Media Release

For Immediate Release: November 17, 2012

Danville, VA: On Saturday, November 17 at a local Danville church, Virginia Organizing members from the Danville and Martinsville-Henry County Chapters hosted a summit on local responses and work with the Budget Showdown in the lame duck session of Congress. The summit focused on the two competing visions for avoiding the fiscal cliff: continuing tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires or prosperity for working families and the middle class.

 

Virginia Organizing, in conjunction with national partner USAction, has focused on ending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent and protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security from cuts. Unless Congress acts before the end of the year, automatic spending cuts will take effect and could send the U.S. into another recession.

 

David Wilson, a Virginia Organizing leader from the Danville Chapter, believes the summit was an important opportunity to talk about the Budget Showdown. “It’s important for us all to come together and talk about the issues that matter after the election. Whether it’s tax cuts or health care, we need to stand up for what we care about,” said Wilson.

 

Virginia Organizing leader Chad Hill of Martinsville believes the summit helped him sort through the information and understand the facts during the Budget Showdown. Hill said, “It’s just great to know that there are people out there who think like me and care about the same things I do. With all the misinformation out there, the presentation gave us some real facts.”

 

In a recent poll of voters released yesterday, Americans for Tax Fairness found that the economy was an important deciding issue in the election and the majority of voters supported ending the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent while maintaining cuts for the middle class.

 

Ending the Bush tax cuts on the wealthiest two percent will raise nearly $1 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years.

 

To speak with a Virginia Organizing spokesperson, please contact Amanda Pohl at 804-337-1912 or amanda@virginia-organizing.org.