Cynthia McKinney Comments on Obama Win

Green Party Presidential Candidate, Cynthia McKinney, recently spoke with Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! about President-elect Obama's historic win. (See transcript.) McKinney discussed the many differences that her campaign had with the Democratic Party platform, especially in regard to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the Wall Street bailout. Professor Manning Marable of Columbia University was also a guest for this segment and commented on progressive issues in both campaigns.

Cynthia McKinney ranked 6th in national voting results. We applaud this courageous leader and the Green Party for bringing to the forefront the issues and concerns of low-income individuals and families across this country!

Where's the rescue plan for the poor?

As Wall Street banks and U.S. government officials continue to figure out how to dole out billions of taxpayer dollars, we now hear that some of these corporate welfare companies are still lavishing themselves at our expense!

Democracy Now reports that AIG executives treated themselves to a $440,000 luxury week-long vacation with expensive dinners and spa treatments just days after receiving an $85 billion dollar bailout. Maybe they were exhausted from years of making greedy deals and sucking the life out of the retirement accounts of ordinary people.

But in Detroit, there are no such luxuries or extravagances. In Detroit, 1 in 3 residents lives in poverty leaving Detroit as the poorest big city in the nation. According to the Detroit News, the State of Michigan also has the distinction of being the only state in the country to see a rise in poverty with a decline in income. These aren't recognitions that anyone wants to have. For the people who live in these conditions, life is miserable!

If you're a family on public assistance, your circumstances are even more dire as welfare reform cuts and policy limits have pushed families to the brink of desperation. College educated workers are competing with limited skill "work-first" assistance recipients in a state economy without jobs. Furthermore, poor Detroiters face shut-offs in the upcoming winter months on utilities such as electricity, natural gas, and water. The consequences are dire and low-income children and senior citizens are most at risk.

WE NEED ATTENTION AND ACTION BY OUR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO TAKE CARE OF THE BASIC NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE! Congress and the President have rescued big business, now we need them to rescue poor people. Enough is enough!

Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign Discusses Poverty Following RNC on Democracy Now!

Early in the US Presidential elections, a few contenders were discussing the plight of the poor and what we must do as a country to change this. Now, a month before national elections, the talk has changed to what we must do to help the wealthy.

At the Republican National Convention in September, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign was working to bring back attention and bring forth policies on addressing poverty in this country. They discussed these ideas and tensions in Minneapolis-St Paul on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman.

See below the Democracy Now! interview with Amy Goodman and Cheri Honkala, National Coordinator, PPEHRC:



Watch the PPEHRC Poor People's March video at the RNC to learn more about the thousands who participated in delivering to the RNC a "citizens arrest for crimes against humanity."