investors, like they did with mortgages. This drives up rents and contributes to the growing displacement of poor and working families – particularly African Americans and Latinos. [2] This is absolutely outrageous. Join me in telling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop selling these troubled mortgages to Wall Street speculators. Hedge funds and private equity firms have quietly amassed mortgage notes to 200,000 homes in communities around the country. We cannot let this continue to happen. You have an opportunity to add your voice to those of thousands of homeowners. We will be delivering the petition signatures on Wednesday, Sept. 30th with a strong message that our homes are NOT for sale. Our government agencies are supposed to work for American families – not for the biggest financial institutions. They should be doing more to work with non-profits to help families stay in their homes. We’ve lost too many homes to foreclosure. Too many families are being pushed out of their homes and their communities. We need Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD to establish a system that gives priority in the sales process to purchasers with strong neighborhood stabilization programs. [1] Mark Kurlyandchik, "Feds accused of selling out neighborhoods to Wall St. firms," Al Jazeera America, September 9, 2014. http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/fault-lines/FaultLinesBlog/2014/9/9/feds-accused-of-sellingoutneighborhoodstowallst.html [2] Jared Bennett, "The Government Is Selling Thousands of Homes to Hedge Funds Without Their Owners' Knowledge", The Atlantic, September, 23rd 2015: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/09/the-government-is-selling-thousands-of-homes-to-hedge-funds-without-their-owners-knowledge/406771/

Humberto Canales is a a port and rail yard truck driver for XPO Logistics. At ports across America, truck drivers haul everything we rely on – from the shoes on our kids’ feet, to the smart phones we depend on, to the parts for the cars and trucks we drive – from our nation’s marine terminals to rail yards, warehouses and distribution centers. This is where our economy starts. Yet in a scheme to avoid paying taxes and taking responsibility for expensive trucks, employers illegally misclassify port drivers as “independent contractors.” Port drivers are victims of an illegal business scheme that allows companies to deduct their business expenses from employees' paychecks at their convenience. Humberto's company charges him thousands of dollars a month to drive their truck, maintain and insure their truck, and even to park their truck on their property. This is wage theft and it is a crime. By boldly addressing this problem at America’s largest port complex, you will send an important message to other ports – and to other industries profiting off of similar scams – that America will no longer tolerate lawbreaking for profit. It’s bad for workers, bad for communities, and it is unfair for those businesses that are playing by the rules.

"I think this is probably the most important, the most biologically significant, unprotected landscape in the American West."– Secretary of the Interior under President Clinton, Bruce Babbitt on this region. This area encompasses PUBLIC LANDS BELONGING TO ALL AMERICANS and pristine watersheds of nationally outstanding rivers, including the National Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River, and Rough and Ready and Baldface Creeks — tributaries to National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Nickel strip MINING WOULD DEVASTATE THIS REGION: these rivers are home to healthy salmon-runs and provide communities with clean water, while sustaining local recreation economies. When nickel mine turn to a toxic waste sites, the American taxpayer is responsible for cleaning up pollution for years to come. We have an incredible opportunity NOW to prevent industrial nickel strip mining in the Kalmiopsis and Wild Rivers Coast region of Southwest Oregon. Please ask the Obama Administration for long-term protection for this region. This is one of the most wild and beautiful areas in the US, and it is worth more than a nickel mine. Please sign-on to a public comment letter to support the Kalmiopsis Wild Rivers. Thanks for making a difference! THE LETTER: Dear Oregon BLM State Director Perez, I am writing in support of the proposed withdrawal of approximately 95,805 acres of National Forest and 5,216 acres of BLM managed land in Southwest Oregon’s Kalmiopsis region from entry and location under the mining laws of the United States. Withdrawal of this unique and scenic area would protect its high scientific, social and ecological values. The rivers and streams flowing though these federal lands provide outstanding opportunities for boating, swimming, hiking and sport and commercial fishing, while supplying pure drinking water for downstream communities and homes. They are prized for their native salmon and steelhead populations. I ask that you provide the maximum possible interim protection available while Congress considers permanent protection through legislation, such as the Southwest Oregon Watershed and Salmon Protection Act, which I fully support. A 20-year withdrawal would be most effective and efficient to preserve the status quo and avoid future taxpayer expense. The proposed withdrawal area encompasses federal public lands belonging to all Americans. The greatest value of these lands is for conservation. The withdrawal area includes the pristine watersheds of nationally outstanding rivers and streams, including the Wild and Scenic North Fork Smith River, and Rough and Ready and Baldface creeks — both are tributaries to National Wild and Scenic Rivers and have been determined by the Forest Service to be eligible for “Wild and Scenic” designation in their own right. The withdrawal area also includes botanically rich serpentine terrain in the West Fork Illinois River watershed, which hosts the highest concentration of rare plants in Oregon, and the headwaters of Hunter Creek and the North Fork Pistol River—two cherished native salmon and steelhead streams on the Wild Rivers Coast. There is broad and diverse support for protecting this area from proposed nickel strip mining, which would cause irrevocable harm to the highest concentration of pristine, undeveloped wild rivers in the contiguous United States. Downstream communities depend on the outstanding natural resources of the withdrawal area to fuel local economies based on clean water, sport and commercial fishing, recreation, scenery, and tourism. I urge you to move forward as quickly as possible to complete the proposed withdrawal of these irreplaceable national forest and BLM managed lands. Sincerely,

