An Open Letter To Glenn Beck From The American 99ers' Union

Oct. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- Dear Mr. Beck,

We are pleased that you acknowledged as fact on your Fox broadcast dated 10/27/2010 that 99ers do want to work and that not having jobs for the millions of 99ers is not good for America.

However you made a number of statements that are entirely inaccurate pertaining to The American 99ers' Union and we are taking this opportunity to replace conjecture with fact about how and why the American 99ers' Union was created and who we really are.http://www.american99ersunion.com

You indicated that the American 99ers' Union is a labor union that wants power in order to "co-opt" the unemployed, and to organize them for some subversive reason.

The only power we desire is the power to live the lives we once knew as working Americans. Until that time comes and the jobs return to America, we need to survive via the safety net of unemployment insurance. With respect to the word "union", we are nothing more than a dictionary definition: “a number of persons, states, etc., joined or associated together for some common purpose”.

Our goal is to promote government legislation to extend unemployment insurance which in turn will lead to job creation, with the end result being that 99ers can see the return of jobs, get back to work and get off unemployment insurance once and for all…America wins!

Point of fact, we are made up of 99ers who do not make a dime and are down to our last dime. We are currently comprised of 19 groups throughout the United States that joined together with one common cause: saving American lives while in turn rebuilding the American Economy. We formed this coalition of diverse 99er advocacy groups in order to increase our effectiveness by pooling our combined numbers and intellectual resources. Some of our campaigns have been as straightforward as faxing and emailing senators.

Does this sound subversive to you, Mr. Beck? I was taught in school that this is Democracy at work!

Mr. Beck, you said, “We knew that jobs were the number one issue. We asked for jobs - and Americans were given unemployment.”

Let us remind you, Mr. Beck that our Nation entered into this deep recession in 2007 when George W. Bush was President. We asked for jobs - and Americans were given unemployment. Since President Obama took office all of the Democrats' proposals to help the economy and create jobs have been met with opposition by the Republicans.

As a result, the 99ers are still suffering with no jobs and no unemployment insurance. Unless you can create 8 million plus jobs overnight, how are those Americans who are waiting for jobs to "magically return" supposed to survive without the extension of unemployment insurance?

How can jobs be created when consumer spending is down? Millions of unemployed and underemployed simply do not have the money to spend on goods and services, and if we don’t have the ability to spend, then businesses both big and small do not have the capital or the need to hire. Mr. Beck, I guess you must have skipped Economics class. IT’S CALLED THE LAW OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND!

Your painting of us as some insidious power-mongers trying to "co-opt" the unemployed for some subversive purpose is laughable. We are simply a coalition of grassroots 99er advocates who are trying to help our fellow Americans, just as you say you want to do. However, rather than doing it like your Tea Party is trying to do, through the backing of billionaires with their own agendas, which is an "Astroturf"  or false grassroots movement, we are taking action to promote change utilizing the kind of true grassroots movement this country was founded on.

We suggest that if you truly do want to help 99ers and other unemployed and underemployed Americans then you will encourage your viewers to contact their Senators and Representatives, ask them to create an extension of unemployment insurance for all 99ers. Stimulating American businesses' bottom line will stimulate job creation so that we can get back to work and once again contribute to our nation's economic growth.

Michael White
Gregg Rosen
Co-Founders, The American 99ers' Union
http://www.american99ersunion.com

To contact The American 99ers' Union call 202-579-9377(99ERS)

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