While there has been suspicion that the ‘Grand Bargain’ being put forth by the White House to Congress was instead a ‘Grand Betrayal,’ nobody had the details until they were leaked. Now we see that huge cuts are intended to all of our important social programs: Social Security, Medicare, TriCare, unemployment benefits, the Post Office, education and more, while there are hints at cutting corporate taxes further. And all of these cuts will be marketed to the American public by the “Fix the Debt” campaign created by Bowles and Simpson with their 80 CEO friends and a starting budget of $60 million for lobbying and public relations
Because a sustainable future depends on the people willing to see the truth for what it is, and for those to stand up in unison in order to make a difference.
— Jake Edward Keli’i Eakin
It is out! While there has been suspicion that the ‘Grand Bargain’ being put forth by the White House to Congress was instead a ‘Grand Betrayal,’ nobody had the details until they were leaked.
Now we see that huge cuts are intended to all of our important social programs: Social Security, Medicare, TriCare, unemployment benefits, the Post Office, education and more, while there are hints at cutting corporate taxes further. And all of these cuts will be marketed to the American public by the “Fix the Debt”campaign created by Bowles and Simpson with their 80 CEO friends and a starting budget of $60 million for lobbying and public relations.
This is a scam, as shown in the “99% Deficit Report,” we don’t have a deficit crisis, we have a revenue and priority problem. Wealth has continued to grow in the US, but it is all going to the top who avoid paying taxes. If we taxed the rich and cut military spending, we could expand our social safety net.
So what are we going to do about it? We share ideas with you in this post-election reflection on strategy. There is a lot going on!
Strike 1: We are on the same neo-liberal economic path as other countries around the world. In Europe there was a multi-national general strike against austerity this week. You can join anti-austerity actions by organizing local casserole marches on the 22nd of each month. This month the 22nd is Thanksgiving Day. Join with your family and friends to march in your neighborhood, spread the word about the misinformation campaign being put on by “Fix the Debt” and share your photos with Via 22. You will find helpful tools at Solidarity Against Austerity.
Strike 3: Support the new Strike Debt “The People’s Bailout.” The first fundraiser is tonight and it will be livestreamed on RollingJubilee.org. So far they havebought and abolished over $2 million in debt and tonight they hope to raise enough to erase $1 million in medical debt. In the US, medical debt is the biggest cause of personal bankruptcy meaning that when people have a serious accident or illness, even if they have health insurance, they risk losing everything. This campaign embodies the principle of mutual aid: human need not corporate greed!
We have seen other efforts to quell rebellion through illegal enforcement to prevent freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but some of these cases are being challenged in court and are winning. Grand Jury resister, Maddy Pfeiffer, was released this week in Seattle, WA. PhotojournalistCarlos Miller won his case against police in Miami-Dade, Florida. Three from OWS won a $50,000 settlement. And“Brave Beatrice” Semple of Occupy Eugene is on the path to winning her case against an illegal curfew, saying
“The things that we are protesting are not things that go away in the nighttime. People who are hungry in the daytime are hungry at night. If you don’t have health care and you are ill, you still ache at night.”
Semple also noted that many Occupy participants work — sometimes two jobs — and can “engage in political discourse” only after the workday is over.
Inauguration Day is coming up soon, and at Truthout, we plan to defy Trump’s right-wing agenda from Day One.
Looking to the first year of Trump’s presidency, we know that the most vulnerable among us will be harmed. Militarized policing in U.S. cities and at the borders will intensify. The climate crisis will deteriorate further. The erosion of free speech has already begun, and we anticipate more attacks on journalism.
It will be a terrifying four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. But we’re not falling to despair, because we know there are reasons to believe in our collective power.
The stories we publish at Truthout are part of the antidote to creeping authoritarianism. And this year, we promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation, vitriol, hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
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