Nurses Protest in 60 Cities, Demanding Tax on Wall Street

Thousands of nurses and supporters descended on their local Congressional offices nationwide Thursday, demanding that Wall Street pay for the crisis it created.

The 60 protests in 21 states targeted both Democrats and Republicans, with austerity champions like Eric Cantor of Virginia and Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota singled out for special attention. A blockade outside Cantor’s office forced his staffers to meet with a delegation, a request they had repeatedly refused.

Soup kitchens outside Congressional offices highlighted the devastation wrought by the economy’s collapse and worsened when politicians rip into social programs. Hundreds lined up outside Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office to receive a meal.

Katie Oppenheim of the Michigan Nurses Association joined a group that served a meal in Jackson. When the nurses attempted to talk with Republican Tim Walberg, the receptionist would speak with them only from behind her bulletproof glass.

“This is one more fight among many in the country to convince corporate America we will not back down,” said Oppenheim, who chairs the professional nurse council at the University of Michigan health system.
More @ bit.ly/quJPou