Praise be, at last an enormous coalition coming together to
fight for the rights and needs of regular folks – actually,
the biggest one in my memory. Blessed are the organizers.
It's one to save, and Join! -Ed
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From: Portside Moderator: moderator@PORTSIDE.ORG
Broad Civil Rights Coalition Lays Out Plan For 2012
Budget
Minoroty News May 25, 2011
http://www.blackradionetwork.com/broad_civil_rights_coalition_lays_out_plan_for_2012_budget
A coalition of 117 national civil rights and civic
organizations has sent a letter to senators
establishing five principles for ensuring that the
Fiscal Year 2012 budget and debt limit deals address
the nation's debt in a fair, equitable, and responsible
manner.
In the letter, the coalition expresses concern about
the inadequacy and unfairness of current budget
proposals, stating that:
"[Congress].has the potential to either improve our
overall economic situation or make matters even worse.
Some of the proposals that we have seen to date are
overly simplistic and would, in reality, do little to
solve our budgetary problems. Others are simply
draconian."
The letter lays out five principles that the coalition
urges the Senate to follow as budget negotiations
unfold:
- Congress must reject global federal spending caps
or entitlement caps;
- Any deficit reduction agreement, as well as any
budget enforcement mechanism, must rely at least as
much on revenue increases as on spending cuts;
- The burden of deficit reduction must not be borne
by low- and moderate-income individuals;
- Congress must reject any effort to impose a
Constitutional balanced budget amendment; and
- Congress must protect investments that are vital
to our nation's economic advancement.
"Our coalition understands that deficit reduction is an
important long-term goal for the nation," said
Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership
Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "But it cannot be
accomplished without putting revenues on the table.
Otherwise, the burden of reducing the debt will be laid
at the feet of low- and moderate-income Americans and
jeopardize a still-sluggish economic recovery."
The text of the letter with a full list of its
signatories is below.
COALITION STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES FOR FY 2012 BUDGET
AND DEBT CEILING NEGOTIATIONS
Dear Senator:
The undersigned 117 organizations represent persons of
color, women, children, low- to moderate-income
workers, people with disabilities, consumers, elders,
people of faith, English language learners, LGBT
people, educators, and many other Americans. Together,
we have formed a coalition that is extremely concerned
with the ongoing state of negotiations over the Fiscal
Year 2012 budget. We write today to present you with a
list of principles that our coalition believes are
essential to address as the budget discussions move
forward.
As Congress focuses attention on reducing our federal
budget deficits, it has the potential to either improve
our overall economic situation or make matters even
worse. Some of the proposals that we have seen to date
are overly simplistic and would, in reality, do little
to solve our budgetary problems. Others are simply
draconian.
As Congress continues its negotiations over the debt
ceiling and the FY 2012 budget, we urge you to adhere
to the following principles:
Congress must reject global federal spending caps
or entitlement caps. The Corker-McCaskill proposal
limits spending to 20.6 percent of GDP, and would
require massive cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, Social
Security, and other programs that meet critical
needs of low- and moderate-income people and
provide vital economic security for millions of
Americans. In fact, under the Corker-McCaskill
caps, federal spending on essential programs would
be cut roughly as much as the recently-passed House
Republican budget by the end of this decade. At the
same time, by focusing only on spending, global
spending cap proposals would protect tax breaks for
millionaires and tax subsidies for corporations.
Any cap on mandatory spending should be opposed. In
addition, Congress should reject multi-year
appropriations caps that force harsh reductions in
domestic/human needs services.
Any deficit reduction agreement, as well as any
budget enforcement mechanism, must rely at least as
much on revenue increases as on spending cuts. If
revenue increases are not included, deficit
reductions will have to come from spending cuts
alone, requiring cuts similar to those in the House
Republican (Ryan) budget proposal, and restricting
the federal government's ability to respond to
economic downturns and limiting economic
opportunity. That, in turn, would increase the
likelihood that the fragile recovery will falter
and could result in another recession. Related to
this, any budget enforcement mechanism must include
an automatic waiver during economic downturns or
periods of unusually slow economic growth.
