From Staff Reports

Despite rainy weather, about 30 MoveOn members and representatives of the Western North Carolina Central Labor Council/AFL-CIO converged Dec. 10 at the Federal Building in downtown Asheville to protest a situation that will result in tax increases automatically happening Jan. 1 if Congress does not act.

In a statement sent to the Daily Planet, MoveOn member Randy Bernard noted that the protesters were opposing “Republican intransigence that could raise taxes for millions in the middle class in order to protect tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.”

The protest in Asheville, which was one of dozens of similar events scheduled around the country, took place in front of the local office of Sen. Richard Burr and called on him to stop threatening the middle class with a $2,000 tax increase, as well as cuts to vital social programs. 

“Republicans are holding the middle class hostage during the fiscal negotiations in exchange for continuing a tax break for millionaires and billionaires,” Bernard asserted.

In exchange for a deal to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” a series of tax increases and spending cuts are due to begin on Jan. 1 unless Congress acts, he said.

Republicans are also asking for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits, Bernard noted, addding that “we’re here at Sen. Burr’s office today, but we also need (Democratic Sen.) Kay Hagan to hold the line against continuing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and against any cuts in the big three social programs.

“Nothing happens to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits on January 1,” Bernard explained, “unless Republicans force painful cuts to beneficiaries in exchange for tax increases on the wealthy, which are going to happen anyway if Congress does nothing. So there’s literally no reason benefit cuts should be part of the discussion right now. Instead, we should be talking about jobs.”

The real crisis Americans want Congress to fix is getting people back to work, the protest spokesman contended.

Ending the tax cuts for the wealthy would generate about $823 billion more revenue, Bernard said, “and with just a fraction of that $823 billion from the wealthiest 2 percent, we could create jobs for more than 20,000 veterans and pay for 300,000 teachers and 52,000 first responders, which our communities so desperately need. That’s not to mention jobs from investing in clean energy and our national infrastructure.”