Tax Fairness Protest @ US Bank in Ashland, OR
YES ON MEASURES 66 & 67, 21.01.2010 16:51
January 19, 2010- Oregonians marched on US Bank in Ashland to protest the bank's disrespect for its unemployed customers. For the bank its nothing but greedy profit that drives its huge contributions to the NO on Measures 66 & 67 campaign. At the same time they spend big bucks to defeat these measures the US Bank gets money and unemployed customers because it has a contract with the State of Oregon to automatically receive unemployment compensation bucks from people who have been laid off from work. The bank actually stands to gain as unemployed ranks swell.
Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice organized this action. Protesters included 42 WRAP travelers mainly from Portland on their way to San Francisco for a west coast convergence calling attention to the national travesty of homelessness. Most of the travelers are without homes or jobs so the protest at the bank has direct implications for them. The WRAP travelers were joined by Southern Oregonians and the crowd of over 60 presented over 1000 names on a petition calling on US Bank to stop abusing its unemployed customers. Passing measures 66 and 67 will help the most effected in this recession.
The demonstration took place during a wind and rain storm. Protesters chanted loudly: "We got sold out. Banks got bailed out." A bank manager refused to accept the petitions so they were taped to the teller window.
Keep reading for more & click on any photo to make it larger...
Webpages to check out:
Measures 66 & 67 
http://voteyesfororegon.org
Tax Fairness Oregon http://www.taxfairnessoregon.org
WRAP http://www.wraphome.org
Jobs with Justice http://www.jwj.org/
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Oregon's unemployed deserve a break.
However, few voters currently know that if the tax fairness ballot measures are approved, over 270,000 unemployed Oregonians will get a tax cut.
Under the new law, the first $2,400 in benefits for the unemployed will be exempt from state taxation in 2009. At the same time, a vote for tax fairness will maintain critical services that these citizens need more than ever by ensuring that thousands of teachers, nurses, and police officers will be able to keep working hard for Oregon.
Unfortunately, US Bank is not on their side.
US Bank is the largest bank in Oregon. It is also the issuer of the ReliaCard, a "prepaid Visa" card through which out-of-work Oregonians receive their unemployment benefits. As a result, hundreds of thousands of US Bank's unemployed customers would get a tax cut if Oregonians vote YES for tax fairness.
However, US Bank is opposing these efforts. It is simple - if the big banks win, out of work Oregonians will lose.
____________________________________________________
---------READ THE US BANK PETITION---------
The petition addresses Mr. Davis who is the CEO of US Bank
You can still sign the petition here: http://3bl.me/5esqb3
Dear Mr. Davis,
We are upset that your membership in the Oregon Bankers Association helped make possible the single largest contribution to opponents of the tax fairness ballot measures.
As the bank that serves as the issuer of the ReliaCard, you have hundreds of thousands of unemployed customers who will get a tax cut if Oregonians vote YES for tax fairness.
It’s out-of-work Oregonians who deserve a tax cut, not the big banks and their well-heeled CEOs.
You took billions in bailout money from the taxpayers. Now, many of those same taxpayers need help. Yet you are actively organizing against them.
That is wrong.
That is why we implore US Bank to:
• Stop making contributions to the Oregon Bankers Association, its PAC, or Oregonians Against Jobs Killing Taxes, for the duration of the campaign.
• Publicly state that you do not oppose the tax measures.
These ballot measures will cut your unemployed customers’ taxes and preserve the critical services they need. Please stop hurting your unemployed customers.
We look forward to hearing your response,
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