Republicans declare war on the middle class

Just in case you've not been keeping in touch, it has become more and more obvious that the Republicans, working in the name of big business, have declared war on America's working class.  They are making attack after attack on workers and unions.  I'll post articles here as I see signs of this in the news - but there's more and more evidence every day - the wealthy won't be happy until the working folks are working for $1 per day.  The following is a letter from the AFL-CIO.

It’s shocking, unacceptable and totally unnecessary: Thanks to the actions of House Speaker John Boehner and the House Republicans, assistance for jobless workers harmed by unfair trade deals like NAFTA expired Saturday.
The program that expired—called Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)—provides financial help and training for workers who lose their jobs or see their hours or wages reduced due to outsourcing, offshoring or increased imports.

Demand action this week to renew assistance for workers whose jobs are outsourced: Sign our electronic petition to Speaker Boehner and House Republicans. (We’ll deliver a copy to your member of Congress, too, so he or she knows how you feel.)

Until last week, there was a bipartisan consensus that people who lose their jobs because of unfair trade deals like NAFTA deserve help and training for finding new jobs.

By rejecting extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, Boehner and House Republicans have decided that people who lose their jobs because of unfair trade deals like NAFTA no longer deserve help. Maybe they’re supposed to pull themselves up by their Chinese-made bootstraps.

Demand Speaker Boehner reverse this outrage immediately: Sign our electronic petition NOW.

When Boehner and Republican leaders pulled TAA extension off the floor last week, they said they didn’t want to pick “winners and losers.” That’s a cruel joke for working men and women. The deck has been stacked, and the winners already have been picked: CEOs, multinational corporations and Big Banks. America’s workers have lost.
Displaced workers struggling to find their footing deserve dignity and the possibility of working again. If we’re going to continue with unsustainable and unacceptable trade deals, the very least we can do for workers who lose their jobs is provide financial and training assistance.

Urge Speaker Boehner and House Republicans to reverse their outrageous refusal to renew Trade Adjustment Assistance by taking immediate action this week.

In solidarity,
Manny HerrmannOnline Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO