By Robby Stern
Recently I was invited to speak in Sequim, Washington to a forum sponsored by the Move On Councils in Clallam, Jefferson and Island counties. The event was to be held in the auditorium at Sequim High School. I anticipated an audience of 50 to 60 residents. To my total astonishment, 600 people attended and heard David Korten, publisher and editor of Yes Magazine and Katherine Ottaway, a Port Townsend family practice doctor and a member of “Mad As Hell Doctors”.
The program also included video taping audience comments directed to the Congressional Super Committee whose names and pictures were prominently featured on stage. The message from the audience to the Super Committee was clear: “Don’t you dare cut the safety net programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.” Additionally, they demanded a genuine political democracy rather than control by corporations and wealthy interests. They demanded an economy that works for the majority (the 99%) rather than for the wealthy few and the corporations. When I mentioned the Occupy movement, they literally clapped and cheered…in Sequim, Washington.
Clearly something is happening and it might be big. It is difficult to predict but PSARA will do all we can to encourage activism, insurgency and the demand for a more progressive and humane country, state, county and city. We will support the demand for an economy that serves the needs of the 99% and a decision-making process that is democratic and not controlled by wealthy corporate interests . We have a long way to go but the opportunities to participate abound.
That brings us to the deliberations of the “Super Committee” at the federal level and the upcoming Special Session that begins November 28 in Olympia. While the “Super Committee” contemplates cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the legislature, in special session, will consider cuts to meet the additional $2 billion decline in revenue at the state level. At both the state and federal level, the cuts that are being proposed are devastating and immoral.
There will be significant job losses from these cuts, with a resulting decline in revenue for federal and state governments. There will be deeper cuts by local government. The downward spiral will be unchecked for the foreseeable future.
With other forces in our communities, we are demanding that those responsible for this economic crisis must be made to pay for the tragedy they have brought into the lives of poor people, the vulnerable and working people.
At the federal level, end the tax breaks for the rich and the tax breaks for the corporations. Stop these wars that are literally wasting billions and even trillions of taxpayer dollars.
At the state level, the legislature and Governor must place a halt to the tax breaks they have been handing out like candy over the past decade and a half. While the poor, the vulnerable and the working class suffer mightily, the corporate interests go along their merry way paying huge salaries to their executives while they pretend to cry out for the pain but show a willingness to sacrifice nothing.
Our Congress members and state legislators tell us there is nothing they can do other than make cuts. They argue that in the Congress, the Senate filibuster and the Republican control of the House leaves no alternatives to cuts to our vital safety net programs.
Well, it’s time for some backbone. The Super Committee failing to reach agreement at least assures that 50% of the cuts will be from the defense budget. The defense industry is squealing like stuffed pigs and telling their Congress people why this (sequestration) cannot be allowed to happen. Bull malarkey! They should not have cut the deal in the first place, and now that they cut this “deficit deal” the Democrats had better be accountable. They absolutely must not allow the vital safety net programs to be cut just when they are most needed. They’d better stand their ground or they will pay a huge price (along with the rest of us) in 2012.
At the state level, here’s what they can do:
1. Pass a referendum to the people in the Special Session to raise revenue.
2. It takes a simple majority vote (not two thirds) to issue General Obligation bonds to help fund education and heath care and Revenue Bonds to rebuild our infrastructure and create jobs.
Legislators will protest that the state should not assume additional debt. Our response: If this is not a time to assume increased debt, when is the time? They can create additional revenues to pay off the General Obligation bonds by closing the tax loopholes either in the legislature or by sending a referendum to the people.
Our demands will be clear. They have cut $10 billion dollars over the course of the last three years. It is time to raise revenue to plug this hole. This is not a deficit crisis; it is a revenue crisis created by giving away billions of dollars in tax breaks and Wall Street turning our economy into their private casino. It is time to make a correction.
PSARA will be calling on our members to do everything you can to put pressure on the President, the Congress, state legislators and governor to do the right thing.
Showing posts with label Robby Stern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robby Stern. Show all posts
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Friday, September 2, 2011
Vacation musings
By Robby Stern
During my August vacation break I had time to think about some issues that are weighing on my mind.
In recent conversations I heard people ask why there hasn’t been more organized collective anger expressed at the decline in the standard of living and quality of life for the people of our country. Wealthy individuals and multinational corporations use their dollars to buy the government that serves their interests. At the same time, safety net programs, access to education and health care, environmental protection and other basic needs are under greater and greater attack. In addition, the ability to make a family living wage is becoming more and more difficult.
So why isn’t there more of a popular uprising against what is clearly an intolerable situation? Is it, as some say, because not enough people are feeling the pain?
I have several thoughts – and a prediction.
Much of the energy of the discontented went into the 2008 presidential election. Many believed that Barack Obama would attack the economic disparities we were facing. Much faith and enthusiasm went into the election. There is widespread disappointment.. Determining how to move forward from the disappointment and how to organize without turning over the reigns of government to the crazy Republican politician is not an easy task.
In addition, the organizations that can provide the infrastructure for mass action have been weakened by membership decline and are also on the defensive against attacks.
The leadership of these organizations is struggling to determine how to respond to a new reality…i.e., that the very wealthy (with a few notable exceptions), the multinational corporations and their allies are forcefully moving to destroy or neutralize any progressive insurgency in our country. Many of these progressive leaders walk the slender thread between working with traditional allies who are no longer reliable while helping to build a new insurgency that will be very uncomfortable and perhaps even opposed by the traditional political allies.
The mass media has shrunk and has also, in large part, taken a turn to the right. While we may see stories about unemployment, about the growing inequalities in our society, about winners and losers in the new economic order, we hardly ever see or hear coverage of protests and movements to change the present reality.
This lack of reporting leads to a feeling of isolation on the part of those who are acting against the unacceptable political and economic reality. A progressive alternative media is developing through the Internet nd social media, but it has not yet matured into a source that has broad public appeal.
One ruling class strategy in response to the progressive challenges of the 1960s and early 1970s was to promote and fund the idea that happiness comes from consumption of consumer goods and that mass culture needed to be purged of values of progressive social change. The forces of reaction recognized that the media they own, the sports teams they own, and the culture they fund and control should be used to divert the mass population from the critical issues of the day to a more “me first” ethos. At the same time, think tanks were generously funded to lay the groundwork for the attack on the idea that the role of government is to make the lives of the majority better and to create more opportunity for all.
So how do we counter all these bad developments and build a better, more progressive political and economic reality?
1. We have to individually support one another so we do not give in to pessimism. Pessimism will paralyze us. We need to consciously encourage each other to take on the challenges and give emotional and material support to each other.
