wfn.org | WILL PRESIDENT BUSH SPEAK TRUTHFULLY OR REMAIN SILENT ABOUT U.S.

["Jenny Shields" <JShields@afsc.org>]

Quaker Group Urges Bush to Address Hunger, Homelessness, Poverty,
Stagnant Wages

For More Information, Contact: Janis D. Shields, Director Media and
Public Relations, (215) 241-7060 AFTER HOURS 302-545-6569 or Roberta
Spivek, (215) 241-7037

Philadelphia - January 31 - As people gather in homes, churches,
community centers and other locations to hear President Bush's State of
the Union address Tuesday night, a Quaker group is urging them to listen
closely to what is not said and who is not talked about in the speech.

"With fuel prices and oil profits soaring, factories closing, and wages
stagnating or falling, the state of our union is sobering," warned
Roberta Spivek, national representative for economic justice at the
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). "Will the President speak
forthrightly about these problems, or will he remain silent?"

Or perhaps worse - will he mislead the public by painting a rosy picture
of the U.S. economy at a time when economic distress is widespread?

AFSC is a Quaker justice and peace group promoting social change through
nonviolent means.

While many Quakers honor and practice silence in their worship, they
also compellingly speak "truth to power" in partnership with people who
live in unjust conditions across the United States and around the world.

The Quaker group posed several questions for those listening to the
President's talk.

In speaking about the economy, will President Bush acknowledge that the
number of people living in poverty in the United States has been
increasing since 2000, and that 37 million people were living in poverty
in 2004, according to the Census Bureau?

If the President speaks of family values, will he promise to veto a
fiscal year 2006 budget plan that cuts child support, student loans,
foster care assistance, nursing home coverage, and Medicaid benefits for
children?  Will he ask the House of Representatives to vote no on this
budget plan this week?

 If the President speaks of the 46 million Americans without health
insurance, will he speak truthfully about the fact that health savings
accounts are likely to encourage employers to drop or reduce coverage
for employees and increase the number of uninsured, according to the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities?

At a time when the average wage of non-managerial workers has lost value
over the past two years, will the President call on Congress to raise
the minimum wage, which has not been raised for eight years? Will he
admit that a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour cannot support a family of
two above the poverty line?

Will President Bush praise the housing boom but remain silent about the
fact that cuts to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program have made
safe and affordable rental housing out of reach for thousands of
low-wage workers and elders?

Will President Bush speak or be silent about the increasing demand for
emergency food assistance and shelter, according to a December U.S.
Conference of Mayors report?

"Economic security is essential to true national security," AFSC's
Spivek noted.  "If a sick child can't get medical care, or a retired
worker has to choose between paying her fuel bill or buying groceries,
they are insecure.  Multiply those hardships by millions, and our nation
is insecure."

Soaring military spending and tax breaks for the highest-income
taxpayers - not student loans and safety-net programs - are driving the
dangerous deficit.  Privatization, corruption, and troubling lobbying
relationships have enriched corporations, while life has gotten harder
for ordinary people.

AFSC is part of the growing chorus of voices speaking out for a moral
budget and real national security that includes adequate housing, health
care, living wages and access to education.  Its Save our Services
campaign has mobilized people to work for a fair budget that promotes
the common good.   In conjunction with the National Council of Churches,
AFSC has released a new report calling on Congress to raise the minimum
wage.

To download the report, A Just Minimum Wage:  Good for Workers, Business
and Our Future by Holly Sklar and the Rev. Dr. Paul H. Sherry, visit
www.saveourservices.org.

# # #

The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that
includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice,
peace and humanitarian service. Its work is based on the belief in the
worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome
violence and injustice.