The Road to Economic Fairness

1. How do we move away from austerity—
job cuts, wage cuts, service cuts— towards
prosperity and a stronger economy that
works for all of us?
THE ROAD TO
ECONOMIC FAIRNESS

2. HOW WE GOT HERE

3. Wall Street and the 1% took us where they
wanted us to go.

4. ON TAXES
Wall Street and the 1% told Washington
and Albany to:
►► Cut income taxes for the very rich
►► Give tax loopholes to big banks and big business
►► Push more of the costs of government onto the 99%

5. ON TAXES
They took us where they wanted to go...1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6%
TopMarginalTaxRate
Top Rate on Investment Income
Top Rate on Earned Income
Source: New York State Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2012-2013. Fiscal Policy Institute. January, 2012
http://fiscalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/FPI_BudgetBriefingBook_2012.pdf
8.82%8.97%
7.7%
6.85%
15.375%
From 1978 through 1988, New York taxed invest-
ment income at a higher rate than it taxed wages
and business income. Despite budget shortfalls
there hasn’t been a change in tax policy.

6. ON BUDGETS
Wall Street and the 1% told
Washington and Albany to:
►► Cut public services
►► Cut schools & higher education
►► Cut housing & public health
►► Cut jobs and cut services for the 99%

7. ON BUDGETS
They took us where they wanted to go...
►► 100,000 jobs lost—Government losing more jobs than
any other sector
►► 30,000 teachers & aides cut in last four years
►► Poor school districts hit 3x as hard as rich ones
►► Higher class sizes, curriculum cuts
►► College tuition up, more costs pushed onto students

8. ON BUDGETS
Wall Street and the 1% told
Washington and Albany to:
►► Gut the minimum wage
►► Stop the movement for a Living Wage
►► Give special trade deals & tax breaks to
companies that outsource jobs
►► Weaken unions & bargaining protections
►► Let CEOs & executives take more of the profits
workers create

9. Jan–2007
Feb–2007
Mar–2007
Apr–2007
May–2007
Jun–2007
Jul–2007
Aug–2007
Sep–2007
Oct–2007
Nov–2007
Dec–2007
Jan–2008
Feb–2008
Mar–2008
Apr–2008
May–2008
Jun–2008
Jul–2008
Aug–2008
Sep–2008
Oct–2008
Nov–2008
Dec–2008
Jan–2009
Feb–2009
Mar–2009
Apr–2009
May–2009
Jun–2009
Jul–2009
Aug–2009
Sep–2009
Oct–2009
Nov–2009
Dec–2009
Jan–2010
Feb–2010
Mar–2010
Apr–2010
May–2010
Jun–2010
Jul–2010
Aug–2010
Sep–2010
Oct–2010
Nov–2010
Dec–2010
Jan–2011
Feb–2011
Mar–2011
Apr–2011
May–2011
Jun–2011
Jul–2011
Aug–2011
Sep–2011
Oct–2011
Nov–2011
Dec–2011
Jan–2012
Feb–2012
Mar–2012
Apr–2012
May–2012
Jun–2012
Jul–2012
Unemployment Rates
N.Y.S
U.S.
10%
9%
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
Unemployment(SeasonallyAdjusted)
On wages & jobs, they took us where they
wanted to go...
Source: Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and NYS Department of Labor.

10. On wages & jobs, they took us where they
wanted to go...
Note: Low wage industries are those whose annual average wage is below $45,000. Middle wage industries have annual average wages of $45,000-$75,000.
High wage industries are those whose annual average wage is above $75,000. Source: FPI's seasonal adjustment of CES employment data and QCEW 2011
annual average wage data from NYS DOL.
-150,000 -50,000 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000-100,000 0
Middle-Wage
Industries ($45-$75K)
-144,427
High-Wage
Industries ($75K+)
-29,252
Low-Wage
Industries (Below $45K)
+194,304
From 2008 to 2012 there has been
a massive downward shift in the
average salary for jobs.
Unemployment(SeasonallyAdjusted)

11. CAMPAIGN FINANCE:
Wall Street and the 1%
►► Gave the most money to politicians from both parties
►► Bought deregulation, weaker law enforcement, lower taxes,
lower wages & cuts to public services
►► Used government to create a low-wage high-unemployment
economy

12. 2/3rds of
donations to state
senators come
from corporate
donors
8 out of every 10
dollars from
individuals comes
from big donors
That doesn’t leave
the rest of us much
of a voice, does it?
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS BY THE NUMBERS

13. WHERE THEY TOOK US.

14. New York is
in the U.S.A.
in income
inequality.
#
1
#
1

15. 198
$2,730,973
$446,507
$16,074 $14,04550% 45% 5% 1% 50% 45% 5% 1%
20 7Average income for
groups in New York in
the Mario Cuomo era.
Average income for
groups in New York in
the Andrew Cuomo era.
(Inflation-adjusted)

16. And our poverty statistics are
astounding and shameful.
ChildPovertyRate(Percent)
Syracuse Rochester Buffalo Schenectady Albany
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey.
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Virtually half of children in Upstate New
York’s largest cities lived in poverty in 2011.

17. INCOME INEQUALITY
IS A BARRIER TO
ECONOMIC PROGRESS
AND PROSPERITY

18. We can’t move forward towards
prosperity for all if we just keep
giving more tax breaks and more
special deals to the 1%
We need a new roadmap –politicians
should work for us, not for their
corporate sponsors.

19. A ROADMAP TO
ECONOMIC FAIRNESS
We are the 99%—Where do we want to go?

20. FAIR-SHARE TAXES
►► No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing: We’re not paying you
to take away our jobs
►► Corporate Minimum Tax: Big businesses that make
millions should pay some taxes
►► More Progressive Income Tax Reform: Millionaires
Tax was a good start, but we can do better
►► Property Tax Circuit Breaker: target help to the
working families that need it the most

21. FAIR BUDGETS
►► Invest in jobs, education & higher education to keep
us on the road to prosperity
►► Help counties & cities provide essential services
►► Strengthen the safety net and create jobs instead of
welfare
►► Fair-share taxes allow productive investment
►► Put the brakes on the drop-dead Ryan Budget

22. WAGES & JOBS
►► Short-term, increase the state minimum wage to
$8.50/hour and index
►► Long-term, increase the federal minimum wage to
$10/hour
►► Invest in energy efficiency, infrastructure, higher
education and public services to create good middle-
class jobs
►► Tax companies with huge salary differences to make
CEOs give more profits to workers

23. PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY,
MEDICARE & MEDICAID
Ryan and the House GOP want to:
►► Give Social Security to Wall Street
►► End Medicare for new Vouchercare,
putting HMOs in charge
►► Slash Medicaid by 50% or more
►► End guaranteed benefits & care
New York says:
“No way, we’re not going there!”

24. CORPORATE MONEY OUT OF POLITICS
►► Amend the Constitution to overturn Citizens United—
corporations aren’t people, money isn’t free speech
►► Universal same-day voter registration
►► Full public financing of federal and state elections

25. Our representatives in Washington and
Albany should work for us—
not for their corporate sponsors.

26. We won’t move away from income
inequality and economic stagnation
if we let the 1% drive—
We’ve got to take the wheel ourselves...

27. TAKE THE WHEEL
BE A VOTER
JOIN THE LABOR WALKS
WALK A CANVASS
QUESTION THE CANDIDATES
This election can take us towards
Economic Fairness