SIGN PETITION TO KEEP DENNIS IN CONGRESS 
... For more than 30 years, Dennis Kucinich has stood up for all of us... Dennis stood up for the cause of Peace – and opposed trillion dollar endless wars. Dennis stood up for the right of workers to fair treatment – and opposed outsourcing our jobs overseas. Dennis stood up for the right of our children to a good education. Dennis stood up for the right of seniors to a secure retirement. Dennis stood up for a clean environment. Dennis stood up for the right of all Americans to health care – opposing the killing of thousands of Americans just to increase corporate profits. Dennis stood up for the right of small businesses to a level playing field – and against unregulated corporate monopolies. Dennis stood up for fair elections – and against the corporate takeover of our Democracy.
Now it is our turn to stand up for Dennis... Click here to sign our Petition to keep Dennis in Congress!
For more than 30 years, Dennis has stood up for all of us...
In 1978, as Mayor of Cleveland, Dennis stopped an Enron – style takeover of their public power system – saving citizens millions of dollars.
Dennis stood up for the cause of Peace...
Dennis opposes spending trillions of dollars on endless foreign wars.
Instead of bankrupting our nation on foreign wars…
Dennis advocates investing in education for our children.
Dennis stood up for the right of workers to fair treatment...
Dennis opposes the outsourcing of our jobs overseas!
Dennis stood up for the right of seniors to a safe and secure retirement...
Dennis has consistently opposed the privatization of social security.
Dennis stood up for a clean environment...
Dennis supports safe solar power as an economical alternative to off shore oil drilling.
Dennis stood up against the nuclear power lobbyists...
To protect our children from the threat of a nuclear accident in our country.
Dennis stood up for the right of all Americans to adequate health care.
Dennis opposes killing thousands of Americans every year just to increase corporate profits.
Dennis stood up for the right of small businesses to a level playing field.
Dennis opposes unregulated corporate monopolies which prevent fair trade.
Dennis stood up against the Big Banks
Proposing the NEED ACT...to create millions of jobs by taking back control of our money supply from Wall Street Bankers.
Proposing the NEED ACT...to create millions of jobs by taking back control of our money supply from Wall Street Bankers.
Dennis stood up for our right to fair elections...
Dennis has stood up against the corporate takeover of our Democracy.
For more than 30 years, Dennis has stood up for all of us...
Now it is our turn to stand up for Dennis…
Join our Campaign to Keep Dennis in Congress!
Peace is a conscious choice…
Sign our Petition to keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress!
Learn More About Dennis & Peace
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If you would like to keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress creating jobs and promoting peace, CLICK HERE TO SIGN OUR PETITION!Click Here to LIKE us on Facebook!
Dennis Kucinich not running for Congress in Washington State this year
Friends,We have just received word from Dennis Kucinich that he will not be running for Congress here in Washington State this year (see the full text of his email below). While we are all disappointed, we should also keep in mind that during the past 16 years Dennis has done more for the cause of Peace in America than any other member of Congress. He has consistently pointed out that none of the nations were have destroyed – including Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya - have ever attacked us or had weapons of mass destruction. Instead this excuse was made used simply to help wealthy multinational corporations control the oil market.
In fact, the debate over this week’s resolution in Congress in favor of the Oil Sanctions against Iran, likely played a factor in Dennis’s decision. Dennis led the opposition to this Oil Sanction resolution last night and will be speaking out against it again tonight. The vote on the resolution is scheduled for tomorrow (May 17th). The filing deadline in Washington State is Friday May 18th. In the end, there simply was not enough time to oppose war with Iran and wage an effective campaign for re-election to Congress. Dennis made the right decision. The war with Iran must be stopped.
This latest rush to war – again based on the false claim that Iran may develop weapons of mass destruction – will sadly create other opportunities to speak out against war and in favor of peace. In fact, we have just now launched a new website, coalitionforpeacenow.org, to spread the word about the drawbacks of going to war with Iran. Given that the Oil Sanctions are scheduled to increase on July 1, 2012, we intend to organize an anti-war protest in Seattle this July along with numerous other local pro-peace groups. Hopefully, Dennis Kucinich will be able to attend this event. We will keep you posted.
