Vote YES on Question 4

This past week Newton Mayor Setti Warren asked Newton voters to approve new taxes to fund a variety of needed projects.

There is a way to fund such projects locally and nationally without new taxes – while at the same time preserving vital programs like Social Security and Medicare. 

The “Budget for All” – Question 4 on the Newton ballot challenges program cuts and austerity budgets while pointing a way to relieve pressure for more taxes on the middle class. It is based on the view that huge federal deficits were caused by unconscionable tax breaks for large corporations and extremely high incomes, a bloated Pentagon budget out of proportion with what the country needs and can afford, a financial crisis caused by Wall Street and spiraling costs of health care.

Instead of cuts in essential programs that did not cause the deficit, the “Budget for All” sends a message to Washington: No cuts to Social Security, Medicare and other vital programs; Invest in useful jobs; End offshore tax havens and tax cuts on the highest incomes; Reduce the military budget and bring all the troops home from Afghanistan now.

Those proposals represent a path to economic and social benefit for the vast majority. The “Budget for All” has been endorsed by Congressmen Frank, Capuano, Markey and McGovern and by a growing list (presently 21) of state Senators and Representatives.

On Election Day: Vote YES on Question 4.