USuncutMN says: Tax the corporations! Tax the rich! Stop the cuts, fight for social justice for all. Standing in solidarity with http://www.usuncut.org/ and other Uncutters worldwide. FIGHT for a Foreclosure Moratorium! Foreclosure = homelessness. Resist the American Legislative Exchange Council, Grover Norquist and Citizen's United. #Austerity for the wheeler dealers, NOT the people.



We Are The 99% event

USuncutMN supports #occupyWallStreet, #occupyDC, the XL Pipeline resistance Yes, We, the People, are going to put democracy in all its forms up front and center. Open mic, diversity, nonviolent tactics .. Social media, economic democracy, repeal Citizen's United, single-payer healthcare, State Bank, Operation Feed the Homeless, anti-racism, homophobia, sexISM, war budgetting, lack of transparency, et al. Once we identify who we are and what we've lost, We can move forward.



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Showing posts with label budget cuts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget cuts. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2011

Evergreen offers up these "funnies" Thank you!


Tony Auth

David Horsey

Jim Day

Ben Sargent

RJ Matson

Joel Pett
Posted by USuncutMN at 7:11 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, June 15, 2011

THE MESSAGE MINNESOTA, this is a one page flyer

Tax the Richest 2% to Prevent Reckless Cuts to
Public Services
The Republican all-cuts budget is the wrong choice for Minnesota.
It protects the richest 2% and large corporations at the expense of everybody else... 
Working Minnesotans: It will slash 30,000 public and private sector jobs when 200,000 Minnesotans are already unemployed. 
The Middle Class: It will increase property taxes on homeowners, renters and small businesses by more than $1.4 billion over the next four years. 
Safe Communities: It will reduce supervision for offenders on probation, and cut support for battered women and crime victims. 
Students: It will slash public colleges and universities by $411 million when more students need an affordable education to succeed in a tough economy.  
Seniors: It will hit seniors hard with higher property taxes, and slash their critical transit services and health care. 
The Sick, Disabled and Vulnerable: It will take away health care from 140,000 Minnesotans and eliminate crisis support
for 20,000 disabled adults in poverty.

Call your state legislators: 1-855-508-6472
Free call: just punch in your zip code to speak to your legislators.
Tell them to tax the richest 2% to avoid a government shutdown and risky cuts to public services.
It’s time to stand up!

An injury to one is an injury to all.


Enogh is enough.  It's time to Chop from the Top!


We will win!  You can't run a government that doesn't have enough revenue coming in.


Revolution 2.0 will be shared, "liked" and tweeted.  We will win!
www. USuncutMN.blogspot.com


FIGHT BACK Rally, Minnesota State Capitol, 
Thursday, June 30th, 3 - 7 pm




Posted by USuncutMN at 11:25 PM 1 comments
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Dennis Kucinich: When I was hungry, you gave me food, not a tax break + Marcy Kaptur and Jerrold Nadler

http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/dennis-kucinich-when-i-was-hungry-you-gave-me-food-not-a-tax-break/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DandelionSalad+%28Dandelion+Salad%29

Posted on June 14, 2011 by dandelionsalad
Yummy!
Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr
Updated: June 15 added another video
 on Jun 14, 2011
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today took to the House floor to defend the food program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) in need, citing our history of a compassionate nation.
“When I was hungry, you gave me food. You didn’t give me war. You didn’t give me a tax break; you didn’t give me an oil depletion allowance. When I was hungry, you gave me food.”
***
 on Jun 14, 2011
***
Updated
 on Jun 15, 2011
Congressman Nadler opposes Republican efforts to cut food assistance for low- and moderate-income women, infants, and children (the WIC program). Nearly 50% of babies born each year in the U.S. rely on WIC to get a healthy start in life. Yet Republicans, who oppose extending unemployment benefits to those most in need, now want to remove vital support for the families of the unemployed. This bill says: “let them starve.”
Shockingly, at the same time that Republicans want to let vulnerable women and children starve, they are promoting tax breaks for billionaires and oil companies. If, instead, we were to halt these unnecessary tax giveaways for just one week, we could reverse these terrible cuts to the WIC program.
see
Posted by USuncutMN at 6:54 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Economic myths and realities: (UK) FALSE ECONOMY - Why cuts are the wrong cure