In the meantime, we are endorsing Darcy Burner a pro-peace progressive Democrat who is running for Congress in the 1st Congressional District. Darcy is not only the strongest pro-peace candidate, but she is also the strongest pro-jobs candidate, and the strongest pro-social security candidate. In fact, she is the ONLY candidate running who has publicly announced that she will join the Progressive Caucus if she is elected to Congress. Her campaign website is darcyburner.com. Please donate to her campaign and volunteer for her campaign. Let’s pull together and elect a real progressive Democrat to Congress!
Regards,
David Spring M. Ed. & Elizabeth Hanson M.Ed.
Washington Citizens for Kucinich
Here is the email we just received from Dennis:
Dear David,
I would like to thank you for your support, and thank the tens of thousands of concerned Citizens for Kucinich who in the past few months have written, emailed and called to discuss my running for Congress in Washington State.
At the end of this term I will have served sixteen years in the House of Representatives, leading the way for peace, to bring an end to the wars, for workers' rights, for health care for all, for monetary policy reform and to end the corrupting influence which money has on our political decision-making process. My staff and I have worked to deliver a level of constituent service to the people of Cleveland, which most agree is unmatched for results. As testimony to our efforts in the Cleveland area I received about 75% of the vote from my present constituents who were included in the newly redistricted area in which I ran in March.
Because of my love of public service, I have given a great deal of time and much thought to the advice and encouragement I have received from so many people of good will in Washington State. I certainly want to continue to be of service to our country and to the working men and women who have built it.
After careful consideration and discussions with Elizabeth and my closest friends, I have decided that, at this time, I can best serve from outside the Congress. My commitments to peace, to workers' rights and to social and economic justice are constant and are not dependent upon holding an office. They are dependent upon my continuing to stand up, to speak out, to organize, to motivate and to inspire our nation as to its deeper potential. This I promise I will do with great energy and heart.
I will complete my service in the U.S. House on January 2, 2013, with the same passion and devotion to duty with which I began it on January 3, 1997. And when I do, I shall think of you and all those who have given me encouragement to continue to be of service, and I will smile, knowing that we shall meet again in our celebration of the potential of citizen activists to change the world.
Please continue to encourage your friends and family to sign up at www.Kucinich.us because we will need to continue to work together for change outside Congress, as we have worked for it from within. This is just the beginning!
Sincerely, Dennis
Welcome to our Campaign to Keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress!
Believers in the cause of Peace are not sitting idly by and allowing war profiteers to use gerrymandering and black box voting to drive the leader of the U.S. Peace Movement out of Congress. Clearly, greedy Wall Street bankers and reckless multinational corporations stacked the deck against Dennis Kucinich in Ohio. They've long realized Dennis does not work for them. Thankfully, there are three Open Congressional Seats in the State of Washington – with no Democratic incumbents running in any of them.
So, while Corporate Propaganda would have you believe that Dennis is finished, we have another idea. We have started this website to gather and organize supporters – urging Dennis to come to the State of Washington and run in one of our three Open Congressional Districts. Dennis has a long history of winning in Swing Districts, by appealing to voters across the political spectrum. Winning one of these races is a win for Dennis and a win for the peace movement, ensuring that his voice remains in Congress.
Our plan is simple. If you would like to urge Dennis to run in Washington State to remain in the U.S. Congress, join our campaign. Please enter your name and email address in the Petition by clicking here.
Dennis has spent more than 30 years standing up for all of us. Now it is our chance to stand up for Dennis!
We also urge you to forward the link to this Petition to everyone you know who believes in the importance of keeping Dennis’s courageous voice in Congress. How you can help us is by posting this link on your Facebook Page, emailing your friends, relatives and neighbors and urging them to do the same.
Learn the Truth about Dennis Kucinich
There is probably no political figure in America more demonized and crucified by the corporate media than Dennis Kucinich. Wealthy multinational corporations – which make billions of dollars off of war profiteering and corporate welfare – want to keep you in the dark. Dennis has said, “Just as the truth can set us free, so can lies keep us bound in slavery.”
