Just American

Previous | Next

Tax cut opponents mobilize to combat
10:44 a.m. & 2003-05-16

of the newspaper The Hill:

Tax cut opponents mobilize to combat

all-out lobbying efforts by White House

MAY 13, 2003

By Michael S. Gerber

With the tax debate due to reach the Senate floor this week, a

coalition of groups that oppose cutting taxes has launched an all-out

lobbying effort to press key lawmakers on the issue.

Members of the Fair Taxes for All Coalition, a group of labor unions

and progressive activists, have planned a weeklong blitz of television,

radio and newspaper ads here in Washington and in the home states of

key senators, as well as grassroots and lobbying activities on Capitol

Hill.

The highlight of the grassroots efforts should come Wednesday, when

activists hope to enlist half a million Americans to call their

senators and representatives to voice an anti-tax-cut message.

Organizers say this week is the culmination of months of mobilizing

against the White Houses plan for a $726 billion tax cut. The House

approved a $550 billion bill last week; senators were scheduled to

take up a $421 billion proposal Monday.

"Its all coming to a head," said Marge Baker, a co-chair of the

coalitions lobbying group and director of public policy for People

for the American Way. "This is a massive coalition with millions of

members. Many of these organizations are ones that typically dont get

involved with financial issues. Were concerned about [the tax cut]

crowding out other priorities."

As many of the coalitions members learned in 2001, fighting President

Bush and a GOP-controlled Congress on a tax cut is an uphill fight.

But thats not stopping them from trying to get their message out,

even as the president uses the bully pulpit and Treasury Secretary

John Snow makes the TV talk show circuit.

The White House also has powerful allies in the business community who

have organized their own grassroots effort.

"We just had 850 people take a day off of work and come to Washington

to rally for tax cuts [last week]," said Dan Clifton, a spokesman for

Americans for Tax Reform, an anti-tax group. "We had 150 people from

North Carolina come on a bus at one in the morning to hear the

president. We went out and found average American families. We had

small businesses here."

But the Fair Taxes for All Coalition has more members and more money

than tax-cut opponents had in 2001, funds that can help bring people

to lobby Congress and pay for advertising campaigns in key states. A

television ad paid for by MoveOn.org began running on cable news

networks in the D.C. area and in 22 cities in 11 other states,

including Maine, Nebraska and Ohio, homes of three of the debates key

senators - Olympia Snowe (R), Ben Nelson (D), and George Voinovich (R).

The ad tells the story of parents in Eugene, Ore., who sold their own

plasma to raise money to cover the salary of a schoolteacher whose job

was in danger because of budget cuts.

MoveOn.org also is coordinating the national call-in day on Wednesday,

working with other coalition groups to encourage several hundred

thousand of the groups members to phone Congress in opposition to the

tax cut. Earlier this year, the group organized a similar grassroots

phone drive to oppose the war in Iraq.

Other members of the coalition are holding press conferences to

highlight issues - from healthcare to education - that they say would

be affected by the tax cut.

Business leaders who oppose the tax cut will be on Capitol Hill as part

of an effort by Responsible Wealth, a group of affluent people who

oppose the White House tax cut.

"We share a common agenda that this tax cut is unwise, unaffordable and

unfair," said Jeff Blum, executive director of consumer advocacy group

USAction, and co-chair of the grassroots efforts of the anti-tax-cut

coalition. "Theres no surplus.

Nobody can think that their program can be funded if we give hundreds

of billions more dollars to a bunch of millionaires."

He said the funding issue was why the National Education Association,

veterans groups and MoveOn were "putting in their own resources to do

expensive things from very different constituencies."

Activists who oppose the presidents plan remain upbeat even as

Congress appears ready to pass a tax cut. Already, they say, their

efforts have been successful in cutting the proposal by hundreds of

billions of dollars. And they take some credit for the infighting now

occurring among several business constituencies because of offsets in

the Senate Finance Committees legislation.

"Every poll right now shows that Americans think this tax cut is

fiscally irresponsible," said Zack Exley, the national organizing

director for MoveOn.org, which originated during the 1998 impeachment

as a website for constituents to tell members of Congress to censure

President Clinton and "move on."

"Weve gotten a huge response from our membership. This isnt an anti-

tax-cut movement," Exley added. "Its a fiscal responsibility movement."

The Fair Taxes for All Coalition grew from a smaller organization that

fought the 2001 tax cut to one composed of more than 300 member groups.

Coalition leaders said the group has been energized by what they see

as evidence of success, like the presidents plan being slashed in half

by the Senate. They also have more money invested than two years ago,

including enough to fund a small full-time staff.

After seeing news reports that the administration would pursue major

tax cuts every year it remained in power, opponents of the tax plan

said their efforts would only get more powerful and more vocal.

"To the extent that they continue to push further tax cuts," said Chuck

Loveless, another coalition co-chair and legislative director of the

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, "there is

very much room for this coalition to continue."

________________

This is a message from MoveOn.org.

________________

Today, hundreds of thousands of people will call on their Senators

to vote against new tax cuts for millionaires, so we can save our

kids' schools and other vital programs from the budget axe. Will

you join us and call today? The final votes could come as soon

as tomorrow.

Many members of the Bush administration stand to benefit handsomely

from the new cuts: "Treasury Secretary John Snow tops the list with a

$275,000 windfall... Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld could

pocket an extra $184,000. And not far behind is the $181,000 that

could go to Secretary of Commerce Don Evans," according to AFSCME.*

In fact, many Senators themselves are likely to reap enormous

windfalls. For example, Bill Frist, the Senate Republican leader,

has an estimated net worth of $20 million.** What do these Senators

and their well-off friends stand to gain from these cuts? Let's ask

them.

Please call your Senators now.

Make sure the staffers know you're a constituent, and urge your

Senators to please OPPOSE all new tax cuts. Then, if you like, ask

them how much they will personally pocket if these cuts pass.

Or, if you prefer, tell them some of the reasons you're personally

opposed to the cuts.

Please let us know you're making these important calls, at:

http://www.moveon.org/callmade3.html?id=1359-1727118-gnyRNfp.7xm38fY7GjKJ5A

The IRS has a special form for tax refunds of one million dollars

or more. Why not download it from the link below, and fax it to

your Senators, with a note scrawled across it, saying:

"Thought you might need this."

Heres the form:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8302.pdf

archives profile diaryland email notes guestbookrings 0 comments

join my Notify List and get email when I update my site:
email:
Powered by NotifyList.com

Anti-War Web Ring
[<<<] [�list�] [???] [�join�] [>>>]

Links

Write Congress
Protest Bush
American Civil Liberties Union
Michael Moore in 2004
Democratic Underground
The White House
The Independent(UK)
The Guardian(UK)
BBC World News
FAIR
Amnesty Intl

National Public Radio
Human Right Watch
Network For Peace
Peace Pledge Union
The Protest
Move On
United Nations"

Anti-War.com