A Not-So-Fond Farewell to 2003

I hope that all of you can look back on 2003 and count some personal blessings. The big picture for the year has hardly been cause for comfort and joy.

Recently, President Hill and I joined AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, Secretary-Treasurer Rich Trumka and thousands of union members to protest the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the infamous "NAFTA on steroids" about which you have read in these pages. I am glad that we are raising our voices in the streets, and I hope that the experience of ten years of "free trade" has finally drummed some sense into the public. Lord knows it hasnt dented the thick skulls of politicians and corporations.

In his three years in office, George W. Bush has delivered job losses in the amount of 3 million. He is an equal opportunity unemployer, hurting workers in manufacturing, the service sector, and technical workers without regard to race, creed or income level.

The turn of the calendar also means that the next round of the tax cuts sought by the Bush Administration and passed by Congress will take effect. Remember, that the tax bill was not a one-time deal. It was more like a "gift that keeps on giving," because its impact would come in bursts. Sort of like a time bomb.

I took a look at the numbers put out by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In 2001--when Bill Clinton left office--the 10-year projected budget surplus was $5.6 trillion. In September 2003, the 10-year-projected deficit is $5.5 trillion. As former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin commented in Newsweek recently, even adjusted for accounting methodology, the turnaround has been $10 trillion in just three years.

So the only conclusion is that the Presidents tax and trade policies have been built on lies.

The budget picture is not helped by the administrations request for $87 billion to address the situation in Iraq. And thats another story.

Last month, we marked the 40^th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I was reminded of Kennedys words from his inaugural address which seemed very relevant today: "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

I think that the people are still willing to abide by those lofty ideals, even at a cost. The problem is that we were asked to put our heroic troops in harms way and spend our resources in Iraq for specific reasons. One by one, the reasons put forth by the President and Vice President for this war are turning out to be lies.

There is a day of reckoning coming. It may or may not be Election Day (although I fervently hope it is). But we cannot go on indefinitely with all of these clouds hanging over our heads. We cannot hope to create the kind of world we want for ourselves and our children when lopsided policies squeeze the life out of the poor and middle class, and while our leaders invent reasons to engage in costly, protracted and increasingly bloody overseas conflicts. We have got to do something before it all comes tumbling down.

Save your most heartfelt prayers this holiday season for our men and women fighting in the Middle East and around the world. But lets pray for each other too. Together, we will need the strength to act in unity in 2004. Whether it be in the workplace, in the election booth, or in the streets, working families must be on the march in 2004 or we can kiss our future security goodbye.

Theres a lot more to be said, and I will spend time in 2004 talking about them with you in every possible way-- face-to-face whenever possible. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday season. Rest, laugh, enjoy--because come January 1, we have a lot of work to do.