This week, the Senate will vote on President Obama’s economic stimulus plan—with historic investments in green jobs, health care, and education to get our economy back on track.
But right now, the stimulus doesn’t have the votes to pass.1 Republicans and conservative Democrats are teaming up to strip out the good stuff—college loan assistance, health research, tax cuts for poor folks, and more—in favor of more tax cuts for corporations.2 If they don’t get their way, they’ll block the plan.
Last week, not a single Republican in the House voted for Obama’s plan—they didn’t think voters would ever hold them accountable. That’s why we’re asking folks to pledge now to help run ads after the vote letting the public know where key senators—both Republican and Democrat—came down on the bill. We need to get started now, so politicians and the media know their constituents are paying attention.
President Obama’s plan isn’t perfect, but it’s mostly pretty great:
* Millions of green jobs to double our clean energy production in three years.3
* Affordable health care for the unemployed.4
* The biggest investment in education since World War II—enough to “avert literally hundreds of thousands of teacher layoffs.”5
This is just the opposite of the bank bailout.
But senators from both parties think their constituents aren’t paying attention or are confused about what’s at stake. That’s why they need to know MoveOn members are ready to run ads telling voters whose side they’re on.
If they vote to support the recovery plan, we’ll run ads letting voters know they stood with Obama to create badly needed jobs. And if they oppose it, we’ll make sure voters know that they’re standing in the way of economic help for the rest of us.
Source: MoveOn.org
One Response
Julia Hodges says...
Take the pork out – the majority of the project are way too expensive and do not stimulate the economy. Money to NEA – how does that put blue collar workers, the backbone of America, to work…that supports a few artist who think a collection of their piss made out to look like Jesus, is artwork.
Or the money from STD research, albeit a worthy cause if you are in the sex business, it doesn’t belong in this ‘Stimulus’ bill – it puts researchers to work in a lab, put it doesn’t put food on the table for low income Americans who need to work for their families. The STD money is taking much needed money away from the average American worker.
In the past 10 years 60% – 80% of new jobs came from Small business – give these businesses the tax cuts they need, to open up the process to hire new people and create the work.
Infrastructure needs to be ramped up in this bill, and research needs to be ramped down. This bill is needed more for the blue collar worker and less for the white collar worker. It appears the Democrats are throwing money out the window to any loyal voting subject that can catch it.
NEA and STD portions should get booted.