Tag Archives: Wall Street

AFL – CIO


400,000 JOBS

 

President
Obama has called on the Senate to pass the Teachers and First
Responders Back to Work Act. This bill would create or protect nearly
400,000 education jobs while preventing the layoffs of thousands of
police officers and firefighters.Tell your senators to pass the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act now.

There were 51 senators who supported the American Jobs Act last week—a majority. It should have passed the Senate.

But even as outrage against an economy stacked against the 99 percent
spreads like wildfire across America, Congress continues to fail
workers, again and again.
Last week Senate Republicans blocked
progress for workers with procedural maneuvers—and prevented the
American Jobs Act from getting a vote at all, in spite of majority
support.

This shows just how powerful the 1 percent is—the richest Americans want
tax cuts for themselves at all costs, even if it means cutting vital
public services for the rest of us.

But President Obama hasn’t given up on jobs. And neither have we.
He’s called on the Senate to pass pieces of the American Jobs Act. The
first piece is the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which
would create or protect nearly 400,000 education jobs while preventing
the layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters.(1)

Tell your senators to pass the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act now.

Most of us can’t afford to replace police on the beat with our own
private security guards—and who wants to live in the kind of society
where we would need to? The vast majority of us rely on the government
to provide education for our kids. And all of us—even the top 1
percent—need firefighters if our homes are burning.

What doesn’t Congress get? What’s so controversial about the
Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act? Republicans have
supported bills like this in the past. This bill should have
overwhelming bipartisan support.

Let’s make sure every senator knows we won’t let favored treatment for the 1 percent—like sweetheart tax breaks for Wall Street
bankers—cut teachers, police and firefighters from our communities.
Working families have far more votes than millionaires and we deserve
and rightfully demand a society that works for the 99 percent.

Tell
your senators: Let’s get this done. It’s time to get America back to
work, starting with our teachers, firefighters and police officers
.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann

Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

(1) http://democrats.senate.gov/2011/10/17/fact-sheet-teachers-and-first-responders-back-to-work-act

#occupywal​lstreet bumper stickers …Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America


One of the most powerful things about the Occupy Wall Street movement is that it’s leaderless. No one person or organization controls it, drives it or can take credit for the movement that’s continuing to build everyday. Most importantly, that also means no one person or organization can stop it.

That’s why big corporations and their right-wing allies are freaking out. They’re scared of the movement that’s sweeping the country because they know it’s real. It’s organic. And it has the power to win because it’s clear we’re not going away until change happens to improve the lives of the 99%.

Here at DFA, we know that it’s not our job to try to take over this movement or take credit for its work. We’re here to help grow and support the work that people across the country are doing organically. So, when thousands of DFA members started writing in to ask us to make “We are the 99 percentbumper stickers so they could show their support, we knew we had to do it.

Get your FREE “We are the 99 percent” bumper sticker right now.

You can put these stickers wherever you want to show your support for this incredible movement — on your car, in your window, on your laptop…

Whether you’re in a city with a occupation or, better yet, in an area where there isn’t one — you can use our stickers to show people everywhere that this is a movement with huge national support. We can show them exactly what the 99 percent looks like.

So, sign up to get your free sticker right now, or get a pack of 10 for $10.

Help support and grow the occupation — Get a free “We are the 99 percent” sticker today.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director
Democracy for America

Republicans comment on Wall Street Protests


by on Oct  7, 2011

A pair of Republican presidential candidates had some harsh words for the protesters who’ve been hectoring Wall Street for the past three weeks: Cut out the “class warfare” and “blame yourself” for being poor and jobless.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said the demonstrators are coming across as “anti-capitalism.” The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza said the Occupy Wall Street protesters are trying to distract the country from President Obama’s “failed policies.”

“Don’t blame Wall Street, don’t blame the big banks, if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!” Cain said. “It is not a person’s fault because they succeeded, it is a person’s fault if they failed. And so this is why I don’t understand these demonstrations and what is it that they’re looking for.”

At a campaign stop in Florida Tuesday, Mitt Romney said the demonstrations were “dangerous” and “class warfare.”

When ABC’s Emily Friedman asked Romney today about the protests, the GOP front-runner declined to elaborate on his previous comments, saying “I’m just trying to get myself to occupy the White House.”

Published on Oct  7, 2011 by

At the Value Voters Summit on Friday, Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.)said he is “increasingly concerned” by “Occupy Wall Street” demonstrations which began in New York and spread to other major cities.

Oct 5, 2011 by Current

Sen. Bernie Sanders takes issue with Mitt Romney’s definition of class warfare, saying, “Class warfare is being waged in America today – the problem is, the wrong side is winning.” Sanders continues, “In America now you have the most unequal distribution of income and wealth of any major country on Earth, with the top 400 wealthiest people owning more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans

Get your Occupy Wall Street yard sign …


Occupy Wall Street hasn’t made specific demands yet but they’ve already won their first big fight — big banks and their right-wing allies in Congress have taken notice… and they’re scared of what they see.

Occupy Wall Street has inspired occupations in hundreds of cities across the country — from Atlanta to Boston to Los Angeles. Now, it’s time to expand the fight beyond major cities and into the suburbs, the countryside — everywhere.

The problem is local occupations outside of major cities may never be able to reach the kind of critical mass that will turn heads and force elected leaders to respond. Yet small towns and rural areas standing up and getting involved is the most likely way to help build this movement to the next level.

So we’ve spent the week asking members of Occupy Wall Street and DFA what’s the best thing we could do right now to help build the movement for the long term. The answer was clear. Help us show support for Occupy Wall Street everywhere — including our own front yard. That’s why we put together “We are the 99 percent” lawn signs so Americans everywhere can join the movement.

Start your own occupation to support and grow the movement — Get an Occupy Wall Street yard sign right now.


Normally we give merchandise away for free, but yard signs are expensive.

It costs $1.29 to print each sign. It costs $2.50 to package them. It can cost up to $9.75 to ship them, depending on where you live. And when buying signs in large quantities, it costs up to $1,000 just to add a second color to the sign.

When it’s all said and done — each sign costs $13.76 to print, package and ship directly to your home. So, we’re asking for a contribution of at least $16 to help cover all the costs. If you contribute more, we’ll use the additional money raised to support our continued involvement, spreading the message, and supporting the people on the ground in New York and beyond who started this bold movement.

It’s October. In New York, Boston, and even Atlanta, Occupy Wall Street needs sleeping bags, blankets, medical supplies and so much more. Making a contribution today not only gets you a yard sign so you can show your support, it will help us deliver more of the resources that people on the ground need right now.

Get your “We are the 99 percent” yard sign right now.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director
Democracy for America

P.S. Our lawyers say we need to make it clear that the total amount of your purchase is a contribution to Democracy for America under the Federal Election Campaign Act. Please contribute now and get your lawn sign today.

Health Care for America Now … Melinda Gibson – Find an Occupy Together event


It began on Wall Street
and now has spread to hundreds of cities around the country. The Occupy Wall Street movement gives voice to the anger of families and small  businesses struggling to make ends meet while the richest 1% cut corners, cut jobs and raise prices. Health care activists know that the health insurers are some of Wall Street’s greediest players.

HCAN‘s Ethan Rome has a new piece on the Huffington Post on the nationwide “Occupy” protests and the role of the health insurance companies in sabotaging
our economy:

“America’s families and small businesses are barely hanging on while
the Wall Street-run health insurance profit machines have been jacking
up rates and providing less care. That’s why it makes sense for Occupy
Wall Street protesters to occupy them as well.

Much has been said about the banks and credit card companies that are
headquartered on Wall Street. The health insurance companies’ relentless
pursuit of profit and callous disregard for people offers another
window into how big corporations have abused people and twisted the
economy to serve their own interests.

Health
insurance companies make excessive profits, hoard massive amounts of
cash, overcharge their customers and give their top executives obscene
paychecks.

We’re
working to spread the word about Occupy Wall Street to fellow health
care activists. Act now and share Ethan’s piece with anyone who you
think needs to read more about health care and this important movement.

Our slogan from the health care reform fight is as true today as it was in 2009: “If the insurance companies win, we lose.”

Now is the time to spread the word.

In Solidarity,

Melinda Gibson

Health Care for America Now

P.S. You can read Ethan’s full post here.

P.P.S. Click here to find an Occupy Together event near you.