Nurses Organization Urges National Protests Against Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid

[Better Believe It]

Press Releases
Nurses Call for Tax on Wall Street Trades, Not Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid
Media Advisory
July 7, 2011

Urge National Protests
Nurses Won’t Endorse Candidates who Cut Social Security

The nation’s leading nurses’ organization, National Nurses United, today called on the Obama administration and Congress to oppose cuts in Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, and instead increase national revenues with a tax on major Wall Street speculative activity.

NNU also urged national action, including swamping Congress with calls, to block cuts they say would endanger lives for those who count on these vital programs, especially in an economy that has not recovered for millions of Americans.

Data continues to pour in about how far the U.S. is already falling on healthcare barometers, indicators that could become far worse under the cuts now being discussed in Washington, the nurses say. (see examples below)

Earlier this year, the NNU national board voted to withhold election endorsements for any federal candidate who votes or acts to cut Social Security. NNU has some 170,000 members across the U.S.

NNU members issued the call ahead of a debate being held Friday in Washington between supporters and opponents of a financial transaction tax similar to an FTT currently on the books in more than 15 countries, including Great Britain, and under active consideration by the European Union.

A bill to enact such a measure for the U.S., which had an FTT from 1914 to 1966, is expected to be re-introduced soon. Proponents, including NNU, say hundreds of billions of dollars could be raised annually through even a modest tax rate on financial market trades of stocks, bonds, derivatives, credit default swaps, and similar financial transactions that could be used to help rebuild America.

The debate will be held Friday, July 8, at 11:30 a.m. at the Carnegie Institute, 1530 P St. NW.

Nurses warn that further cuts to vital basic programs, especially to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid could substantially accelerate a broad decline in health and living standards linked to the ongoing recession experienced on Main Streets across America.

In June, NNU members, joined by labor and community activists, rallied in support of such a Wall Street tax on Wall Street in New York across from the Stock Exchange, and outside the U.S. headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC.

Deborah Burger, RN, co-president of National Nurses United: “America’s nurses see and feel broad declines in health and living standards for their patients, and their own families that are directly tied to the collapse in jobs, housing, healthcare, and other basics of what used to be called the American dream,” says NNU Co-President Deborah Burger, RN. “Nurses are calling for a change in priorities because they have seen enough, and want to stop the bleeding now.”

NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro: “America has the wealth to end the despair and deprivation. To reclaim this nation, we have to start by making Wall Street pay to undo the damage that has caused immeasurable suffering while the high rollers on Wall Street, who created this crisis, are rewarded with bailouts, bonuses, tax cuts, and regulatory rollbacks.”

More background about the nurses’ campaign is available at www.mainstreetcontract.org.

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/nurses-call-for-tax-on-wall-street-trades-not-cuts-in-medicare-social-secur/

[FreakinDJ]

1. Like I said - once AARP come out they'll all jump on board

[w8liftinglady]

2. This nurse is there in solidarity. I see the victims of these cuts.

...it ain't pretty,folks....

[yurbud]

4. and it's so unnnecessary--just tax the assholes who broke our economy

[mzmolly]

3. What cuts? A very misleading headline

as I'm sure you know.

"Nurses Call for Tax on Wall Street Trades, Not Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid" is the actual headline.

[Better Believe It]

6. What cuts?? The ones quoted in their headline! "Not Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid"

Yikes!!!

Double Yikes!!!!

Do you not think they are opposed to the threatened cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security?

[mzmolly]

7. Medicaid was expanded in HCR.

So I ask, what cuts?

The actual headline has been tweaked with your cynical spin. Once again, "Nurses Call for Tax on Wall Street Trades, Not Cuts in Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid" - is the actual headline."

[Better Believe It]

8. Obama promised 500 billion dollars in Medicare cuts under the health insurance industry bill.

Did you forget that?

[mzmolly]

9. Did you forget the words waste, fraud and abuse? Or, that this is a false Republican talking point?

The Facts

...

The savings actually are wrung from health-care providers, not Medicare beneficiaries. These spending reductions presumably would be a good thing, since virtually everyone agrees that Medicare spending is out of control. In the House Republican budget, lawmakers repealed the Obama health care law but retained all but $10 billion of the nearly $500 billion in Medicare savings, suggesting the actual policies enacted to achieve these spending reductions were not that objectionable to GOP lawmakers.

The Obama health care law also raised Medicare payroll taxes by $113 billion over 10 years, further strengthening the program’s financial condition, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Since about half of the $500 billion stems from reduced outlays for Medicare hospitalization expenses, the payroll taxes and those reductions would add about $358 billion to Medicare trust fund balances.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/fact-checking-the-gop-debate-500-billion-in-cuts-to-medicare/2011/06/14/AGsnGAVH_blog.html


Is there a reason some here are promoting Bachmann's and Boehner's misleading talking points?

[Better Believe It]

10. There is 500 billion dollars in waste and abuse? For example, like seeing doctors and having tests!

Define abuse and waste please.

Here's what a big crackdown on alleged "waste" and "abuse" of the medical system is really all about.

Waste is when doctors order "excessive tests" for their patients in an attempt to find out what is wrong with them. So do you think some government bureaucrat should decide what medical tests are proper in order to end this "waste"?

Abuse is when people run to a doctor everytime they feel sick or are injured. To stop this alleged "abuse" do you think the government needs to crack down on sick people?

By the way, ending "waste, fraud and abuse" has been a long-time Republican talking point now that you mention it.

[mzmolly]

11. Would have been helpful for you to read the link I provided

about the misleading Bachmann/Boehner talking points you're using.

Waste, fraud and abuse is not a Republican talking point. It's a legitimate concern.

Did you see this headline indicating that Democrats would likely refuse a chained CPI? "A tax increase Republicans might accept and Democrats might refuse"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/a-tax-increase-republicans-might-accept-and-democrats-might-refuse/2011/05/19/AG1R5rhH_blog.html

[xchrom]

5. recommend

[leftstreet]

12. K&R