We’re paying our taxes…
Why are our services being cut, and
Why is the President proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare ?

Budget cutters in Washington have already slashed Meals on Wheels, Head Start, Housing, Education, Fuel Assistance, Unemployment, Health Programs, AIDS Housing, and family violence prevention. Many people’s jobs are threatened. Now the President wants to cut even more vital programs.

But there is an alternative.

1. End Corporate Tax Breaks!

Very high income people and giant corporations get hundreds of billions of dollars a year in tax breaks through loopholes and offshore tax shelters. The CEOs of Bank of America, Citigroup, and Verizon are key members of Fix the Debt, a corporate group pushing for big cuts in critical public programs and even lower corporate taxes.

2. Redirect Pentagon Spending to Jobs and Vital Programs for People

The US war budget is greater than the military spending of the next 10 largest military powers combined. Much of it funds destructive wars like Iraq, wasteful weapons systems like the F-35, and keeping us in Afghanistan for years to come.

Join us on Thursday, May 16, to say Stop the Cuts!

When: 12 noon

Where: Tip O’Neill Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street, Boston – North Station (Green Line) Regional Headquarters for the Social Security Administration and Housing & Urban Development

We’ll also visit tax dodgers Verizon, Citibank, and Bank of America at 6 Bowdoin Square, Boston.

Sponsoring organizations: Budget for All Coalition; Mass. AFL-CIO; Mass. Jobs with Justice; AFGE Locals 3258 and 1164; SEIU Locals 615 and 888; Mass. Alliance of HUD Tenants; Mass. American Friends Service Committee; Mass. Peace Action; Disability Policy Consortium; Boston Workers Alliance; ACTUP/Boston; Veterans for Peace; Dorchester People for Peace; United for Justice with Peace; Boston Coalition to Fund Our Communities-Cut Military Spending 25%; Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom; Human Rights City Boston & Beyond; Survivors Inc.; SEIU Local 509 Lavender Caucus; Brookline PAX; Worcester Unemployment Action Group (list in formation)

Budget for All!
11 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138
www.budget4allmass.org 617-354-2169

Last November Massachusetts voted 3 to 1 for the Budget for All referendum to: Create jobs, Save vital services, Place Fair Taxes on rich individuals and corporations, End the war and Redirect Pentagon Spending

Correction: GA and Strike Debt Meetings will NOT be held on Sun 4/28. The next GA will be Tues May 7. The next Strike Debt meeting will be announced soon.

You’re invited! Occupy Love film screening, Thursday, 4/18/13, at the Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, 7 pm.

Facebook event page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/331393493650707/

$150 to Linda, for S17-related trial expenses

Brought by Linda. Passed in the consent bucket.

Proposal Consideration Proposal

Background

Several of Occupy Boston’s funding proposals have resulted in hard feelings. Generally, these hard feelings come about when a (large) funding proposal is brought to GA and passed, and people feel blind-sighted because they didn’t know the proposal was coming, and were not at GA to object.

This problem is made worse by two factors:

• We often don’t know in advance what proposals are being brought to GA, and
• The tactic of “packing” GAs, where the proposer brings enough friends to overcome a block; after the GA, the proposer and their friends disappear.

I’d like to propose a change to the way we handle funding proposals, to create more opportunity for participation, and to make the process fairer and more democratic. Ultimately, I’d like to see Occupy Boston become better at managing resources.

Proposal

I ask that any proposal involving more than $500 be subject to a one-GA “settling period”. This settling period would work as follows:

• Funds or materials are not disbursed until the next GA after the proposal passes.
• During the following GA, anyone can ask for the proposal to be “reconsidered”.
• During reconsideration, the proposal is discussed again. The outcome of reconsideration is that (a) the original proposal stands, (b) the proposal is amended (if the original proposer is there to discuss the amendments), or (c) is rescinded.
• If there are no calls for reconsideration, the proposal stands, and disbursements can be made.

In short, reconsideration provides a one-GA cycle where we can gather additional input, and even change our minds.

I realize that this settling period will slow down some decision making. But I hope that the extra time allows us to make decisions that are acceptable to a greater number of people.

We will maintain the previously allocated direct action funds, to be used for direct action, without the one-GA settling period.

Proposed by Steve. Passed by consensus.

Activist Collaboration and Coalition Building

We’ll spend the next GA brainstorming and discussing ideas for building coalitions with other activist groups in Boston.

GA Minutes: http://wiki.occupyboston.org/wiki/GA_Minutes_Tue_Apr_02_2013.

Saturday April 6th, 2013 2-5pm Upstairs at The Middle East, 472 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA, Central Square.

FREE ADMISSION and Refreshments provided.

Debt is a tie that binds the 99%. Occupy Boston Strike Debt present an afternoon of music, food, serious discussion and strategic resistance around the growing student debt bubble. New York Strike Debt spearheaded The Rolling Jubilee and so far has bought and paid off over $1 million in medical debt as a new tactic for emancipation of citizens from debt peonage. Boston Strike Debt joins New York Strike Debt and Oakland Strike Debt to actualize realistic approaches to fighting and eliminating debt.

Rick Berlin and A Few Nickels and Dimes and Licious featuring Kelsey Brown will provide entertainment along with DJ Ultratumba.

Professor Dan Clawson of the University of Massachusetts Sociology Dept and co-author of The Future of Higher Education will present on the growing student debt crisis. Join us for activism, music, community collaboration and solid solutions to student loan debt. Together we can break the shackles of debt. You Are Not A Loan.

If you would like more information about this event or to schedule an interview please contact strikedebt@occupyboston.org.

Hello Occupiers and friends.

The Occupy Boston Strike debt group is holding an “Anti-Student Debt Event” at the Middle East Club in Cambridge, on Sat., April 6. There’ll be music, information, agitation– and we’d like a key part to be “True Student Debt Confessions”.. Do you have a tale about how you ended up under or unemployed and over the debt barrel? We bet a lot of you do. Would you like to get up on stage, get it off your chest and purge your needless guilt? Bring a prop or 2 if you like, such as suitcases full of dunning letters, or your “Chief Chicken Fryer” hat from KFC.

Victims of student indebtedness of all ages and classes are welcome. Send us a note and tell us your story briefly, and we’ll slot you into our program. Contact us and get all info about the event @ strikedebt@lists.occupyboston.org YOU ARE NOT A LOAN !

Occupy Boston is gearing up to join hundreds of other groups that will be
protesting on April 15.

There are lots of ideas in the works, all of which will be discussed on
Sunday, 3/31, starting at 5:30 pm at Community Church of Boston, 565
Boylston St. Copley Square. Please come!

Courtesy of Bil (top), and Joan and Maurice (bottom).

I hope you all will be able to join us this coming Friday for a game of billiard and a reception to raise funds for the NLG Mass Defense Committee. For decades, the Committee has been providing essential services to Massachusetts activists – training in civil disobedience and legal observing, serving as Legal Observers, and representing those arrested at protests – and in order to maintain these services we need to obtain proper funding.

Friday, March 15, 2013
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Jillian’s, 145 Ipswich St. Boston

If you are interested in sponsoring the event ($99 or more) please contact me at 617-227-7335. We appreciate all support you can offer.

All the best.
Urszula