2. Build organization. It is through organizations that we can reach out, chart a path for progressive change, and unite with other like-minded people.
3. Develop a permanent progressive coalition of organizations, including labor, community groups like PSARA, women’s groups, people of color organizations, religious groups, immigrant groups, etc. We need to do the hard work of arriving at a common vision for our communities and a strategy for achieving that vision. Each organization will have to develop an organizing strategy for their target population. Organizations within such a permanent political coalition will need to be accountable to each other and respectful of each other.
Now for the prediction: We are probably going to get our butts kicked for a while. (We will put up a heck of a fight.) But we are the majority and if we stick to our long-term effort, we will win the day.
Friday, June 3, 2011
PAID SICK DAYS, A PSARA ISSUE
By Robby Stern
PSARA strongly supports the enactment of an ordinance mandating a minimum standard for paid sick days in Seattle. Here are the reasons why.
During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the key public health message was “stay home when you’re sick.” Some were able to heed that message, but many others were not. The H1N1 virus spread in work places and schools as children were sent to school sick because their parents could not afford to take time off work without pay.
The Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI), reports that four in ten Seattle workers get no sick leave, among them thousands of restaurant, grocery, and health care workers who are on the front lines of food safety and public health. In all, an estimated 190,000 Seattle workers have no paid sick days.
Quoting from the EOI Report:
“Food borne illness has a major impact on health and the economy in the United States. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year one out of six Americans gets sick from food, resulting in 125,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. About 20 percent of cases can be traced to an ill food worker. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to food borne illnesses such as norovirus … The CDC estimates there are more than 21 million annual cases of norovirus, and half of all cases of food-borne illness in the U.S. can be attributed to norovirus infection. Norovirus symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and fever…Of the cases analyzed by the CDC from July 1997 to June 2000, 57% were caused by food, which most often became contaminated by an infected food handler immediately prior to consumption.”
The CDC advises that the measures most likely to significantly reduce the incidence of norovirus are “correct handling of cold foods, frequent hand washing, and provision of paid sick leave...” The King County Public Health Department strongly supports a paid sick days ordinance.
Since most restaurants do not offer paid sick time, ill employees are forced to choose between taking unpaid leave or going to work sick. A recent report in the Journal of Food Protection found that, in the past year, 19.8 percent had worked while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. Another survey of more than 4,300 U.S. restaurant workers in eight metropolitan regions of the U.S. found that 88 percent did not receive paid sick time and that 63 percent had worked serving or preparing food while sick.
Access to paid sick days is unequal. Eighty percent of people earning above the median hourly wage get paid sick days; only 19 percent of the bottom 10 percent wage earners receive paid sick days. Women are far more likely than men not to have paid sick days. Latinos and African Americans are also less likely to have paid sick days.
My wife is a school nurse in a school with a high percentage of lower income families. She frequently tells me of children being sent to school with fevers, or children getting sick at school. When she calls the parents, all too often they are unable to pick up their children. Another frequent phenomenon is older siblings missing a day of school because they have to stay home with a younger sister or brother who is too sick to go to school.
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the spread of viruses and infections. The well-publicized growth in resistance of infections to antibiotics makes the spread of diseases even more dangerous for all of us, but particularly for seniors. The realization that people who handle our food in the grocery stores and people who help us care for ourselves often do not have access to paid sick days makes the need for a minimum standard even more apparent.
Although some employers support the establishment of a paid sick days standard, very powerful forces are lined up against it. The same business associations who declared the sky was falling when they opposed the 1998 minimum wage standard are now contending that a paid sick days standard will ruin businesses in Seattle. The Seattle Times, using the term “nanny government,” has announced its opposition. Opponents’ economic arguments are countered by the fact that San Francisco has had a similar standard for four years and has seen an increase in employment.
Several Seattle City Council members who greeted the proponents of the ordinance with expressions of support may now be getting cold feet and seeking to delay consideration of the ordinance.
Kudos go to Councilmembers (and PSARA members) Nick Licata, sponsor of the ordinance, and Jean Godden, co-sponsor. Councilmember Bruce Harrell (not yet a PSARA member) has also agreed to co-sponsor the ordinance. These councilmembers are supporting immediate consideration and passage of the ordinance.
Some have said this should not be a “campaign” issue. Well, it IS a campaign issue. We’ll be calling on our members to attend various actions and hearings to express your support for a minimum paid sick days standard. We will also let you know where all council members and Mayor McGinn stand on the issue.
This ordinance will protect our parents, children and grandchildren. It is good for our community. We’ll be calling on you for help to establish paid sick days in the city of Seattle.
PSARA strongly supports the enactment of an ordinance mandating a minimum standard for paid sick days in Seattle. Here are the reasons why.
During the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the key public health message was “stay home when you’re sick.” Some were able to heed that message, but many others were not. The H1N1 virus spread in work places and schools as children were sent to school sick because their parents could not afford to take time off work without pay.
The Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI), reports that four in ten Seattle workers get no sick leave, among them thousands of restaurant, grocery, and health care workers who are on the front lines of food safety and public health. In all, an estimated 190,000 Seattle workers have no paid sick days.
Quoting from the EOI Report:
“Food borne illness has a major impact on health and the economy in the United States. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year one out of six Americans gets sick from food, resulting in 125,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. About 20 percent of cases can be traced to an ill food worker. Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to food borne illnesses such as norovirus … The CDC estimates there are more than 21 million annual cases of norovirus, and half of all cases of food-borne illness in the U.S. can be attributed to norovirus infection. Norovirus symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and fever…Of the cases analyzed by the CDC from July 1997 to June 2000, 57% were caused by food, which most often became contaminated by an infected food handler immediately prior to consumption.”
The CDC advises that the measures most likely to significantly reduce the incidence of norovirus are “correct handling of cold foods, frequent hand washing, and provision of paid sick leave...” The King County Public Health Department strongly supports a paid sick days ordinance.
Since most restaurants do not offer paid sick time, ill employees are forced to choose between taking unpaid leave or going to work sick. A recent report in the Journal of Food Protection found that, in the past year, 19.8 percent had worked while experiencing vomiting or diarrhea. Another survey of more than 4,300 U.S. restaurant workers in eight metropolitan regions of the U.S. found that 88 percent did not receive paid sick time and that 63 percent had worked serving or preparing food while sick.
Access to paid sick days is unequal. Eighty percent of people earning above the median hourly wage get paid sick days; only 19 percent of the bottom 10 percent wage earners receive paid sick days. Women are far more likely than men not to have paid sick days. Latinos and African Americans are also less likely to have paid sick days.
My wife is a school nurse in a school with a high percentage of lower income families. She frequently tells me of children being sent to school with fevers, or children getting sick at school. When she calls the parents, all too often they are unable to pick up their children. Another frequent phenomenon is older siblings missing a day of school because they have to stay home with a younger sister or brother who is too sick to go to school.
Elderly people are particularly vulnerable to the spread of viruses and infections. The well-publicized growth in resistance of infections to antibiotics makes the spread of diseases even more dangerous for all of us, but particularly for seniors. The realization that people who handle our food in the grocery stores and people who help us care for ourselves often do not have access to paid sick days makes the need for a minimum standard even more apparent.
Although some employers support the establishment of a paid sick days standard, very powerful forces are lined up against it. The same business associations who declared the sky was falling when they opposed the 1998 minimum wage standard are now contending that a paid sick days standard will ruin businesses in Seattle. The Seattle Times, using the term “nanny government,” has announced its opposition. Opponents’ economic arguments are countered by the fact that San Francisco has had a similar standard for four years and has seen an increase in employment.
Several Seattle City Council members who greeted the proponents of the ordinance with expressions of support may now be getting cold feet and seeking to delay consideration of the ordinance.
Kudos go to Councilmembers (and PSARA members) Nick Licata, sponsor of the ordinance, and Jean Godden, co-sponsor. Councilmember Bruce Harrell (not yet a PSARA member) has also agreed to co-sponsor the ordinance. These councilmembers are supporting immediate consideration and passage of the ordinance.
Some have said this should not be a “campaign” issue. Well, it IS a campaign issue. We’ll be calling on our members to attend various actions and hearings to express your support for a minimum paid sick days standard. We will also let you know where all council members and Mayor McGinn stand on the issue.
This ordinance will protect our parents, children and grandchildren. It is good for our community. We’ll be calling on you for help to establish paid sick days in the city of Seattle.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Calling the White House!
Before the State of the Union address, the Social Security Works WA coalition held open and productive meetings, facilitated by PSARA President Robby Stern, with Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell. At both meetings, representatives of coalition organizations spoke of the critical role Social Security plays in their lives and in the lives of their members.
They also discussed the political damage done when Obama put Social Security “on the table” in deficit reduction negotiations, and the further damage that could be caused if the president referred to cutting benefits or raising the retirement age during his address.
Both senators pledged to contact the White House, urging the president either to stress the need to defend Social Security or simply not to mention the program at all. Both senators followed through with their commitments, and both let the coalition know that Obama would not call for cutting benefits and raising the retirement age.
Washington’s senators have clout. Murray is in the Senate leadership and chairs the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. Cantwell is an influential member of the Senate Finance Committee, and a champion of legislation to improve the Social Security COLA formula.
“The two senators let Social Security Works WA know they found the face-to-face meetings informative and helpful,” Stern said. “Together with our Alliance colleagues across the nation, we can take pride in having influenced, in a positive way, the content of the president’s address.”
Will Parry
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
SOCIAL SECURITY: THE FIGHT AHEAD
by Robby Stern
The “compromise “ that was struck by the Obama administration and Republican leadership, and for which most Republicans and far too many Democrats voted, has done significant damage to Social Security. The “one year” 2% reduction of the worker contribution to the Social Security Trust Fund and the decision to reimburse the Trust Fund from the general fund has demonstrated the willingness of our President to use Social Security in political horse trading.
The damage to the integrity of the program is extensive and permanent since Social Security will no longer be considered the “Third Rail”. It is now, as a result of this deal, just another government program that can be part of what is considered a “reasonable” political compromise.
Some proponents of the compromise argue that the reduction is only for one year and the Trust Fund will be reimbursed. That argument is lacking in political reality. It is unlikely that Congress will allow the tax reduction to lapse in 2012, an election year. The argument that Social Security will be reimbursed is hollow. Congress will simply robbing Peter to pay Paul by cutting other essential social programs to provide this reimbursement? Meanwhile, Social Security simply has become, for the first time, another bargaining chip.
In listening to PSARA members it is clear that many consider this compromise an act of political betrayal. Many thought the election of President Obama would herald a time of progressive policies and that Social Security would be immune from the attacks of the former administration. When President Obama appointed Timothy Gietner and Lawrence Sommers, two Wall Street insiders, many of us were concerned that the foxes had been put in charge of the hen house and the Wall Street agenda for privatization of Social Security funds might be revitalized. Nevertheless, many of us significantly modulated our criticism as we wanted to give the newly elected President the benefit of the doubt.
Sadly, the month of December, 2010, has provided those of us who are committed to the protection and improvement of Social Security a bitter dose of reality. First, President Obama’s Fiscal Commission issued recommendations that would do severe damage to Social Security recipients. While the recommendations failed to get the necessary votes to force a “fast track’ vote, they nevertheless did receive bi-partisan support. These recommendations promise to be part of the debate that is coming in the next Congressional session over deficit reduction.
Then, President Obama, negotiated the reduction in the worker share of the Social Security tax for 2011, as part of a package that extended Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, extended Bush era tax cuts and tax credits, and reduced the estate tax that was scheduled to return to the pre-Bush era tax rates..
A statement from the Strengthen Social Security Coalition, a national coalition of 250 organizations said in part, “Using treasury funds to pay for a payroll tax ‘holiday’ is unprecedented in Social Security’s 75 year history – and dangerous. Social Security is very popular with the public because workers pay dedicated contributions and count on the promise of Social Security to be there when they retire, become disabled or die, thereby leaving their benefits to their survivors.”
The statement goes on to say, “The debate over the Bush tax cuts illustrates how difficult it is to return taxes to original levels once tax cuts have been enacted, even when the law includes an expiration date. This will likely be the case again in 2011 as the payroll tax ‘holiday’ expires and the 2012 election campaign begins. Restoring the payroll tax to 6.2% from the reduced rate of 4.2% under the ‘holiday’ will constitute a 48% increase in the payroll tax of every worker. By comparison, the debate over extending the Bush tax cuts involves just a 13% increase to income over $384,000.”
Clearly, the “compromise” has seriously threatened the long term funding for Social Security. We must now gear up for an extended fight to preserve this program at a level that will provide its recipients the income they need to lead lives of dignity. It is truly disheartening that an administration for whom we had such hope has proven itself to be, at best, unreliable and at worst in the pocket of Wall Street interests who would like nothing better than to see Social Security funds invested in Wall Street or else wither on the vine.
