McCain Hears from UIC Member Iris English
SEIU Offers Assistance on Spending Our Tax Dollars
On June 13th, SEIU sent out fourth 'Dear John' letter to Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president. SEIU members are offering their assistance in the absence of any economic blue print from McCain that puts working families first. The letters will continue until McCain personally meets with members.
In the letter, Iris English, a Medical Billing Specialist at the University of Illinois Medical Center from Chicago and member of Local 73, asks McCain how he would use the money currently being spent in Iraq here in America. The letter reads as follows:
"Dear John,
"Let's set aside for a minute that we have a fundamental disagreement about the war in Iraq. While you think we should stay there anywhere from one to 100 years, I think we need to bring our troops home now. But for now I want to look past that and focus on how you would spend those resources here when it does end.
"It is reported that Iraq spending amounts to more that $10 BILLION every single month. Those billions would help fix the problems we are facing here at home, especially now that we are facing a growing recession.
"My question is how would you spend the more than $120 billion? That much money could provide health care coverage for every American that needs it. Would you do that? Here is Illinois, we are facing a $2 billion deficit. Would you use the money to help states like mine so they don't have to cut back on services like educating our kids or fixing our roads? The cost of gas is hitting my family's budget hard, causing us to scale back not just on luxuries, but also on necessities. Would you use it to invest in alternates so America can break its addiction to oil?
"Or would you use it as a partial payment to fund your proposed plan for a corporate tax cut, which you campaign admits will cost us $300 billion and do nothing to help a hardworking taxpayer like me?
"It seems to me that while you don't believe in tax dollars going to fund domestic programs, you have no problem driving America further into debt for Iraq. I am afraid that as president you will continue the current Bush policies because you are out of touch with the problems facing American families like mine.
"How about giving us some straight talk and release an economic plan that actually helps working families, not just the Washington lobbyists that staff your campaign from top to bottom."
For more information regarding the human and financial cost of the war visit:
American Friends Service Committee:
www.afsc.org/costMilitary Families Speak Out:
www.mfso.orgIraqi Vets Against the War:
www.ivaw.orgUS Labor Against the War in Iraq:
www.uslaboragainstwar.orgFast forward in the video below to 5:20 to hear Local 73 member Phil Martini talk about the human cost of the Iraq war at the SEIU International Convention.