Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Blog

Candlelight Campaign against Cuts

Hundreds of working people joined together with religious leaders and community members on Monday, December 10, in Appleton, Janesville, Kenosha, La Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids to urge Congress to end tax cuts for the rich and protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in the ongoing fiscal cliff budget showdown.

At candlelight vigils, carnation vigils, and marches across the state Wisconsinites urged elected representatives to hold the line in the lame duck session and fully preserve vital programs like Social Security and Medicare that millions of Americans depend on. 

“In one of the most prosperous countries in the world, everyone should be able to retire with health and dignity,” said Sue Conard, a retired nurse from La Crosse. “Working families across the country have made it clear that we need to protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security benefits. Millions of working people, jobless people and retirees shouldn’t have to sacrifice their health care and retirement security so that the richest 2% can continue getting more tax breaks. It’s time for our elected leaders to focus on creating an economy that invests in jobs, healthcare and education for all.”

At a carnation vigil in Milwaukee, Rev. Willie Brisco, President of MICAH, made clear this is a bi-partisan issue:

“all parties need to come together to solve our countries problems and do what is good for the people.  We have people deciding if they can eat or if they can go to the doctor.  No more cuts, make the rich pay their fair share and let’s come together as one nation, one people.” 

Ed Jude, a Vietnam veteran from Milwaukee, explained, “my daughter suffers from sickle cell anemia and is in the hospital every few months for a blood transfer.  Should she be without BadgerCare?  No.  What would happen to her children?  I did not serve my country so that people with the least go without so that the people with the most can line their pockets.  I am calling on Sen. Kohl to do the right thing, pledge not to support any deal with cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid."  

Since the election, working people in Wisconsin have been mobilizing around the lame duck session to raise our voices as one and encourage our elected leaders to put partisan politics aside and the American people first. The House GOP plan is the same agenda that voters rejected last November.  It is time for Congress to listen to the will of the voters and raise taxes on the top 2% as well as protect Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

 

Actions took place today outside the Wisconsin offices of Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Herb Kohl, Rep. Ron Kind, Rep. Reid Ribble and Rep. Paul Ryan. 

JOIN US December 10: Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts

We just had an election in which one candidate, Mitt Romney, proposed to lower tax rates for the richest 2% of Americans and cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. He lost.

Now, we are asking Congress to respect the will of the voters by promising to:

1.    Let the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans expire.

2.   Oppose benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Join us around the state on Monday, December 10 as we participate in a Candlelight Campaign Against Cuts to lobby our Congressperson to do what is right for the American people during the lame duck congressional session. 

• Appleton: 4:00 p.m. candlelight vigil outside Rep. Ribble's Appleton office at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, 333 W. College Ave., Appleton.

• Janesville: 4:00 p.m. candlelight vigil outside Rep. Ryan’s Office, 20 South Main St., Janesville, WI 53545.

• Kenosha: 4:00 p.m. candlelight vigil outside of Rep. Ryan’s Kenosha office, 5455 Sheridan Rd., Kenosha, WI 53140.

• La Crosse: 4:00 p.m. candlelight vigil outside Rep. Kind's office, 205 Fifth Avenue South, La Crosse, WI 54601.

• Madison:  4:00 p.m. candlelight vigil at Sen. Kohl’s office, 14 W. Mifflin St., Madison, WI 53703.

• Milwaukee:  10:00 a.m. carnation vigil at Senator Herb Kohl’s office, 310 W. Wisconsin Ave.  Followed by a march to Senator Ron Johnson’s office.
  

• Wausau:  12:00 p.m., 400 block of downtown Wausau.  Sing Christmas Carols about jobs and hand out pieces of coal from Rep. Duffy for his lack of worker-friendly legislation this session.

• Wisconsin Rapids: 3:00 p.m. candlelight vigil outside Laborer's Hall, 220 Johnson St., 54493.

Make your voice heard; join us at an action near you on Monday, December 10.

Take Action: Call Congress for Jobs, Not Cuts

President Obama and Congress are negotiating a deficit reduction deal right now. Nationwide citizens are calling their

Call Congress at 888-659-9401. Tell them NO cuts to Social Security and Medicare. NO tax cuts for the rich. 

Our elected leaders need to put partisan politics aside and do what is right for middle class Americans.  That means asking the wealthy to pay their fair say and protecting vital programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Let's make out voices heard as one, call 888-659-9401 today!

"Fuzzy Math" from Republicans

The following is a December 3, 2012 statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka on Republican budget letter to President Obama:

Republicans in Congress are not in touch with their constituents. They do not seem to understand that they lost the last election because voters rejected their agenda.

And now they are recycling more of the same agenda that was overwhelmingly rejected in November: lower tax rates for the richest Americans and benefit cuts for Social Security and Medicare.

Today the House Republican leadership put forward a plan that would squander trillions of dollars by extending tax cuts for the richest 2% of Americans and lowering top tax rates even further.

