AltNewsBlog: Share the FACTS on our defict, taxes, & the national debt

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Share the FACTS on our defict, taxes, & the national debt

Wed, 04/13/2011 - 11:21am — Coffee Party USA

As Congress debates cutting essential programs that affect our future, let's investigate why we have a deficit and a debt problem. Our tax code is full of loopholes created and exploited by big corporations. They spend the millions that they don't pay in taxes to control our government with misleading commercials, political donations, and an army of lobbyists camped out on K Street.

In return, politicians INSIDE our government feign alarm over the deficits created by the tax loopholes their corporate funders have installed, and propose that the difference be made up ordinary people like you and me — by taxes on our pensions and cuts in public safety, job creation, infrastructure, and education.

"Won't this anger the voters?" the politicians ask. "Don't worry, we'll pay for campaign commercials, grassroots movements, and think tanks to distract deceive them," the corporate lobbyists say.

We won't be deceived any longer. We demand that Congress represent We the People instead of corporate campaign funders and lobbyists!

SHARE this video on Facebook or Twitter (see above).
Or send this URL in an email blast: www.CoffeePartyUSA.com/facts

Get the facts with NPP

Last time we directed our members to National Priorities Project (NPP), their site actually crashed because so many taxpaying Americans wanted to know how their money is being spent. Now, NPP's website is back with a vengeance, and, more bandwidth.

Below are the four charts sited in the video we produced with Jo Comerford, NPP's Executive Director. Click on them and you'll be directed to a National Priorities Project web page with the same graphic, and lots more information.

Source: Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012, Analytical Perspectives, Table 28.1, "Receipts, Outlays and Surplus or Deficit by Fund Group," and Table 15-5, "Revenues By Source."

Where is the “borrowed” 53.2 percent borrowed FROM? Click HERE for the answer to this and other FAQ's.

Please note that the rapid increase in the national debt started in the 1980's, when we began allowing large corporations to contribute less than their share. With income levels for We the People stagnant — actually, after taxes, our income has decreased during this period — it's little wonder that our deficit and our debt have grown. Corporations decided to lobby and bully our government so they could contribute less to America. We the People have worked hard and done all we can, but we just haven't been able to make up the difference.

This national debt can no more be blamed on We the People than the Great Recession, but corporate interests and the politicians who serve them are trying to make us pay for both. We will not stand for this.

Coffee Break Action Items

Coffee Party members have designed actions you can take on your coffe break, every day for the month of April. CLICK HERE to see the calendar. Given that 2/3 of the mega-corporations in America do not pay taxes on their earnings, those of us who do pay taxes have a right to be (not just angry) but informed and engaged in the decision-making process about how our tax dollars are collected, and how they are spent. The first step is making our collective voices heard. For the month of April, Coffee Party members are collaborating on 30 ways to do just that.

This video is a follow-up to the one above, featuring 108 Americans ready to stand up to the corporate elite.

MAKE THE TRUTH GO VIRAL!

Y o C o n g r e s s !
Call (202) 224-3121. That's the Capitol Switchboard. Put it on speed dial, because you're gonna need it! To find out more about your representatives in Congress, click here.

Tell them to stop focusing solely on cutting vital programs like public safety and education, and start discussing our revenue problem. Tell them to ask more of the companies and executives enjoying record profits and bonuses.

The recession may be over on Wall St. but on Main St, millions of us are going homeless and hungry. Stop pandering to the fat cats who caused, and then profited from the recession! Trickle-down economics has failed us. Time to invest in America.

April 18th Tax Day Action
1) Determine which U.S. Post Office in your city or town is staying open the latest on April 18th to post mark tax filings, and grab the address.

2) Enter the address when you create an event using our event page (this way others in your area can contact you and/or join you).

3) Print out FACT SHEETS from our Coffee Break Tool Kit, and hand them out to people filing their tax returns on the evening of Monday April 18th.