We recognize there was a desperately needed extension of unemployment benefits that was intended to make the “compromise’ somewhat attractive. Nevertheless, we are disappointed that Senators Murray and Cantwell voted for the “compromise” as did Rep. Rick Larsen and Rep. Norm Dicks. The poison pill attack on Social Security made this “compromise” unpalatable. We express our gratitude to Reps. McDermott, Inslee, and Smith for their recognition of the damage this “compromise” will do to the majority of people in our country who rely on Social Security or will rely on Social Security in the years to come.
The next step in this battle begins when the new Congress convenes. We can be sure that the new House leadership will move to raise the retirement age and make other cuts to Social Security as part of their deficit reduction proposal . They will try to frame it as cutting Social Security to save it.
A significant group of Democrat and Republican Senators have publicly announced their support for the Commission recommendations. PSARA will join a national effort beginning early January, 2011, to urge President Obama to make no offers of compromise or concession related to Social Security in his State of the Union address. Such a statement will do enormous damage. We will need the help of our Congressional Representatives and Senators, major organizations in our state and all of us individually calling on the White House to do no damage during the State of the Union address.
Our fight promises to be long and demanding. Please get ready to be very active!
The “compromise “ that was struck by the Obama administration and Republican leadership, and for which most Republicans and far too many Democrats voted, has done significant damage to Social Security. The “one year” 2% reduction of the worker contribution to the Social Security Trust Fund and the decision to reimburse the Trust Fund from the general fund has demonstrated the willingness of our President to use Social Security in political horse trading.
The damage to the integrity of the program is extensive and permanent since Social Security will no longer be considered the “Third Rail”. It is now, as a result of this deal, just another government program that can be part of what is considered a “reasonable” political compromise.
Some proponents of the compromise argue that the reduction is only for one year and the Trust Fund will be reimbursed. That argument is lacking in political reality. It is unlikely that Congress will allow the tax reduction to lapse in 2012, an election year. The argument that Social Security will be reimbursed is hollow. Congress will simply robbing Peter to pay Paul by cutting other essential social programs to provide this reimbursement? Meanwhile, Social Security simply has become, for the first time, another bargaining chip.
In listening to PSARA members it is clear that many consider this compromise an act of political betrayal. Many thought the election of President Obama would herald a time of progressive policies and that Social Security would be immune from the attacks of the former administration. When President Obama appointed Timothy Gietner and Lawrence Sommers, two Wall Street insiders, many of us were concerned that the foxes had been put in charge of the hen house and the Wall Street agenda for privatization of Social Security funds might be revitalized. Nevertheless, many of us significantly modulated our criticism as we wanted to give the newly elected President the benefit of the doubt.
Sadly, the month of December, 2010, has provided those of us who are committed to the protection and improvement of Social Security a bitter dose of reality. First, President Obama’s Fiscal Commission issued recommendations that would do severe damage to Social Security recipients. While the recommendations failed to get the necessary votes to force a “fast track’ vote, they nevertheless did receive bi-partisan support. These recommendations promise to be part of the debate that is coming in the next Congressional session over deficit reduction.
Then, President Obama, negotiated the reduction in the worker share of the Social Security tax for 2011, as part of a package that extended Unemployment Benefits for 13 months, extended Bush era tax cuts and tax credits, and reduced the estate tax that was scheduled to return to the pre-Bush era tax rates..
A statement from the Strengthen Social Security Coalition, a national coalition of 250 organizations said in part, “Using treasury funds to pay for a payroll tax ‘holiday’ is unprecedented in Social Security’s 75 year history – and dangerous. Social Security is very popular with the public because workers pay dedicated contributions and count on the promise of Social Security to be there when they retire, become disabled or die, thereby leaving their benefits to their survivors.”
The statement goes on to say, “The debate over the Bush tax cuts illustrates how difficult it is to return taxes to original levels once tax cuts have been enacted, even when the law includes an expiration date. This will likely be the case again in 2011 as the payroll tax ‘holiday’ expires and the 2012 election campaign begins. Restoring the payroll tax to 6.2% from the reduced rate of 4.2% under the ‘holiday’ will constitute a 48% increase in the payroll tax of every worker. By comparison, the debate over extending the Bush tax cuts involves just a 13% increase to income over $384,000.”
Clearly, the “compromise” has seriously threatened the long term funding for Social Security. We must now gear up for an extended fight to preserve this program at a level that will provide its recipients the income they need to lead lives of dignity. It is truly disheartening that an administration for whom we had such hope has proven itself to be, at best, unreliable and at worst in the pocket of Wall Street interests who would like nothing better than to see Social Security funds invested in Wall Street or else wither on the vine.
We recognize there was a desperately needed extension of unemployment benefits that was intended to make the “compromise’ somewhat attractive. Nevertheless, we are disappointed that Senators Murray and Cantwell voted for the “compromise” as did Rep. Rick Larsen and Rep. Norm Dicks. The poison pill attack on Social Security made this “compromise” unpalatable. We express our gratitude to Reps. McDermott, Inslee, and Smith for their recognition of the damage this “compromise” will do to the majority of people in our country who rely on Social Security or will rely on Social Security in the years to come.
The next step in this battle begins when the new Congress convenes. We can be sure that the new House leadership will move to raise the retirement age and make other cuts to Social Security as part of their deficit reduction proposal . They will try to frame it as cutting Social Security to save it.
A significant group of Democrat and Republican Senators have publicly announced their support for the Commission recommendations. PSARA will join a national effort beginning early January, 2011, to urge President Obama to make no offers of compromise or concession related to Social Security in his State of the Union address. Such a statement will do enormous damage. We will need the help of our Congressional Representatives and Senators, major organizations in our state and all of us individually calling on the White House to do no damage during the State of the Union address.
Our fight promises to be long and demanding. Please get ready to be very active!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Where Do We Go From Here
By Robby Stern
When you read this column, the 2010 election will be over and we will learn whether Washington voters and voters across the country have decided to move us forward or take us backwards. As I write this column in the last week of Oct., PSARA members are casting their votes (I KNOW PSARA members vote!) and many of us are anxiously awaiting the results.
Whatever the outcome of the election, PSARA is preparing for the next stage of our fight to achieve a society where people are encouraged to care about each other and work together to make the lives of all of our broader community better. PSARA has our short term focus, which includes developing our goals for the 2011 Legislative session. At the federal level, we are organizing to stop any cuts to Social Security and Medicare and supporting efforts to improve those essential programs. We are also supporting efforts to achieve Comprehensive Immigration Reform and all genuine efforts to create jobs and help the victims of this Wall Street generated economic crisis.
