Take Back Congress: Citizen Lobby Day

Six Bucks County residents visit the Washington, D.C. office of Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick as part of the Take Back Congress: Citizen Lobby Day. We had a simple question: Does the Congressman support extending the Payroll Tax Holiday and Unemployment Insurance Benefits? After about a two-hour wait, a staffer spoke to us. From his remarks, it seemed that the Congressman does support extending the Payroll tax holiday and UI benefits although his plans for how to pay for those extensions, to the extent that he has any ideas at all, were not divulged to us. We made it clear that pay-fors that damage the economy by punishing Federal Workers or otherwise taking money out of working Americans' pockets would not be acceptable.

Thousands of citizens took to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to get
Congressman on record regarding Unemployment Benefits and the Payroll Tax Holiday extension. In three weeks, both stimulus measures run out. Failure to extend the Payroll Tax Holiday will increase the average American's tax bill by about $1500. Failure to extend UI benefits would mean the end of one of the two most effective boosts to the economy currently in place, financial chaos for millions of families and the loss of jobs around the country - all while we are in the middle of the worst Jobs Crisis in recent history. Traditionally stabilizers like this are not required to be paid for as they are considered to be smart investment during economic downturns. But, when Congress' alleged priority is cutting the deficit and not the well-being of working families and the current health of the American economy, it seems that radical requirements are imposed.

Recorded on December 6, 2011 using a Flip Video camera.

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News & Politics

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• Mike Fitzpatrick
• Penn Action