For Immediate Release:
Thursday, October 10, 2013
This release is online at http://www.gp.org/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/details/4/646.html
Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-904-7614, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@gp.org
Green Party: After the shutdown,
American people still need Medicare For All, Social Security without
reductions, deep cuts in bloated military spending
• Green Party Speakers Bureau: Green leaders available to speak on health care, economic justice, and budget policy:
WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders
spoke out today about the budget impasse, government shutdown,
bipartisan plans to scale back Social Security and Medicare, and looming
negotiations on the debt ceiling.
Greens emphasized that the Affordable Care Act,
which remains at the center of the stalemate between Democrats,
traditional Republicans, and extremist Tea Party Republicans, must be
replaced with a single-payer national health care system ("Medicare For
All").
• James Lane, Green candidate for Public Advocate of New York City (http://www.VoteJamesLane.org):
"After the shutdown ends, Congress and the White House will deal with
the debt ceiling, but we can count on both Democratic and Republican
leaders to ignore the major cause of the nation's rising debt -- the
bloated military budget and President Bush's unfunded wars. The ceiling
was enacted in 1917 to protect U.S. taxpayers from the financial cost of
war and the tendency of presidents to go to war without raising money
to pay for it. The invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq were accompanied by
massive tax cuts for the wealthy and followed by the economic collapse
and bailout of Wall Street. Instead of cuts to food stamps, Medicare,
Social Security, and other sorely need social programs during the
lingering recession, we need deep reductions in military spending.
Greens have called for elimination of hundred-billion-dollar subsidies
for defense contractors and a halt to military strikes on countries that
haven't attacked the U.S. Defense spending should only cover the
immediate defense of U.S. borders from outside attack and continuing
services for veterans."
See "Giant Pentagon Budget Is Unauditable Year After Year" by Ralph Nader, The Huffington Post, Oct. 4 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-nader/pentagon-budget_b_4046370.html);
"Burlington City Council vs. The Military Industrial Complex" by Leah
Bolger, Secretary of Defense in the Green Shadow Cabinet, Oct. 6 (http://greenshadowcabinet.us/statements/burlington-city-council-vs-military-industrial-complex);
"Cutting the Pentagon Budget: A Step to Curbing Climate Change and
Healing the Planet" by Mark Dunlea, OpEdNews.com, April 19 (http://www.opednews.com/articles/Cutting-the-Pentagon-Budge-by-Mark-Dunlea-130419-732.html).
• Steve Welzer, Green candidate for Governor of New Jersey (http://www.WelzerForGovernor.org):
"President Obama will not compromise on the Affordable Care Act, his
most significant first-term legislation, and allow a one-year delay in
its funding. But we're in danger of seeing the President and Democratic
leaders cooperate with Republicans in slashing other social programs,
especially Social Security. His National Commission on Fiscal
Responsibility and Reform has already recommended reductions in Social
Security -- sacrificing financial security for millions of older
Americans. This would fulfill a long-time goal of Republicans and
financial-sector lobbies who want to see our retirement money gambled in
high-risk Wall Street securities. Greens oppose any more bipartisan
'grand bargains' that impose austerity and place the burden for economic
recovery on working people and the poor. The projected shortfall in
Social Security later this century can be corrected with a modest rise
in the contribution cap for high-income Americans."
See "Who Will Hold the Line if Dems Offer Cuts to
Social Security, Try for 'Grand Bargain'?" by Jon Queally, Common
Dreams, Oct. 4 (http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/10/04).
• Darryl! L.C. Moch, co-chair of the Green Party of
the United States: "While Greens reject the GOP's irrational claims and
misinformation about the Affordable Care Act, there are serious problems
with the legislation that can only be fixed by enacting single-payer
national health care. The ACA offers some important reforms, but it
isn't universal health care and it does little to control skyrocketing
medical costs. Instead of low-quality insurance for working people under
the ACA's individual mandate, which feeds the health-insurance
industry, we need to replace for-profit insurance with Medicare For All,
which will provide quality medical care for everyone and free choice of
physician and hospital. After the shutdown ends, we must resist the
predictable claim of Democratic leaders that a Republican retreat on the
ACA is a victory for everyone who opposes the Tea Party and we
shouldn't complicate that victory by demanding Medicare For All."
See "Health Care for All: Why We Need a New
Prescription" (interview with Dr. Don McCanne of Physicians for a
National Health Program) by Scott Tucker, Truthdig, Oct. 1 (http://www.truthdig.com/report/print/health_care_for_all_why_we_need_a_new_prescription_20131001) and "Reasons to Lose Sleep over the Shutdown and Obamacare" by Scott McLarty, Common Dreams, Oct. 6 (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/10/06).
• Katey Culver, co-chair of the Green Party of the
United States: "Government shutdowns, austerity, sequestration -- these
manipulations are the result of a system in which Democrats and
Republicans only have to negotiate with each other under influence from
powerful corporate lobbies and campaign contributors. They can afford to
ignore the interests of most Americans. When we have a strong bloc of
Greens in Congress and state legislatures, this dynamic will change.
Both Democrats and Republicans will want to negotiate with Greens as the
fulcrum in the balance. We're a party supporting the interests of
working people and the poor and we accept no corporate money, we remain
true to our values. When we have a multi-party democracy, with everyone
represented, the U.S. will have the political will to create economic
security for working Americans, end militarism, restore our rights, and
address crises like climate change."
See "‘Let’s stop this government-by-extortion’ - Green Party’s Stein on U.S. shutdown" (video interview), RT, Oct. 2 (http://rt.com/usa/stein-green-party-shutdown-655).
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