In the 2010 election, we have witnessed the pernicious impact of corporate greed as multi national corporations spent historically unprecedented amounts of money to gain advantage at the expense of the vast majority of the American people. We have also experienced a reactionary resurgence that longs for mythical days of yore when white, mostly men, ruled and government was a hand maiden to oppression of the vulnerable.
At the same time, on Oct. 2, in Washington D.C. (with a satellite action in Seattle) tens of thousands of people, reflecting the real diversity, of our country, came together under the theme “One Nation Working Together”. There is a real battle taking place for the “soul” of America and PSARA intends to be part of the side that works to create what Dr. Martin Luther King described as “The Beloved Community”.
I recently completed Going Down Jericho Road, The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign, by U.W. Professor Michael K. Honey. Michael Honey has given us a gift with this book. The book left me with a much better understanding of the forces at play in the strike by Memphis sanitation workers. It sparked emotions of hope, of deep sadness, and also a sense of what we need to be building for the long haul in order to achieve the vision of “The Beloved Community”.
In Memphis, led by truly heroic African American sanitation workers, a community-wide coalition was forged including the labor movement, led by AFSCME, the union representing the sanitation workers and the Memphis Central Labor Council. Playing a key role in the coalition were the African American Churches and African American civic organizations, most notably the NAACP. This coalition faced off against an unbelievably racist Mayor, Henry Loeb, a predominantly racist and gutless City Council, a white media and a white community that was poisoned with racism and ignorance. The sanitation workers, their union and the African American community stood strong in the face of terrible violence, culminating in the assassination of Dr. King (Honey refers to it as a crucifixion), vilification and betrayal reaching as far as the FBI and the White House. The sanitation workers, the union, and the community won the battle at a huge cost to themselves and to the nation…but they WON!
The lessons from Memphis as well as other successful struggles for social and economic justice are clear. Every activity, every struggle in which PSARA engages we will keep in mind the need to build a broader movement for progressive change. We will work hard to be constructive members of the coalitions to which we commit. By working together with other sectors of the community, we are building the capacity to create a movement for progressive change.
The forces arrayed against us are strong, they have unlimited money, they control the media, and they will try to make us believe that our efforts are hopeless. But if we are determined, brave and smart; if we are genuinely loyal to those with whom we coalesce; if we are prepared to make sacrifices, then we will follow the example of the great victory of the sanitation workers and their allies in Memphis and we will prevail.
When you read this column, the 2010 election will be over and we will learn whether Washington voters and voters across the country have decided to move us forward or take us backwards. As I write this column in the last week of Oct., PSARA members are casting their votes (I KNOW PSARA members vote!) and many of us are anxiously awaiting the results.
Whatever the outcome of the election, PSARA is preparing for the next stage of our fight to achieve a society where people are encouraged to care about each other and work together to make the lives of all of our broader community better. PSARA has our short term focus, which includes developing our goals for the 2011 Legislative session. At the federal level, we are organizing to stop any cuts to Social Security and Medicare and supporting efforts to improve those essential programs. We are also supporting efforts to achieve Comprehensive Immigration Reform and all genuine efforts to create jobs and help the victims of this Wall Street generated economic crisis.
In the 2010 election, we have witnessed the pernicious impact of corporate greed as multi national corporations spent historically unprecedented amounts of money to gain advantage at the expense of the vast majority of the American people. We have also experienced a reactionary resurgence that longs for mythical days of yore when white, mostly men, ruled and government was a hand maiden to oppression of the vulnerable.
At the same time, on Oct. 2, in Washington D.C. (with a satellite action in Seattle) tens of thousands of people, reflecting the real diversity, of our country, came together under the theme “One Nation Working Together”. There is a real battle taking place for the “soul” of America and PSARA intends to be part of the side that works to create what Dr. Martin Luther King described as “The Beloved Community”.
I recently completed Going Down Jericho Road, The Memphis Strike, Martin Luther King’s Last Campaign, by U.W. Professor Michael K. Honey. Michael Honey has given us a gift with this book. The book left me with a much better understanding of the forces at play in the strike by Memphis sanitation workers. It sparked emotions of hope, of deep sadness, and also a sense of what we need to be building for the long haul in order to achieve the vision of “The Beloved Community”.
In Memphis, led by truly heroic African American sanitation workers, a community-wide coalition was forged including the labor movement, led by AFSCME, the union representing the sanitation workers and the Memphis Central Labor Council. Playing a key role in the coalition were the African American Churches and African American civic organizations, most notably the NAACP. This coalition faced off against an unbelievably racist Mayor, Henry Loeb, a predominantly racist and gutless City Council, a white media and a white community that was poisoned with racism and ignorance. The sanitation workers, their union and the African American community stood strong in the face of terrible violence, culminating in the assassination of Dr. King (Honey refers to it as a crucifixion), vilification and betrayal reaching as far as the FBI and the White House. The sanitation workers, the union, and the community won the battle at a huge cost to themselves and to the nation…but they WON!
The lessons from Memphis as well as other successful struggles for social and economic justice are clear. Every activity, every struggle in which PSARA engages we will keep in mind the need to build a broader movement for progressive change. We will work hard to be constructive members of the coalitions to which we commit. By working together with other sectors of the community, we are building the capacity to create a movement for progressive change.
The forces arrayed against us are strong, they have unlimited money, they control the media, and they will try to make us believe that our efforts are hopeless. But if we are determined, brave and smart; if we are genuinely loyal to those with whom we coalesce; if we are prepared to make sacrifices, then we will follow the example of the great victory of the sanitation workers and their allies in Memphis and we will prevail.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Forward? Or Backward? The 2010 Elections
By Robby Stern
The 2008 election created high expectations. The promise of a new forward thinking President and an overwhelmingly Democratic controlled Congress meant we could not only reverse the terrible policies of the abysmal Bush era but we could finally move a progressive agenda. At the state level, many believed the overwhelming Democratic majorities combined with a Democratic governor meant we could address the terrible economic recession in a humane manner that created the least suffering possible.
Disappointment shadows us as we face the 2010 election. There is a significant distance between what we had hoped for and what has occurred. At the state level, the legislature did raise some revenue, but not enough and they lacked the courage to attack the tax breaks that have been handed out like Halloween candy. The continuing tidal wave of revenue shortfalls promises even more devastating cuts.
At the federal level, the stimulus package, while helpful, was not nearly big enough. The health care reform legislation, while historic, could have been so much better and the same can be said about Wall Street Reform legislation.
