After weeks of wearied debate, hand-wringing and general confusion over the debt ceiling, a deal has finally been announced by President Obama and legislative leaders, and the “no-new-taxes/shrink-government” folks have won.
The proposed legislation would cut more than $2-trillion from federal spending over a decade and permit the nation’s $14.3 trillion borrowing cap to rise by up to $2.4 trillion, enough to keep the government afloat through the 2012 elections. While there are no revenue increases proposed, the Republican Party consistently complains that costs associated with social programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are “too high” and must be cut. This fear mongering and misplaced priorities on war spending are what put our economy at risk in the first place.
While the wealthy and corporations benefit from this deal, the people — you and I — risk losing what remains of our most important safety benefits that we have worked so hard to secure and what tens of thousands who have been disadvantaged from corporate greed and bad policy rely on.
THEY ARE GOING TO VOTE ON IT TONIGHT
While polls consistently report that the majority of the American public think unemployment is our primary economic problem and that we value domestic spending over a war-fueled economy, a small minority has high-jacked this issue to further their agenda to dismantle social services and shrink the role of government.
But we do have a choice. According to folks from the National Priorities Project to Jon Stewart, the debt ceiling has been raised over 74 times since 1962 including 10 times since 2001. We, as progressive Americans, must take the stand our President can’t or won’t take – Tell your representative to vote NO! We won’t have our jobs, our healthcare, and our future held hostage to an extreme agenda of the tea party activists and their corporate funders.
The President does have the option to invoke the 14th amendment and claim an executive right to pay our bills even if the Congress can’t agree. Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Raul Grijalva, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, have already announced that they will vote No.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Urge your representative to reject this destructive debt deal and to support the President in evoking the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to avoid default.
Call your Representatives Today.
Tomorrow is too late – the vote is scheduled for tonight and we have too much to lose, so call now.