Important Rally at Senator McCaskill's Office Friday to Protect the Federal Budget

The main weakness of Todd Akin and Sarah Steelman is that they will be forced by extremists in the Republican Party to demand cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and other programs that people rely on for their well-being. But this is only a weakness if Senator McCaskill stands up for these programs and the wishes of the vast majority of the population. So this rally I just heard about sounds like a great idea:

We are rallying to persuade Senator McCaskill to meet with community stakeholders regarding the current proposed federal budget.

Friday, June 17 4-5 pm Senator McCaskill's office 5850 Delmar Ave., St. Louis 63112

The current proposed federal budget has massive cuts to vital federal public services, programs including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and to public employee wages. We must fight to protect critical health and retirement programs.

This event is sponsored by Missouri Jobs with Justice, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), Missouri Health Care for All, Missouri Pro-Vote, The Missouri Budget Project, and Metropolitan Congregations United.

We will ask Senator McCaskill to oppose any legislation that will continue tax breaks for the very rich and big corporations at the expense of federal workers and the services they provide. Missouri's veterans, farmers, and working families depend on government services, such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and others. A cut to the federal budget and workforce is a cut to Missouri! Join us in asking Senator McCaskill to stand strong against the proposed cuts to Federal Services!

Bring your friends, neighbors, family and co-workers - people you know who benefit from Federal programs

If you can't make the rally, you can send McCaskill a message here.

State Workers Union Slams Governor Nixon’s Budget Proposals

The response from the Communication Workers of America to Nixon's State of the State speech:

CWA members were flabbergasted and outraged to learn that Governor Nixon proposed additional massive cuts to Missouri’s most vulnerable citizens in his state of the state address and initial budget proposal.

Among the wrongheaded recommendations he announced were plans to lay off nearly 500 direct service employees in Department of Social Services and Department of Health and Senior Services. In addition to adding hundreds to Missouri’s already historically high numbers of unemployed, these cuts will:

• make accessing and applying for Medicaid, Foodstamps, child support and child care services vastly more difficult for thousands of financially struggling Missouri families
• reduce the number of state employees assigned to protecting children, senior citizens and people with disabilities from abuse and neglect
• force families with troubled youth to travel hundreds of miles to access state mandated treatment services.

Governor Nixon is refusing to advocate for any measures that would significantly increase state revenue, even measures with support from both parties such as taxing internet retail sales or increasing the tobacco tax. Governor Nixon seems to have forgotten his promises to restore social services during his election campaign, but the hundreds of union members who devoted thousands of hours to his first election campaign have not.

By issuing this budget recommendation, Governor Nixon has decided that the entire burden for Missouri’s economic crisis should be carried by abused children, people with disabilities, and unemployed and low-wage workers. He has decided that the interests of out of state corporations and the tobacco industry are more important than the needs of the citizens of his state who are struggling the most during this economic crisis.

The 6,500 public workers represented by CWA will not forget this outrageous decision and will fight this cruel and shortsighted budget at every possible level.

Communications Workers of America, Local 6355, AFL-CIO

You can say Nixon's in a tough spot, but at the very least this calls into question his claim that he will "fight every day for every job."