Speaker Boehner claims this proposal is a “compromise” because it includes $800 billion in tax revenues from closing unspecified “loopholes.”  But this is the same “fuzzy math” that Gov. Romney tried to sell in the last presidential campaign.  We know from the debate over Gov. Romney’s plan that this sort of “loophole closing” either increases taxes on the middle class or increases the deficit.

At the same time, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is proposing benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Friday, he argued for cutting Social Security COLAs, raising the eligibility age for Medicare, and increasing premiums for higher-income Medicare beneficiaries.

It is ironic that Republicans unfairly attacked President Obama during the campaign for cutting Medicare, and now they are turning around and proposing Medicare benefits cuts.  This is an agenda that spares the wealthiest Americans from any sacrifice and shifts the burden to working people.

We reject Speaker Boehner’s outlandish claim that this was a “status quo” election.  We reject the Republican agenda of lowering tax rates for rich people and cutting benefits for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  And specifically, we reject cuts in Social Security COLAs, increases in the Medicare eligibility age, increases in Medicare premiums, and any reduction in the top individual income tax rates below 36% and 39.6%.

We challenge Republicans in Congress to heed the lesson of the November election and work with us to put America back to work, raise wages, restore tax fairness, and rebuild the middle class.

Solutions: What Congress Should Do During the Lame-Duck Session

This is a cross-post from the AFL-CIO Blog Now

We have five weeks to tell Congress to let the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2% expire and reject any benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

As Congress deliberates during the "lame-duck" session, benefits for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are being targeted for cuts. Some say benefit cuts are necessary because we face a debt crisis, but working families and their allies strongly reject such claims.

It is true that we face a projected budget imbalance over the long term, but the answer is to tackle the real reasons for this imbalance and not use deficits as an excuse to pursue unrelated agendas. 

Here are a few specific AFL-CIO suggestions that would tackle the true causes of this problem without cutting benefits.

• Stop lowering tax rates for corporations and the wealthy, which balloon the deficit and do little to boost the economy.

• Reign in health care cost growth by making our entire health care system more cost-effective and delivering care in more cost-effective ways, not by shifting costs to individuals.

• Allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices with drug companies.

• Create a robust public option that would offer lower premiums and partner with Medicare to promote cost-saving reforms.

• Eliminate all tax incentives for exporting jobs overseas.

• Let estate and gift tax cuts expire at the end of this year.

• Increase income tax rates for millionaires and billionaires.

• End special low tax rates on income from stocks and bonds.

• Establish a modest tax of less than 1% on Wall Street speculation.

• "Scrap the cap" on Social Security payroll taxes so that people who earn more than $110,100 pay the same rate as everyone else.

 

Ultimately the best way to stabilize the debt over the long term is to put America back to work, raise wages, reduce inequality, rebuild the middle class and make the transition to a 21st century economy.

As Jacob Hacker and Nate Loewentheil of Yale University call for in "Prosperity Economics," invest in infrastructure to grow the economy, enhance economic security for working families to make markets work better and reinvigorate our democracy.

Lame-Duck Session of Congress: Myths and Facts

This is a cross-post from the AFL-CIO Blog Now

In the recently convened "lame-duck" session of Congress, senators and representatives will take on a number of issues that could have major consequences for working families and retirees. Congress is considering benefit cuts for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare and members are looking at cutting taxes for the wealthy even further. Any deal that Congress makes, though, should be based on facts and not the myths that have sprung up around taxes, the deficit and the earned benefit programs. Here are a few of the key myths and the truth behind them.

• Myth: Extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% is important because the economy is weak. Economists agree that cutting taxes on the wealthy is one of the least effective ways to stimulate the economy. A much better use of the $1 trillion cost of those tax cuts would be to invest in infrastructure or extend unemployment benefits. These methods directly infuse cash into economy, creating jobs and raising tax revenue.

• Myth: The corporate income tax rate is one of the highest in the world. Only on paper. The effective tax rate companies actually pay is one of the lowest in the world. Cutting already low corporate tax rates would do little to spur the economy.

• Myth: Medicare is going bankrupt. In fact, the Hospital Insurance fund can pay 100% of promised benefits until 2024 and 87% of costs after that. The other parts of the program are paid for by premium and tax revenues.

• Myth: Social Security is going to cause a debt crisis. Social Security has never added a penny to the deficit or debt. It is funded by a dedicated payroll tax and is fully funded through 2033 if nothing changes. After that it can pay 75% of benefits indefinitely.

• Myth: We need to eliminate taxes on offshore corporate profits so we can stay competitive.  People like the CEOs who make up the “Fix the Debt” coalition claim we need to eliminate taxes on their overseas profits, which is called a “territorial tax system.”  But in fact this proposal would increase the tax incentives for companies to export good job overseas, weakening the U.S. job market and hurting the economy.

These are just a few of the key myths that are seeping into the conventional wisdom in Washington, D.C., and flooding the airwaves and Internet. The best way to combat them is to make sure you know the facts and are ready to respond to falsehoods. Visit our "Myths and Facts" page for a full list of common misinformation being spread about taxes, the deficit, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and the truth behind those myths.

