Of course we should let Social Security Works help us tell President Trump to keep his promise not to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid -- regardless of what his budget proposals might say, he did promise, and we should remind him of that even though he doesn't care what we think. But why only play defense? The Congressional Progressive Caucus has released the People's Budget, one that would (among other things) actually create jobs, rebuild infrastructure, and promote sustainable energy. The right-winger in your head is already no doubt yelling how're you gonna pay for it? Well, among other things, by raising tax rates on high incomes, taxing investment income at the same rate as wages, and closing corporate tax loopholes, including the one that gives corporations goodies even when they outsource jobs. Why would any of that offend anyone but corporate executives and the folks who defend them? And why do we treat them like they're the majority? Tools for calling your Congressfolk are in the upper right-hand corner of this page (or the bottom, if you're on a cellphone).
Meanwhile, you may recall Congress passing the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act in during the 2014 lame duck session of Congress, and like many bills with the word "reform" in their title, this bill was more of a "deform" bill -- it allows pension plan trustees to fill funding shortfalls by reducing pension benefits. Would it be so much to ask for someone in a position of power in America to keep a promise they make? Could a pension plan trustee fill a shortfall by, oh, I don't know, investing more wisely, or investing without the very expensive "assistance" of hedge fund managers? Every time our "betters" screw up, they make us pay, but if you've got a pension, that means you worked for it, you paid into it, you fought for it -- and, most importantly, you deserve it. Hence the Keep Our Pension Promises Act, which would give the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation more leeway to help pensions with funding shortfalls. The Pension Rights Center helps you tell your Congressfolk to roll back legislation that hurts retirees and instead give pension funds the tools they need to get back on track without benefit cuts.
Finally, the Senate might soon take up H.R. 5/S. 951, the notorious Regulatory Accountability Act, which passed the House in January. Congressfolk seem to want endless "accountability" for everyone but themselves and their big donors, and here the word "accountability" means nothing so much as "obstruction," because the bill would force federal regulatory agencies to put any proposed rule through bogus "studies" before even proposing it, and then big corporations extra opportunities to file lawsuits against the rule once proposed. Because corporations just don't get enough say in our democracy already! So, one more time: the legislative branch mandates the executive branch to formulate and issue regulations to achieve legislative aims, and the public gets a chance to comment on these regulations. And giving corporations more opportunities to put hurdles in front of regulations is, again, like the giving a losing baseball team six more innings just because they're behind. So Americans for Financial Reform helps you tell your Senator to reject the Regulatory Accountability Act.
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