No Cuts, No Compromises

By Nathan Jackson The elections are over, but we can’t just pat ourselves on the back.

We want good jobs, an economy that works for the rest of us and a fairer tax system that makes the rich and big corporations pay their fair share. So we had a little chat with Senator Patty Murray--over 8000 of us.

Senator Murray listened on our tele-town hall where we told her that essential programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security weren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, but lifelines for many of us.

Our message: No Cuts, No Compromises.

On the call, caregivers talked about their struggles to provide care to those who need it and support their own families if healthcare funding is slashed. Seniors citizens called in worried about the potential “grand bargain” that would further cut programs that take care of the elderly, disabled, and the poor.

They were worried about being tossed to the side.

The Senator in response said she would fight for a tax system where the rich pay their fair share and that’s great, but we need to make sure our message is clear--we will not accept a compromise that cuts Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.

We need to keep the pressure on our elected officials to tell them point blank that these programs are untouchable. The tele-town hall was a nice warm up, but we need to keep the momentum we’ve gained from the election going.

We need to plan our next steps. Tell us what should be our next action by following this link and give us feedback on the tele-town hall itself.

It’s so easy to get caught up in words. When we hear Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security sometimes we may forget what these programs actually mean. These programs are the social contract that we have all signed together to take care of one another in our society. It is the systematic way that we pull each other up, lend a helping hand and make sure that we treat everyone with dignity and respect.

Slashing the budgets of programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security is immoral. We take care of our elderly, folks with disabilities and the poor. We don’t throw them under the bus when budgets would tell us to tighten our belts--we figure out a way to do the right thing.

Don’t let elected officials forget that. Don’t let them look at this basic social compact as pure numbers just lined up on some balance sheet.

We’ve sent a strong message that we will not stand for cuts to these vital services, now we need to figure out the next steps to keep up the pressure.

We’ve opened the door with the results of the elections and this tele-town hall. Now we need to keep up the pressure and show our elected officials we are willing to walk the walk.