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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 2011)
June 17, 2011_NWLP 6/14/11 10:10 AM Page 6 EE R F Who’s On Our Side? By Tom Chamberlain A s President Obama meets with U.S. Congressional leaders and our nation moves closer and closer to an impending government shut down in the first or second week of August, most of America wonders why. Why is the Republican leadership steadfast on cutting programs that im- pact the poor and middle class (such as Medicare), while refusing to dis- cuss any roll back on the Bush tax cuts? Why can’t we discuss reductions to the defense budget when we have a secretary of defense willing to look for cuts? Why aren’t we putting the needs of the poor and middle class — the vast majority of Americans — first? First we have to understand that one of the biggest drivers of the deficit is the Bush tax cut. Almost 50 percent of the tax cut went to America’s wealthiest 5 percent, cutting their taxes by $8,613 per year. In fact, the wealthiest 1 percent on average enjoy a tax reduction of more than $68,000. By 2018, Bush’s tax cut will result in a $588 billion loss of tax revenue. In 2011, the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq was $170 bil- lion. The Defense Department will spend $895 billion this year. Defense spending, at 25 percent, is the largest component of the federal budget. The 2011 federal deficit is pro- jected to be $1.27 trillion. Over half of the federal deficit could be elimi- nated by ending the Bush tax cuts and exiting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the newly-elected tea baggers in Congress are laser-focused on re- ducing spending, and on no new taxes. Demanding elimination of the Medicare program and implementing a voucher program that will shift the cost to Medicare recipients and in- crease profits to insurance carriers as Medicare is converted to a private system, they are holding Republican “leadership” hostage. While the federal debate is cen- tered on the deficit, the American economy is still stalled. Only 54,000 jobs were added to the economy last month when we need 125,000 new jobs a month to meet the demand for new workers entering our economy. The privatization of Medicare or the continuation of the Bush tax cuts or continuing to fight unwinnable wars will not fix our economy, nor will it put Americans back to work. On the other hand, passing the Transportation Reauthorization Act will rebuild America’s crumbling in- frastructure and put hundreds of thou- sands of people back to work. Con- struction workers, workers who make the material needed for the project, drivers to transport the material, and the people who work where they all spend their earnings would all be bet- ter off. Those new jobs would pay more in taxes to state and local gov- ernment, increasing funding for es- sential services like public safety, schools, and health care, and ulti- mately help pay down our debt. As the deficit debate continues, we need to remember our history. To counter the impact of the 1929 De- pression, President Roosevelt and the New Deal Congress passed sweeping legislation spending vast sums of money to rebuild the economy and get America back to work. By 1937, Roosevelt and Congress felt the worst was past and cut spending. In just a few months, industrial production fell by 40 percent, unemployment rose by 4 million, and stock prices plunged 48 percent. President Obama and Congres- sional leaders need to hear from America that the highest priority for our nation is to rebuild our economy and put America back to work. The deficit is important. But the best way to fix the deficit is to fix our economy first. Job creation: on the side of a strong economy, on the side of long-term deficit management, and on our side. Tom Chamberlain is president of the Oregon AFL-CIO. ...Poker run (From Page 1) draw a playing card for a poker hand. At the end of the ride — in this event, a 90-mile course that took riders on country roads through Sandy and Carver — the highest and lowest hands win a cash prize. The high hand of five aces was held by Larry George, a mem- ber of IBEW Local 48. In the photo right, George’s co-rider Stefany Lawrence draws an ace of spades at the third stop at the Carver Hanger. Cheer- ing her on are Willy Myers and Kelli Hollister. Myers is a union rep for Sheet Metal Workers Local 16. The low hand of 1-2-3-4-5 was won by Bob Sundstrom, a member of Plumbers and Fitters Local 290. Tony Kriss of Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 won the chili cookoff against five other contestants. In the photo far right, Tim and Jackie Copp sample an entry. Tim is a member of International Longshore and Ware- house Union Local 8. A first for the poker run this year was co-rider Rocky, a golden retriever owned by Kenny Tallmon of ILWU Local 92. Rocky is pictured at right resting af- ter the ride with Alice Sterpa, a member of the Oregon School Employees Association. The National Guard Color Guard had to cancel its flag presentation due to a military funeral it had to at- tend. However, the national anthem was played by Kelsey Aronstein. She is the daughter of Bill Hoffmann, a retired organizer for the Laborers Union. 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