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Ohio Families Will Lose if Congress Votes to Gut Vital Public Services to Pay for Tax Breaks for Millionaires:

Regula, LaTourette, DeWine, & Voinovich Targets of Grassroots Campaign

Nov. 16 , 2005 - AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee and more than 300 Toledo-area residents called on Rep. Ralph Regula, Rep. Steve LaTourette, Sen. George Voinovich and Sen. Mike DeWine to say “NO” to the Republican leadership’s plan to gut Ohio public services by $1 billion so they can give tax breaks to millionaires.

Don't be fooled: These federal cuts do matter in the big picture; They do impact state, city and school budgets. Several OCSEA members who understand this called Rep. Regula's office this week, urging him to stop these drastic cuts that hurt our most vulnerable citizens and stop the $70 billion tax break for the wealthy.

Senators Voinovich and DeWine and Representatives Regula and LaTourette could be the deciding votes on a package of Draconian tax and service cuts currently pending in Congress.  Championed by President Bush and GOP leadership, the package would gut programs that help poor and middle class families by as much as $50 billion while giving $70 billion in tax breaks to the super rich. 

“This ‘Robin Hood in Reverse’ plan to cuts programs that families and communities need to give tax breaks for millionaires is unfair and un-American.” McEntee said.  “In the wake of the nation’s recovery from a category 4 hurricane, the last thing these politicians should be doing is launching a category 5 attack on Ohio’s families.”

According to an Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities (ECAP) report released today by AFSCME, if the budget and tax cuts are approved, poor and middles class families in Ohio and across America would lose services they depend on every day. 

 “These politicians have an important choice to make,” McEntee added. “They can side with an embattled president and the millionaires who benefit from his plan or they can stand up for the vast majority of Ohio families who are struggling to make ends meet.”

Highlights from the report, entitled: Skewed Priorities: A White Paper Analysis of the GOP’s Budget Plan and its Impact on Ohio’s Families, Children and Seniors, are as follows:

The Draconian spending cuts would cause Ohio to lose:

• $417 million from Medicaid;

• $39.3 million from K-12 education; and

• $288 million from child support enforcement.
  

The irresponsible tax breaks would mean Ohio would lose:

• Health care for 326,808 people;

• Head Start slots for 369,495 children;

• Affordable housing units for 22,000 families;

• 270 new elementary schools; and

• 55,567 public safety officers.

AFSCME launched the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities (ECAP) – a coalition of unions and advocacy groups – to stop President Bush and the Republican leadership’s plan to use the budget reconciliation process to slash spending and pass tax cuts for millionaires. 

ECAP is a national campaign that targets 70 House members and 15 senators. Through events around the country, the campaign is urging lawmakers to oppose reconciliation in its entirety.

Votes on these reckless budget cuts and irresponsible tax breaks are imminent.

See Related

Take Action Now - Join the online march against the latest budget cuts that will hurt our most vulnerable and the large tax breaks for the wealthy

Download Now - AFSCME White Paper on the budget cuts released by the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities