To the Editor:
Tell Congress to protect working families. 2013 poverty data released last September shows more than 45 million Americans are still living in poverty, including over 14 million children. Lawmakers are not taking action to address this problem.
Specifically, improvements to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) — these tax credits lifted 8.8 million people out of poverty in 2013 — are set to expire if Congress doesn’t act. Many in Congress are looking to make corporate tax breaks permanent.
Amplify your voice on this issue by writing to your members of Congress urging them to support tax fairness and expand economic mobility in America by ending poverty. Use this opportunity to urge lawmakers to protect and expand the EITC and CTC as their top priority. EITC and CTC are key supports for low-income working families and can play a role in combatting wealth inequality. If you need letter writing ideas, see www.results.org. And if you’re interested in working to alleviate poverty in the Clinton area, contact Lori Freudenberg at (563) 242-7611 to join a local advocacy group.
Learn more about this topic by coming to the Franciscan Peace Center Social Justice movie on Thursday, July 16 at 6:30 p.m. at The Canticle, 841 13th Ave. N., Clinton. Our movie is Inequality for All which features Robert Reich — professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member — as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. Reich explains how the massive consolidation of wealth by a precious few threatens the viability of the American workforce and the foundation of democracy itself.
For more information, visit www.ClintonFranciscans.com.
Lori Freudenberg
Community Outreach Director
Franciscan Peace Center
Clinton
