Published 14 Jun, 2011
While Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other anti-worker politicians were inside the Newseum in Washington, DC holding a private townhall meeting about slashing the budget and ending Medicare, a crowd of workers, seniors and young people gathered to defend Medicare and hold the politicians accountable for their disastrous proposals.
The crowd gathered to say “no” to Medicare cuts and “no” to tax breaks for the wealthy and carried signs with headlines from newspapers around the country about the movement to protect Medicare and Medicaid. A local pastor speaking before the group said that, like most Americans, the crowd stood in opposition to the Ryan budget because it does not have the best interest of Americans at heart and it takes away Medicare benefits, while sustaining tax breaks for the wealthy.
Across the country, politicians have been facing backlash in their hometowns as they have met angry constituents at town hall meetings—constituents who are fed up with the attempts to slash services and programs, especially Medicare and Social Security which generations of Americans have invested in, while politicians give handouts to the big corporations.
“Medicare is a contract, it is not a charity. We paid into it, we bought into it and we believe that we deserve it for the American people,” said Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.), who joined the protest.
TWU members have been challenging politicians at town hall meetings over their anti-middle class voting records and politicians who fail to stand up for working Americans will continue to feel the heat.