Support Full Employment

Corporate greed and Wall Street recklessness have caused the worst jobs emergency since the Great Depression.

While Wall Street and corporate profits have recovered (largely due to government bailouts), the rest of the country is still facing a crisis: high unemployment and foreclosure rates, but reduced economic security and benefits.

click here to sign a petition of support for HR5204

"The 21st Century Full Employment and Training Act", HR5204, has been introduced in congress. It sets targets for reducing unemployment rates down to 4% over the next 10 years, and establishes a fund that can be used to create good jobs if the unemployment rate stays above those targets. Funding comes from a small levy on financial speculation, so the bill adds nothing to the deficit (of course, by putting people back to work, the deficit will actually be reduced).

For more info, check out Beaver County Blue or the text of the bill.

To add your name as a supporter, click here.

Help Make Democracy Work - voter registration drive

For the first time in over 20 years, Chicago will have a new Mayor.
There will also be a largely new City Council.

* Who wins will shape the future of affordable housing, jobs, TIFs, schools and more.

* Who votes will shape who wins.

* Who registers will shape who votes.

Can you help shape history?

If you can devote 2 hours or 20, you can help make democracy work in Chicago. Thousands of low and moderate income people need to register or re-register by January 23.

Volunteers will be setting up tables at events, knocking on doors in key precincts and other activities.

Please sign up by clicking here, or let us know how you can help by emailing:

info@actionforjustice.org

The "Tax Deal" hurts millions of low income workers

Northside Action for Justice strongly supported an extension of unemployment benefits. Given that we're in a jobs emergency, emergency aid to the victims of the Wall Street speculators that crashed the economy should be a no-brainer. Congress has never cut off extended benefits when the unemployment rate was this high -- which has been above 9% for a record 20 months.

But the "Tax Deal" cut by President Obama when Republicans held everything else hostage to tax cuts for the rich (or those making over $250,000/yr) is a bad deal for seniors and for low income workers. Many groups have pointed out that reducing social security taxes helps undermine the fiscal solvency of that safety net.

But a recent analysis by the center for economic and policy research shows that, contrary to White House and media proclamations, the deal actually raises taxes on about 50 million Americans -- mostly low and moderate income taxpayers.

So 94% of those over $106,000 income will pay reduced taxes.

But 99.4% of earners under $18,000 will pay higher taxes.

Despite the importance of extending unemployment benefits, it seems like a raw deal.

A 2-Minute History of Unions