Posted on 09/26/2008 8:00:21 AM PDT by Iron Munro
Hard hats, transit workers, machinists, teachers and other labor unionists railed against the U.S. government's proposed bailout of Wall Street on Thursday in a protest steps from the New York Stock Exchange.
Several hundred protesters yelled their enthusiastic support as union leaders decried a proposed $700 billion plan aimed at reinvigorating the credit markets by relieving financial institutions of distressed debt.
"The Bush administration wants us to pay the freight for a Wall Street bailout that does not even begin to address the roots of our crisis," said AFL-CIO National President John Sweeney.
"We want our tax dollars used to provide a hand up for the millions of working people who live on Main Street and not a handout to a privileged band of overpaid executives."
Signs read "No Blank Checks For Wall Street" and "Our Hard-Earned Pensions Are Not Up For Grabs." Protesters cheered repeated calls for the government to spend money on education, health care and housing as freely and readily as it was proposing to do for Wall Street.
"We know that the economic situation has to be solved. But we want a responsible rescue, not an opportunistic bailout," said United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
"And that means, just like every single boss says to me, that there should be accountability for the teachers, then there should be accountability for Wall Street," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
The sound you hear is opportunity knocking.
Get Sarah to these protests.
If you want to win the election let people know you are with them and against the corporate handouts.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
I have no love for McCain but I gotta agree. Seize the moment. Reagan had the wisdom to take his case to the unions.
I’m not in favor of the bailout as presently constructed, but do these unionists have a clue of how many billions of union pension fund dollars are tied up in Wall Street?
Certainly hope the businesses they work for are full funded and do not need a line of credit to make their payroll.
This could get ugly!
“We want our tax dollars used to provide a hand up for the millions of working people who live on Main Street and not a handout to a privileged band of overpaid executives.” We also want the money to go to good things like The Big Dig in MA where we can steal and do shotty work and get paid billions!!! And we want the tax dollars to go to all the democrat candidates and to ACORN!
Could we get a union accountant to compute the interest per day on 700 billion, please?
LOL!Unions are pointing to Bush,who has FULL BACKING from Democrats.Republicans have played it masterfully.It’s going to cost W his legacy,but Republicans OWN the little guy vote now.
Wow, even the “used to getting handouts” Democrats are against it.
80+ percent of Americans oppose the bailout. Let the corrupt elitest sink themselves. We need to be on the right side of the issues.
Whatever. Americans are blaming the wrong party. They will send Obama to D.C. with the same Democrat Congress that caused this mess in the first place. We are in big trouble. Americans do not trust their Gov’t but they are misinformed and misplacing blame.
Now you know why Pelosi said she won’t do anything without Republican signoff.
Remember Bush 1 when he raised taxes. It was a Democratic congress that held his feet to the fire, then blamed him for raising taxes.
They thought they could pull the same trick this time also (that’s why Frank blew up when McCain got involved and stopped the show.) As soon as the original plan was passed, they Dems were going to start running ads about “Bush and the Republican 700 Billion dollar bailout” even though Bush was the only Republican supporting it.
They thought they were going to tag the Republicans with the “700 billion dollar” sign.
Yes, the Republicans should send in Todd & Sarah Palin to talk to the unions. They hold some credibility with them because they are union members.
Ummm, don't look Sweeney, but your beloved Dems are with the President on this one.
(Real) Republicans: NO TO BUSH-PAULSON PLAN! NO TO PELOSI-FRANK PLAN!
Rats: VOTE FOR BUSH PLAN OR ELSE!!
There are a lot of areas where blue collar union members are conflicted in their beliefs with some ideals common to liberals and conservatives.
But these people are wandering off the democrat plantation and if the bailout scam provides some common ground it would be wise to take advantage of the moment without letting other issues get in the way.
Not only is this is an opportunity to win some support in this election, it could also be a foot in the door to begin weaning union members away from the democrat party.
e-mail or call your representatives to tell them to “hold strong”
Send Sarah out to rally’s in support of No Bail Out and after McCain has won, do a FULL INVESTIGATION and NAME NAME”S.
Make it a promise to America that President McCain will seek out all who profited and sustained Freddie and Frannie. Expose all the legislation on the issue. Expose the attorneys or the ACLU who threatened banks to give loans to people who did not qualify.
If McCain tries to “cut a deal” I hope the house Republicans say “we don’t want a deal, we want the best action taken for the American people..not a “deal” for Washington insiders.
If McCain tries to stomp the House GOP, he will be in big trouble! You want reform McCain? PROVE IT!
“But these people are wandering off the democrat plantation”
Didn’t I read somnewhere, not long ago, that the AFL-CIO was backing McLame?
I think the unions, in their strength, decided to skate for a while in the 50's and 60's, which led to the reduction in their rolls. Too late they realized what had happened, and now, they believe Obama can be the catalyst to bring back their power.
I love America too much to see Obama candidate successfully.
He must not get into the Executive position.
(I purposefully refrained from using the word, "elected")
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