Today’s dismal jobs report reminds us that we’re in a jobs emergency requiring bold federal action.

Tell Congress: Tax Wall Street to heal Main Street, and put America back to work

Our communities are devastated by foreclosures and unemployment.  Corporate-funded politicians are gutting services and attacking worker rights, claiming our state and national governments are broke – while Wall Street and corporate CEOs are getting record bonuses and sitting on record cash reserves (and often paying little or nothing in taxes).  Despite massive fraud and reckless greed that wrecked our economy, throwing millions of Americans out of work and out of their homes, not a single Wall Street “bankster” has gone to jail.

The fight back is growing!

Yesterday, National Nurses United (NNU) led a National Day of Action in more than 60 cities, supported by Jobs with Justice coalitions and other allies, demanding a Financial Speculation Tax (FST) which could pay for millions of good jobs, making Wall Street speculators pay for some of the damage they caused

Continue reading We need jobs! Tell Congress: Tax Wall Street to Heal Main Street

As President Obama considers his proposals to respond to the jobless crisis and Wall Street prepares to shower executives with record bonuses, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has put a hold on Ben Bernanke’s re-nomination as Federal Reserve Chairman.

Bernanke is widely seen as one of the causes of the financial crisis.  In his efforts to keep his job, Bernanke testified that he was committed to the Fed’s “dual mandate, which is growth and inflation.”

In fact, the Fed has a “dual mandate” to promote full employment and stable prices.

Bernanke and the rest of the banker crowd seem to have long ago forgotten that full employment (defined as 3% unemployment for persons age 20 and over) is supposed to be a fundamental goal of federal reserve and government policy.

Corporate bigwigs and Wall Street financiers are selling us the idea of a ‘jobless recovery,’ telling the unemployed to wait while they give themselves record bonuses. They want policy makers to accept high unemployment, low wages and economic insecurity as the new normal.

For the 1,500+ organizations that make up Jobs

Continue reading Does Bernanke Know What the Fed is Supposed to Do?