Nurses call for tax on Wall Street trades, not cuts in health care

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?news_6_4920

7 July 2011
WASHINGTON - The nation’s leading nurses’ organization, National Nurses United, called on the Obama administration and Congress to oppose cuts in Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid, and instead increase national revenues with a tax on Wall Street speculation.
NNU members issued the call ahead of a debate Friday in Washington between supporters and opponents of a financial transaction tax similar to an FTT currently on the books in more than 15 countries, including Great Britain, and under active consideration by the European Union.

A bill to enact such a measure for the U.S., which had an FTT from 1914 to 1966, is expected to be re-introduced soon. Proponents, including NNU, say hundreds of billions of dollars could be raised annually to help rebuild America through even a modest tax rate on financial market trades of stocks, bonds, derivatives, credit default swaps, and similar financial transactions.

Nurses warn that further cuts to vital basic programs, especially to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, could substantially accelerate a broad decline in American health and living standards linked to the ongoing recession.

For more information
More background about the nurses’ campaign is available at www.mainstreetcontract.org.

FULL story at link.

[Samantha]

1. I was wondering what happened to that tax on trades

Thanks for posting.

Sam