So many things are still on the table including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the Employee Free Choice Act, the Fair Pay Act, Global Warming legislation and legislation that overturns the terrible Supreme Court decision that handed our electoral process over to the wealthy corporations and Wall Street. We feel these disappointments keenly. But we cannot give in to cynicism and despair. WE MUST BE ACTIVE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION BECAUSE IF WE AREN’T, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR STATE GO IN ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG DIRECTION.
As I am writing this column, the House Republican Caucus just announced their Pledge for our country. They will repeal the health care reform act, retain the tax cuts for the wealthy, scapegoat immigrants, move to privatize Social Security, and cut spending for much needed social programs. They are clear. They are telling us what they will do. They will continue to blame the unemployed for their fate and do as much as they can to weaken organized labor. We can assume, from the filibusters of the Senate Republicans, that they are in lock step with their House Republican colleagues. WE MUST DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE GAIN CONTROL OF CONGRESS.
At the state level, both the election of candidates and the initiatives are critical. We are faced with q fundamental question: Who do we want to write the biannual budget for the next two years? It is clear that had the Republicans been in control of the state legislature in 2009-2010, no revenue would have been raised.
On the initiative and referendum front, the choices could not be clearer. I-1107, robs the state of significant revenue raised in the 2010 session – more than $100 million per year by repealing the soda and candy tax. I–1100 and I–1105, privatizing liquor sales, would create an explosion of liquor vendors in our state. In addition, I-1100 would cost state and local governments $275 million over five years and I–1105 would cost more than $700 million over five years. These two initiatives would also eliminate approximately 800 good family wage jobs for workers represented by UFCW 21. I–1053 is Tim Eyeman’s initiative and would absolutely tie the hands of legislators who might want to close tax loopholes or raise additional revenue. I–1082 will privatize our Workers Compensation system and turn it over to the likes of AIG and Liberty Mutual. Corporate interests are spending HUGE dollars to pass these five initiatives and boost their profits at the expense of every day working people. They are the “Dirty Five” and PSARA recommends a “No” vote on each one of them.
Much has been written about I–1098, the high income tax initiative. This could be the biggest assistance in the history of our state to revenue for education and health care since our regressive tax system was developed. The initiative is fair. It supports those things we most value. I–1098 presents us an historic opportunity. Finally, R–52 addresses two desperate needs; 1. It creates between 30,000 & 40,000 jobs and 2. It will allow the long overdue physical upgrading of our educational infrastructure.
Will we continue create the groundwork, giving us the opportunity to move forward? Or will the forces and interests who will take us backward achieve a victory in this election? The answer is up to us!
The 2008 election created high expectations. The promise of a new forward thinking President and an overwhelmingly Democratic controlled Congress meant we could not only reverse the terrible policies of the abysmal Bush era but we could finally move a progressive agenda. At the state level, many believed the overwhelming Democratic majorities combined with a Democratic governor meant we could address the terrible economic recession in a humane manner that created the least suffering possible.
Disappointment shadows us as we face the 2010 election. There is a significant distance between what we had hoped for and what has occurred. At the state level, the legislature did raise some revenue, but not enough and they lacked the courage to attack the tax breaks that have been handed out like Halloween candy. The continuing tidal wave of revenue shortfalls promises even more devastating cuts.
At the federal level, the stimulus package, while helpful, was not nearly big enough. The health care reform legislation, while historic, could have been so much better and the same can be said about Wall Street Reform legislation.
So many things are still on the table including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the Employee Free Choice Act, the Fair Pay Act, Global Warming legislation and legislation that overturns the terrible Supreme Court decision that handed our electoral process over to the wealthy corporations and Wall Street. We feel these disappointments keenly. But we cannot give in to cynicism and despair. WE MUST BE ACTIVE IN THE UPCOMING ELECTION BECAUSE IF WE AREN’T, OUR COUNTRY AND OUR STATE GO IN ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG DIRECTION.
As I am writing this column, the House Republican Caucus just announced their Pledge for our country. They will repeal the health care reform act, retain the tax cuts for the wealthy, scapegoat immigrants, move to privatize Social Security, and cut spending for much needed social programs. They are clear. They are telling us what they will do. They will continue to blame the unemployed for their fate and do as much as they can to weaken organized labor. We can assume, from the filibusters of the Senate Republicans, that they are in lock step with their House Republican colleagues. WE MUST DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO NOT LET THESE PEOPLE GAIN CONTROL OF CONGRESS.
At the state level, both the election of candidates and the initiatives are critical. We are faced with q fundamental question: Who do we want to write the biannual budget for the next two years? It is clear that had the Republicans been in control of the state legislature in 2009-2010, no revenue would have been raised.
On the initiative and referendum front, the choices could not be clearer. I-1107, robs the state of significant revenue raised in the 2010 session – more than $100 million per year by repealing the soda and candy tax. I–1100 and I–1105, privatizing liquor sales, would create an explosion of liquor vendors in our state. In addition, I-1100 would cost state and local governments $275 million over five years and I–1105 would cost more than $700 million over five years. These two initiatives would also eliminate approximately 800 good family wage jobs for workers represented by UFCW 21. I–1053 is Tim Eyeman’s initiative and would absolutely tie the hands of legislators who might want to close tax loopholes or raise additional revenue. I–1082 will privatize our Workers Compensation system and turn it over to the likes of AIG and Liberty Mutual. Corporate interests are spending HUGE dollars to pass these five initiatives and boost their profits at the expense of every day working people. They are the “Dirty Five” and PSARA recommends a “No” vote on each one of them.
Much has been written about I–1098, the high income tax initiative. This could be the biggest assistance in the history of our state to revenue for education and health care since our regressive tax system was developed. The initiative is fair. It supports those things we most value. I–1098 presents us an historic opportunity. Finally, R–52 addresses two desperate needs; 1. It creates between 30,000 & 40,000 jobs and 2. It will allow the long overdue physical upgrading of our educational infrastructure.
Will we continue create the groundwork, giving us the opportunity to move forward? Or will the forces and interests who will take us backward achieve a victory in this election? The answer is up to us!
Friday, September 3, 2010
We will ally with those who fight to create investment in America.
By Robby Stern
More and more workers are losing their jobs. The “recovery” is weak and faltering. These are ominous tidings. How to address this economic crisis was a hot topic at the just completed Washington State Labor Council convention in Tacoma. Policy makers and our nation as a whole must address fundamental questions: Do we want a manufacturing base in our country? Do we want a growing middle class rather than a declining middle class?
