A statewide workshop on Saturday, March 12 from 9-4

First Christian Church, 1166 Oak St., Eugene, OR 

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS (in formation)

Peace Action (national office), Community Alliance of Lane County, Peace House (Ashland), Oregon Strong Voice-Southern Oregon, Oregon Strong Voice-Lane County, Oregon Action, Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice, Oregon WAND, Rural Organizing Project.

The workshop is free, but RSVPs will be very helpful. Register with Community Alliance of Lane County, the host organization, at http://www.calclane.org/the-federal-budget-crisis-and-opportunity/ or call 541-485-1755 with your name, city, and organization if applicable.

Congress’s 10-Year Plan to Impoverish Working People and How We Can Use It to Build A Progressive Majority in Oregon

Along strict party lines, in April, 2015 Congress adopted a budget resolution that an-nounced a ten-year plan to dismantle all federal programs that benefit the 99%: Medicaid, Food Stamps, subsi-dized housing, aid for college attendance, and many more, including Medicare itself. It also calls for big tax breaks for the rich, such as abolishing the estate tax, and sustaining a high level of spending for war and preparation for war.

INTERACTIVE PROGRAM

MORNING: KNOWLEDGE AS POWER

• Budget literacy – What is a budget resolution? What force does it have? How does it relate to struggles over annual appropriations. What’s the difference between discretionary and entitlement programs, and why does that matter?
• What’s in the FY16 budget resolution and how its plans will affect people in Oregon? What pushback is happening at the national level and what resources exist for state and local justice advocates to draw on?

Mike Prokosch, formerly of United for a Fair Economy and now national coordinator of Boston-based New Priorities Network, will be our national resource person.

AFTERNOON: SEIZING THE INITIATIVE

• Alerting the general public about what’s coming down and who is to blame. Finding allies for the work (social service providers, municipal governments, etc.). Messaging.
• How to use the information to inform the 2016 elections.

To register, contact Community Alliance Lane County (CALC) at 541-485-1755, calcoffice@gmail.com

A Sample of the Information the Workshop Will Provide: OR MTM ppt  Come if you can. Use the slide show in your own work.

Watch Robert Reich’s 2 minute video on Paul Ryan’s budget

Please watch and share this two-minute video now
This chalk talk from Robert Reich sums up Ryan’s budget in two minutes. Watch this video, share it, and come to our forum on March 12 in Eugene where we’ll talk about the kind of federal budget we want and build a base of support in Oregon. Especially in this presidential election year, when Ryan is using his ideas to influence Republican candidates. (And shape the debate in the long term.)