On May 12, We Say "No More Bull": The Albany Project
Posted on May 10, 2011 7:10pm
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By: Susan Lerner, Friday May 6, 2011 http://209.98.77.34/albanyproject/diary/9405/on-may-12-we-say-no-more-bull If you're in downtown New York City next Thursday, come down to Wall Street and join our classroom-without-walls to support On May 12, a meet up, teach in and rally aimed at shining a light on those who really destroyed our economy and the solutions we can create together. |
| Susan Lerner (CC/NY) :: On May 12, We Say "No More Bull" |
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Yes, it's time to take back our democracy! We're tired of having our democracy hijacked by those with the big bucks while the rest of us foot the bill for their excesses and the government officials we elected are serving everyone but the public.
We've all heard that our country, states, and cities are broke, and so are many Americans. Our elected leaders say there isn't enough money and expect us to do nothing while corporate CEOs and anonymous campaign donors crown out the voices of ordinary New Yorkers like you and me by using their massive profits to influence our political process. It's not right that big banks and real estate developers are still reaping the benefits of tax loopholes that mean they pay less in taxes than we do! New Yorkers don't want blind cuts to social services and salaries of community servants like teachers, police and fire departments. These cuts mean larger class sizes in our children's schools, fewer safety professionals protecting our communities, and important neighborhood leaders losing jobs that are cut. Just this week, Connecticut announced a budget deal that raised revenue by closing loopholes and imposing taxes on luxury items like yachts and plastic surgery as well as higher incomes, in addition to planned government consolidation. This package avoids the sort of draconian cuts in social services we've seen in New York state.And Mayor Bloomberg's budget New York City budget announced just minutes ago lays off 4,278 teachers laid off, cuts $400 million cut from city agencies and eliminates 1,000 childcare slots. A report released yesterday details $1.5 billion in savings which could be realized if our City government really wanted to rationally address its budget crisis. You can read the report here: http://www.onmay12.org/blog/ne... So, on May 12, we're going to help show New Yorkers how significant revenue can be generated by closing tax loopholes, creating more accountability for corporations that received taxpayer bailouts, and making big banks, corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share. We can't let the big banks and wealthy special interests get away with using their campaign cash to blindfold our elected officials to economic reality. We've got to demand that all aspects of the City budget-revenue and expenses-are on the table. Find out more about On May 12 on Facebook and join us to take back our democracy. |