Walmart has built a vast, undisclosed network of 78 subsidiaries and branches in 15 overseas tax havens. These may be used to minimize foreign taxes where Walmart has retail operations and to avoid U.S. taxes on those foreign earnings. These tax-haven subsidiaries have remained largely invisible, in part because Walmart does not list them in its annual 10-K filings with the SEC.

We have just one month to get Massachusetts solar back on track before lawmakers leave Boston for more than a month of summer break ... or risk slamming the brakes on the state’s clean energy success story. To see action this quickly, it will take leadership from the top. Tell the Commonwealth's leaders Governor Charlie Baker, Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg that the time for solar action is now! Massachusetts is one of our nation’s solar leaders with enough installed to power more than 120,000 homes and support the second largest solar workforce in the U.S. Now that’s at risk, due to an unnecessary cap on net metering. Net metering is a successful policy that makes sure solar customers get full credit on their utility bills for the valuable clean electricity they deliver to the grid, after subtracting the energy they use. Many parts of the state have already hit the program cap, bringing planned solar projects in more than 170 communities to a standstill – and the rest of the state is not far behind. We need action from state leaders now so that Massachusetts solar can keep shining. Governor Baker says he supports solar power, but so far his Administration has been repeating the electric utilities' anti-solar claims and has opposed immediate action to address this arbitrary barrier to continued solar growth. We need to change his mind, and we need to do it fast.

My name is Amber Moodie-Dyer and I work at the Budget & Tax Center to advocate for a North Carolina where each child can have a quality learning experience, every senior can stay in their home and every community can offer families and businesses a high quality of life. Over the past two years, I have watched as state policymakers in Raleigh have put at risk the very foundations that help us build a stronger state. State legislators have pushed through corporate and personal income tax cuts that have primarily benefitted those at the very top, while weakening the building blocks of a strong economy like schools, community colleges and courts. The race to the bottom on taxes that North Carolina would continue with more tax cuts this year is a race to the bottom in quality of life. Our state Senate and House leaders are in the final days of putting together a budget for the state. Their decision should have been made by June 30th, but they had to extend the timeline into July. The proposed tax changes they are considering include lowering the corporate tax rate from its current rate of 5% to 3% and building in other advantages for large multi-state corporations. All told, when combined with a small reduction in the personal income tax rate and an expansion of the sales tax rate, we could lose over $1 billion each year! That’s $1 billion less for our schools, child care programs, higher education, economic development efforts, the list goes on. Let’s make sure they hear from us before they send their final budget to the Governor (it could be as early as the next few weeks!). We need them to know North Carolinians don’t want any more tax cuts for big companies and wealthy taxpayers at the expense of our state’s well-being. Sign our petition to tell legislators and the Governor to reject proposals to cut taxes for the few and further put core public services at risk. North Carolina’s exceptionalism in the South and the country has always come from our commitment to each other, a commitment that meant asking each of us to contribute to building something bigger than ourselves. Whether a public university system, a universal K-12 education, a nationally recognized early childhood education system, or protection of our state’s natural resources, our pooled investments have made great things possible for the people of our state. This is how we remain competitive in the global marketplace, attractive to business investment and a place of opportunity. Now is the time to make smart public investments that will put North Carolina on solid ground for the future, not give more corporate tax cuts. Sign the petition today!

