Where did the money go?
Last year Congress and President Bush gave Wall Street an
unprecedented $700 billion taxpayer bailout to stabilize the economy.
The first $350 billion has been spent with nothing to show for it. Not
only is the economy getting worse, but the government has no idea what
the banks did with the money.
Please sign our petition urging your Representative to help us Secure America’s Financial Future.
PETITION TEXT
Dear Member of Congress,
I’m
urging you to fix the Wall Street bailout and take steps to guarantee
that it never happens again. Financial reform legislation must include:
•
Accountability: Hold both banks and their regulators accountable.
Require greater disclosure and oversight for all the taxpayer money
they’re spending.
• Consumer Protection: Establish a Consumer
Credit Safety Commission to ensure that credit cards, bank loans and
mortgages are safe for consumers and homeowners.
• Comprehensive
Regulation: Close the loopholes that have allowed investment banks,
hedge funds, insurance companies and others that sell risky,
unregulated products to take advantage of the federal safety net and
taxpayer bailouts without accountability.
Sincerely,
What would you ask the Wall Street bankers?
(Photos: REUTERS/Larry Downing)
Congress has
finally started grilling the Wall Street bankers on Capitol Hill. Now
here's your chance to ask them a question. We'll compile the best
submissions, then work one-on-one with
supportive members of Congress to make sure your questions get asked
when Wall Street CEOs return to Capitol Hill for hearings later this
month.
Stop AIG Bonuses
AIG, which has received more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout
money, has just awarded $165 million in bonuses to its top management.
Please
sign our petition to AIG, demanding that they withhold any more bonuses
until taxpayer money has been repaid. We will also forward a copy of
the petition and signatures to President Obama, letting him know the
public supports his effort to block the bonuses.
Petition Text:
We demand that AIG withhold management bonuses until taxpayer money has been paid back in full.
Tell Your Legislators to Support a Consumer Financial Protection Agency
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Photo by Jim Wallace (Smithsonian Institution)
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We can't let the CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (pictured at right) call new financial rules a "populist overreaction."
Urge your representative and senators to co-sponsor legislation to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Please sign our petition below to your members of Congress.
Petition Text
I urge you to co-sponsor legislation to establish a Consumer Financial Protection Agency.
Americans deserve to know that our financial institutions are playing by the rules.
Stop the Ticketmaster merger
Ticketmaster wants to merge with Live Nation (Ticketmaster's leading competitor), meaning that most of the tickets we could buy would be coming from the new mega-ticket conglomerate.
Ticketmaster
already adds around 30% to the cost of a ticket in junk fees. And from
past experience we know that the less competition, the worse these guys
get with their handling, processes and other nonsense fees.
Help us stand up to the merger. Please
use the form below to send a message to Assistant Attorney General
Christine Varney, head of the anti-trust division of the Department of
Justice. If you can, please add any personal experience you have had
with over-priced tickets, or an inability to purchase tickets from
alternative vendors.
Stop The Ticketmaster Merger
Ticketmaster wants to merge with Live Nation (Ticketmaster's leading competitor), meaning that most of the tickets we could buy would be coming from the new mega-ticket conglomerate.
Ticketmaster
already adds around 30% to the cost of a ticket in junk fees. And from
past experience we know that the less competition, the worse these guys
get with their handling, processing and other nonsense fees.
Help us stand up to the merger.
Stop the corporate takeover of democracy
The Supreme Court ruled to lift a 60-year-old ban that kept corporations from influencing federal elections — rights specifically granted to people.
Already,
moneyed institutions have too much power over government. I shudder to
think of a situation in which Goldman Sachs, ExxonMobil and Big Pharma
have even more control.
Tell your members of Congress to protect our democracy.
Wall Street Banks: Pay Us Back
Just six banks are giving out enough in bonuses to nearly cover every state's estimated budget shortfall this year.
How can the
banks reward themselves like it was some sort of banner year? The least
they can do is pay us back before they lavish all that money on
themselves.
If they won't
pay it back, we need to take it back. Sign our letter to your members
of Congress, calling for a fee on the banks to recoup our bailout money.
They're raising your taxes by $381
Did
you know that more than 80 percent of America's biggest banks and
corporations, including some of those we bailed out, don't pay their
taxes?
Instead, they park their money in offshore tax havens like
the Cayman Islands. As a result, the average Oregonian household, a.k.a.
you and me, is paying $381 a year to cover for $100 billion they don't
pay.
Why should we have to pick up the tab for tax dodgers? Sign
our Tax Day Declaration and tell Congress to close the corporate tax
loopholes.
Register for the Activist Workshop
OSPIRG in conjunction with the Public Interest Network is organizing
an Activist Workshop on Saturday, July 10th. Show up ready for action. We
will spend the day moving between large group overviews and small
groups to give people an opportunity to learn and internalize skills.
Apply to attend for free using the form below.
The skills we are focused on are skills passionate activists need to know how to do.
Here's the agenda:
1:00 – 1:15 Welcome/Introductions
1:15 – 1:30 Overview of Volunteer Recruitment
1:30 – 2:10 Small Groups: Volunteer Recruitment
2:10 – 2:30 Overview of Building a Coalition
2:30 – 3:00 Small Groups: Building a Paper Tiger Coalition
3:00 – 3:20 Break, Meet fellow area activists
3:20 – 3:45 Overview of Planning a News Conference
3:45 – 4:25 Small Groups: Planning a News Conference
4:25 – 4:30 Wrap-up
The
trainers will be experienced staff from OSPIRG and the Public Interest
Network. It's a chance to meet some of the people behind the email
addresses. This event is open to the public, feel free to spread the
word to other activists.
Apply below to attend for free, or RSVP and submit a $10 donation to defray the cost of the workshop.
The training will be held at the Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, located at 2828 Southeast Stephens Street in Portland. After you RSVP, Megan Severson, the training facilitator, will
be in touch with directions and more details about the training. If you
have any questions, don't hesitate to email mseverson@publicinterestnetwork.org.
Register for the Activist Workshop
OSPIRG in conjunction with the Public Interest Network is organizing
an Activist Workshop on Wednesday, July 7th. Show up ready for action. We
will spend the day moving between large group overviews and small
groups to give people an opportunity to learn and internalize skills.
Apply to attend for free using the form below.
The skills we are focused on are skills passionate activists need to know how to do.
Here's the agenda:
6:00 – 6:15 Welcome/Introductions
6:15 – 6:30 Overview of Volunteer Recruitment
6:30 – 7:00 Small Groups: Volunteer Recruitment
7:00 – 7:20 Overview of Building a Coalition
7:20 – 7:50 Small Groups: Building a Paper Tiger Coalition
7:50 – 8:05 Break, Meet fellow area activists
8:05 – 8:25 Overview of Planning a News Conference
8:25 – 8:55 Small Groups: Planning a News Conference
8:55 – 9:00 Wrap-up
The
trainers will be experienced staff from OSPIRG and the Public Interest
Network. It's a chance to meet some of the people behind the email
addresses. This event is open to the public, feel free to spread the
word to other activists.
Apply below to attend for free, or RSVP and submit a $10 donation to defray the cost of the workshop.
The training will be held at Lane Community College in Eugene. After you RSVP, Megan Severson, the training facilitator, will
be in touch with directions and more details about the training. If you
have any questions, don't hesitate to email mseverson@publicinterestnetwork.org.