with me now is Michael lightly right here in the studio director public
policy California Nurses Association
National Nurses United and you guys are hooking up with president across america
PD America .org were by the way people can sign a petition to tell Bernie
Sanders to run as a Democrat
do that and but Michael UTI
did you get you guys just had a roundtable here and in DC too and
they're right
yes we did at Tom and so tell me about it and and and in this was a PDA
roundtable National Nurses
all the above what I was progressive Democrats of America roundtable
I was 7 for Tim carpenter as the moderator questionnaire
National Nurses United works closely with PDA and we did a round table on the
better of budget
Gabriela and louima's /url Amos
was there from press a congressman and also other folks who spoke
on different aspects of the budget defense in particular carbon tax
am comparing it to the Obama budget and the Ryan by Jennifer for people who
don't know what we're talking about the better of budget is the budget that was
put together by the progressive caucus in the house represents by the democrats
the Democratic Progressive Caucus and it balances the budget and what a decade or
two yeah I don't gots
at and and you know which everybody else's budget does
right and it reorient space ically our priorities and reduces defense somewhat
and it strengthens the social safety net
and what else well it it actually creates 8.8 million jobs
Tom he uses a financial transaction tax and we talked about the Robin Hood Tax
in that context as the old state tax on
done stock transaction rates gonna put the high-frequency traders outdistanced
willowy
exactly and it's a sales tax Wall Street traders don't pay sales tax most the
rest was due
that's included in the better of budget they it also funds infrastructure
uses a carbon tax to raise revenue
and also finds new programs in education
a state aid which has been decimated course during the Great Recession
and finance those essential human services that have been neglected and
combats astaire d
and if you wanna have an officer the Ryan budget which
cuts programs that benefit working people and the poor
and raises taxes on the middle class lowers taxes on the wealthy
the better of budget is the polar opposite and it's a great statement
progressive values
89 votes in the house it and vote yes what is it going to take to get to 120
well it's going to take a lot more grassroots effort like what
progressive Democrats American dozen turns the letter drops in educating
congress
and mobilizing we're gonna have to build a mass movement if we want to reorient
the priorities in this country
the president spends more on defense than the sequester limit
Ryan spans I think about three times as much
a above the sequester limit the
then then does the president and so ever gonna move
spending away from defense and the dark side in and the hidden
you know casa the continuing wars that we're fighting
we're going to have to build a mass movement to do so right and how do we do
that
well we do it by engaging with
are folks in our communities we gain gauge it by doing letter drops in and
telling our members a congressman our priorities are
we do by going to places like national priorities .org
National Priorities Project and compare the budgets compare that to public
opinion
write letters to the editor and then join in demonstrations
on these issues and make sure that if if
people particularly republicans insist their budget vote for
they pay a price in November right his public opinion has been largely ignored
well that's right what way it was being attended to and and and in fact the
better budget
really basically just is you know corresponding with public opinion
she's ahead
but its its you know you go through the list i mean you know
around the vast majority of Americans want to strengthen Social Security don't
think the social safety net they
they want something done about the environment they you know long-term
unemployment they want jobs created
on is and so for progressive Democrats America PD America .org
can people start local chapters in there in their homes in their communities
absolutely up well they can go to the website and they can find information
about how to start a chapter
they can I get contact information for PDA staff who can help them do so
misstep all around the country that can help them do so and they can find the
resources
at PDA America to get the information they need to convince others to
to join and this is completely independent the Democratic Party is
completely independent the Democratic Party and
I think it's fair to say the Democratic Party is is not a Progressive Party
their progress is within it and it's our job to work outside the party
to make the inside better and that really is work was PA brings to it the
inside-outside
I think you have the right time on on the key priorities in the National
priorities .org has that comparison it clearly goes to the pres
revisions are the virgin says where public opinion
is and compares that to the budgets in your eye better up budgets
funds restores the Food Stamp cuts for example their fans unemployment
insurance from unemployment insurance
funds the infrastructure people want so it's and and lowers
a doesn't lower taxes I should say on the wealthy
right but it does lower taxes on working people but it does and and job creation
Sony 4 percent of Americans medicaid's only four percent American snapper food
stamps seventy percent
education 69 percent actually polls close in 67 percent corporate tax is 66
percent
it to seventy-nine percent is a individual taxes you know raising taxes
on rich people cutting taxes on
on the working poor 61 percent people support this Social Security 66 lenny's
these are the priorities of America and these are all reflected every single one
of them and there's two more pages this medicare
are and Medicaid funny war overseas aged person americans wants to cut that
that's right and the but this budget does cutting Pentagon spending
fifty-eight percent of Americans want to cut that
this budget cuts that the Ryan budget doesn't the president but it doesn't
are discretionary education spending is pretty sure for stopping
it is what's amazing a course in not so amazing really if
if you follow politics is there clout the lobbyist special-interest donors
have here on a hundred thanks to the supreme court yet missus
but that's really sorry for so Michael lately and not happen that we have left
what's up with National Nurses United
were fighting for Main Street to and taxing wall street to heal america
with the Robin Hood Tax HR 1579 we're working to make sure that patients
at Gate guarantee healthcare as a human right
and to win single-payer health care reform particularly Bernie Sanders bill
s 1782 after that would establish a national single-payer system
administered by the states
at Spring and the website is their National Nurses United .org
or Robin Hood Tax total Robin Hood Tax 2012
great Michael lately with the National Nurses United record public policy and
today
simeon for Tim Tim governor with president at American the American Idol
thank you Michael thank you tom day to see you