Instead of simply raising the minimum wage, Rep. John Sweeney and the rest of the Republicans in Congress chose to play political games. They want to tie a big estate tax cut for the 8,000 wealthiest families in America to any increase in the minimum wage. That's just not right.
We're rushing radio ads on the air to expose the truth about this travesty. We'll run the ads in the highly competitive 20th and 24th Congressional districts on country and talk radio to support our candidates, Kirsten Gillibrand and Mike Arcuri, who support raising the minimum wage.
We think these ads are important. This wasn't in our original plan, but we need to be in this fight and so we're asking for help to pay for these pro-minimum wage ads. To air an ad once will cost $50 on average. If we raise $500 then we can run an ad 10 times - and the more money we raise, the more often the ads will run.
Listen to the ads and then make a donation to put them on the air today!
The ads will run in two of the districts where Democratic-Working Families candidates are waging strong campaigns to win Republican-held seats. In the 20th Congressional district, WFP-endorsed Kirsten Gillibrand is running a strong challenge to Republican incumbent John Sweeney. While Sweeney's salary keeps going up and up and up, it's been nine years since Congress boosted the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour. And the Republicans still refuse to raise it unless a bunch of a multi-millionaires get an $800 billion tax cut. They ought to be ashamed. When we send Kirsten Gillibrand to Congress, she'll vote to raise the minimum wage.
We also want to run an ad in the 24th Congressional district. In the 24th, longtime Congressman Sherwood Boehlert is retiring, meaning this is an open House seat. Open House seats can be the political equivalent of Halley's Comet, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. WFP-endorsed Mike Arcuri, Oneida County District Attorney, has already announced that he'll vote to raise the minimum wage when he's elected to Congress, while the Republican in the race, Ray Meier, is a longtime opponent of raising the minimum wage.
These ads will run on country and talk radio stations and target unaffiliated voters (those not registered in any party) and independent-minded Republican voters. Research and experience has demonstrated that the WFP is able to persuade these voters to vote on the WFP line. These ads are a first step in that effort.
Listen to the ads and donate now
Technorati tags: Working Families Party | 2006 Election | Take Back the House | Vote Row E
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1 comment:
It would be great if you guys would consider supporting anti-war and pro-worker candidates instead of just pro-war, faux-workers. This tiny start of finally increasing the min. wage to about $3.00 an hour less than the current cost of living may look like a victory to those who don't understand how politics works. To those who have to live on it, its a grievous insult and failure, not a victory at all. In fact, it allows both "conservative" and "liberal" politicians to say they have done something about a real problem. "We just gave you people a dollar mpore last year!"
I am a businessman and I employ 50 people. I can only, in good conscience, support a principled stand on the minimum wage and on health care, as well. $10 an hour and full coverage for everyone. Why is WFP willing to work so hard for so little? $6.25 an hour or $7.00 an hour. Trying to force WalMart and McDonald's to pay for health care instead of causing ALL business to fully cover ALL workers. These policy capitulations to the corporate Dems are unforgivable and just give the Republicans and the corporate business elite the opportuntiy to make it look like they've already done what is right.
Stop trying in a kneejerk fashion to always get the mediocre Dem elected and support any candidate who truly stands for something, regardless of their party affilitation (and that should certainly include ALL third parties). Your shameless support of only Democrats when Greens and independents and Socialist candidates are far closer to your rhetoric is unconscionable and is a huge part of the problem with the American political system.
Sincerely,
Matt Funiciello
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