THE WRONG CURE

Economic myths and realities


Our guide to common economic myths – and the essential articles and blog posts that debunk them. Let us know if we've missed anything.
MYTH 1: The government's deep, rapid spending cuts are the best (or only) way to shrink the deficit.
REALITY: Cameron's government inherited a recovering economy and falling deficit. Since then the economy has stagnated and the deficit has grown.
LINKS:
MYTH 2: Osborne has saved us from the same fate as Ireland, Portugal and Greece.
REALITY: Britain wasn't in the same position as Ireland, Portugal or Greece to start with. But by mimicking their failed austerity policies, Osborne is taking us closer to economic disaster.
LINKS:
MYTH 3: The cuts aren’t that bad.
REALITY: Pro-cuts commentators fiddle the figures by adding the "costs of recession" – extra debt interest and dole payments – onto public service spending. Strip out the former and it's clear the latter is being cut savagely. 
LINKS:
MYTH 4: Government policies are promoting growth.
REALITY: Official figures show the government has strangled a tentative recovery. GDP forecasts have been repeatedly revised down, and the government's "pro-growth" initiatives are feeble.
LINKS:
MYTH 5: The government is rebalancing the economy and will make us less dependent on debt.
REALITY: Osborne claims to be against high levels of both public and private debt. But official forecasts for increased growth rely on us taking on much more personal debt.
LINKS:
MYTH 6: Increased exports will compensate for cuts.
REALITY: "The reliance on trade to boost the economy has been a persistent feature of UK forecasts for the past decade – and they have been persistently wrong.” – Financial Times.
LINKS:
MYTH 7: The government is sorting out the banks with the same urgency that it is cutting the public sector.
REALITY: Osborne's bark has proved much worse than his bite when it comes to clamping down on obscene bonuses, or structural reform to avoid another banking crash.
LINKS:
MYTH 8: The current crisis is the result of the last government's overspending.
REALITY: As the graph in our "How big is the deficit?" section shows, it was the recession – and the resulting collapse in tax receipts – that caused the deficit to soar. 
LINKS:
MYTH 9: Britain's public debt is exceptionally high – historically and in comparison with other countries.
REALITY: Neither claim is true, as illustrated by our “How big is the problem?” graphs and the links below.
MYTH 10: The theory of "expansionary fiscal contraction" explains how cuts will help the economy grow.
REALITY: Even the IMF – in a comprehensive study – found the evidence for this threadbare.
LINKS:
MYTH 11: The way to promote growth is to cut workers' pay and conditions.
REALITY: Analysts from across the political spectrum agree that falling wages for those on low-to-middle incomes helped cause the crash.
LINKS:
MYTH 12: Spending cuts are less harmful to the economy than tax rises.
REALITY: Official figures show spending cuts have a larger impact on GDP than tax rises. They also show policies that take money away from lower earners hit the economy harder than those that target high earners.
LINKS:
MYTH 13: Corporation tax cuts promote growth.
REALITY: If Osborne was so concerned to cut the deficit he wouldn't be reducing tax receipts by cutting corporation tax. There may be arguments for other tax cuts – like VAT – but research shows only a weak relationship between corporation tax and growth.
LINKS:
MYTH 14: The 50p tax rate on earnings over £150,000 will lead to a lower tax take for the Treasury.
REALITY: Advocates of this argument assume a substantial number of high-rate taxpayers will leave the UK due to this tax. There is no evidence for this.
LINKS:
MYTH 15: Global opinion agrees with Nick (and George and Dave).
REALITY: Many other governments and international organisations – even conservative ones – balk at the UK's dash for austerity.
LINKS:
MYTH 16: We can't blame the government for our stagnating economy – other countries are in the same boat.
REALITY: Britain has slid down the global growth table and now languishes near the bottom.
LINKS:
MYTH 17: We’re all in this together.
REALITY: Our section on "How cuts will make Britain more unfair" summarises the unequal effect of the cuts, with more detail provided by the links below.
LINKS:

Posted by USuncutMN at 8:42 AM 0 comments
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Monday, June 6, 2011

Wisconsin Protesters Erect 'Walkerville' Tent City To Protest Scott Walker's Budget Cuts

Amanda Terkel
Amanda Terkel aterkel@huffingtonpost.com

est Scott Walker's Budget Cuts

Walkerville

WASHINGTON -- In February and March, thousands of protesters flooded the Wisconsin Capitol, sleeping in the building overnight and filling the dome with their chants to bring attention to Gov. Scott Walker's (R) attempt to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Now, some of those same individuals are taking the fight to the grounds around the Capitol, erecting a tent city to pay witness to the legislature's budget negotiations.

