Groups
Protest State Budget Cuts and Urge
General Assembly to Oppose Bush
Tax Cuts
Harrisburg – Today program
advocates and members of the Fair
Taxes for All Coalition in
Pennsylvania joined together today
to protest proposed state budget
cuts affecting critical services
including but not limited to:
drug and alcohol treatment
programs, mental health and mental
retardation services, medical
assistance, outpatient health
services for the uninsured, public
transportation, domestic violence
shelters, rape crisis counseling,
and public libraries.
As a result of the poor economy,
states are facing a cumulative
budget deficit of approximately
$100 billion that must be closed
over the next several months.
Pennsylvania’s budget deficit is
estimated to be $2.4 billion.
This has forced Governor Rendell
to propose drastic budget cuts in
essential human services. In
addition, if the proposed Bush tax
cuts are passed by Congress,
Pennsylvania could end up an
additional $97 million in debt.
President Bush’s economic growth
plan is a tax cut for millionaires
that most economists agree will
not effectively stimulate our weak
economy or create jobs now. The
reduction in public revenue
resulting from the overall Bush
tax package would leave our
government $2 trillion poorer at a
time when many public needs must
be met. Consider the demands on
national and state budgets:
Medicaid funding is in crisis;
education budgets are being
slashed in all the states
including Pennsylvania; domestic
security is being compromised as
firefighters and police are being
laid off; and our nation is
funding a war and occupation in
Iraq. This is not a good time to
give the average millionaire an
annual tax cut of $89,000 while
the average middle class person
would get about $256 and half the
population would get approximately
$100.
Speakers at yesterday's rally
called upon members of the
Pennsylvania General Assembly to
restore funding for important
human services in the state budget
for fiscal year 2003-2004. Also
during the rally, members of the
Fair Taxes for All Coalition
requested legislators to contact
their colleagues in Washington DC
and urge them to oppose the Bush
tax cuts. Many economists believe
that using tax cuts to jumpstart
the economy doesn’t work. What
will work is investing in the
people of this country and that
can be accomplished by having the
federal government providing
fiscal relief to states like
Pennsylvania, enabling them to
immediately put the money to work
by restoring funding for
critically needed human services.
Quotes from some of the
speakers at yesterday's rally
follow:
Senator Allen Kukovich:
The proposed Bush budget policy
is more than a tax that undermines
the lives and dignity of America's
most vulnerable citizens. It is a
signal that our federal government
will no longer keep its moral
commitment to all our people.
State Representative Mike Veon:
It is fundamentally unfair to
cut taxes for the wealthiest
Americans while cutting programs
for the poorest Americans. Cutting
health care for children, the
number of cops on the streets,
housing assistance and
community-building programs, all
while sending billions of dollars
to the top 1 percent, signals a
return to the 'voodoo economics'
of the 1980s. It didn't work then
and it can't work now.
Bill McHugh, Senior Citizen, a
retired business man speaking
against Bush Tax:
There are many issues here
today. Concerns for seniors
appears very low on the list.
They've been promising us relief
for years. But once again, we're
being screwed in favor of a tax
cut to stimulate the economy. I'm
stimulating the economy to the
tune of $25,000 a year for
prescription drugs and $1.90 every
hour of every day and night for PA
blue Cross premiums. I paid into
Social Security for 55 years.
Today the entire benefit goes for
prescription drugs and Blue Cross
premiums for my wife and me.
Lauren Townsend, Citizens for
Consumer Justice (215-569-8220):
One way to generate critically
needed revenue for Pennsylvania is
to close corporate tax loopholes.
Recently is was pointed out that
82% of corporations in
Pennsylvania pay little or no
corporate net income tax. All we
are asking is for corporations to
pay their faire share.
Jeff Hunsicker,1199P Hospital
Workers SEIU (717-238-3030):
Pennsylvania is facing its
worst budget crisis in decades and
the impact on Pennsylvania's
working families will be
devastating, unless we raise
revenue by closing corporate tax
loop holes and our Congressional
members bring home federal tax
dollars.
Maureen Tate, United for a Fair
Economy:
In light of our current state
budget crisis and plans to cut
programs important
to Pennsylvanians, it is
distressing that our Senators
Specter and Santorum continue to
support Federal Budget proposals
that results in huge tax cuts for
the wealthy and will put even
greater pressure on State budgets
for the future.
Kathy Miller, Pennsylvania NOW
(215-726-9726):
I am afraid we face times the
likes of which we have not seen in
this country since the Great
Depression of the 30s. If Bush
has his way with a tax cut for the
rich, I fear that they may be even
worse. Women will be severely
affected. I fear an increase in
domestic violence and a decrease
in services for the abused who are
least able to defend themselves.
Other speakers included:
-
Larry Frankel,
ACLU 215-592-1513 X118 and
Skyle of the Family Life Center
at Thomas Jefferson University
-
Bill George,
President, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
-
Oscar Young,
Board Chair of the Philadelphia
Unemployment Project
215-557-0822
-
Jim Fenton,
Amalgamated Transit Union,
412-281-5583 x18 and Jean
Alexander, President of the
Transport Workers Union, Local
234
Members of the Fair
Taxes for All Coalition in
Pennsylvania include:
1199P SEIU
Hospital Workers, ACORN, Action
Alliance of Senior Citizens,
AFSCME District Council 33
Retirees, AFSCME District Council
47, AFSCME District Council 47
Retirees, AFSCME District Council
47 Local 2187, Alliance for
Progressive Action, Pittsburgh,
Campaign to Build Pennsylvania
Public Transportation, Citizens
Budget Campaign of Western,
Pennsylvania, Citizens for
Consumer Justice, Citizens for Tax
Fairness, Coalition of Labor Union
Women, Philadelphia,
Communications Workers of America,
District 13, Jobs with Justice,
Philadelphia, Graphics
Communications International
Union, Local 14M, Institute for
the Study of Civic Values, Jewish
Labor Committee, Mon Valley
Unemployed Committee, National
Women’s Political Caucus of
Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
AFL-CIO, Pennsylvania Alliance for
Senior Citizens, Pennsylvania
National Organization for Women,
Philadelphia Unemployment Project,
PhilaPOSH, Pittsburgh Jobs with
Justice, Steelworkers Organization
of Active Retirees (SOAR),
Thompson Communications, UNITE
AFL-CIO Retirees Council, United
for a Fair Economy, Pennsylvania
Chapter, United Steelworkers of
America, Local 1688, Women’s
Agenda for Pennsylvania, Women’s
Law Project, Women Organized
Against Rape, WOMENS WAY PA
For more information on the Fair
Taxes for All Coalition, contact
Citizens for Consumer Justice, 117
S. 17th Street, Suite 311,
Philadelphia, PA 19103, phone:
215-569-8220, fax: 215-569-8220
or email:
fairtaxes@ccjustice.org.
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