From Susan Myoyu-Andersen

Monroe

To the Editor:

I just returned from the Poor People’s Campaign Mass Assembly of Poor and Low Wage Workers in Washington DC on June 29, 2024. Thousands — impacted people, faith leaders, union leaders — gathered to demonstrate the power of Poor and Low Wage voters to the chants of “We are the Swing Vote” and amidst searing testimonies of those suffering the devastating effects of poverty.

I was there because poverty is the fourth leading cause of death in America. And millionaires and billionaires are not paying their fair share of taxes.

I was there because 1.8 million people in Wisconsin are in poverty or only one small emergency away from poverty. And the US government spends more on the military than any other thing in the budget.

I was there for Democracy, for voting rights and a world that loves and cares for all of us. If low-income people voted together, they would be the third largest voting group in America.

I was there for 1.3 million children living in the streets of America because they are homeless.

I was there for 363,000 people in Wisconsin who have lost their Badgercare (Medicaid). I heard first hand from people on disability who must turn down badly needed raises in order to not disqualify themselves from crucial disability benefits. I heard from people who do not have life-saving medical equipment or prescriptions because they have been denied healthcare.

In a country of great abundance, there is no excuse for poverty of this magnitude. I demand that politicians talk about the issues keeping so many in poverty and take immediate actions to address them. I demand that they fight poverty, not the poor. Wisconsin (and other states who haven’t) can accept federal funds for medicaid,  raise the minimum wage, close tax loopholes for the wealthy and redirect some of our excess military spending to the social safety nets that protect us all, just to name a few actions we can take right now. Contact us at wisconsin@poorpeoplescampaign.org.