"Where Are the Jobs?" Rally in KIngston

We had a spirited rally Wednesday in front of Congressman Hinchey's office as part of the national launch of the American Dream Movement. Although some of the personal stories were sad, there was an abundance of impassioned energy as folks chanted "Jobs, Not Cuts", "Tax the Rich" and "Jobs Not War". Thanks so much to all who came!

Linda Abbott, Core Coordinator of the Ulster County MoveOn Council began by talking about the Contract for the American Dream that serves as the blueprint for this new, peoples' movement. It calls for investing in America's crumbling infrastructure, a new clean energy economy, education and Medicare for all. It also is about protecting workers' rights and Social Security, returning to fairer tax rates so the wealthy pay their share and ending the wars (that cost $3 billion a week). Lastly, it is about strengthening democracy by publicly financing elections to end the corrosive influence of money in politics.

We want to thank our wonderful speakers; Nancy Mathisen, Cameron Williams, Susan Ganzer and Darlene Hargrove. We heard about the "new poor"- folks over 50 with decades of experience who cannot find jobs, kids on food stamps, worry about retirement, and just how much people are suffering in our own community. Our hearts go out to them and their families and we wish them all the best in the days ahead. Thanks too to Lori DuBord, Congressional Representative who did an excellent job in outlining the Contract for the American Dream and all the ways Congressman Hinchey has been a leader in promoting those policies.

We even were treated to a brief, surprise visit as Congressman Hinchey drove by. We were able to present him with a bouquet of flowers to thank him for consistently being on the side of the people and to wish him well on his recovery from surgery. You may be wondering why he is not in the above video. Well, I goofed. I thought I was recording it all, but had actually turned the camera off for that great moment (sorry)!

I co-coordinated the event and spoke about my own son who is struggling to find a job in Phoenix. He told me he went for a manager's position for Taco Bell and there were 300 applying, some even traveling from Las Vegas and Los Angeles! I also talked about the "rich man's coup" that has been in the works for 30 years. Our salaries, adjusted for inflation, are less today than they were in 1971! Yet there has been a huge increase in income in America; it is just going to fewer and fewer people. Since 1980, 4/5 of all the increase went to the richest 1%.

We need a public jobs program like the WPA to turn this country around. If we depend on the private sector alone this recession could last a decade and get much worse. Slashing programs at a time of economic crisis is precisely the wrong thing to do. Of course, we have to deal with our deficit long-term, but right now we need an infusion of dollars to ensure our recovery.

We need to continue to rally around the policies set forth in the Contract for the American Dream. Over 130,000 Americans helped to write it. Kudos to MoveOn.org for going through such a painstaking process to ensure all our voices were heard.

Our strength is in our numbers and in the fact that we are standing for the American ideal, that all who are willing to work can find a good job and give their families a better life. We are also standing for fairness- that those who do well IN America, do well BY America! To stay in the loop, please join our Council by writing to ulstercmoveon@gmail.com and please Sign the Contract and ask all your friends and family to too!

Onward!