This morning I attended the Annual Meeting of TakeAction Minnesota, always a stimulating and educational experience. Larry Cohen, the President of the Communication Workers of America, gave the keynote address on restoring a broken democracy. We need to have a system that protects workers, protects voting rights, and a system that acknowledges the rights and dignity of the 99%. “We can’t wait for Obama to do what he promised. We can support him, but we need to organize to get what we want.”
Dan McGrath, TakeAction’s Executive Director, illustrated how the budget cuts are directly tied to voter suppression.
The Breakout Session on Voter Suppression concentrated on refuting the myths and lies that are used to push the harmful legislation that restricts voters’ rights forward. They are using fear tactics to divide us. It is about power! People in power are trying to restrict those who oppose them. Instead of broadening our voting base, they want to decrease it. In doing so, they will eliminate opposition. Voter ID is designed to make it harder for certain Minnesotans to vote: senior citizens, students, low-income, and persons of color. As proposed, even Military ID’s would not be recognized. We can’t let this happen. We need to protect the rights of voters.
The outrageous shift of financial resources to the 1% needs to be addressed. We need to protect everyone who works hard and allow them to reap the opportunities of their endeavors.