QTiÿe Page 8 Jarliani» (Observer M arch 26, 2014 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 sm all H allway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (RequiringExtensiveRre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services)’. $5.00 & ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning Deodorizing & Pet □dor Treatment Spot & Stain Removal Service Scotchguard Protection Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 * Without any Grassroots, Austerity Group Withers Knowing a fake when you see it by S arah A nderson The auster ity mania that plagued our political system for four years is finally sub siding. The lat est sign is President Barack O bam a’s decision to nix the Social Secu rity cuts he had previously in cluded in his budget proposal. This was a body blow to the most powerful pro-austerity force in Washington — the Fix the Debt campaign. Starting in 2012, this fake grassroots — or “astroturf’ — organization had deployed more than 100 CEOs to try to persuade the nation that our economic sur vival depended on expanding tax breaks for big corporations and slashing earned benefit programs. Fix the Debt once boasted a budget of $40 million. Today, it’s shedding staff and going debt to grow. We even showed PR campaign. Particularly as into hibernation, having failed how taxpayers actually subsi the economy started a slight to win any of their top priorities dize the pay of these pro-aus uptick, polls showed that an Their demise proves that terity CEOs. overw helm ing m ajority of deep pockets don’t always pre- And finally, we calculated Americans opposed any So vail in W ashington. that the corporate titans fight cial Security cuts. Through creative jujitsu, ing to cut grandma’s Social Fix the Debt and their allies non-moneyed interests can Security had personal pensions won’t be laying low forever. turn extreme wealth and 1,200 times larger than what But we now have a huge op privilege into an extreme typical U.S. workers can count portunity to shift the national liability. on. Honeywell CEO David focus from austerity to invest For the past two years, Cote, for example, had the gall ment in jobs, infrastructure, and my organization, the Insti to lecture Americans about other programs that matter to tute for Policy Studies, has tightening their belts while he all of us. exposed the absurd hypocrisy was sitting on a $134 million In the richest country in the of the CEOs at the helm of Fix retirement nest egg. world, we have the resources to the Debt. First we pointed out This research fed into cre make our economy work for that many of them lead com ative actions by authentic everyone. We just need the po panies that have used tax ha grassroots groups, such as Na litical will to reallocate some of vens to avoid paying their fair tional People’s Action, the Cen our abundant resources. Let’s share to Uncle Sam. That’s a ter for Community Change, and get started by cutting wasteful blatantly counterproductive Social Security Works. They Pentagon spending and subsi maneuver for anyone on a mis took the battle against auster dies for oil, gas, and coal. sion to “fix the debt.” ity to the streets and into the And by making our tax sys Then we documented that district offices of congressional tem more fair. Fix the Debt members stood to representatives. The Center It won’t be easy. But re gain as much as $173 billion for Media and Democracy and member, big money doesn’t from corporate tax breaks they other savvy bloggers blasted always win in Washington. were advocating. All that the phony deficit crisis in so Sarah Anderson directs money, of course, would be cial media. the Global economy Project redirected away from public Our message overpowered at the Institute fo r Policy coffers — thereby causing the Fix the Debt’s mega-million Studies.