Come one, come all!
Come to a hearing on Thursday, May 5, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, State House Gardner Auditorium, Boston, to support “An Act to Invest In Our Communities”
by John Andrews, Nat Fortune, Shirley Kressel, and Jill Stein
{ Cross-posted at Open Media Boston and Blue Mass Group }
Dear GRP supporters and activists,
Please join us at a hearing on Thursday, May 5, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, State House Gardner Auditorium, Boston. Come tell the Governor and legislature to stop slashing critical health, education, social and environmental services in order to protect billions in useless corporate tax giveaways and subsidies for the massive, needless health insurance bureaucracy!
Raise the bar for a better budget and real tax reform. As a first step, we’re supporting “An Act to Invest In Our Communities” (SB1416 / HB2553) at the hearing. Supporting this revenue bill is one part of our commitment to stop the cruel, needless cuts that the governor and legislature are making to critical programs.
In addition to asking the rich to pay their fair share, the GRP is also calling for single-payer Medicare-for-all health care (saving $1.5 – $2 billion annually) and elimination of unjustified and ineffective corporate subsidies (saving $2.2 billion annually). The Green-Rainbow Party alone brings it all together into a “Better Budget,” which will not only prevent new budget cuts, but will allow us to restore essential public services that have been severely whittled away over the past decade.
We can’t afford any more bipartisan attacks on low and middle income people while the big banks and other corporations, the insurance companies, and the richest 5% continue to amass ever greater extremes of wealth. The people of Massachusetts deserve better – the GRP Better Budget!
For more details, see below.
Hope to see you there!
John Andrews and Jill Stein, GRP co-chairs
Shirley Kressel and Nat Fortune, the GRP Better Budget Initiative
PS. Wear something green (or rainbow!) colored so we can show the rising tide of GRP support for real change for a just and sustainable future. We’ll have stickers and buttons to give you as well.
PPS. If you’d like to help at the rally or get more information, call 617-418-3756, or email office@green-rainbow.org .
More background on the budget crisis and the “Act to Invest In Our Communities:”
State officials say we face a $1.9 billion budget deficit, and intend to further slash essential public services and weaken collective bargaining. The ” Act to Invest In Our Communities” legislation would raise $1.2 billion in new revenue annually. It restores the state income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.9%, but raises the personal exemption enough to freeze or decrease the tax burden for middle-class and low-income families. It also raises revenue from investment income, which does not impact the majority of Massachusetts families. The financial impacts are explained at http://onema.org/sites/default/files/InfoSheet_ActToInvestInOurCommunities.pdf
Other important bills to end wasteful corporate tax giveaways:
HB2565/S153 An act for economic efficiency and transparency
HB3015 An Act relative to the taxation of certain mutual fund service corporations (ends the Fidelity giveaway).
More background on the GRP Better Budget initiative:
The Green Rainbow Party is working on a broad economic strategy that would:
$ Stop the cuts to education, local aid, health care, environment, social services & local aid!
$ Let corporations & the wealthiest individuals start paying their share! Ordinary taxpayers now pay up to twice the rate as the wealthy.
$ Reduce taxes & fees on working people.
$ Eliminate corporate giveaways that don’t create jobs, yet cost billions.
$ Create affordable, comprehensive health care – and save billions – with a single-payer Medicare-for-all system.
$ Invest in our communities – in public higher education and local small businesses and cooperatives – to end the jobs deficit.
RSVP to the Facebook event & invite your friends!