Galesburg, IL -- An audience of about 100 people gathered on Oct. 23 to take the US Constitution back from the Tea Party.
Billed "A More Perfect Union: a rally to celebrate and support progressive political principles," the event featured nearly a dozen speakers on topics such as:
- saving the middle class,
- Social Security,
- progressive and fair taxation,
- education for our future,
- the right to health care,
- social justice in America,
- why the Constitution belongs to all of us.
Galesburg, once a prosperous industrial town, has been hammered by the closing of its factories. It now has a poverty rate of 65 percent, one speaker said.
Some speakers told personal stories of job loss, then housing loss. An audience member leaped to his feet and led the crowd in chanting "hope not fear."
Knox College and Monmouth College professor Wendel Hunigan noted "omnious signs of downward mobility, as the US becomes "a third world nation."
Without the Obama administration's efforts, he said, the US would be in a "full blown depression."
He called for "a homeowners Chapter 11," allowing people to refinance their homes downward to levels they can afford. "Stand up to those with a stranglehold on both (political) parties," he said.
"This is the most important mid-term election of my lifetime, and I'm 64," he added.
Knox College economics professor Steve Cohn pointed out that Social Security is both a retirement and an insurance system, "and it works." Without it, in 2008, 20 million more people would be poor, including 1 million children, he said.
With only small adjustments, the system will be solvent for 75 years, he said. When people say "we can't afford it, that's wrong," he said.
Galesburg businessman Mike Kroll spoke on taxes, and quoted Oliver Wendel Holmes. "I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization."
Today's inequality of wealth, with one-third of the nation's wealth going to the top 1 percent of the population, is "shutting down the dream of upward mobility" he said.
Teacher Randy Fritz said the US Constitution is "a living document" that changes with the times, and is a document of the people." That's a subtle attack on Tea Party types who brand as unconstitutional what they dislike, such as unemployment benefits and Social Security.
And so it went, logical, reasoned arguments on what's happening now, what should happen, and the concern that things will get worse if Republicans/Tea Party types take control of Congress.
The audience was asked to get involved in the election as volunteers. Knox County Progressives sponsored the event.
-- Elaine Hopkins
Comments