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The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
United for a Fair Economy
Contact:

Shannon Moriarty, smoriarty@faireconomy.org, (617) 824-0069

Post Debt Deal: United for a Fair Economy Partners with Rebuild the Drean for Launch of New "Contract for the American Dream"

Crowd-sourced Ten Point Plan Is Progressive Vision to Grow and Strengthen the Future Middle Class, Rebut Destructive Conservative Agenda

BOSTON

In the wake of a destructive debt ceiling deal that will cost 1.8 million jobs in 2012 and will worsen economic inequality and the decline of the American middle class, the Rebuild the Dream organization and MoveOn.org - with the support of partner United for a Fair Economy (UFE) - announced a new Contract for the American Dream. The Contract is the progressive economic vision for the American Dream Movement. Members of the American Dream Movement are taking the Contract directly to Congress during the August recess to demand "Jobs Not Cuts," beginning with hundreds of actions around the country on August 10th.



"United for a Fair Economy is proud to join the American Dream Movement as a partner to fight for the ideas and public systems that build a diverse and broad middle class, and decrease economic inequality," said Lee Farris, Federal Tax Coordinator for UFE. "The Contract for the American Dream's 10 ideas form a platform that, when enacted, will ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to thrive. One key principle is that our tax system should ensure that people who do well in America do well by America."


The Contract is a crowd-sourced document, created by people from all walks of life who submitted over 25,000 policy ideas online in July. Over 130,000 Americans participated online and in person at 1,600 house meetings in July, casting 6 million votes on the ideas. The 10 leading ideas form the Contract for the American Dream. A policy fact sheet further explains each of the 10 ideas in the Contract.


Farris is the lead author of the tax policy fact sheet that supports the tax plank of the Contract. United for a Fair Economy has educated and organized for fair and responsible tax policies since its founding in 1995.
  • View the full Contract for the American Dream. <https://bit.ly/q04o19>
  • Watch a video about the Contract for the American Dream. <https://bit.ly/oJVWYR>
  • Read the tax fact sheet. <https://faireconomy.org/enews/rebuilding_the_dream_with_fair_taxes>

The Contract represents a sharp contrast with the destructive anti-government, anti-tax vision represented in the debt debates of recent weeks. The Contract for the American Dream will be used as a guide in influencing the upcoming budget debates in Congress.


Two weeks ago, over 25,000 people allied with the American Dream Movement held 800 rallies across the country to protest the final debt ceiling deal. "The debt ceiling deal sacrificed America's future middle class to protect tax breaks for today's millionaires, billionaires and large businesses," stated Farris. "Tax rates on the rich and corporations are at historic lows, while economic inequality and corporate profits are at historic highs. Millionaires and billion-dollar corporations need to pay their fair share so that we all can prosper."


The American Dream Movement began earlier this year to fight conservative attacks on the middle class and the poor. United for a Fair Economy, Rebuild the Dream, MoveOn.org and more than 100 organizations have joined the American Dream Movement to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to find a decent job, afford to go to college, and provide a secure future for our children and communities.

United for a Fair Economy challenges the concentration of wealth and power that corrupts democracy, deepens the racial divide and tears communities apart. We use popular economics education, trainings, and creative communications to support social movements working for a resilient, sustainable and equitable economy. United for a Fair Economy believes another world is possible. We envision a global society which respects the humanity, rights, and creativity of all people.