OWN’s Online Petition Urges Congressional Leaders to Abandon Big Oil Tax Cuts in Favor of Families

MILWAUKEE — Wisconsinites will have a chance to use their own voices to urge Wisconsin U.S. Representatives to reject Senator John McCain’s $4 billion Big Oil tax giveaway, thanks to the massive online petition One Wisconsin Now (OWN) launched today.

The online petition distributed statewide explains how the Bush-McCain economic agenda is failing Wisconsin: $4-a-gallon gas prices were cited as the reason General Motors is closing one of its remaining Wisconsin plants, costing 2,600 jobs. But instead of taking a stand for working families, McCain wants to cut Big Oil some major slack, offering the five biggest oil companies a new tax break at just under $4 billion.

“Big Oil has some friends in Wisconsin as Representatives Paul Ryan, Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri stood arm in arm with Bush and McCain, voting in 2006 for an unconscionable budget giveaway of $5 billion in tax breaks into the profit ledgers of Big Oil,” said OWN Executive Director Scot Ross. “Keep in mind that Big Oil companies regularly report quarterly record profits as high as $7 billion for one company alone. That equation just doesn’t add up for the families of Wisconsin.”

OWN is encouraging concerned citizens to let lawmakers know they won’t stand by and watch failed Bush-McCain economic policies cost any more Wisconsin jobs, limit families’ access to health care and hurt their children’s bright futures. The 2006 $5 billion tax break for Big Oil was opposed by U.S. Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Ron Kind, Gwen Moore and David Obey, as well as Sens. Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl. [H.R.4297, Roll Call #153, 5/10/06; H.R. 4297, Roll Call 118, 3/11/06]

“Sign the petition and make your voice heard loud and clear—we won’t stand for handouts to Big Oil while Wisconsin jobs are lost,” said Ross. “Next time you’re at a gas station paying $4-a-gallon for gas, ask yourself, ‘Is it Big Oil that needs another break?’”

Sign the petition at www.OneWisconsinNow/BigOilMcCain.