"It's pretty tough for these politicians to ignore us when we're right there," said Peter Rickman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law student and Teaching Assistants' Association member who is helping to organize the event. "It is a galvanizing, symbolic action of working folks standing up and saying enough is enough."

Rickman told The Huffington Post there were around 100 tents set up Saturday night around the Capitol in downtown Madison. The tent city is being called "Walkerville," reminiscent of the "Hooverville" shanty towns set up by homeless Americans during the Great Depression.

Organizers have a permit to stay there until June 20. The intent, however, is to remain as long as as the budget negotiations are going on inside the Capitol.

Each day will highlight a particular group of individuals organizers argue will be most affected by cuts in the budget.

Sunday is about K-12 education; Monday will focus on public services; and Tuesday will be about health care. So on Sunday night, for example, there will be a public forum about the cuts in the budget to education, and on Monday, organizers are expecting a heavy turnout from sanitation workers, firefighters and other public employees.

‪Mary Bell, an educator from Wisconsin Rapids and the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, stayed in Walkerville on Saturday night. When reached by phone by The Huffington Post on Sunday, she was at a "teach-in" booth letting people know about the education cuts in the budget.‬


Amanda Terkel
Amanda Terkel aterkel@huffingtonpost.com Become a fan of this reporter
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Wisconsin Protesters Erect 'Walkerville' Tent City To Protest Scott Walker's Budget Cuts

Walkerville

WASHINGTON -- In February and March, thousands of protesters flooded the Wisconsin Capitol, sleeping in the building overnight and filling the dome with their chants to bring attention to Gov. Scott Walker's (R) attempt to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights. Now, some of those same individuals are taking the fight to the grounds around the Capitol, erecting a tent city to pay witness to the legislature's budget negotiations. 

"It's pretty tough for these politicians to ignore us when we're right there," said Peter Rickman, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law student and Teaching Assistants' Association member who is helping to organize the event. "It is a galvanizing, symbolic action of working folks standing up and saying enough is enough."

Rickman told The Huffington Post there were around 100 tents set up Saturday night around the Capitol in downtown Madison. The tent city is being called "Walkerville," reminiscent of the "Hooverville" shanty towns set up by homeless Americans during the Great Depression. 

Organizers have a permit to stay there until June 20. The intent, however, is to remain as long as as the budget negotiations are going on inside the Capitol. 

Each day will highlight a particular group of individuals organizers argue will be most affected by cuts in the budget. 

Sunday is about K-12 education; Monday will focus on public services; and Tuesday will be about health care. So on Sunday night, for example, there will be a public forum about the cuts in the budget to education, and on Monday, organizers are expecting a heavy turnout from sanitation workers, firefighters and other public employees.

‪Mary Bell, an educator from Wisconsin Rapids and the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, stayed in Walkerville on Saturday night. When reached by phone by The Huffington Post on Sunday, she was at a "teach-in" booth letting people know about the education cuts in the budget.‬
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‪"We had a teach-in with a number of facts, both about the numbers and the impact on local schools around the state -- what it means for communities, kids and an investment system that really returns a great deal for every dollar that's spent to the economy of the state of Wisconsin," she said.‬

‪"As we've been doing our teaching activities, we've had people who are not connected to teaching or public education specifically, who are just asking questions: 'Why are you people here and what is it that's happening?' When we talk to them about what this budget really means, they're leaning, and that's exactly the visibility we're hoping this budget will get."‬

The state's Joint Finance Committee just finished up its work on the budget, and the bill now heads to the full legislature. The budget balances Wisconsin's projected $3 billion shortfall with deep cuts to public schools -- as well as the University of Wisconsin -- but does not raise taxes. Local police and firefighters would also have to pay more for their health care and pensions.

Democrats are objecting to the fact that the cuts public services come on the heels of a tax cut for manufacturers the Joint Finance Committee in the GOP-controlled legislature approved Friday that will cost the state $128 million a year. Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said the budget is laying the groundwork for a "prosperous state." 

Stephanie Bloomingdale, the secretary-treasurer for the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, is camping out across the street from the Capitol with her 11-year-old son Nicholas. 

