ROCHESTER JOINS NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST TO STOP CORPORATE BAILOUT

ROCHESTER, NY – Rochester-area taxpayers will participate in a call for a national day of protest scheduled for this Thursday, Sept. 25, in opposition to the no-strings-attached, $700 billion corporate bailout plan advanced by President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulson.

The protest will take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, in front of the Federal Building at 100 State St.

“We are being asked to reward a bankrupt ideology that has viewed government regulation as evil despite the fact that both our history and current events demonstrate that these regulations are both necessary and critical ” said organizer Kathy Castania. It is difficult to trust an administration that in the past pushed through the Patriot Act and an illegal preemptive invasion and occupation of Iraq by manipulating fear as a result of a terrorist attack. Again they are hijacking a catastrophe and offering only one solution – for the taxpayers to fork over $700 billion – with no oversight, no accountability, no transparency, no nothing — to the very people and institutions who got us into this mess in the first place. Our children and grandchildren deserve better than this.”

The national day of protest features dozens of press conferences, demonstrations and other public events throughout the United States. Some are being organized by local and national organizations while others, such as the one in Rochester, will be a self-organized event involving individual taxpayers angered by the proposed corporate bailout.

During the rally, participants will be asked to take out their cell phones and call a toll-free number (800-473-6711) to reach their representative and senators in Congress.