by Nate Jackson Apparently the 1% don’t like hearing from us.
Billionaire Paychex Inc CEO Tom Golisano said, “If I hear a politician use the term ‘paying your fair share’ one more time, I’m going to vomit.”
The idea of fairness makes him sick and he’s not alone.
Big bank CEOs and other 1% elites are kicking and screaming that it’s unfair that we want them to pay their fair share, invest in our communities and treat their workers with respect. Some CEOs are talking publicly about what they really think of the 99% movement.
We’ve been pushing hard and we’ve gotten under their skin. The 1% hasn’t even thought of fairness in so long that they’ve forgotten what it means.
We know that fairness is equal opportunities, good jobs, respect in the workplace and a system that rewards the real wealth creators, the workers, like Gina Peterson and Susie Esqueda.
Peterson has been out of work for half a year. She was a healthcare worker who has been unable to find good work. She’s been looking for a good job and has every right to complain, but she chooses instead to fight for an economy that works for all of us.
Peterson was one of the activists who came with Working Washington to Washington DC and she went out of her way to help others during that week of action. When she saw a need she filled it. When something needed to be done she did it.
She even stood up to elected officials and held her ground while they tried to ply her with nice words and empty promises.
“It’s not just about me, “she said. “We need to change the system so that everyone who wants to work can find good jobs. There’s so many more people back home who are hurting just like I am.”
Susie Esqueda has just had her 47 year old daughter move back in with her because of the lack of good jobs. Her children are facing foreclosure and her own job situation is dire. She lost her job a year and a half ago. She is facing serious issues, but you would never tell if you talked to her. She has a smile on her face and goes out of her way to help others.
She is standing up and fighting instead of just lobbing complaints. She is talking to her neighbors and showing them how to get involved in this fight that we, the 99% can’t lose. She is getting things done.
“I’m worried that the Congress and the 1% are not doing anything for the working class,” she said. “We all need help and I’m going to fight for the change that we need. They need to hear from us.”
Everyone does better when everyone does better. The big bank CEOs and the 1% keep trying to sell that old line that “you’re on your own,” but we know better. Nothing can change until we all work together. It’s like the 1% don’t get that if they paid their fair share and invested in good jobs in our communities everyone would do better.
We’ve been putting on the pressure and the 1% are lashing out. They want us to just be quiet and go away. It’s not going to happen. We’ll keep telling them to invest in our communities with good jobs and respect in the workplace. They’ll keep seeing us in their offices, in the streets and in the halls of our elected officials.
We’ve got the 1% on the run and we’re not giving up..