I'm looking for a silver lining today. I live in Minneapolis and today the snow is blowing and the wind chills will be below zero as it says spring arrives on the calendar. But I do have a great silver lining. Living in Minneapolis means I have Keith Ellison as my U.S. Congressional representative.
Ellison, as co-chair (with Rep. Raul Grijalva) of the Progressive Caucus, introduced the Back To Work Budget last week. This budget cuts through the hysteria of the "sky is falling because of deficits" and puts common sense back into play on how to attack the real problems facing us as a nation and as a people.
High-level bullet points on the Back To Work Budget include:
-- Creates 7 million new jobs in one year
-- Enacts fair individual and corporate tax policies (including a Robin Hood Tax)-- Cuts weapons spending
-- Improves health care delivery and efficiency
-- Protects the environment (carbon tax, ending subsidies to fossil fuel corporations)
-- Prevents cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
It addresses everything that polls say Americans want.
You say you haven't heard about the Back To Work Budget? Well, then go find out more. Here are some easy links to do just that:
Progressive Democrats of America
Representative Keith Ellison's web site
The budget was prominently featured on the great Up With Chris Hayes show this past weekend (it's worth watching to see the graphics that show just how far right the budget conversation has gone. Even the senate's Democratic budget proposal is closer to the Ryan Budget than it is to the common sense approach of the Back To Work Budget).
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