One thoughtful presentation at the convention asserted that any hope to achieve an economic recovery requires the immediate implementation by the federal government of a five point plan:
1. Take care of families hard hit by the downturn,
2. Rebuild America’s infrastructure.
3. Help state and local governments meet pressing needs
4. Put people back to work doing work that needs to be done
5. Ease the credit crunch for small and medium sized businesses.
Compare this five point program with the prevailing agenda of a large sector of the economic elite in our country: deregulate, privatize, globalize and dismantle the safety net. They care little about the promise of the social contract -- that working hard and playing by the rules will yield real opportunities for good quality of life for families and communities.
Our state and country need an industrial investment program that requires coordinated economic development, quality job creation, raising the standard of living and committing to a higher quality of life for the people of our country. We have to move beyond the goal of industry success at any cost. That narrow goal leads to policies that facilitate off-shoring of jobs, a phenomenon we have seen expand exponentially in the last four decades, leading to the loss of quality jobs in our country.
PSARA will join with those who push governments to implement programs that have as their goal raising the standard of living and quality of life for the majority of people while helping to build stronger communities. Government policies need to encourage investment in America. Unfortunately, the trend is just the opposite.
As an organization, we will ally ourselves with organizations and communities that fight to create investment in America. At the state level, we will join with those who want to bar contracting of state services offshore. We will work for transparency to identify those companies who get taxpayer dollars and then offshore jobs. We will avoid the trap that identifies Washington as the most trade dependent state in the country and therefore promotes a free trade policy that leads to the deterioration of the standard of living of our residents and of masses of people around the world. We will embrace protecting American jobs and raising the standard of living of our communities. We do not oppose trade, but it must be fair trade that benefits workers all over the world.
As one of the speakers at the State Labor Council convention stated, unfortunately government, which is supposed to be the referee, has instead given the ball to the other team and then joined them. We need government that places as its top agenda item the welfare, standard of living and quality of life of the people of this country and recognizes the terrible price paid by people all over the world as a result of unfettered and unregulated free trade.
The road ahead looks tough but the road to real recovery is clear. We need an economic investment program that creates millions of good paying jobs and that rebuilds our declining infrastructure and industrial capacity. We are the majority and we must mobilize smartly to assure a decent future for ourselves and the generations to come.
Back to Home
More and more workers are losing their jobs. The “recovery” is weak and faltering. These are ominous tidings. How to address this economic crisis was a hot topic at the just completed Washington State Labor Council convention in Tacoma. Policy makers and our nation as a whole must address fundamental questions: Do we want a manufacturing base in our country? Do we want a growing middle class rather than a declining middle class?
One thoughtful presentation at the convention asserted that any hope to achieve an economic recovery requires the immediate implementation by the federal government of a five point plan:
1. Take care of families hard hit by the downturn,
2. Rebuild America’s infrastructure.
3. Help state and local governments meet pressing needs
4. Put people back to work doing work that needs to be done
5. Ease the credit crunch for small and medium sized businesses.
Compare this five point program with the prevailing agenda of a large sector of the economic elite in our country: deregulate, privatize, globalize and dismantle the safety net. They care little about the promise of the social contract -- that working hard and playing by the rules will yield real opportunities for good quality of life for families and communities.
Our state and country need an industrial investment program that requires coordinated economic development, quality job creation, raising the standard of living and committing to a higher quality of life for the people of our country. We have to move beyond the goal of industry success at any cost. That narrow goal leads to policies that facilitate off-shoring of jobs, a phenomenon we have seen expand exponentially in the last four decades, leading to the loss of quality jobs in our country.
PSARA will join with those who push governments to implement programs that have as their goal raising the standard of living and quality of life for the majority of people while helping to build stronger communities. Government policies need to encourage investment in America. Unfortunately, the trend is just the opposite.
As an organization, we will ally ourselves with organizations and communities that fight to create investment in America. At the state level, we will join with those who want to bar contracting of state services offshore. We will work for transparency to identify those companies who get taxpayer dollars and then offshore jobs. We will avoid the trap that identifies Washington as the most trade dependent state in the country and therefore promotes a free trade policy that leads to the deterioration of the standard of living of our residents and of masses of people around the world. We will embrace protecting American jobs and raising the standard of living of our communities. We do not oppose trade, but it must be fair trade that benefits workers all over the world.
As one of the speakers at the State Labor Council convention stated, unfortunately government, which is supposed to be the referee, has instead given the ball to the other team and then joined them. We need government that places as its top agenda item the welfare, standard of living and quality of life of the people of this country and recognizes the terrible price paid by people all over the world as a result of unfettered and unregulated free trade.
The road ahead looks tough but the road to real recovery is clear. We need an economic investment program that creates millions of good paying jobs and that rebuilds our declining infrastructure and industrial capacity. We are the majority and we must mobilize smartly to assure a decent future for ourselves and the generations to come.
Back to Home
Friday, July 30, 2010
Robby on the issues ...
Social Security: Principles - and a Pledge
By Robby Stern
As a significant number of Democratic and Republican politicians prepare the political landscape to apply the “Shock Doctrine” of cuts in life-line services to the American people, organizations across the country are preparing to fight back.
The ruling elites in many European countries are also using this world wide economic crisis to attack the entitlement programs and living standards of working people. Recent general strikes in Italy and Greece demonstrate the determination of people to put the blame where it belongs – the banks, financial institutions and investment houses that have caused this terrible recession. Yet rather than holding the wealthy interests accountable, many politicians are increasing the misery of working and poor people by cutting programs for which we have paid all of our working lives.
In the U.S., the government has prosecuted two unpopular and unnecessary wars while providing huge tax breaks to the wealthiest in our society. And the deficit chickens have come home to roost. After all this reckless and unnecessary spending, they now want to steal from the Social Security Trust Fund to cut the deficit. These same politicians are also threatening to cut other lifeline programs -- Medicaid, the paltry housing subsidies, education, etc. -- and to privatize government services, gutting the wages and benefits of thousands of public service workers.
In response to the central goal of this elitist agenda, a group of organizations, including PSARA, have coalesced to form Social Security Works / Washington. This new coalition has adopted the following Principles:
We join together in support of the right of Americans to Social Security, a promise made to Americans of all generations. Social Security represents the best of American values – rewarding work, honoring our parents and caring for our neighbors. Social Security was established because American workers demanded it. Social Security belongs to the workers and their families who have worked hard, paid taxes in, and earned its benefits.
Due to a loss of employment, wages, private savings and pensions, Social Security has become more important than ever. It is a legacy we are committed to passing on to future generations. In this, Social Security’s 75th Anniversary year, we are united in support of the following principles:
1. Social Security’s financing is sound, now and into the future. For 75 years, working Americans have paid into the system. Their contributions have both supported benefit payments and built a $2.6 trillion Trust Fund. Social Security did not cause the federal deficit and benefits should not be cut to reduce the deficit.