Our town is progressive and strives for ecological restoration. People move here from all over the United States because of the beautiful and clean environment. We should work together to keep it that way. There are numerous reasons why you should take the initiative and remove Round Up Herbicide from your shelves. First, because it is applied as a spray, the potential for drifting can and does occur. Non-target plants nearby can be killed when wind carries the herbicide. The plants that are affected are native to our area and are already facing a struggle placed on them by the amount of invasive plants we have introduced. Second, Roundup has been found to contaminate our water systems, which in Bend is very important to the local citizens. Studies have found a connection to Roundup and the decline of amphibians. The problem appears to be the detergents used to disperse the glyphosate. This surfactant --polyoxyethylene amine (POEA)--has a lethal effect on frogs and their tadpoles. It has proved to kill certain water insects as well. This reduces food sources for fish and other inhabitants in our rivers. Roundup has also been linked to higher than normal amounts of algae which reduce the oxygen level of the water. In water it takes Roundup 2 to 60 days to disappear but studies have found that Roundup persists in wetland sediment for up to 400 days. Trace amounts have also been found in surface drinking water which may not have effects in small dosages but can be quite harmful in large quantities. Third, Roundup has a devastating impact on our soil systems. Studies around the world have shown that on average, Roundup stayed in soils for 250-350 days. The most detrimental soil findings were the negative effect it has on michorizial fungi. This fungi is found in connection with the roots of most plants and is a very important symbiotic relationship. The fungi feeds off of the plant sugars and in turn the fungi supplies the plant with nutrients and water. Earthworms found in soils laced with Roundup also have been affected. In these areas they appear to be softer and slower acting. Earthworms are important to our soil systems as they work to break down organic material and chemicals, as well as loosen the soil particles. Lastly, although Roundup is less toxic than some herbicides, it has been found to have effects on human beings. The most common reactions that occur from contact with the herbicide are skin-related irritations such as dermatitis and eczema but there have been more disturbing findings. One finding was reported by scientists at the University of Caen in France in December 2008. The article stated that in low doses, a component of Roundup (POEA) can kill human embryonic cells. It was proven in lab tests and linked to higher numbers of miscarriages and premature births to farm women who were regularly exposed to the compound. Another study and possibly even more disturbing was the study performed by Senior Research Scientists at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Dr. Stephanie Seneff. She states that her studies have found her to believe that autism isn't just genetic but is almost surely due to environmental factors including the exposure to Monsanto's RoundUp (glyphosate). Glyphosate has been shown to interrupt the workings of the pineal gland which leads to high levels of autism. It has also been linked to the cause of the increase in gut related problems. In her article she states, “The way glyphosate works is that it interrupts the shikimate pathway, a metabolic function in plants that allows them to create essential amino acids. When this path is interrupted, the plants die. Scientists and researchers beleived that human cells don’t have a shikimate pathway so that exposure to glyphosate would be harmless. The problem is that bacteria DO have a shikimate pathway and we have millions of good bacteria in our guts – our ‘gut flora.’ These bacteria are essential to our health. Our gut isn’t just responsible for digestion, but also for our immune system. When glyphosate gets in our systems, it wrecks our gut and as a result our immune system.” I can continue to write down facts about the negative effects from Roundup but I feel that I have already made my point on why you should take the initiative and remove it from your shelves. There are numerous other natural, organic herbicides that you can replace it with that do not have such devastating consequences. If you think about it, Roundup has only one benefit, the easy removal of weeds, but the negative effects of numerous. An action which may seem to you a poor financial decision at first, will actually benefit you in the long run as our society as a whole turns to making better ecological decisions and you find yourselves as one of the leaders.

Income inequality in the United States has risen sharply in recent years and continues to get worse. Widespread unemployment is becoming imminent, as more and more traditional jobs are replaced by technology and automation. Without serious intervention, we could face massive increases in poverty and civil unrest in the years ahead. A guaranteed Basic Income, which would directly provide all Americans with enough money each month to live on, would both end poverty in the US and shift our economy to one that doesn't require full employment. It's a simple program that could save us from the looming economic crises. It's time for the federal government to create a social safety net designed for the 21st-century. We're calling on President Obama and members of the United States Congress to enact a Basic Income for all Americans. MORE ABOUT BASIC INCOME: https://medium.com/basic-income/it-s-time-to-start-talking-seriously-about-basic-income-bb9763e1859d

Earlier this year, another polluting coal plant asked Governor Cuomo for a bailout worth hundreds of millions of dollars -- a huge step in the wrong direction. New York ratepayers shouldn't have to pay to prop up outdated and unprofitable coal plants. Instead we should be investing in a renewable energy transition that not only cleans up our air and water but also creates thousands of homegrown jobs. Coal is a losing bet for New York: it's uneconomical, it pollutes our climate, and it poisons out air and water. Bailing out coal plants is environmentally and fiscally irresponsible, and it sets a dangerous precedent. Last year, Governor Cuomo's Public Service Commission approved an over $200 million bailout deal for the unprofitable Dunkirk coal plant, despite the fact that local utilities claimed the plant wasn't needed at all. Now the Cayuga coal plant is lining up at the trough, vying for a bailout that would cost at least $100 million more than transmission efficiency upgrades that would solve all reliability issues and render the plant unnecessary. Governor Cuomo is sending the message that it's ok to subsidize these dirty plants by taking money from the pockets of taxpayers and electricity customers, even while the power companies reap the profits. For the Public Service Commission to put an end to this trend of ratepayer-subsidized polluter payoffs, it is crucial that Governor Cuomo voice his opposition, and commit publicly to ending dirty coal bailouts Keeping these obsolete coal-fired power plants on life support will continue to undermine federal and state efforts to combat climate disruption. Responsibly retiring them, on the other hand, can set us on the path to achieving New York's ambitious goal to reduce carbon pollution 80% by 2050. If Governor Cuomo wants to be a true environmental leader, he needs to stop wasting utility customer money on an industry that is taking us backward on climate.