"Walkerville is a place for families to come together and to stand up for what we believe is right, which is restoring justice, restoring our democracy and working together to achieve a fair economy for all of us," she said. While Bloomingdale was talking to The Huffington Post Sunday afternoon, Nicholas was using magic markers to create a poster for the children's poster contest.

People in the tent city have even been playing "Scottopoly," a Monopoly-like board game with the tagline: "A game of power and influence." Residents of the tent city have food, portable toilets and hand-washing stations available to them, and organizers are encouraging people to support the local businesses around the Capitol.
Rickman stressed that he doesn't expect as many people to turn out for the event as came to the protests during the winter because many of those supporters are now in other parts of the state working on recalling the Republican state senators who supported the controversial collective bargaining measure. 

"One of the things we heard earlier today was there are a lot of people in these recall districts who are really excited by what's happening here," said Rickman. "Instead of coming down to tent city, they're saying, 'I can't come down there, because I've got to go work on Monday,' or 'I've got class on Monday, so I'm going to go out and canvass and hit up the phone bank, because this is a movement with many parts.' And I think that's what's so exciting is that this is turning into yet another phase of the fight-back against the Walker agenda to build support and take action."

Watch a local news report on Walkerville by WISC-TV:

 

The picture attached to this story comes courtesy of Flickr user wisaflcio.


Posted by USuncutMN at 3:40 PM 0 comments
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Friday, June 3, 2011

BUDGET STANDOFF: Blinking? or Blindfolded? TruthToTell w/USuncut, June 7th

TruthToTell, Mon., June 6-9AM: BUDGET STANDOFF: Blinking? or Blindfolded? - KFAI FM 90.3/106.7/KFAI.org

The budget impasse continues as this is written with threats of a state government shutdown on Fiscal Year end – June 30. Will state workers be furloughed on July 1? Many have received notices that, indeed, they will be told to stay home on July 1 in the absence of a budget resolution between DFL Governor Mark Dayton and GOP Legislative majority leadership by the June 30 deadline.
Many citizens find the debate revolving around some seemingly arcane issues, but the looming $5 billion deficit and a Constitutional requirement for a balanced budget underlying the budget talks.
Dayton has already vetoed untold budget and policy bills he finds onerous, and he has cut in half his original request for a tax increase on high-income earners. Dayton considers this a compromise and enough to spawn similar concessions from the Republican majority. They disagree and are stonewalling him for their all-cuts budget. He has asked for a mediator to intercede. They have refused.
We jump into this discussion in the wake of a two-part series of articles authored by MinnPost columnist and political analyst, Eric Black, taking on the fine print in Minnesota’s constitution versus the historical reality of governing in the 21st Century. The so-called shutdown in 2005, when the partisanship was reversed, was essentially ignored, thanks to a judge’s ruling and then-Attorney General Mike Hatch’s insistence that the requirement that “No money shall be paid out of the treasury of this state except in pursuance of an appropriation by law” represent(s) a breach of separation of powers and that “core functions” of government cannot cease.
Memories are short. Few paid attention to the two-week stoppage six years ago, but this year, it could be a nasty cessation of salaries and state services. Resistance abounds to an all-cuts approach to the deficit and to governance, and budget analysts and activists will join us as well to say why.
ERIC BLACK – columnist (EricBlackInk) and political analyst, MinnPost.com
NAN MADDEN – Director, Budget Policy Project, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
VIRGINIA SIMSON – US NoCuts Minnesota activist

Posted by USuncutMN at 6:48 PM 0 comments
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Cutting Kids’ Health Care Will Make Deficits Bigger: David Sirota

Posted on Jun 2, 2011
"It requires us to take the longer view of our deficit challenges, to see certain expenditures as investments in future savings and to remember that adage about “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
By David Sirota

In the name of curtailing deficits, politicians across the country are hacking away at programs that aim to make children healthier. In Congress, for example, House Republicans are spearheading a budget that eviscerates funding for food assistance and effectively defunds the wildly successful Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Similarly, from Texas to California, state lawmakers are chopping children’s health programs in the face of budget shortfalls. In all these initiatives, the rhetorical leitmotif is “fiscal responsibility.”
Like clockwork, this has set off the now-standard ideological debate over values, with liberals arguing that it’s immoral to deny health care to today’s kids and conservatives countering that it’s even more immoral to saddle the next generation with debt. But as highlighted by a new National Bureau of Economic Research report, both sides are ignoring the most important non-ideological fact: Any so-called “deficit reduction” plan that cuts child health programs is almost certain to increase deficits.

