How to Address the Fiscal Cliff

The reelection of Barack Obama is truly a historical moment in our nation’s history. I too would like to add my thanks and admiration to all of you who worked so hard on this election.  The success we all just witnessed would never have happened if it wasn’t for the dedication and tireless effort of the thousands of volunteers that donated their time and effort to the USW political program. Our union is well aware of SOAR’s participation and the role our leadership and members played in its success.

As SOAR President, Connie Entrekin has said, we should all take a small break and celebrate our victory. Then, it is back to work! We will need to be the driving force for our agenda. It will not get done if we sit back and wait for it to happen.

Already, there are forces at work that want to make drastic cuts in Medicare and Social Security; that will cripple our recovery to avert the so called “fiscal cliff,” to address our nation’s deficit. This is the wrong approach. The best way to address the deficit is to put people back to work.

On Election Day, Americans firmly rejected the far-right Republican agenda of job-killing budget cuts. We voted with a mandate for strengthening the middle class and putting people back to work in good paying American jobs. We voted to invest in jobs and education, not for cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

It is once again time to make your voices heard. Call your members of Congress at 888-659-9401 and tell them to oppose benefit cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and to end the Bush tax cuts for the richest 2%.

Jim Centner, SOAR Director