Many do not realize the extent to which corporate propaganda has colored their vision – not only about Dennis, but about the real reasons behind our nation’s rush to war in the past 10 years. We think you deserve to hear the truth. We have therefore compiled 12 articles which describe Dennis’s plans for Peace and Prosperity – and detail the major accomplishments of his remarkable career of public service. What you will find is that Dennis has repeatedly warned about the dangers of war profiteering by the military industrial complex, the economic risk of corporate deregulation and the corruption that comes with corporations running our government – just as leaders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower did before him. 
Dennis is best known for refusing to sell the Cleveland Electric Utility to their private competitor. His refusal saved the tax payers of Cleveland hundreds of millions of dollars. Dennis was elected to Congress on the slogan, “He was right.” Dennis was also right in opposing the outsourcing of jobs to sweat shops in China.
He was also right in opposing bank deregulation. He predicted that it would lead to an economic collapse. He was right about that too.
Dennis was the most vocal opponent of the Patriot Act – warning that it would cost hundreds of billions of dollars and make our nation weaker rather than stronger. He was right about that too. Dennis exposed the fact that there were no Weapons of Mass Destruction... only the corporate media’s Weapons of Mass Deception. Turns out that he was right about that too.
Dennis warned that the War in Iraq would bankrupt our nation and eventually cause an economic collapse. Three trillion dollars later and one million dead Iraqis later, Dennis was right about that too. Dennis exposed the truth about the corrupt and endless war in Afghanistan. He also spoke out against wars in Pakistan, Libya, Syria and Iran.
Dennis opposed the Trillion Dollar Bank Bailout. He protested that corporations are not people and should not be allowed to buy our elections or run our government. Recently, he has spoken out against the Sweetheart Deals being given to bankers who were caught defrauding homeowners. And he has spoken out against the new NDAA law which allows the government to target any American without Due Process. Right on all counts.
Most importantly, Dennis has demanded that control of our money supply be taken away from the Big Wall Street Banks and put back in the hands of Congress. He has drafted a bill called the NEED ACT to do exactly that. It would create more than 7 million jobs helping rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, things like bridges, roads and schools, without raising taxes. More than anyone else in Congress, Dennis has not just talked about the need for jobs, but proposed specific legislation which would restore full employment and rebuild our economy from the ground up.
No wonder corporate war profiteers are so afraid of Dennis. He threatens to end their trillion dollar theft of our money. This website is the antidote to corporate propaganda.
We believe that the more you know about Dennis, the better you will understand the need to keep his unique voice for Peace and Prosperity in the Congress - in order to restore a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Are you ready to break free from the chains of corporate propaganda? Are you willing to take the time to learn the truth about the REAL Dennis Kucinich?
Then CLICK HERE TO MEET THE REAL DENNIS KUCINICH. You will be glad you did.
Why We Need to Keep Dennis in Congress
"Congress would be a weaker place without his voice. There is no question Dennis Kucinich has been a unique voice fighting for issues most other politicians would not go near." Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent, Vermont
The following, written by John Nichols of Common Dreams on March 7, 2012, explains why it is essential for all of us to keep Dennis in Congress:
"A Congress without Dennis Kucinich would be a lesser branch. It’s not just that the loss of the former leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus would rob the House of its most consistent critic of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and one its steadiest critics of corporate power. Kucinich has since he arrived on the Hill in 1997 been one of a handful of absolutely engaged members. When issues have arisen, be it domestic or international, low profile or high, Kucinich has been at the ready – often with the first statement, the strongest demand and the boldest plan.
A master of parliamentary procedure, and a Constitutional purist, Kucinich has given Democratic and Republican congressional leaders their share of headaches. And he has been more than willing to break with Democratic and Republican presidents on matters of principle.
In some of the toughest days for the American experiment as a Republican administration plotted to wage a war of whim in Iraq, Democratic “leaders” stood down. It was Dennis Kucinich who spoke up for peace and who kept speaking up with a determination that gave hope to activists across the United States and around the world…When the story of America in the first years of the 21st century is told, Dennis Kucinich will be remembered as the rare member of Congress who opposed wars that could not be justified, who defended rights that could not be surrendered, who demanded accountability from the presidents and vice presidents who could not be allowed to have their way with the republic."