1,061,501 Wisconsinites Could Be Harmed By Lame Duck Congressional Deal to Cut Social Security

Cuts to Medicaid could affect 437,310 children and 146,292 seniors in Wisconsin

According to a new report released by the AFL-CIO, 1,061,501 Wisconsinites could be negatively impacted if Congress attempts cuts to Social Security, including 146,516 people with disabilities and 77,143 children. Of the 1,028,272 Wisconsin residents who get their health care coverage from Medicaid, 437,310 children and 146,292 seniors could be affected if the lame duck Congress makes cuts to Medicaid benefits. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid combined deliver $28.8 billion per year into the Wisconsin economy.
 
As the so-called "fiscal cliff" approaches, members of Congress have suggested cuts to benefits for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, even while calling for renewing tax cuts for the richest 2%. If those tax cuts are renewed, the richest 2% in Wisconsin would receive an average of $32,600 in tax cuts, while the rest of Wisconsin taxpayers would receive an average of $1,350. The 2012 House Republican budget plan would cut federal support to Wisconsin's Medicaid program by at least $15.1 billion over 10 years.
 
Wisconsin working families have been mobilizing around the Lame Duck session and will continue calling on Congress to end tax cuts for the richest 2% and to say no to cuts to benefits for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
 
"We need to protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits and other important programs that support our working families," said Wisconsin ARA leader, Leon Burzynski. "Retirees, people with disabilities and children shouldn't have to suffer because some in Congress want to give more tax breaks to the richest 2%. It's time for the richest 2% to pay their fair share and for our elected officials to strengthen programs that create jobs and rebuild the middle class."
 
Burzynski added, "This is not just about my generation, it's about my kids and grandkids. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are American success stories and promises that we must protect for future generations. We must not leave future generations out in the cold."
 
 
 

Sign Dave's Petition to Rep. Petri Today!

The people of Wisconsin sent a clear message on Election Day - it is time for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthiest few. In Horicon, IAM retiree Dave Berezinski has started a petition urging Rep. Petri to support jobs and strengthen Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Will you sign Dave's petition and ask Congressman Petri to do what’s right for Wisconsin’s working families?

We need our elected officials to support good paying jobs – to invest in our roads, bridges, schools and other infrastructure to get people working again, and strengthen the programs that help middle class families. 

Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are critical to working and middle class families - but some in Congress want to cut taxes for the richest 2% of Americans and pay for it by cutting benefits from Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and other programs that support working families.

Politicians are also talking about raising the retirement age, which would be terrible, especially those working in construction, manufacturing or the service industry—can you imagine working those jobs until you’re 70? People are speaking up all over Wisconsin. 

Add your name to the petition today.

It is time for the wealthiest Americans and big corporations start paying their fair share - now's not the time to cut critical programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

Horicon Retirees Urge Rep. Petri: No Cuts to Medicare, Medcaid and Social Security

On Tuesday, November 13, retirees from the 6th Congressional District gathered in Horicon and told their stories about how they would be hurt if Congress cuts Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to extend George Bush's tax cuts for the top 2%. They signed petitions urging Congressman Petri to protect these critical programs during the ongoing lame duck session of Congress.

"I've spent my life working hard to pay the bills for myself and my family. I believe that every person deserves the chance to retire in dignity. We're writing and calling on Congressman Petri and urging him to stand up for that core American belief," said Dave Berezinski, retired machinist. "Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are too important to families like mine to play politics. It is time to stand up for middle class families and make the top 2% pay their fair share."

"Working families are mobilizing across Wisconsin and across the country to hold their elected officials accountable for the brighter future they promised," said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  "Voters sent a clear message on Election Day – it is time for an economy that works for all of us.  That means protecting programs working families rely on and asking the rich to pay their fair share.” 

Caution: Lame Duck Congress Ahead

We’ve knocked doors and made phone calls together to educate, inform and get out the vote.  We celebrate and take pride in our grassroots effort that helped to elect President Obama and Tammy Baldwin, but we cannot rest.  

The lame duck congressional session has started and we anticipate that Medicare and Social Security will be on the chopping block so that tax cuts for the top 2% can be extended.

Call 888-659-9401 today and tell Congress no more tax cuts for the rich.  No benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

Election Day presented a clear choice between two very different visions for our country and our economy. Voters chose the promise of an America that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few; an America where everyone plays by the same rules. 

We are organizing to hold our elected officials accountable for the brighter future they promised. 

A future where Medicare and Social Security programs are preserved in full for the next generation.  A future where ending the tax cuts for the top 2% of wealthiest Americans is a part of the conversation to reduce our deficit.  A future where every worker’s voice is heard and respected in the workplace.

Call 866-659-9401 today and tell your Congressperson no tax cuts for the top 2%.  No benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.

We need to join together to demand that the President and Congress stand firm against gutting social programs just to fund more exorbitant giveaways to the rich.  Call today!