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DEMOCRATIC
SOCIALISTS
OF
AMERICA
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June 16,
2010
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NEWS FROM DSA |
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A Jobs Crisis Without
Outrage?
It
is simply amazing that hardly anyone in Washington is fully engaged in pushing
for job creating legislation. At least 8,000,000 jobs
have been lost since the recession began. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps a
million, public employees in state and local government face layoffs as a result
of budget cuts caused by reduced tax revenues as a consequence of all the lost
jobs. Unless something is done it is entirely possible, even likely that we will
face a double dip recession resulting in even more job
losses.
The
fact is that we are losing an ideological struggle in Washington. The deficit
hawks in both parties argue that too much is being spent. They have prevented
extensions of unemployment and subsidized COBRA for the unemployed. They have
blocked extending unemployment to distressed workers beyond 99 weeks in states
with high unemployment. And they have discourage the passage of new job
creating legislation that would provide localities with new funds to prevent
public employee layoffs and generate job growth in the private sector.
New York Times Columnist Bob
Herbert described the problem well in his June 14th column.
The deficit hawks are a problem in the House
and Senate. Although because of senate rules they are more of a problem in the
Senate.
We must
act now to counter the deficit hawks and push for job creating legislation and
other measures that would help restore the
economy.
The American Jobs and
Closing Tax Loopholes Act is a jobs bill our economy
needs. It is not enough, but it is something the Senate
should pass. Today the Senate is scheduled to vote on a key procedural
motion--an up or down vote on the legislation. Please call or
email your senators to urge them to support an up or down vote
on the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. To contact your senators you
can call the congressional switchboard 202-224-3121 and ask for your senator by
name or you can email them through the Senate web site.
Jobs legislation
and community action in support of job creation and against budget cuts should be a priority for every DSAer. We will do our best to
keep you posted on legislation and action.
In solidarity,
Frank Llewellyn National Director |
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Paid for by the Democratic
Socialists of America , 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 505, New York, NY
10038. |
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