2. Social Security has stood the test of time. It should not be privatized in whole or in part.
3. Social Security is an insurance policy and as such should not be means-tested. Workers pay for this insurance, and they and their dependents are entitled to it regardless of their income or savings.
4. Social Security provides vital protection to Americans of all income levels against the loss of wages as the result of disability, death, or old age. Those benefits should not be reduced in any way, including changes to the cost of living adjustment or to the benefit formula.
5. Social Security’s retirement age, already scheduled to increase from 66 to 67, should not be raised further. Raising the retirement age constitutes a benefit cut. The present age limits already impose a hardship on Americans who work in physically demanding jobs or those unable to find or keep employment.
6. In order to modernize and strengthen benefits and assure long-term stability for future generations, Congress should act to eliminate the earnings cap on contributions.
7. Social Security’s benefits should be strengthened and modernized to reflect the dignity of all work regardless of income, to better cover health and care costs, and to improve fairness. This can be accomplished by: changing the benefit formula to replace a higher percentage of low earnings; providing a care-giving credit for at least 5 years; guaranteeing elderly survivors 75% of the couple’s benefit; and allowing benefits for state-recognized same-sex couples and family members.
In the spirit of these Principles, the Coalition will ask all Washington’s Congressional delegation and viable candidates for Congress to sign this pledge:
Social Security is the only dependable source of income for retired Americans and supports millions of families through its disability and survivors programs. Every working person pays into it and earns benefits.
For 75 years, Social Security has been America’s most trusted institution. It is frugally administered and soundly financed to continue providing a foundation of economic security for future generations.
In the interests of my constituents – the men, women and children who are Social Security’s current and future beneficiaries – I pledge to:
1. Defend the integrity of Social Security against efforts to reduce its benefits or weaken its protections;
2. Support responsible efforts to strengthen Social Security benefits;
3. Oppose any and all efforts to reduce the federal deficit by failing to fully honor obligations to the Social Security Trust Fund, built by the payroll contributions of working Americans.
To win this fight, we will need the active participation of PSARA members, together with millions of Americans across the country. Join us at the 75th birthday celebration for Social Security on Aug. 16th. Help us as we fight for a decent future for the many generations that deserve the benefits of Social Security.
By Robby Stern
As a significant number of Democratic and Republican politicians prepare the political landscape to apply the “Shock Doctrine” of cuts in life-line services to the American people, organizations across the country are preparing to fight back.
The ruling elites in many European countries are also using this world wide economic crisis to attack the entitlement programs and living standards of working people. Recent general strikes in Italy and Greece demonstrate the determination of people to put the blame where it belongs – the banks, financial institutions and investment houses that have caused this terrible recession. Yet rather than holding the wealthy interests accountable, many politicians are increasing the misery of working and poor people by cutting programs for which we have paid all of our working lives.
In the U.S., the government has prosecuted two unpopular and unnecessary wars while providing huge tax breaks to the wealthiest in our society. And the deficit chickens have come home to roost. After all this reckless and unnecessary spending, they now want to steal from the Social Security Trust Fund to cut the deficit. These same politicians are also threatening to cut other lifeline programs -- Medicaid, the paltry housing subsidies, education, etc. -- and to privatize government services, gutting the wages and benefits of thousands of public service workers.
In response to the central goal of this elitist agenda, a group of organizations, including PSARA, have coalesced to form Social Security Works / Washington. This new coalition has adopted the following Principles:
We join together in support of the right of Americans to Social Security, a promise made to Americans of all generations. Social Security represents the best of American values – rewarding work, honoring our parents and caring for our neighbors. Social Security was established because American workers demanded it. Social Security belongs to the workers and their families who have worked hard, paid taxes in, and earned its benefits.
Due to a loss of employment, wages, private savings and pensions, Social Security has become more important than ever. It is a legacy we are committed to passing on to future generations. In this, Social Security’s 75th Anniversary year, we are united in support of the following principles:
1. Social Security’s financing is sound, now and into the future. For 75 years, working Americans have paid into the system. Their contributions have both supported benefit payments and built a $2.6 trillion Trust Fund. Social Security did not cause the federal deficit and benefits should not be cut to reduce the deficit.
2. Social Security has stood the test of time. It should not be privatized in whole or in part.
3. Social Security is an insurance policy and as such should not be means-tested. Workers pay for this insurance, and they and their dependents are entitled to it regardless of their income or savings.
4. Social Security provides vital protection to Americans of all income levels against the loss of wages as the result of disability, death, or old age. Those benefits should not be reduced in any way, including changes to the cost of living adjustment or to the benefit formula.
5. Social Security’s retirement age, already scheduled to increase from 66 to 67, should not be raised further. Raising the retirement age constitutes a benefit cut. The present age limits already impose a hardship on Americans who work in physically demanding jobs or those unable to find or keep employment.
6. In order to modernize and strengthen benefits and assure long-term stability for future generations, Congress should act to eliminate the earnings cap on contributions.
7. Social Security’s benefits should be strengthened and modernized to reflect the dignity of all work regardless of income, to better cover health and care costs, and to improve fairness. This can be accomplished by: changing the benefit formula to replace a higher percentage of low earnings; providing a care-giving credit for at least 5 years; guaranteeing elderly survivors 75% of the couple’s benefit; and allowing benefits for state-recognized same-sex couples and family members.
In the spirit of these Principles, the Coalition will ask all Washington’s Congressional delegation and viable candidates for Congress to sign this pledge:
Social Security is the only dependable source of income for retired Americans and supports millions of families through its disability and survivors programs. Every working person pays into it and earns benefits.
For 75 years, Social Security has been America’s most trusted institution. It is frugally administered and soundly financed to continue providing a foundation of economic security for future generations.
In the interests of my constituents – the men, women and children who are Social Security’s current and future beneficiaries – I pledge to:
1. Defend the integrity of Social Security against efforts to reduce its benefits or weaken its protections;
2. Support responsible efforts to strengthen Social Security benefits;
3. Oppose any and all efforts to reduce the federal deficit by failing to fully honor obligations to the Social Security Trust Fund, built by the payroll contributions of working Americans.
To win this fight, we will need the active participation of PSARA members, together with millions of Americans across the country. Join us at the 75th birthday celebration for Social Security on Aug. 16th. Help us as we fight for a decent future for the many generations that deserve the benefits of Social Security.
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