Groups rally in Lynn against possible cuts to health care

LYNN – Blowing duck calls and chanting “not one cent,” nearly 50 members of various unions and civil liberties organizations called on a lame-duck Congress to refrain from ducking its duties.”We had quite an election victory this week,” said North Shore Labor Council President Jeff Crosby to a crowd that swarmed Union Street Friday in front of the Lynn Community Health Center. “But landing the election is only part of the issue, now we need to dig in to make sure we don’t lose ground to bargaining.”Carly McClain of the New Lynn Coalition said the concern now is that a lame-duck Congress, which is in the final six weeks of its term before newly elected officials take office, will make deep cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security or slash programs in order to bargain “some minor tax cuts.””We’re beseeching our lame duck Congress, we’re imploring you, please don’t take away what we’ve worked for,” she said. “Do your jobs and don’t slash the budget.”Crosby and McClain were part of a crowd that also included members of Mass Senior Action, IUE-CWA Local 201 (International Union of Electrical Workers-Communication Workers of America), SEIU (Service Employees International Union), the teachers union, New Lynn Coalition, People United for Change and the letter carriers union.”Sixty-five percent of the people across the country said they wanted to tax the wealthy, and that should get done,” Crosby said.He said programs that are now considered normal, such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which people have paid into all their lives, “should not be stolen by lawmakers.””People are talking about Simpson-Bowles being fair, but it’s not acceptable to working people,” Crosby said.Simpson-Bowles is governmental shorthand for The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, where Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, a former Republican Senator and Clinton Chief of Staff, respectively serve as co-chairmen. The commission was created in 2010 after Obama sought to identify medium and long-term strategies to cut the national debt.Crosby said those strategies should include taxing the wealthy and eliminating programs that encourage companies to send jobs overseas.Wilfredo Cespedes, a personal care attendant, said he has seen his clients hurt by changes made to Medicaid and Medicare.”Cut military-industrial complex spending,” he said. “Cut the things that are putting money in the pockets of the wrong people.”Cespedes’ short speech was met with cheers and the crowd mobilized, moving the rally to the steps of the Senior Center on Silsbee Street where longtime labor activist Phil Mamber took the bullhorn.”It is symbolic that the demonstration for today started at the Community Health Center and ended at the Senior Center,” he said. “They are two institutions that were not started by the government. They were fought for by the citizens of Lynn.”Mamber urged his fellow demonstrators to continue to defend the benefits they had to “fight and scrounge for.”Make sure the Tierneys, Warrens and Obamas do what they’re supposed to do and don’t sell us out,” he said.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].