Protest The Fiscal Summit

May 15, 2012 at 1 p.m. (Program starts 1:30 p.m.)
In Front Of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation Fiscal Summit
1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.

Build The Anti-Austerity Movement At The Take Back The American Dream Conference
June 18-20, Washington, D.C.

The Take Back the American Dream conference is where we will build an effective anti-austerity movement in the U.S. Take part in strategy sessions and hear inspiring talks by Sen. Bernie Sanders and other important progressive movement leaders. Register now to get involved. [2]

What You Should Know
To Stay Informed

Our team of writers chronicle the effects of austerity policies here in the U.S. and around the world, and help you make the case for progressive policies that will create jobs and undo the damage of failed conservative policies. Check these links:

• Austerity Watch [3] – News and commentary on austerity policies in the U.S. and Europe
• Snapshots Of Austerity [4] – Terrence Heath's series of posts on conservative austerity policies in the U.S.

» READ our posts about the summit and the protest [10]

Conservative austerity policies are being rejected in Europe by voters who are demanding jobs. We're taking the same no-to-austerity stand here in the U.S.

On May 15 at 12:30 p.m., join Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 1301 Constitution Avenue NW outside the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. That's when Wall Street one-percenter Peter G. Peterson hopes to dominate the media with a big “fiscal summit” featuring American austerity advocates House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan, House Speaker John Boehner, Sen. Rob Portman and former Sen. Alan Simpson.

Senator Bernie Sanders, NOW’s Terry O’Neill, Social Security advocate Max Richtman and I will join you outside for a rally co-sponsored by the Campaign for America’s Future, Health Care for America Now, CREDO, Social Security Works, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare, and National Organization for Women.

We weren’t invited – but we're showing up. Why?

To send this message to powerful Democrats who Peterson hopes to enlist in his crusade to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid: Don’t join conservatives to slash public spending when we should be investing in jobs.

Former President Clinton will be there. At last year’s Peterson fiscal summit, he defended Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to get rid of Medicare as we know it. We're showing up – to ask Clinton whose side he is on.

Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner will be there. He speaks for the Obama Administration. We're showing up – to tell him that the American people won't stand for another “grand bargain” that gives conservatives cuts to Medicare or Social Security in exchange for weak “tax reform.” We're showing up to demand that Geithner fight for job creation and against austerity.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, will be there, too. We're showing up – to call on him to reject the failed austerity of the 1 percent and fight for Social Security, Medicare and jobs.

Last year’s successful congressional special election candidate Kathy Hochul got the Democratic message right: “We will not cut Social Security and Medicare in order to pay for tax cuts for millionaires.”

This “Summit” was not designed for us – but we'll be there with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Terry O'Neill of NOW, Max Richtman of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, policy expert and activist Maya Rockeymoore, Roger Hickey of the Campaign for America's Future and other front-line fighters for a policy of jobs, not cuts.