It’s Halloween, a day for all things spooky and scary. And while ghouls, ghosts and goblins may be stalking the streets tonight, there is something far scarier afoot in America right now.
With millions of people out of work and families struggling to make ends meet across the country, politicians like Scott Brown continue to stand in the way of job creation to protect tax breaks for the ultra wealthy. Here are five facts that will really send shivers up your spine — but unlike the rest of the Halloween monsters, these problems won’t disappear at the end of the night.
- You paid more taxes last year than some of the largest, most profitable corporations in America. Bank of America received a $1.9 billion federal tax refund, despite making $4.4 billion in profits and receiving a bailout from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department of nearly $1 trillion. Exxon Mobil made $19 billion in profits in 2009. But they paid no federal income taxes. In fact, they received a $156 million rebate.
- Wealth inequality has skyrocketed in the last three decades. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office revealed that the top 1% of earners saw their income increase by 275%. But the one-fifth of households with the lowest incomes saw an increase of just 18% over the same time period. In fact, the top 1% of Americans own more than 40% of the nation’s wealth!
- We could create jobs now, if politicians like Scott Brown would stop standing in the way. In the last month alone, Scott Brown has voted against legislation that would have created thousands of jobs in Massachusetts and across the country. Brown voted to block funds that would have created or saved 400,000 education jobs and prevented layoffs of thousands of police officers and firefighters.
- Foreclosures are skyrocketing and crippling our communities. Instead of working with homeowners, Bank of America continues to foreclose on and evict our friends and neighbors. If Bank of America merely brought existing mortgages down to current market value, thousands of families could stay in their homes. This simple move would add $328.8 million into the Massachusetts economy annually and create 4,860 local jobs.
- Our roads and bridges are falling apart, but politicians continue to stand in the way of funds that would fix our infrastructure and put Americans back to work. Today, one out of every nine bridges that Massachusetts motorists cross each day is deteriorating to some degree. Investing in the safety of these bridges would help create more than 11,000 local jobs, but politicians like Scott Brown continue to stand in the way.
These problems won’t be going anywhere at the stroke of midnight, but you can take action TODAY from your computer. Sign our petition to tell Scott Brown and his allies in congress to stop voting against jobs!
