[dc-zaps] May 14 Mass Picket & Rally in D.C.

It's the Economy, Mr. President....Again!

* The U.S. has lost over 2 million jobs in the past two years, nearly 
500,000 in February and March alone.

* Extended unemployment benefits end on June 1, 2003 while the economy 
continues to slump.

* States and cities across the country are facing massive deficits, which 
is causing large-scale cuts in jobs and vital programs.

* The Bush Administration's answer is massive tax cuts for the wealthy, 
little immediate stimulus for the economy and no aid to the unemployed or 
the states.


Mass Picket & Rally
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
12 Noon
U.S. Department of Labor
Washington D.C.
3rd and Constitution

To Demand:
--Extended Unemployment Benefits
--Fiscal Aid to the States
--Real Stimulus Package for the Economy

Speakers include:
John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO
Leo Gerard President, United Steelworkers of America
Kweisi Mfume, President, NAACP
Lawrence Klein, Nobel Laureate Economist
Rev. Ronald Stief, United Church of Christ
Bill George, President PA AFL-CIO
 Pam Terry, President CWA Local 2000
John Dodds, Philadelphia Unemployment Project
Laid Off American workers
Members of Congress

For more information contact: AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers of America, 
Philadelphia Unemployment Project, AFSCME, New York Unemployment Project, 
UFCW, Teamsters, CWA, UNITE, National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, 
National Employment Law Project, American Friends Service Committee, 
Community Voices Heard.  Call 215-557-0822 for more information.


--------------------------------
It's the Economy Again, Mr. President... What about us?

Extended Benefits are running out on June 1 with no end in sight to high 
unemployment.

States are in fiscal crisis across the nation, forcing major cuts and lay 
offs and slowing the economy even more.

And President Bush's answer is massive tax cuts for the wealthy that does 
not create jobs, no help for the states and no help for the unemployed.

This is unacceptable to the American people!


** Extending Unemployment Benefits **

§       Nearly four million unemployed will lose benefits without an 
immediate passage of legislation to extend and expand unemployment benefits.

§       Extended unemployment benefits run out on June 1, 2003. Beginning 
June 1st, 80,000 workers every week will lose their unemployment benefits 
if the federal program is discontinued.

§       The program now provides 13 weeks of extended benefits to most 
workers.  In the last recession workers got 26 to 33 weeks of extended 
benefits.

§       The economy continues to slump and has lost over 500,000 jobs in 
the last 3 months.

§       There are 8.79 million unemployed now, more than any time in the 
last ten years.

§       43% of the unemployed exhaust their state benefits without finding 
a job.

Yet President Bush is not supporting an extension for the unemployed.


** Aid to the States **

§       Meanwhile, across the nation states are in crises.  States are 
facing $80 to $100 Billion in deficits.

§       Massive cuts in vital programs and large-scale lay offs are 
happening everywhere. States are raising taxes.  All of this creates an 
even greater strain on the struggling national economy.

§       Money to the states would prevent program cuts and layoffs and get 
funds directly and quickly into the economy.

Yet President Bush does not favor any aid to the states.


** Tax Cut for the Wealthy with Little Help for the Economy **

§       President Bush is calling for a massive tax targeted to the 
wealthy, which will lead to giant deficits and provide little help for the 
economy.

§       A wide range of economists from Nobel-prize winners to financial 
analysts say that the Bush tax cuts will do little in terms of creating 
jobs.  Even the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, run by a Bush 
appointee, found that the net effect of the tax cuts on the economy would 
be small.

§       The vast majority of the proposed tax cuts will not happen in 2003 
when the need for jobs is critical.

§       The tax cuts will enrich the wealthiest Americans while we face 
massive state deficits and cutbacks across the nation.

§       Under the tax plan passed by the House, millionaires (184,000 
Americans) would receive a total tax cut as large as the total to be 
received by the bottom 89% of the population.

§       At a time of growing costs for national security and the Iraq war, 
combined with the upcoming retirement of the baby boom generation these 
long-term tax cuts threaten the economic well being of the nation.

§       They will cause major cuts in human services, education and 
threaten Social Security and Medicare and other programs important to 
average non-millionaire Americans.

Yet President Bush is pushing for the largest possible tax cut targeted 
mainly to the rich, with little concern for getting the country out of the 
economic slump.

For more information contact the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, United Steelworkers of 
America, UNITE, United Food and Commercial Workers, Teamsters, IBEW, 
Philadelphia Unemployment Project, Community Voices Heard, New York 
Unemployment Project, Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, American Friends 
Service Committee, National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, National 
Employment Law Project.  Call Philadelphia Unemployment Project at 
215-557-0822 for more information.