“More than 17,000 nuclear weapons, most held by the U.S. and Russia, continue to pose an intolerable threat to humanity. Our government should be working in good faith to eliminate all nuclear arms, not stealing more of our tax dollars to modernize these weapons of mass destruction.” — Jackie Cabasso

A well-run needle exchange program would serve the public health, and reduce the number of used syringes in public spaces. It may seem counterintuitive, but the best way to reduce needle litter is to prevent it at the source. Needle exchange is not the cause of needle litter. It is the solution.

I was pressured out of my public housing after living in Berkeley’s public housing for much of my life. I was pressured out and have been made homeless. I had to move in with some of my relatives to avoid living on the streets.” — Terry Pete, former public housing tenant

In Tucson, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago, people sat down in front of ICE buses and vans, and chained themselves to vehicles to block deportations. County supervisors in Los Angeles and San Francisco passed resolutions demanding a moratorium on the huge wave of deportations — two million people in five years.

Hepatitis C has been a “silent killer” for decades, affecting millions of people, including many unaware that they have this potentially life threatening disease. This year Hepatitis C Awareness Week is more important than ever, because there are new treatments that are saving lives. Hepatitis C is now curable.

If the federal government can figure out how to rescue Wall Street, it has a moral obligation to figure out how to rescue Main Street. Two-thirds of the American people believe the government in Washington ought to see to it that everyone who wants to work can find a job.

It remains socially acceptable to pick on people with mental disabilities. We are discriminated against in employment and in housing. We are essentially forced into segregation kept from participating in mainstream society. We are forced to live on meager incomes. We have been criminalized, locked-up, humiliated, overmedicated, shunned and abused.