Petition to Keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has been a National Leader of the Peace Movement and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has also been a National Leader in the fight for Fair Trade and Keeping Jobs here in America and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has proposed the NEED ACT which would restore millions of jobs in our country, as well as take back control of our nation’s money supply, and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has been a strong advocate for funding public schools, colleges and universities and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has been a consistent advocate for Health Care for All Americans and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has consistently voted to Protect our Nation’s Environment from the dangers of off shore oil drilling and nuclear power accidents and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has worked hard to Protect the Right of Seniors to a Safe and Secure Retirement and
Whereas Dennis Kucinich has been a courageous spokesperson for Fair Elections and
Whereas it would be a huge loss for our entire nation to allow reckless multinational corporations, wall street bankers and war profiteering power brokers to gerrymander Dennis Kucinich out of Congress and
Whereas there are three OPEN Congressional Districts in the State of Washington with no incumbent Democrats running for re-election in any of them and…
Whereas Dennis Kucinich would be the strongest candidate to retain one of these seats for the Democratic Party…
Therefore, we urge Dennis Kucinich to run for Congress in the State of Washington and
We are hereby volunteer to join his Campaign Team and
We pledge we will do everything in our power to help him win the election and remain in Congress.
CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS.
We have asked Dwight Pelz to Apologize to Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Friends,As a lifelong member of the Democratic Party in Washington State and a Peace Activist for more than 40 years, I am deeply offended by the false statements made by our State Party Chair Dwight Pelz against one of America’s leading progressive Democrats, Congressmen Dennis Kucinich. I have therefore written the following letter to our State Party chair Dwight Pelz requesting that he end his campaign of character assassination and issue a public apology to Congressman Kucinich.
We do not know whether Congressman Kucinich will run in Washington State. But what is certain is that Dwight’s lack of respect for Congressman Kucinich is having a chilling effect on many progressive members of the Democratic Party – at a time when party unity is needed if we are to re-elect President Obama, re-elect Senator Cantwell and elect Congressman Inslee to the Governor’s Office.
Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants Dennis Kucinich the right to run for Congress in any State he chooses. It also grants the voters the right to choose whoever they wish to represent them in Congress. If there is one thing the Democratic Party should stand for, it is protecting the Civil Rights and the Constitutional Rights of All Americans.
If you agree with me that our nation needs to choose Peace and Prosperity over War and Austerity and that is important to keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress, please go to our website washingtoncitizensforkucinich.org and sign our petition. Hundreds of Washington State Democrats have already signed our petition. We hope you will join us.
If you agree with me that Dwight’s conduct is inappropriate and harmful to the unity of the Democratic Party, I urge you to email Dwight and let him know that you think he should reconsider his actions and the effect they are having on our Party.
Sincerely,
David Spring, M.Ed.,
Board Member of the Washington State Democratic Party Progressive Caucus,
5th LD Representative to the King County Democratic Party Central Committee,
PCO for Twin Peaks Precinct, North Bend and Member, Washington Citizens for Kucinich
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April 17, 2012
To: Dwight Pelz,
Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party
PO Box 4027 Seattle WA 98194 (206) 583-0664
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From: David Spring, M.Ed.,
Board Member of the Washington State Democratic Party Progressive Caucus,
5th LD Representative to the King County Democratic Party Central Committee,
PCO for Twin Peaks Precinct, North Bend and Member, Washington Citizens for Kucinich
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RE: Apology Requested for Erroneous Statements Made about Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Dear Dwight,
I am writing to express my concern about three statements you have made in the press which appear to be a campaign of character assassination against one of America’s leading progressive Democrats, Congressman Dennis Kucinich. These statements are not only offensive to Congressman Kucinich; they are deeply offensive to many in the Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party.
