Refuse to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, or housing in a "grand bargain" budget deal.

The Republicans in the House have exerted far too much leverage on our government in expounding their Ayn Rand objectivist ideology of selfishness as a virtue. It has gone on long enough. The American people are sick and tired of it. That is not what we believe, and we proved it in the election. We rise and fall as one people, not as people pitted against each other. This is not just about balancing the budget, or the 99% versus the 1%. It is about our soul as a nation. In extending a hand to our neighbor, we lift ourselves as well. We fought many battles to earn these benefits of citizenship. They are our birthright as United States citizens, and a cornerstone of our democracy for the better part of a century. Please do not let them be swept away or privatized. .