Three critical actions to take today and tomorrow:
1. Speaker Lujan just indicated that a small surtax on personal income over $100,000 a year is possible. Call Governor Richardson at 505-476-2200 and ask him to restore taxes on people making over $100,000 a year.
2. Public employee paychecks also face a federal threat right now. Call 888-460-0813, ask for your Congressman (Ben Ray Lujan in the north, Martin Heinrich around Albuquerque, and Harry Teague in the south) and tell their staff that you are a constituent and do not want your health care benefits taxed.
3. This is a personal request, but one which I hope many of you will follow. As badly as we have it right now--and it IS bad--what just happened in Haiti is about the worst thing that can ever happen to any people anywhere. Estimates are of 100,000 to 500,000 dead, with maybe a million facing injuries--many critical. There's no food, water, or shelter for about 3 million people.
AFSCME members have always been at the forefront of helping others and are, even in hard times, some of the most generous and caring people anywhere. Please consider going to www.redcross.org and making a contribution. You can also text "Haiti" to 90999 and your phone company will forward $10 to the Red Cross and include it in your next bill. And please keep the entire nation of Haiti in your thoughts and prayers. Mil gracias.
