Tax the 1% Rally, Kingston NY Video!

As you can see, the Tax the 1% Rally held at the Kingston PO was a lively affair. Thank you to all who came, who shared their stories, blew their whistles and demonstrated their passion for justice!

There were hundreds of rallies like this all over the country, to kick off the 99% Spring- a historic movement of everyday Americans taking to the streets to say no to a system that has been rigged to benefit the 1% at our expense.

We demand tax fairness and a re-prioritization of our budget from war (60% of our discretionary budget goes to the military) to peace- rebuilding America, strengthening the middle class and lifting almost 50 million Americans from poverty.

The Kingston Postmaster was not happy with us and asked us to move, but we chose to exercise our First Amendment right to peaceably assemble in front of the Post Office. In a Times Herald Record article, Postmaster Maher said we were being "extremely radical". Hardly! We are just average Americans who are distressed that our standard of living is plummeting while the richest 1% see their wealth soar into the stratosphere. We want to return government to "we the people" instead of having a government of, by and for the rich. Apologies to any who were made uncomfortable by our presence or our message. Our intention is to inform, inspire and motivate people to get involved, get the facts, and to believe that together we can restore economic justice to hard working American families.

Most of the folks going in to mail their taxes seemed to be with us. After all, as Joel Tyner, Dutchess County legislator and candidate for our US Congressional District said, polls show that over 80% of Americans feel the rich should pay more. Who can argue that a hedge fund manager who (obscenely) makes $4.9 billion a year should be allowed to pay at a rate lower than you or me? Or that multinational corporations with record profits should pay no taxes? FACT- Over two dozen major corporations have paid NO taxes for years and often get millions in refunds. The richest 1% collectively has more wealth than  90% of the rest of us- but through loopholes, off shore tax havens and other tricks, pay at much lower rates than we do.

In that same article, (and I wish the reporter had spent more time interviewing rally participants, rather than just those looking on) another complained that we were waging class warfare. We are?! Class warfare is being waged on us! We have witnessed the biggest, systematic theft from the poor and the middle class in American history-  bailouts, legislation that showers the super rich with largesse while taking endlessly from us. Wake up folks. Join us in blowing the whistle on our unjust system rigged to benefit the 1%.

Join us here- http://www.moveon.org/team/