As you know, Congressman Kucinich is the former Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He is also a national leader of the Peace Movement, a national leader of the Workers Rights Movement and a national leader of the fight to protect Social Security and Medicare. These are all important components of the Democratic Party. Just in Washington State, there are nearly 200,000 union members, most of whom deeply appreciate the fact that Dennis has opposed the outsourcing of union jobs to sweat shops in China. There are at least 100,000 seniors who appreciate the work Congressman Kucinich has done in protecting Social Security and Medicare. And polls show that over 60% of all Democrats oppose endless trillion dollar foreign wars. We Peace Activists deeply respect the work Congressman Kucinich has done to promote and advance the cause of Peace in our nation.
Now is not the time to divide the Democratic Party by offending the hundreds of thousands of union members, senior citizens, peace activists and Progressive Democrats in our State who admire Congressman Kucinich. In making your offensive statements, you are dividing and harming the Democratic Party at a time when we need party unity to re-elect President Obama, re-elect Senator Cantwell and elect Congressman Inslee to the Governor’s office. None of these things will be possible without the grassroots support of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
Below are the three statements I believe were inappropriate and harmful to the unity of the Democratic Party. I am hoping you will review these statements, reconsider your position on these issues, end your attacks on Congressman Kucinich and issue a formal public apology to Congressman Kucinich and to the Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party. .
1. Your Statement that Congressman Kucinich was “rejected by the voters of Cleveland” is False and Misleading
Yesterday, April 16, 2012, you were quoted in several national newspapers as saying that Congressman Kucinich had been “rejected by the voters of Cleveland.” In fact, as the following Table from the Ohio Secretary of State’s Website shows, Congressman Kucinich got 73% of the vote in Cleveland. Almost three out of four Democratic voters in Cleveland voted to return Dennis Kucinich to Congress.
Unfortunately, thanks to Republican Party gerrymandering, Congressman Kucinich was forced to run in a Congressional District where the deck was stacked heavily against him. Instead of condemning Congressman Kucinich, you should be condemning the undemocratic gerrymandering of the Ohio State Republican Party.
Your inaccurate statement was picked up and published in newspapers and other media sources all over the nation and has caused severe harm to Congressman Kucinich’s reputation. It is not appropriate for the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party to be making false and derogatory statements about one of our nation’s leading Democrats. I therefore request that you immediately issue a public statement correcting the record and apologizing to Congressman Kucinich for the damage you have inflicted on his reputation.
2. Your Accusation that Congressman Kucinich is a “narcissist” is False
On Sunday, April 15, 2012, in an interview by the Seattle Times, you accused Congressman Kucinich of being a “narcissist”. This is an extremely derogatory term which is only applicable to a person who is so mentally ill that they are unable to think of or act for the benefit of others. Congressman Kucinich has been a public servant for more than 30 years. He saved the public power system in Cleveland – despite threats against his life! He stood up against unfair trade agreements that led to the outsourcing of millions of American jobs. He stood up for our civil rights in opposing the Patriot Act. He stood up to the Wall Street trillion dollar bailout and he opposed the $4 trillion dollar endless global war that has killed more than one million people. Congressman Kucinich has devoted his life to helping the poor and the elderly and the middle class. He is the exact opposite of a self-centered person. You owe Congressman Kucinich a public apology for this baseless name calling and reckless character assassination of one of the leaders of the Democratic Party Progressive Caucus.
. 3. Your Accusation that Congressman Kucinich is a “Carpet Bagger” is False
Several times in the past year, you have also been quoted in the media as claiming that Congressman Kucinich is a “carpet bagger.” This term is a very derogatory term which comes from one of the darkest periods in US history – right after the Civil War – when dishonest Yankee Republican politicians from the North would take a train to the South, run for office in a rigged election motivated solely by a desire to exploit the Southern States. These corrupt politicians when they were traveling often used a very cheap form of luggage called a Carpet Bag. Carpet Baggers enriched themselves through bribes, graft, theft, kickbacks and other despicable acts. This outrage led to bitterness and hatred in the south for the next 100 years. The term Carpet Bagger should not be used lightly – and it certainly does not apply to Congressman Kucinich.