The burden of deficit reduction must not be borne
by low- and moderate-income individuals. As our
nation's economy continues to struggle toward full
recovery, unemployment remains unacceptably high,
and there is a dire need to put people back to
work. As a result of the housing crisis, countless
numbers of Americans have lost their most valuable
asset, forcing them to start their climb up the
economic ladder all over again. A large aging
population is gradually leaving the workforce and
will become increasingly reliant on the promises
made, decades ago, by programs such as Social
Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Proposals such as
the House-passed Republican budget or the Corker-
McCaskill caps would harm those Americans precisely
when they need help the most. Other vital services
and programs, such as food stamps (the "SNAP
Program"), education, Head Start, child care, jobs
programs and low-income housing would also face
drastic cuts under these proposals. Any budget plan
must protect low- and moderate-income people and
must not make programs that support them subject to
automatic cuts if Congress fails to meet budget
targets. Indiscriminate cuts to these programs will
jeopardize the health, economic security, and
education of millions of Americans. We will fail
to get the economy back on track, and an even
heavier burden will fall on states that are already
struggling to meet the needs of vulnerable
populations.
Congress must reject any effort to impose a
Constitutional balanced budget amendment. Some
members have proposed an amendment to the
Constitution that would require a balanced budget
every year, regardless of the state of the economy.
This is an extremely draconian and unwise proposal
that would require the largest budget cuts or tax
increases precisely when the economy is at its
weakest, tipping a struggling economy into a
recession and keeping it there for a protracted
period of time. It would also require massive cuts
to vital programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. It
should be resoundingly opposed by lawmakers as a
free standing proposal or as an element of raising
the debt ceiling.
Congress must protect investments that are vital to
our nation's economic advancement. Some proposals
would gut badly-needed investments in our public
infrastructure, education and job training,
scientific research and development, and other
programs that develop and bolster the
competitiveness of American businesses. These cuts
are being proposed at exactly the wrong time:
unemployment remains high, investment in the
economy is currently at its lowest level in four
decades, and productivity growth is lagging far
behind previous recoveries from economic recession.
If there is one point on which all economists can
agree, it is that investment - in infrastructure,
research and innovation, and worker productivity -
is absolutely essential to getting people back to
work in the short term and ensuring that our
economy grows in the long run.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
9to5, National Association of Working Women
AFL-CIO
All Education Matters
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
American Network of Community Options and Resources
The Arc of the
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal
Nurses
Campaign for
Campaign for Community Change
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR)
CFED, Corporation for
Children Now
Children's Defense Fund
Cities for Progress, Institute for Policy Studies
CLASP
Coalition on Human Needs
Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism
Committee for Education Funding
Communications Workers of
Community Action Partnership
DÄ"mos
Direct Care
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Easter Seals
Equal Justice Society
Families
Family Equality Council
Farmworker Justice
Food Research and
Friends of the Earth
Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network
Health & Disability Advocates
Health Care for
International
Agricultural Implement Workers of
Japanese Americans Citizens League
Jewish Funds for Justice
Jewish Labor Committee
Latinos for a Secure Retirement
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Women Voters of the
Legal Momentum
Mental Health
Minority Business
Education Fund (MBELDEF)
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Shepherd
National African American Drug Policy Coalition, Inc.
National AIDS Housing Coalition
National
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Association for Children's Behavioral Health
National Association for Hispanic Elderly
National Association of Human Rights Workers (NAHRW)
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community
Development
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Congress of American Indians
National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council on Independent Living
National Disability Rights Network
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Fair Housing
National Focus on Gender Education
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Health Law Program
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium
(NAKASEC)
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Legal Aid & Defender Association
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Priorities Project
National Skills Coalition
National Urban League
National Women's
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Not Dead Yet
The Office of Gender and Racial Justice, RE&WM, GAMC,
Presbyterian Church (
OMB Watch
PHI - Quality Care through Quality Jobs
Physicians for Social Responsibility
PolicyLink
Poverty & Race Research Action Council
ProgressNow
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition (REHDC)
RESULTS: The Power to End Poverty
SER- Jobs for Progress National, Inc.
Service Employees International
Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team
Social Security Works
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southern
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United
United Food and Commercial Workers International
United for a Fair Economy
United Steelworkers
USAction
Voices for Progress
Wider Opportunities for Women
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