The NBER study compared British and American illness rates, controlling for both demographic differences and risk factors like smoking and drinking. It found that (a) we have “much higher” childhood illness rates than our British counterparts, (b) the transmission rate of childhood illnesses into poor health in adults is greater in America than in Britain, and therefore (c) “the origins of poorer adult health among older Americans compared to the English traces back right into the childhood years.” 

In other words, America’s broken private health care system allows kids’ medical afflictions to become far worse in adulthood than they become in Britain—a nation with a government-sponsored universal health care system. 

Remembering that experts say diabetes alone could be a $3 trillion health-cost time bomb in the United States, the NBER study’s underlying message should be clear: If we reduce our country’s minimal efforts to make kids healthier, we will be all but guaranteeing even more deficit-exploding medical problems down the line. 

Those problems, of course, are often more expensive to therapeutically treat in adults than to pre-emptively address in kids. That means any short-term savings achieved by cuts to children’s health care will likely be wiped out by much bigger costs as those less-healthy kids enter adulthood. And don’t forget: Those additional marginal costs are everyone’s concern because they often end up being paid by Medicare (aka taxpayers). 

The NBER study is quick to point out that access to children’s health insurance—universal in Britain, but not in America—may not be the “primary” factor in the discrepancy between our two nations’ health stats. However, it’s possible that health services for pregnant women are acutely involved. 

It’s also possible the results reflect not just differences in health services, but also larger incongruities in everything from food safety regulation to consumer products safety laws to environmental protection. This would suggest that it’s not only ignorant for self-described deficit hawks to cut children’s health programs, but also absurd for them to cite deficits as reason to cut enforcement of public-interest laws.

As obvious as these lessons may seem, appreciating their significance requires a serious attitudinal shift in America. It requires us to take the longer view of our deficit challenges, to see certain expenditures as investments in future savings and to remember that adage about “cutting off your nose to spite your face.” Because while we certainly can get the deficit under control, we cannot achieve such a goal by denying kids health care. 

Doing that will spite the whole country—and make the budget picture far worse.

David Sirota is a best-selling author of the new book “Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live In Now.” He hosts the morning show on AM760 in Colorado. E-mail him at ds@davidsirota.com, follow him on Twitter @davidsirota or visit his website at www.davidsirota.com.

Posted by USuncutMN at 12:29 PM 0 comments
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- Governor Dayton's nine veto messages link -

Governor Dayton vetoes budget bills, calls for balanced approach and compromise

May 24, 2011

Today, Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the nine budget bills passed by the Republican legislature in the closing days of session, and returned the bills along with veto messages outlining areas of both agreement and concern.
 
In his veto letters, Governor Dayton outlined the stark differences and the need for compromise:
 
“Each of us started our budget proposals by making a choice.  I chose a balanced approach to our budget; one that included both significant cuts, but asked the top two percent of Minnesotans to pay more to ensure our quality of life and the services millions of Minnesotans depend on.  My approach chooses not to balance the budget on the backs of the other ninety-eight percent of Minnesotans.
 
“In the spirit of compromise, more than one week ago, I cut my proposal in half, in the hopes that an offer to meet in the middle would spur action towards the balanced solution the people of Minnesota have asked for.
          
“Instead, you chose to present me with an all-cuts approach, one that has serious consequences for Minnesotans, and that I do not believe is in line with our shared commitment to build a better Minnesota.
 
“From the beginning of this legislative session, it has been clear that compromise would be necessary to balance our state’s budget.  In November, Minnesotans voted for a divided government, and I believe, in their wisdom, they did so because they want part of what each of us has to offer, and they want us to work together to solve the state’s budget crisis and build a better Minnesota.
 
“Compromise is never easy, because each person must give up something that is important.  Compromise requires us to agree to items that we don’t agree with.  That is the only way we will reconcile our differences on the state’s budget.  I am returning this and the other budget bills to you with the hope that you will choose to work with me, to find a fair, responsible, and balanced solution.”
 
Governor Dayton released his budget proposal on February 15, 2011.  Since that time, he has twice revised his budget in search of compromise.  Last night, as the legislature adjourned, he noted, “Here we are, on the last night of session --- I’m in the middle, and they haven’t moved.” 
 
