Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka On The Deficit Commission Report

[Joanne98]

WASHINGTON - December 1 - With this report the Deficit Commission once again tells working Americans to 'Drop Dead.' No proposal on fiscal issues is serious that leaves the Bush tax cuts for the rich in place while raising taxes on the middle class and slashing Social Security and Medicare. All commission members should vote no on this misguided plan. All members of Congress should also oppose these job-killing policies if they are raised in future legislation or budgets.

Our nation IS facing an immediate jobs crisis. Last night 800,000 Americans lost their unemployment insurance, and that number will grow to two million by Christmas. One hundred workers from across the country have come to Washington today to lobby Congress to extend unemployment insurance. It is unconscionable that this commission is proposing to slash these very workers' Social Security and Medicare.

This whole discussion reeks of hypocrisy. The faux deficit hawks on the commission – and Senators who claim unemployment insurance must be paid for -- have no problem clamoring for more unpaid Bush tax cuts for millionaires.

We need to focus now on the jobs deficit. Fifteen million people are out of work, and another eleven million have given up looking or are working part-time involuntarily. We need to invest in jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and green technologies and end tax breaks that send American jobs overseas.

To address long-term deficit issues the AFL-CIO supports the core principles underlying the "Investing in America's Economy Budget Blueprint." We need to put jobs and economic growth first; we must invest in education and infrastructure to be competitive in the 21st century; Wall Street and the wealthy must bear their share of the burden; and we need to deal with the growth of health care costs.
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http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/12/01-6

[old mark]

1. Rec. Trumka for President, 2012. NT

[flyarm]

2. Hey Trumka ..who appointed and did an executive order to commission this commission?

You are a failure Trumpka unless you hold the man at the top accountable as well!

It was Obama who did the executive order and place Simpson and a bunch of Social Security hating thugs on this commission!

We have a congress..we don't need no damn commission to fuck us!

Stand up and hold them all accountable Trumka..especially the President who commissioned this commission..or you are failing your employers!

Stop the bullshit..and stop standing by while they attempt to rob "our money".."our SECURITY" ..Our accounts we worked lifetimes for ..in Social Security ..to bail out the fucking crooks!

[democrat_patriot]

4. I know, if only McCain had won and saved us all.

Sometimes I feel like I'm at free republic.

[flyarm]

5. what would he have done different? PutBowles and Simpson in charge of a commission to rob our

Social Security? Two people well known to hate Social Security??

You know the so called Security many of us have paid into for a lifetime...only o now have a democratic president sell us out?? You mean McCain would have been worse????????? I find that laughable..as laughable as I would have believed a Democratic president would fuck us seniors or close to be seniors out of what we paid into in Social security!

[flyarm]

6. what would he have done different? PutBowles and Simpson in charge of a commission to rob our

Social Security? Two people well known to hate Social Security??

You know the so called Security many of us have paid into for a lifetime...only o now have a democratic president sell us out?? You mean McCain would have been worse????????? I find that laughable..as laughable as I would have believed a Democratic president would fuck us seniors or close to be seniors out of what we paid into in Social security!

[sabrina 1]

7. Here's what would have happened if McCain had won.

Regarding this Commission. In a debate with McCain, who stated that to solve the budget crisis and the deficit, he would appoint a Commission, Obama slammed the idea of these kinds of Commissions. He called them a 'stealth way to get around Congress' and that in his administration 'these issues would be discussed where they belonged, in Congress, with transparency NOT in secret Commissions'.

So voters thought that was one difference between these two candidates. Obama would never form a Commission that made decisions behind closed doors.

But then, no sooner was in the WH, when he flip-flopped on the issue and adapted McCain's policies appointing to that Commission a gang of wealthy Republicans and DLCers, no different than the choices McCain would have made.

How would this have been different with McCain? Can you explain that please?

Granted those of us who supported Obama, THOUGHT it would different, but we were wrong.

Same thing with Offshore Drilling. McCain supported it, Obama opposed it, until he didn't.

Same thing with mandated insurance, McCain supported it, Obama opposed it, until he didn't.

So don't bother with the 'we could have had McCain' bookie man. We could have, we didn't like his policies so we supported Obama and got McCains policies anyhow.

[blindpig]

3. So, Mr Trumka...

when does the membership hit the streets? Because ya know which way this is going, and the answer to that question will answer this question, "Which side are you on?"