June 17, 2011_NWLP 6/14/11 10:10 AM Page 6
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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.
PAGE 6
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JUNE 17, 2011