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Nearly 30 area residents demonstrated outside of Rep. Chip Cravaack’s office during Wednesday’s noon hour urging the first-term Republican to work for a 10-point agenda entitled the Contract for American Dream.
The event, organized locally by Terry Sluss, a retired educator and former Crow Wing County commissioner, was sponsored on national level by Moveon.org, unions and a senior caucus.
Sluss and a few of the demonstrators presented Perry Nouis, manager of Cravaack’s constituent services office in Brainerd, with their contract at Brainerd City Hall.
The 10-point contract’s main points are: Invest in America, create 21st century energy jobs, invest in public education, offer Medicare for all, make work pay, secure Social Security, return to fairer tax rates, end the wars and invest at home, tax Wall Street speculation and strengthen democracy.
Nouis accepted literature on the contract and said he’d share it with the congressman.
The exchange between Nouis and Sluss, the DFL candidate for Senate District 12 in 2006, started with the DFLer’s admission that he agreed with Republicans who say the nation has a spending problem.
“The rich aren’t spending and the poor don’t have any money to spend,” Sluss said. “Bottom up is the way to get jobs.
Cravaack has “got it wrong,” Sluss said in his support of a trickle-down recovery.
Nouis countered the U.S. has to fix its business environment, which has made it attractive to move plants overseas. The factors behind the current climate, Nouis said, were high taxes, over-regulation and high labor costs. He said corporate taxes needed to be lowered.
While agreeing with demonstrators that America’s infrastructure needed work, he criticized the federal stimulus program as too expensive. He said each of the estimated jobs cost taxpayers $278,000.
Outside of city hall, Sluss said he’s worried about the next generation’s prospects of collecting Social Security. While he agrees with President Barack Obama’s contention that everything should be on the table, Sluss wants the federal government to look at eliminating tax dodgers and increasing tax rates for the top 1 percent of wage earners. He also suggested setting tax incentives for businesses that hire the unemployed.
Trix Wyant, 75, a longtime DFL activist in Aitkin County and a self-described middle class Democrat, said she attended the demonstration because she thinks the 2012 elections are going to be very important. She said she was a supporter of DFLer Rick Nolan for Congress in the 8th District.
“We either stand up and get the job done or it’s going to be a very interesting future,” she said.
In the news release announcing the demonstration, the event organizers expressed criticism of the recent debt deal that raised the nation’s debt ceiling. They said it did nothing to create jobs, forced deep cuts to important programs that protect the middle class, asked nothing of big corporations and millionaires and opened the door to cutting Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid benefits.
MIKE O’ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.
Comments (84)
Add commentbrilliant
U gotta love that manifesto. A recipe for disaster w/o a lick of commom sense in it. Atleast their self-righteous enough to believe in creating more debt to pay for their socialism
Fair Share Taxation
When will the Democrats demand that only Republicans should pay taxes?
glad to see this group speaking out
I remember when Oberstar had an office at City Hall and the Tea Party gang went there regularly and crowded in his staffers office with their demands. I know this from the police reports in the Dispatch.
They look very peaceful and their signs are spelled correctly! It is a free country. How many of you 4 are prepared to retire without social security or Medicare? Just curious............
Entitlements?
Social Security is not an entitlement. It is paid for by many of us seniors, our whole life. In 1967 Pres. Johnson-D opened up was set up as a trust fund, and put SS in the general fund. Since then it has been used in many different areas, including Medicare. Medicare for all, I don't think so. Why should we pay for those who are here illegally, or for some reason never became a citizen of the US. California is deep in debt because of providing healthcare for millions of illegals over the years. Our country can't afford it, or afford to send billions elsewhere to help other countries. As far as this group protesting in front of Cavaack's office, it's just another Dem. group trying to demonize those that are trying to do good for our country, even though some cuts will hurt. Anyone that is a real threat to the Dems. party, is made out to be either stupid, crazy, or ??. This country is so divided now, I have doubts it will ever get back together unless we have, God forbid, another major attack of some kind and people realize there is more to life than having ones own way.
I'm afraid God will no longer bless America, because we have shut the door on him and don't want him around our schools, public buildings, even the White House.
Pray for our Nation......
where is the money
it cracks me up watching a washed up local politican wanting more spending for moveon.orgs agenda-where is the money? i hate to break it to you terry-the country is really BROKE!obombation has borrowed us to death. what a waste that a teacher has no clue!
