Washington, D.C. – Senator John McCain once admitted that he just doesn’t understand the economy, and his recent economic plan proves that to be true. By giving big tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy few, supporting trade agreements that have contributed to the loss of good, middle class jobs, and creating a new tax on workers’ health care benefits, McCain-omics means four more years of hardship for America’s workers and their families.
McCain-omics recycles the failed economic policies of President Bush and builds on the president’s seven-year record of fiscal incompetence and mismanagement. Over the course of the Bush Administration, America’s debt has increased to over $9 trillion, gas prices have climbed to over $4 a gallon, and the share of mortgages entering foreclosure is at the highest level on record since 1979. In addition, the number of uninsured Americans, including children, has increased to 47 million, and the cost of health care has risen three times faster than inflation and wages.
While Senator McCain tries to portray himself as a maverick who cares about America’s workers, McCain-omics marches in lockstep with corporate America and ignores the needs of working men and women who are struggling to cope with the high cost of health care, housing, food, fuel and education. In fact, McCain-omics adds to the economic burden of America’s workers by creating a new tax on working families by making employer-paid health care premiums part of taxable income.
The 2008 election presents us with an opportunity to elect a leader who will bring positive economic change and put the needs of America’s workers above corporate interests. The UFCW is fighting for the type of change that is needed to restore the American Dream—including good jobs, affordable health care, retirement security, worker safety and the right to choose a union—by mobilizing its 1.3 million members to ensure that Senator Barack Obama becomes the next president of the United States.