Media Release
For Immediate Release: December 4, 2012
Blacksburg, VA – On Saturday morning at the Blacksburg Farmer's Market, Virginia Organizing volunteers handed out hundreds of flyers to local shoppers and urged them to call Congress to support ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent and take a balanced approach to the "fiscal cliff" negotiations during the lame duck session.
Virginia Organizing, as a state affiliate of the national Americans for Tax Fairness, has been engaging in conversations with grassroots people and elected officials about who is going to pay for the tax cuts that have significantly contributed to the debt. The options are reducing tax cuts for the wealthy and ending the average additional $160,000 tax cut per year for millionaires and billionaires, or have the burden fall on everyone else.
The flyers urged people to call U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb and U.S. Representative Morgan Griffith and tell them, "Don't be a Scrooge! Create a budget that works for everyone!"
In addition to the flyers, many people were interested in the consequences of the budget showdown in Washington and volunteers found that shoppers were actively engaged in conversations regarding the "fiscal cliff." While some had already called their representatives, others asked questions of the volunteers. Shoppers that were not in Representative Griffith's district took the flyers and agreed to contact their Representative.
Jessica Bennett of Blacksburg, one of the volunteers who handed out flyers today, said, "The issue known as the so-called "fiscal cliff" is important to me as it will influence how we equitably cut spending and raise taxes. Members of Congress will need to work together in order to make sure they do what is best for the country and that those with the least are not making most of the sacrifice. If enough citizens contact their Representatives, we can make sure our voices are heard."
The action today was part of a national day of action with two other events in Virginia and over 100 organized by Americans for Tax Fairness across the country.
The event was so successful that volunteers in Blacksburg plan to be out again next Saturday, December 8, to canvass the Farmer's Market and ensure that all shoppers are educated and given the tools to contact their Members of Congress.
To interview a spokesperson or a volunteer at today's event, please contact Amanda Pohl at 804-337-1912 or amanda@virginia-organizing.org.
Virginia Organizing is a statewide grassroots organization that brings people together to create a more just Virginia.
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