Dear Dave,
Washington is debating how to fix the debt. It should be debating how to fix the economy.
We need jobs, not austerity. We need the wealthy to pay their fair share, not kick the middle class when it's down. The Democrats won a mandate to do the right thing. It's up to us to make sure they do it.
Here are three steps you can take right now:
1. Join the Dec. 10 Fiscal Showdown Day of Action.
MoveOn.org, AFL-CIO and progressives all over the country are organizing protests in front of local congressional offices demanding higher taxes on the wealthy and no cuts to retirement security in any deficit deal.
Click the MoveOn.org and AFL-CIO pages to find a protest near you, or to create your own.
2. Demand an up-or-down House vote on extending middle class tax cuts only.
Speaker John Boehner is refusing to consider legislation that has already passed the Senate that would extend the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, while letting them expire for the top 2% at the end of the year.
But Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is organizing a "discharge petition" that can force a vote on the House floor if enough congresspeople support it.
This would save the struggling middle class from a New Year "austerity bomb", help prevent another recession and ensure we'll have enough revenue to invest in jobs and growth.
Our friends at Americans for Tax Fairness have launched a campaign to pressure Congress to support Pelosi's discharge petition.
Click here to add your voice.
3. Arm yourself with the facts at our blog.
At blog.ourfuture.org, you can get the latest information about the Fiscal Showdown, definitive debunkings of the debt hysteria, takedowns of the scurrilous attacks on Medicare and Social Security, and learn the real solution to our long-term debt problems: bold investments in jobs and growth.
Click here for our special coverage on the Fiscal Showdown.
Bone up. Sign on. Speak out. That's what we need to do stop the debt hysterics, save the middle class and make Washington focus on the real crisis: jobs.
Let's do this.
Sincerely,
Roger Hickey
Co-director, Campaign for America's Future |