Organize the South

Poor People's Day has been an annual event in Georgia for more than 25 years. For one or two days low-income people, workers, organizations, and others from around the state have gathered together to share information and to make voices heard at the state legislature. Past events have seen us block the governor's office, bum rush a state legislator backing a pro-poverty bill, hold press conferences on misuse of funds, pack a committee meeting, and other fun stuff.

This year things are a little different, but the intent is still the same. Saturday, January 26 we will have the People's Assembly. Folks from around the state will caravan from the capitol to the assembly site, stopping at sites of local struggle. Join us!

You can also make your voice heard now. We have launched the People's Ballot, a chance for anyone living in Georgia to rank their issues in priority. Care about raising the minimum wage? Bringing US troops home? Something else? Put it on the ballot. You can get a copy of the ballot by going online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=elK_2fGeRF3KqSAu32l0qdJA_3d_3d

or you can call the Georgia Citizens' Coalition on Hunger at 404.622.7778 for a hard copy by mail. Lastly, you can email me at this site and I'll send you a pdf of the ballot.

More information on the Caravan and the Assembly are below.

What: A Poor People's Caravan and People's Movement Assembly
When: Saturday, January 26th, 2008 - The World Social Forum's Global Day of Action
Where: The Caravan will take place in Downtown Atlanta, passing by significant sites of struggle. Then we will rally at the Capitol and travel together to the Hunger Coalition to participate in the first ever Poor People's Movement Assembly.
Who: Grassroots folks from all over the State, educators, organizers, community-based organizations, community members, familiesŠfolks building Another World!

In the spirit of the Poor People's March on Washington 40 years ago, we are taking to the streets with a powerful caravan. In the spirit of bringing together movements from all over the country this summer at the first US Social Forum, we are bringing GEORGIA together for a Poor People's Assembly to demand action & create a more unified vision. In the spirit of bridging local struggles to global movements, we are answering the World Social Forum's call for Global Days of Action. Atlanta is one of the first US cities standing with people from all over the world on this day of action, January 26. Join us.

The online version of the Athens Banner-Herald ran an editorial by Jim Thompson. In it, Thompson tells a little bit about Glen Richardson showing up to a meeting of school superintendents to talk about his dumb idea.

For those who don't know, Richardson is proposing to raise taxes by saying he'll lower taxes. Specifically, he wants to eliminate the ad valorem taxes and the income taxes and replace it with an extended sales tax. The result will be higher taxes on more goods and services because the taxes Richardson wants to end bring in more revenue than what he wants to replace them with. The only way to prevent a huge budget shortfall is to raise taxes. Most people understand this. Richardson doesn't.

The Thompson editorial doesn't go into detail about how Richardson's plan went over. I wish it did. Instead, Thompson tells us about a nasty realization. Richardson can destroy the state and there's not much those who don't live in his district can do about it. Aack! There's some truth in the editorial, but only some. We who don't live in Hiram don't get to vote out Richardson. We do get to make noise though (at least until Bush decides the 1st amendment is too inconvenient).

Here's an idea: Get involved. Here are some ideas.

Poor People's Day. The next planning meeting is November 8 at 12:30 at 9 Gammon Ave., Atlanta 30315. There's no website yet, but you can email me at organizerdan at gmail dot com.

Georgia Budget & Policy Institute. They have a great analysis of Richardson's dumb idea. Check it out.

Georgia Rural Urban Summit. Not a huge grassroots group, but the lobbying they do is great. Larry is a gifted political analyst. You can also find links to groups all over Georgia.

The AJC today is reporting that Gov Perdue and speaker Richardson sat down together. It wasn't a personal meeting, more of a Republican coffee klatch to talk about taxes. Perdue isn't endorsing Richardson's stupid idea to eliminate property, income and ad valoreum taxes. However, Perdue isn't saying he hates it either. Rather, in the political non-speak that is standard English for elected officials, he says he has strong doubts.

The governor wants another bad idea, to cut personal and corporate income taxes and to eliminate income taxes for some senior citizens. To be clear, he wants to give rich people and corporations a free ride. The senior citizen tax cut he proposed during his campaign applies to those making more than $120,000 per year. He gets credit for rejecting the property tax rebate, but not for silly pandering schemes.

At yesterday's Poor People's Day meeting, Peter Armstrong from the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute gave a short presentation on tax reform. Here's the deal. The Georgia budget is presently $20 billion. Richardson's proposal would cut the budget by $8 billion. Now, if the Georgia budget was $8 billion too big, this would be fine. But right now Georgia isn't doing near enough of what it needs to do (i.e. Grady, MARTA, water, my road, etc.). Richardson proposes a state sales tax to make up the difference. Trouble is sales taxes hit workers a lot harder than they do rich folk. Right off the bat, anyone not a CEO or rich lawyer is going to get smacked. Worse, Richardson will have to raise the sales tax. Armstrong estimates sales taxes would have to be raised by 5% to make up the difference. Richardson will also have to the exemptions. Now we're looking at paying taxes on EVERY transaction. Remember when Georgians paid taxes on groceries? There's a word for a situation like that: Alabama.

The GBPI will be having a January conference on poverty. Check out their website for future details. In the meantime, the next Poor People's Day meeting is September 27 at 9 Gammon Ave., Atlanta 30315. Lunch is at 12:30 and the meeting starts at 1pm. Call 404.622.7778 for more information.

By Matthew Cardinale, News Editor, Atlanta Progressive News (February 18, 2007)

27th Annual Poor People's Day Held at Georgia Capitol (UPDATE 1)

(APN) ATLANTA – “The rich are gettin’ richer on the backs of the poor, and we won’t take it anymore,” homeless advocate and folk singer, Lynn Griever, sang, at the Trinity United Methodist Church, as about 250 working class people and advocates met for the 27th Annual Poor People’s Day.

Participants met for two days of workshops and presentations, Wednesday, February 14, and Thursday, February 15, 2007, which culminated in a press conference and lobbying day at the Georgia Capitol.

“Raise the wage... Now!”, “$5.15 is not for me!”, and “What would [Governor] Sonny [Perdue] do on $5.15?... Nothing!” were some of the cheers shouted on the freezing cold morning on the steps of the Capitol. Earlier that morning had been a light snow.

Advocates demanded raising the minimum wage in Georgia to $7.25--the wage level which is also being advocated at the federal level--through the passage of SB 13, a bill currently in the State Senate. Raising the minimum wage in Georgia is necessary even though it is somewhat likely the federal minimum wage will be raised in the near future, advocates say, because not all workers are covered by the federal minimum wage but can, and should, be included by the state.

“Some of us have been co-conspirators of our oppression by accepting minimum wage,” Rev. Kenneth Glasgow, brother to former [and possible current] US Presidential candidate Rev. Al Sharpton, said in remarks to participants prior to the press conference.

“That’s our problem,” Glasgow said, “It’s not just our oppressors. They didn’t just come out of the clear blue sky. Some of us can be so philosophical talking with each other, but we’re scared of talking to the folks who are oppressing us.”

Griever offered a different, perhaps not inconsistent, analysis. “It’s hard to love those who have caused war, or who make it hard for us to live. But I think that’s what it’s gonna take for us to get through this.”

Many Georgia legislators were not available for the press conference or lobbying day because many were attending the funeral for US Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), who was one of the most politically regressive Members of the US House.

As a result, a group of teenagers from working class backgrounds who went to State Sen. Hudgens’s Office–the Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee–ended up disappointed because all they could do was leave a petition with his Administrative Assistant, Leah Tatum-Dick.

Incidentally, Mr. Hudgens, among others, has announced his candidacy for late US Rep. Norwood’s seat according to press reports.

For many of the young advocates hoping to speak about minimum wage, it was their first time visiting the Capitol. “It could make me feel excited, but the way they just pushed us aside. We ain’t get no time to speak... [but] I’m gonna keep coming back,” Steyania Johnson, 18, said.

“It’s all about the money and how the money is divided,” Bobbie Paul, Executive Director of Atlanta Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), said. Paul showed her noted pop-up pie cart of the federal budget, which she uses several times a year in various demonstrations.

“We’re spending 11 million dollars a day in Iraq!” Paul said. “We’re being pitted against each other when there’s enough money to go around.”

“We’re here to ask the Georgia Senate to pass out of the Insurance and Labor Committee the minimum wage bill from $5.15 to $7.25,” Sandra Robertson, Executive Director of the Georgia Citizens’ Coalition on Hunger, said.

“The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute reports raising the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour would help an estimated 672,000 workers. Of these... 84% are 20 years or older,” Robertson said.

Written materials provided to Atlanta Progressive News by the Coalition on Hunger cite a report by the University of Georgia Survey Research Center in September 2006, indicating 90% of Georgia citizens support increasing the minimum wage.

There was last week, Wednesday afternoon, supposed to have been a 4pm Committee hearing on the state minimum wage bill in the State Senate. However, State Sen. Hudgens rescheduled the item to an 8am that day in order to have a quorum, or enough members present to take a vote, Tatum-Dick said. The bill’s sponsor, State. Sen. Robert Brown, then asked the item be heard on a different day altogether so all those testifying could be present, she said.

Two low wage workers did testify at the press conference, though.

“I’m a low wage worker. I put myself through school to be a certified nursing assistant. I’m not even making $7 per hour. I’m threatened with eviction and utilities being cut off and I’ve been working a long time,” April Johnson said.

“I work for a labor company, for between $5.15 and $6.15 an hour,” Irene Cole said.

Two State Representatives were present for the press conference, State Reps. Tyrone Brooks and Bob Holmes. Holmes has been an advocate of health care access in the State House for years.

“Don’t let them tell you what you’re doing is not effective. It does make a difference. You’re educating us legislators about what’s important. Go to the office, leave your agenda with a secretary, go to the meetings,” Rep. Brooks said.

“Georgia leaders need to recognize we need to [raise the minimum wage] on a timely basis. We need to bring this state into the 21st Century. Instead of thinking of tax cuts for the wealthy, we need to think of working people,” Rep. Holmes said.

“$5.15 is abhorrent, ridiculous, and unbelievable,” Robertson said.

CORRECTION: The original online article stated this was the 37th Annual Poor People's Day; it is, in fact, the 27th.

About the author:

Matthew Cardinale is News Editor of Atlanta Progressive News and may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com.

For the Love of Georgia: End Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness
Wednesday & ThursdayFebruary 14 & 15, 2007
8:30am
Trinity United Methodist Church
265 Washington StreetAtlanta, GA 30303and the Georgia State Capitol

February 14th - Education Day at Trinity Methodist
Workshops on minimum wage, health care, stopping violence against women, and more. Youth caucus meeting in the afternoon.

February 15th - Action Day!
Meet at Trinity Methodist and march to the Capitol for 11:15am press conference on raising Georgia's minimum wage.
We'll be issuing a challenge to Gov. Perdue "What would Sonny do on $5.15 an hour?"
Spend the day meeting with legislators on issues and attending a public hearing on minimum wage.


For more information and registration, contact Georgia Citizen's Coalition on Hunger at 404-622-7778.