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SARAJANE SIEGFRIEDT: Mark has been our hero on housing for some years
and what are you working on now?
MARK MILOSCIA: Well, I wanna also...
I'm trying not to be doom and gloom, but I want to challenge you all.
You've heard about a lot of good little bills working through the system right now,
but right now I believe we are literally at the crisis of our generation,
and I want to challenge everybody in this room.
How many people like these budget deficits we've had for the last three years?
You know, probably, we'll have these budget deficits for the next four years?
Right now, we're going to cut fifteen billion dollars out of our budgets the next two years, unless--
We have to change our society.
Bob [Hasegawa] is in the background, a champion of tax reform.
But you saw what the voters did in November, right?
We need a revolt in the streets, like we see in Egypt, or in Wisconsin.
We live in a democracy! [APPLAUSE]
It doesn't matter, to come down to talk to us, you're preaching to the choir.
You've got to change the hearts and minds of your neighbors.
We live in a democracy. Until they start caring about the common good,
until they start caring about workers,
the working poor,
the health care system, the safety net, K-12;
until they start caring about it,
we have our hands tied here in Washington state.
I challenge you to go back there and work on the big bills.
We have a market economy right now, two years out of the recession,
and look at our budget deficits.
Two years out of the recession!
Something is wrong!
Very few people in our state are getting very very wealthy; the rest of us, are not!
Trickle-down economics no longer works in this state--
CROWD: Never did!
MILOSCIA: We have to change that.
Private sector unions are getting decimated!
It used to be the unions brought the middle class.
Well, there's an effort to get rid of unions in our state and across this country.
Unless we reverse that,
our hands are tied here in Olympia.
Public financing?
Unless you want
the person who has the gold making the rules --you know, the "golden rule",
we need public financing. Not just for judges,
but for all elected officials. [APPLAUSE]
My living-wage bill, to raise the minimum wage to a living [wage], so every person who works 40 hours
can take care of themselves and their family forever,
died on Friday.
I don't see us having justice. I don't see us having enough money for the safety net
and education system, unless we raise the minimum wage
to a living wage-- where we have a country where every single
person, no matter their ability or education,
can work for a living and take care of themselves.
But it died here in Olympia.
That's what we need to do.
It's your state, people.
You need to take it back from the status quo.
Because right now I think things are going to hell in a handbasket in our state.
Can you take up that challenge? Work the good little bills.
But work the big bills! Because guess what:
the other team is working very hard
and they're winning.
They're winning in our state, and nationally.
I need your help.
Thank you very much. [APPLAUSE]