THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! ANY of the proposed "solutions" to raise the debt ceiling will slash Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits!
The Seattle Times reports: "The most difficult question facing [President] Obama may come down to how much farther to the right he is willing to move when it comes to enforcing calls for deeper cuts, particularly to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and for eliminating special tax breaks and exemptions. The White House and lawmakers agree in general that a bipartisan commission should be formed to explore those dicier propositions. Obama and lawmakers must now agree on what type of 'trigger' to establish to force deficit reductions if the commission process were to fail.
From the San Francisco Chronicle: The Treasury Department has said the U.S. will breach its borrowing limit and run out of options for avoiding default if the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling isn't raised by Aug. 2. [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid said his plan aims to attract bipartisan support because it includes no tax increases and would cut spending by the same amount as the [2.4 $Trillion] debt-limit boost.
MSNBC explains: A newly established committee would have to find another $1.4 trillion to 1.6 trillion in cuts before that debt limit would have to be increased again by about the end of the year or early next year. That would last through the 2012 election. But the second part is a big sticking point. If the committee can’t find the cuts, then one agreement being talked about is triggering automatic spending cuts across the board....
The current equation reads: all cuts + no revenues = devastation. With your support, KeepOurPromise will work to protect Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. We need your help. We need your help now! Contributions have been coming in, but not enough to cover our expanding activities. (Contributions to Keep Our Promise are not tax deductible).
On July 19, KeepOurPromise helped organize an emergency briefing on Capitol Hill with members of Congress, staff, and experts.
On July 20, we met with 85 Congressional offices and organized a national call-in day with 1000s of concerned Americans. We told Senators and House members that cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security benefits would hurt tens of millions of Americans. Jobs will be lost. Economic growth will suffer. We told them to close loopholes, not slash benefits.
On July 21, David Shuster reported that Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Raul Grijalva took our message to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. According to Shuster's comments on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Rep. Grijalva warned Rep. Pelosi that House progressives refuse to follow President Obama's lead on cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Not only that, but her own leadership position "would be challenged."
On July 22, eighty House members joined Rep. Grijalva and the other CPC Co-Chair Congressman Keith Ellison in a letter to Rep. Pelosi which reads in part:
"We are united as Democrats in saying that it’s time to stand up to the Republican hostage-taking. We will not be forced to vote for a 'final agreement' that we do not agree to--and that the American people do not agree to. We stand united with you in insisting that benefit cuts for working families, our seniors, children, and people with disabilities must be off the table, and we stand united with you in fighting for millions of Americans who need Democrats to be firmly on their side."
On July 26 we helped organize meetings in 435 Congressional District Offices.
On July 27 KeepOurPromise organizers and allies were back on Capitol Hill. We met with 80 Congressional offices, and again led 1,000s of people nation-wide in a call in day. We demanded that our politicians keep our promise between generations and among all Americans to preserve, protect--and even expand and improve--Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.
This battle is far from over. Moving forward, we will work with our allies and members of Congress to protect and expand--not slash--our safety net. We're turning back the malign designs of the "Denial Caucus"--the Tea Party supporters in Congress--who are driving to defund and destroy Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. We cannot Keep Our Promise without your help. Will you contribute to help us?
We're helping to convene a series of Congressional briefings and hearings. We're launching a media strategy to inform and mobilize the public, and holding call-in days to jam the White House and Congressional switchboards. We're explaining that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not "broke," and do not add to the debt or deficit. We should cut corruption and corporate profiteering--not benefits. To control costs and provide the best outcomes, we need Expanded, Improved Medicare for All. Help us Save Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
We're working with members of Congress and staffers, the Black, Progressive and Hispanic Caucus, as well as progressive, faith, patients' rights and civil rights leaders and organizations, unions, and more. We convene weekly action meetings to plan lobby days, call-in days, Congressional hearings, town hall meetings, a media strategy and special events. We're holding a massive citizen's lobby day July 20th. We're meeting with 85 members of Congress with a simple message: No cuts to Medicaid, Medicare or Social Security benefits. Let Medicare negotiate with big drug companies on prices. Improve and expand Medicare--don't cut it! Help us Save Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
We need your help now! Please Contribute here. (Contributions to Keep Our Promise are not tax deductible).
If you can't contribute, please share the above article with all your friends, and post the blurb below to Facebook and Tweet to your followers:
Fight Cuts to #Medicaid #Medicare, and #SocialSecurity Benefits! This is NOT the United States of Austerity! http://bit.ly/keepourpromise #p2