###
The nine veto messages are attached below.

Education
Environment
HHS
Higher Education
Jobs
Public Safety
State Government
Tax
Transportation
 
Posted by USuncutMN at 11:55 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, June 2, 2011

US Uncut – No Cuts Until Corporate Tax Cheats Pay Up!

US Uncut - No Cuts Until Corporate Tax Cheats Pay Up!
http://usuncut.org/actions/howto
http://usuncut.org/about
US Uncut is a grassroots movement taking direct action against corporate tax cheats and unnecessary and unfair public service cuts across the U.S. Washington’s proposed budget for the coming year sends a clear message: The wrath of budget cuts will fall upon the shoulders of hard-working Americans. That’s unacceptable.

Posted by USuncutMN at 10:40 PM 0 comments
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Monday, April 18, 2011

For Tax Day, US Uncut Asks Americans to Hold Corporate Tax Dodgers Accountable

http://www.thenation.com/blog/159996/tax-day-us-uncut-asks-americans-hold-corporate-tax-dodgers-accountable


In honor of tax day, US Uncut is launching nationwide actions in over 100 separate cities. The group is calling upon Americans to resist an unfair taxation system that permits wealthy people and corporations to dodge paying their fair share while poor people are expected to suffer under cuts in their health services and educational systems.

About the Author

Allison Kilkenny
Allison Kilkenny is the co-host of the progressive political podcast Citizen Radio (wearecitizenradio.com) and...

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US Uncut stresses the problem of tax dodging is systemic. According to the Government Accountability Office, 83 of the top 100 US companies use tax havens to dodge taxes.
“Why are we cutting $400 million from local law enforcement funding, while corporations like GE, Verizon, Bank of America, and FedEx continue to get away with not paying any taxes year after year?” asked Carl Gibson of US Uncut Mississippi, “If GE alone paid their fair share of taxes, then we could ‘uncut’ nearly $2 billion in job training programs. Do we want good jobs in America or do we want tax cheats?”
Today, on the anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride, Boston activists are planning a March for Common Sense with rallying cries such as: “The Cuts are coming! The Cuts are coming!”
Earl James, an unemployed veteran and US Uncut support, wants tax revenue invested in domestic programs rather than hidden in offshore bank accounts.
“I’m a veteran that’s been unemployed for over 99 months now, and on the same day I heard about GE’s tax evasion, I got a letter saying my VA benefits were being reduced... Why not invest in jobs for veterans and VA benefits for those who served instead of letting tax cheats like GE’s Jeffrey Immelt get away with cheating our country?"
In Washington DC, a Power Shift flash mob led by US Uncut’s Carl Gibson, successfully shut down a BP gas station. The protest was in response to BP’s $9.9 billion tax credit from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which nearly matches the EPA’s entire annual operating budget.
Additionally, budget cut protests continue across the country. Rain couldn’t stop more than 150 protesters from participating in a show of solidarity outside the Mercer County Courthouse in Pennsylvania this weekend. The state is set for a cut of $1.2 billion to education under Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget plan.
"You just can't balance the budget on the backs of the working people in the country or in the state," said Chaz Rice, Chair of the Mercer Democratic Committee.
Students in Katy, Texas have chosen a different approach to protesting. Following two days of protest last week at multiple campuses, the students are now engaging in a letter writing campaign to lawmakers in Austin. Katy ISD faces a $50 million budget shortfall due to state budget cuts.
In New Jersey, union leaders have called for members to protest the firing of Paterson’s 125 police officers (a quarter of the city’s total force). The city has already eliminated 392 municipal workers. In the meantime, eighteen Guardian Angels (read: unarmed civilians) are patrolling the city. Mayor Jeffery Jones says the Angels can play a “significant role” in public safety. The group “keeps an eye on neighborhoods, breaks up fights, and makes citizen arrests.”
The effects of the budget cuts have already been manifesting in ugly ways. In Kentucky, job losses and foreclosures have resulted in a spike of homelessness. With the state unable (or unwilling) to fill the void, the homeless turn to shelters. Unfortunately, with so many in need, the shelters can’t keep up. The Salvation Army in Paducah has had to send families (married couples only) to go live in the woods, armed with nothing more than tents.

Posted by USuncutMN at 9:52 AM 0 comments
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