PDA Street Heat: Prosperity Not Austerity Rally at Raul’s

Progressives in Congress and across the country are fighting the tide of right wing extremism on multiple fronts– from food stamps to cuts in Social Security to stalled immigration reform to anti-woman legislation to austerity for the middle class, while the wealthy live high on the hog.

Congressman Raul Grijalva has been at the forefront of the progressive movement in Congress. As another budget battle heats up in the House of Representatives, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) want to thank our stalwarts like Grijalva, and at the same time want to celebrate Medicare’s 48th birthday.

This rally at Grijalva’s office is part of a nationwide action at multiple Congressional offices by PDA and National Nurses United (NNU). The event is 10:30 a.m.-12 noon at the old YWCA (738 N. 5th Ave.)

At some locations– like Congressman Ron Barber’s– PDA members will do letter drops urging Congressional representatives to support certain bills or issues. This month the focus is on prosperity vs austerity, Medicare expansion, jobs, and progressive financial legislation like the Robin Hood Tax. (More details below.) At Grijalva’s office and others, there will be street heat rallies, as there were last month when PDA members were protesting cuts to food stamps nationwide and helped stop the Farm Bill.

Details are still being formulated; so, watch this blog and the PDA Tucson Facebook page for updates.

More from PDA on the July 17 letter drop .

H.R. 676: The Expanded and Improved Medicare For All Act, marking the 48th Anniversary of Medicare by demanding Congress pass legislation to create a national, not-for-profit program to provide high quality healthcare for all Americans–everyone in, no one out. Please take action here.

Also H.R. 1000: The Humphrey-Hawkins 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act which would create employment opportunities for the unemployed; and H.R. 1579: The Inclusive Prosperity Act: also known as the Robin Hood Tax (RHT) and Financial Transaction Tax (FTT).

Join our growing nationwide Educate Congress Campaign by delivering a letter to your Representative and/or by making phone calls to support the campaign. We’ll be in 200 plus home districts and on Capitol Hill, mostly on Wednesday, July 17th. Read more here.

Why the Robin Hood Tax?

Wall Street’s reckless behavior in the past decade caused the greatest economic meltdown since the Great Depression. The financial industry was in trouble, and the American people stepped up to help Wall Street. And now it’s time for Wall Street to step up and lend a hand rebuilding Main Street.

Passing the “the Robin Hood Tax,” is the first step. It would add a small fee of half a percent or less on the thousands of automated, high-volume trades occurring on Wall Street every second. Not only would this tax help rein in risky high-speed trading, it would collect $300 billion a year–money which can put Americans back to work, improve our infrastructure, enhance education, and help fund human needs. Let’s show Congress that Americans across the country demand that Wall Street pays its fair share to Main Street.