You have claimed that the voters of Washington State would reject Dennis as an “outsider.” But it is a fact that one in three voters in our State is actually from another State. The voters are much more likely to care about where a candidate stands on the issues than what State the candidate came from. The fact that Jay Inslee had been defeated in Eastern Washington did not prevent him from moving to Western Washington and winning a seat in Congress.
In 2000, Hillary Clinton became the first former First Lady in history to run for the Senate. She moved from Arkansas to New York and won in a landslide. She too was subjected to character assassination and inappropriately accused of being a carpet bagger.
Despite being falsely accused of being a carpet bagger, Hillary Clinton was warmly embraced by the people of New York because they agreed with her position on the issues. The fact that she had moved from Arkansas to run for the Senate in New York was completely irrelevant to the voters of New York.
In our own State, Cheryl Huff recently won an election in King County by a landslide after moving here from another county literally at the very last possible moment. No one cared where she was from – only that she was the best candidate for the job. Senator Slade Gordon also moved here from another State to run for office as did State Representative Roger Goodman. Darcy Burner is also from another State. We even have a candidate running for Congress this year who is from Nepal. The Democratic Party has and should continue to welcome any Democratic candidate who is legally qualified to run for office. There is simply no evidence that the voters care about where a candidate is from. All they want is someone they agree with on the issues.
Dennis Kucinich is not corrupt and he is not interested in enriching himself. Instead, he is motivated by his deep desire to end war and spend the money creating jobs here in America. We do not know whether Dennis Kucinich is going to run in Washington State or not. But Article I, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution grants Dennis Kucinich the right to run for Congress in any State he chooses. It also grants the voters the right to choose whoever they wish to represent them in Congress. Calling Congressman Kucinich a carpet bagger is not only dishonest; it is a violation of his civil right to run for office where ever he wants and a violation of the civil rights of voters to choose their own representative. If there is one thing the Democratic Party should stand for, it is protecting the Civil Rights and the Constitutional Rights of All Americans! I therefore request that you apologize to Congressman Kucinich for attacking his character and violating his civil and constitutional rights.
Conclusion
Dennis Kucinich is an inspirational speaker and progressive leader who has 16 years of experience and seniority in Congress. He is the ranking Democrat on the House Labor and Education Committee and also the ranking Democrat on the House Government Oversight Committee. But most important, he is the national leader of the Peace Movement at a time in our nation’s history when our nation is faced with the clear choice between Peace and Prosperity or War and Austerity. If Dennis Kucinich were to come to Washington State, it would help the Democratic Party by rallying thousands of progressive Democrats, union members, seniors and peace activists to turn out and vote. This would help us elect Jay Inslee, Maria Cantwell and Barack Obama.
Our party is supposed to be the party of the Big Tent. We value diversity and respect differences. We honor and protect the civil rights and freedom of all Americans. We believe in the democratic process. When a party leader attacks a respected member of the Democratic Party with lies and baseless accusations, it harms the entire Democratic Party. I therefore respectfully request for the good of party unity in this important election year that you reconsider your past statements, end your attacks on Dennis Kucinich and issue a public apology to Congressman Kucinich and to the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.
Sincerely, David Spring, M.Ed.,
Board Member of the Washington State Democratic Party Progressive Caucus,
5th LD Representative to the King County Democratic Party Central Committee,
PCO for Twin Peaks Precinct, North Bend and Member, Washington Citizens for Kucinich
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Washingtoncitizensforkucinich.org
How much would Washington State taxpayers save if our nation had a Department of Peace?
Warmongering Multinational Corporations, through the corporate-controlled media, have tried to discredit and malign Dennis Kucinich for proposing that our nation have a Department of Peace to promote non-violent conflict resolution. I have taught courses in Problem Solving and Non-violent Conflict Resolution at Bellevue College for nearly 20 years. I think a Department of Peace could save our nation nearly one trillion dollars per year that we now spend on war. But watch this 9 minute interview of Dennis by Walter Cronkite and decide for yourself whether or not you think a Department of Peace is a worthy proposal:
Tens of Thousands More Washington State Workers to Lose Unemployment Benefits
The Washington State Employment Security Department has just announced that tens of thousands of additional unemployed workers here in Washington State will soon lose their unemployment benefits. About one thousand additional workers every week are running out of benefits here in Washington State.
