There is greater income inequality in the United States than in any other industrialized country. Yes, the debt is a problem that must be dealt with. To me, however, the disappearing middle class is even worse - bad for our economy and really bad for our democracy.

Americans have a right to the security of their personal information, and the entities that hold personal information have a responsibility to protect it.

Immigrants are integral to the strength of our nation. They deserve comprehensive reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship and ensure that families aren't torn apart.

Fast track is about pushing through the TPP, TTIP and future trade agreements that would massively increase the power of big international corporations and affect the daily lives of Americans.

In Illinois, we've seen job losses from agreements like CAFTA and NAFTA. Those agreements didn't help American workers - and they haven't brought improvements to the lives of workers in other countries, either.

While trade agreements are negotiated in secrecy, behind-closed doors, we have learned enough from leaks to know that the result of passing TPA to 'fast track' these trade agreements would affect everything from food safety to environmental protection to consumer financial protections.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act doesn't protect women's health. It threatens it.

Reproductive health decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor. Any efforts to undermine women's reproductive rights must stop.

The District of Columbia has every right to pass their own laws, and House Republicans should stay out of it.

Working families spend about 90 percent of their income on consumption - buying stuff. The rich spend less than 45 percent.

I was born and raised in Rogers Park in Chicago. My father sold furniture, and my mother was a Chicago public school teacher and proud member of the Chicago Teachers Union for decades.

We must ensure American workers get the long-overdue raise they deserve.

We must organize. We must protest. We must cry out in a loud voice that America needs a raise. We must keep working until workers in this country don't have to struggle to make ends meet.

For far too long, virtually every time Americans have been asked to make 'tough choices,' it has resulted in disproportionate harm for hardworking Americans and retirees.

Unequal pay exists across most job sectors of our economy, even in nursing.

No military contractors should have a 'shoot first' culture that puts civilians or our brave military service members in danger.

In conflict zones in particular, we need personnel who wear the badge of the United States, are a part of our official military command, and are always held accountable for their actions.

It is truly appalling for Senator Mark Kirk to equate the Obama Administration's diplomacy with Nazi appeasement. As a Jewish-American, I am offended.

President Obama's executive actions on immigration are designed to temporarily address major flaws in our broken immigration system.

For far too long, the Republican leadership in Congress has refused to act and pass comprehensive reform fixing our broken immigration system. In light of Republican inaction, I strongly support President Obama's executive actions on immigration.

I've seen the impact of deportation in my district. It is heartbreaking to see families torn apart for no good reason.

I will continue to stand strongly with my fellow House Democrats, with immigration reform advocates and with millions of hard-working, law-abiding families who want simply to remain together and contribute to our great country.

Efforts to repeal Obamacare are misguided, dangerous, and just another instance of Republicans fighting the political wars of years past. But, health care shouldn't be about politics; it must be about helping people lead healthier lives.

Our goal should be to, together, to improve Obamacare so that even more people have access to affordable, quality health insurance and services.

Jackie Berman, a 64-year-old widow and former special education teacher from Chicago, enrolled in Obamacare. She really needed coverage after sustaining serious injuries from being hit by a car. Now Jackie gets the care she needs at an affordable rate.

With affordable health care, women can have economic security and the peace of mind that they will not become a financial burden on their families.

It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.

I have a confidence about my life that comes from standing tall on my own two feet.

You don't learn from successes; you don't learn from awards; you don't learn from celebrity; you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures. And that's the truth.

Instead of drifting along like a leaf in a river, understand who you are and how you come across to people and what kind of an impact you have on the people around you and the community around you and the world, so that when you go out, you can feel you have made a positive difference.

We're not meant to be perfect. It took me a long time to learn that.

Feminism is not just about women; it's about letting all people lead fuller lives.

We cannot always control our thoughts, but we can control our words, and repetition impresses the subconscious, and we are then master of the situation.

If the career you have chosen has some unexpected inconvenience, console yourself by reflecting that no career is without them.

To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power.

If we as a nation are to break the cycle of poverty, crime and the growing underclass of young people ill equipped to be productive citizens, we need to not only implement effective programs to prevent teen pregnancy, but we must also help those who have already given birth so that they become effective, nurturing, bonding parents.

If adolescent pregnancy prevention is to become a priority, then our strategy, as advocates, must contain two key elements: civic engagement and education.

The bond between a parent and child is the primary bond, the foundation for the rest of the child's life. The presence or absence of this bond determines much about the child's resiliency and what kind of adult they will grow up to be.

A man has every season while a woman only has the right to spring.

The people who did you wrong or who didn't quite know how to show up, you forgive them. And forgiving them allows you to forgive yourself too.

I always had a penchant for falling in love. Every time I found myself without a mate, I fell into a state of low-sizzling panic.

It's about time we make the well-being of our young people more important than ideology and politics. As a country, we benefit from investing in their future by investing in teen pregnancy prevention.

The capacity of young people to persevere, even under the most adverse conditions, never ceases to amaze me.

I don't want my wrinkles taken away - I don't want to look like everyone else.

But the whole point of liberation is that you get out. Restructure your life. Act by yourself.

We're still living with the old paradigm of age as an arch. That's the old metaphor: You're born, you peak at midlife and decline into decrepitude.

Ted needs someone to be there 100% of the time. He thinks that's love. It's not love - it's babysitting.

Parents are supposed to give the child back to herself with love. If they've got duct tape over their eyes because of narcissism, it doesn't happen.

Some people are surprised that the Republicans are waging a war on women, or that they voted against equal pay for women. I'm not surprised at all. In some ways, it may be a good thing. They're defending the patriarchy, which is a wounded beast! And wounded beasts are always dangerous.

I see many more men who are feminist, or at least who have learned about life in the context of feminism.