What: Town Hall Meeting
Where Central United Methodist Church on Woodward at Adams
When Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1pm
What a great event yesterday! JC, you looked well and rested.
I can report that the people are ready to take back what was taken from them and continues to be taken from them. They are tired of the hypocrisy of funding an illegal immoral war, and not giving a damn about the people here at home. Thousands of homes owned by Wayne County or the city of Detriot are left empty, while there are thousands of homeless walking the streets. Hundreds of sick stay home or stand in long lines at the hospital emergency facilities, while hospital beds remain unfilled. Local schools are closing their doors, while those that stay open are overcrowded. Jobs are leaving as they outsourced overseas and abroad, while Michigan's economy contracts and unemployment rises. The State is facing a $3.5 billion dollar deficit that cannot be covered, unless structural changes are made. Companies are eliminating pension plans, changing pension retirement formula calculations, eliminating employee savings plans, and reducing health insurance benefits while raising costs. There are tens of thousands of people underemployed. Higher paying manufacturing jobs are are being replaced by low paying service and retail jobs. Recently, there were a 1000 people lined up to apply for a handful of near minimum wage jobs at a new Walmart Super Store that was opening.
Look folks, Michigan is bleeding and it is only predicted to get worse. Currently Michigan is ranked dead last among states in the latest index of economic momentum (quarterly changes in personal income, employment, and population). Michigan has lost 246,000, or one in four, manufacturing jobs since 2000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). As news goes, it gets even worse, because recent history has shown that Michigan is usually the first state to become effected by economic trends. This does not bode well for the rest of the nation.
Most recently, Daimler-Chrysler has announced that it wants to divest itself of the US Chrysler business and concentrate on German Mercedes-Benz business. Thus they have entered into negotiations with GM to sell that business. Looks to me like the Germans are fed up with the US.
We need to take our country back! I say not one more red cent needs to go to fund this hypocritical, illegal, immoral war; not one more red cent needs to go overseas, while people at home are left homeless; not one more red cent for buying bombs that kill and maim Iraqi children and families: not one red cent. Not my money. I will not endorse that check. Those monies are needed here at home. Those monies are needed now.
We need to support our troops and bring them home and we need to bring them home alive. Their job is done. I will not pay one more dime to send more of our boys (and girls) over to Iraq. They have no more business there, placing them in harms way is reckless and grossly negligent.
Thank you JC for making my day. Godspeed.