There are 76,000 unemployed workers in Washington State who have already exhausted all of their benefits since Dec 2009. Another 175,000 unemployed workers in our State are still collecting unemployment checks as of March 2012. But 12,000 unemployed workers in our State will lose their benefits on April 21. Another 11,000 will lose them by late June, and another 40,000 people will run out of benefits by the end of this year. In total, more than 63,000 will lose their benefits this year and a total of 140,000 will have exhausted all of their unemployment benefits since December 2007. Those affected by the April 21st cut-back will get notices in the next few days.
Once their benefits are gone, most of these desperate long term unemployed workers will join the rapidly growing ranks of the invisible unemployed.
Currently workers are allowed up to 99 weeks of unemployment checks. But by the end of April, the maximum number of weeks of unemployment checks will drop from 99 weeks to 73 weeks. Then in September, the maximum number of weeks will fall to 63 weeks. In January 2013, the maximum number of weeks will be reduced to 26 weeks.
According to a 2011 study by the State Employment Security Department, only 25% of workers who have exhausted all of their benefits were able to find jobs. Those lucky few who found jobs are now making 30% less than they made in their former job. Of those who failed to find a job by the time their 99 weeks were up, 86% said they were still trying to find work. Nearly half (45%) said the biggest obstacle they faced in finding a job was age discrimination – no one wants to hire older workers. While the media claims that the problem is a lack of training, less than 10% said that lack of training was and obstacle to getting a job. Instead, 90% have the training and qualifications and the skills to do their job, but still cannot find work because there are no jobs to be found. The median age of exhaustees taking the survey was 47 – meaning the median age at the time they lost their former job was 45. Half of the exhaustees are highly educated – with at least some college education beyond high school.
https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/employmentdata/docs/special-reports/Unemployment-benefits-exhaustee-report-2011.pdf
Below are two charts from the study:
By the end of this year, more than 140,000 unemployed workers in Washington State will have no job, no benefits left and have been unemployed for more than three years. By the end of 2013, this number will have risen to more than 200,000. These invisible unemployed workers are losing their homes, their health, their life savings and their hope.
The above numbers only count those who have had jobs in the past and have qualified for unemployment insurance. There are many others with former jobs who do not qualify and many other young adults who do not qualify for unemployment assistance because they were never even able to find their first job!
Since July 2010, the official Washington State workforce has fallen from 3.54 million to 3.46 million – a decline of 80,000 workers in a single year. In fact, if one counts the 60,000 invisible young adults entering the work force each year - but being unable to find jobs - the actual workforce increased by 60,000 workers in the past year. Thus, for the year, the number of invisible unemployed rose by 140,000 – bringing the total number of invisible unemployed in Washington State to more than 600,000 and the total workforce to over 4 million.
The number of unemployed workers is currently reported to be only 320,000. However, with only 3 million actual jobs in Washington State, the real number of unemployed workers is more than one million. Thus, while the official unemployment rate is reported to be only 8.5%, the actual unemployment rate is greater than 25%.
15 Million Now Unemployed in the US
Nationally, of the 10 million jobs lost since December 2007, less than 3 million people have found replacement jobs. That leaves 7 million workers who have been unable to find jobs and been unemployed for more than two years. But also the American workforce has been growing at a rate of more than 2 million young adults entering the workforce every year for the past 4 years. That means the total increase in unemployed increase in unemployment since 2008 has been 7 million plus 8 million equals 15 million.
Even the lucky 3 million who found jobs since 2007 are working for pay which is 30% less than they use to earn. The remaining 7 million that lost their jobs have survived on State and federal unemployment checks. On average, these checks cover a third of the worker’s pre-layoff wage. The average unemployment check is only $300 per week.
The remaining 8 million young adults who entered the workforce since December 2007 do not qualify for unemployment benefits – or even count as part of the work force because over half of them were never able to find even their first job. The real unemployment rate among young adults under the age of 25 is more than 50%. We have an entire generation of young adults “couch surfing” on whatever place they can find to spend the night.
