Tonight, millionaire politicians will face off in another Republican primary debate. Meanwhile, the Occupy Wall Street protests continue to spread across the country.
Americans are beyond frustrated with an economy that isn’t working for them and politicians who aren’t listening to them.That’s why Americans from all walks of life are taking to the streets — demanding that our government work for all of us, not just the richest 1%. While Americans are calling on our leaders to speak up for all of us, Republican politicians are taking to the stage tonight to speak up for only the few. It’s no surprise. They are the 1% — just like their Wall Street backers and corporate sponsors.
"President Obama and Democratic leaders did not cause our economic demise, Wall Street Did"
- Here’s the reality: Wall Street recklessness and greed caused the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, cost taxpayers billions in bailouts, and threw millions of Americans out of work.
- Instead of holding Wall Street accountable, politicians who collect millions in campaign checks from corporate CEOs and protect them from paying their fair share are demanding job-killing cuts our families and small businesses can’t afford.
- The evidence is clear: Republican politicians would rather protect their campaign donors and see the President fail than put Americans back to work.
- Actually, a majority of Americans support the Occupy protestors — they are twice as popular as the Tea Party.
- They’re Americans from all walks of life speaking out for what they believe in. This is democracy. It doesn’t get more American than that.
"The protesters are not fringe extremists, they represent ordinary Americans."
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- All the leading Republican presidential candidates are millionaires, including Mitt Romney, who has a net worth of up to $250 million.
- Occupy Wall Street protestors are now twice as popular than the Tea Party with the American people.
- Americans familiar with the Occupy Wall Street movement overwhelmingly agree with the protestors on their issues, including almost 80% who agree the gap between the rich and poor has grown too large and almost 90% who agree that Wall Street and its lobbyists have too much influence in Washington.
- The richest 1% of Americans control more wealth than 90% of Americans. Income inequality is worse in America than it is in nearly all of Europe and Asia and much of Africa.
- This is no accident. Millionaires and billionaires are raking in higher incomes and skyrocketing bonuses while paying the lowest income tax rates in generations.
- More tax giveaways for big corporations just mean more money for big corporations that are now raking in record profits and sitting on record piles of cash instead of hiring.
- CEO pay is now about 5 times higher than it was in 1980, but average earnings for rank-and-file workers are still roughly the same. Have CEOs become 5 times better since then?
