Friday, December 7, 2012

Nationwide protests Dec. 10 against cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid



Americans today are working the phones and pounding the pavement to oppose cuts to the safety net. House Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to force a vote on a bill to prevent a tax hike on the middle-class. President Obama says he won't budge on his demand that taxes be raised on the wealthy.

People are working phone banks in Las Vegas, lobbying their congressional representatives in Ohio and holding a visibility in New Hampshire. Some are calling Congress. (You can do it by clicking here.)

As Congress continues to negotiate with President Obama for a budget deal, preparations are being made for a National Day of Action against cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Hundreds of events are planned for Dec. 10.

Yesterday, protesters jammed the atrium of a Senate office building and held a prayer vigil. The Wall Street Journal reports,
About 300 representatives of the faith-based Gamaliel grassroots network and Our DC, a jobs-advocacy group, held a protest and prayer vigil outside the Hart Senate office building Wednesday, urging congressional lawmakers and the Obama administration to ensure they keep the poor from bearing government spending cuts. 
Gamaliel, which says it has a network reaching 1 million people, aims at stopping lawmakers from making cuts to safety-net programs like Social Security. It says tax cuts for high-income earners should be allowed to expire at year’s end, as scheduled, arguing that the wealthy should be required to contribute to deficit reduction.
Today, television ads against cuts to the safety net and education went up in Virginia, Missouri, Ohio and Montana. They were sponsored by the NEA, SEIU and AFSCME.

To find out about an event near you on Monday, click here, here or here.