3.5 million Americans now rely on federal extended unemployment checks as their sole source of income. Sadly Congress has failed to renew the extension of unemployment benefits. . Failure to extend unemployment will lead to another half million job losses in the next few months. More than one million unemployed workers will lose this final lifeline in the coming months.
The primary reason that the unemployment rate has fallen below 8.5% is that millions of Americans who want to work have lost all of their benefits. In the twisted logic of the BLS, these unemployed and increasingly desperate Americans are no longer counted as being unemployed (even though 75% of them still are) and are thus they have joined the ranks of the invisible unemployed.
We are facing the greatest actual rate of unemployment since the Social Security Act was passed in 1935 during the Great Depression. How many more good hard working honest Americans must fall into this financial nightmare before our State or federal government will act?
Just today, a jobs bill passed in the Washington State legislature. It will provide 17,000 jobs. This will not be enough to cover the loss of jobs this summer resulting from massive cuts in the State transportation budget. We need a State jobs bill which will employ 200,000 now – not one which will continue to employ 17,000 who are already working – but do nothing for the hundreds of thousands in our State who need jobs, are qualified for jobs, but simply cannot find work because there is none to be found.
Nationally, the BLS just announced that 100,000 new jobs were created last month. Given the growth in the workforce is close to 200,000, this simply means another 100,000 young adults joined the ranks of the invisible unemployed.
Reporter Matt Taibbi then wrote an article condemning this bill as yet another in a long series of fake jobs bills which are nothing more than corporate giveaways – with no guarantee that any jobs will be created.
“The “Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act” will very nearly legalize fraud in the stock market. In fact, one could say this law is not just a sweeping piece of deregulation that will have an increase in securities fraud as an accidental, ancillary consequence. No, this law actually appears to have been specifically written to encourage fraud in the stock markets… There’s just no benefit that the JOBS Act brings to an honest startup company. In fact, it puts an honest company at a severe disadvantage, because now it has to compete against other, less scrupulous companies that can simply make their projections up on the backs of envelopes.”
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/why-obamas-jobs-act-couldnt-suck-worse-20120409
The JOBS Act was opposed by the AFL-CIO with only Senator Patty Murray and Representative Jim McDermott voting against it from the Washington State delegation. 41 members of the Progressive Democratic Caucus also voted against it, including Dennis Kucinich.
Incredibly, the JOBS Act exempts new startups from independent accounting requirements for the first five years after they begin to sell shares in the stock market. This is exactly the kind of deregulation that led to the current economic collapse as well as the dot-com collapse in 1999. Both of these collapses caused ordinary people to lose more than $5 trillion. This new deregulation is certain to repeat this disastrous history.
All the JOBS Act will really do is make billions of dollars for Goldman Sachs and other big Wall Street gamblers.
Here is a video on the JOBS Act from the Real News Network featuring Bill Black, author of the Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One:
This 11 minute interview explains why the JOBS ACT will reduce capital available for new startups rather than increasing capital for new companies.
“This bill is a scandal and an atrocity.” Bill Black
“What we are witnessing is a corporate crime wave.” Ralph Nader
America’s Millions of Unemployed Workers Needs a REAL Jobs Bill
There are 15 million Americans, including hundreds of thousands in Washington State, who have been unemployed for more than 3 years – not though any fault of their own, but because of deregulation of greedy Wall Street gamblers like Goldman Sachs. These honest Americans need a REAL jobs bill which will create REAL jobs now so they can support their families and stay in their homes. The only bill offered in Congress that comes close to providing this number of jobs is the NEED ACT by Congressman Dennis Kucinich.
The NEED Act would create 7 to 10 million jobs simply by taking back control of our nation’s money system from the same greedy Wall Street Bankers who crashed our economy in the first place.
If you would like to restore full employment in America, please visit our website, washingtoncitizensforkucinich.org and sign our petition to keep Dennis Kucinich in Congress.
Regards, David Spring M.Ed.
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Washington Citizens for Kucinich