Republicans have a plan,
shrink the economy to the point it can be drowned in a bathtub. The so-called job creators are sitting on billions of dollars but refuse to invest in America (perhaps they're no longer American?). If they're waiting for demand to pick up, then putting America back to work, so people have money to spend is the key.
"their signs are spelled
"their signs are spelled correctly!"
How condescending.
MORANS!
MORANS!
"Nouis said, ....and high
"Nouis said, ....and high labor costs. "
In other words the Republicans intend on dropping the wage rate for American workers. CEOs however will NOT see any decrease in their wage package. There's always plenty of money for them.
How about we add tariffs to account for the unfair playing field that makes American products "look" like they are more expensive.
Add a tariff to account for lax environmental regulations in countries like China and Mexico.
Add a tariff to account for the the wage difference that has Chinese workers living in squallor.
More good paying
government /government created jobs is what is needed, right Chey? Time to stop looking through the doughnut hole and listen to what the movers and shakers are saying. The risk takers have voted " no confidence" in the current administration. Let's Hope this will Change in 2012.
Have you been to China
Have you been to China lately, Fish? You might be surprised how fast the standard of living is rising there. Someone is buying our Buicks!
Cancer is the leading cause
Cancer is the leading cause of death in China. Pollution costs are externalized to the population and in the case of air pollution the world. That gives them a temporary unfair cost advantage over America. I say temporary because all pollution costs are eventually paid by someone.
I wonder how many Tea Party Republicans realize that lowering American wages to Chinese worker levels is part of the GOP strategy.
Investors
voted 'no confidence' in the 'movers and shakers' judging by the sell-off on wall street (and then immediately moved their money into good old US govt treasuries). Obama leads generic republicans in the most recent polls. Snow White and the seven dwarfs aren't appealing to the American people.
"I wonder how many Tea Party
"I wonder how many Tea Party Republicans realize that lowering American wages to Chinese worker levels is part of the GOP strategy"
Ridiculous!
Chey, The lack of confidence
Chey,
The lack of confidence is in our leadership. Most notably, at the very top.
Poverty wages
are good for multi-national profits!
Most notably wolf,
at the intransigence of t-publicans to get real about jobs and the economy.
Show me the money
How is your 401k doing Chey? Big investors are the movers and shakers Chey. They are smart enough to see outside the doughnut hole that a percentage of something is better than a percentage of nothing. No confidence rises because they don't want to take the risk in an administration that continues to run up the balance on the credit card and then demand that someone else pay for it. It's time to cut the credit card and pay your bills, the old fashioned way.
Yeah,
jj, you and others can step up and pay the bills of past administrations, the 10 trillion incurred under Reagan, Bushes one and two (5 trillion by the latter), anytime. Please feel free to do so. Does taxation ring a bell?
Chey
Once you and the others of the 53% pay at least 1% instead of receiving more than you pay in, you have ZERO argument for taxation on anyone, period!
When you grow up
enough to carry on an adult conversation diddly, please get back to us.
This coming
from an idiot.(Chey) You remind me of my next door neighbor's child with your silly rants, but, hey, he's only 5!
wolf
It is not condescending for snow, ey, chey, because they cannot attack the message, so in good ol' liberal style, they attack the messenger. This is why they were preaching tolerance not so long ago. Well right before they called everyone Nazis and bigots.
"carry on an adult
"carry on an adult conversation diddly"
LOL! Priceless! Calls him a name, and tells him to act like an adult in the same sentence.
Oh dear,
the rabid right trolls are out in full force today.
Save Social Security!
Saving Social Security is about as important as protecting us from an invasion by the planet Remulak.
"Cancer is the leading cause
"Cancer is the leading cause of death in China"
What types of Cancer are most prevalent? Is the incidence higher in population centers? Demographics?
I have a novel idea...
If you pay $0 dollars in taxes, you dont vote (excluding retired seniors). If you collect 1 penny in fedral or state assistance (Not SS or medicare), you don't vote.
Snowda
Their signs are spelled correctly because they are only three or four words long. Try this. Hold up all your fingers on one hand (we'll disregard the thumb to make it simpler). That's four.
hayseed
Your name sort of says it all....