Protests against Wall Street bailouts and budget cuts to social programs continue throughout Ohio today in several cities including Columbus. Susan Gellman was at one of them. She says she supports President Obama’s plan to create jobs and she’s in favor of the tax cuts on the nation’s wealthiest citizens to help pay for it.
"If the consumers don't have money to buy the products, then they're not going to be hiring more people. I'm not no economist but even the simple amount of education in economics that I have shows me that it is not tax breaks that stimulate the economy," says Gellman.
The president of the Ohio Banker’s League, Mike Van Buskirk, says protesters need to understand there’s a big difference between investment firms on Wall Street in New York and banks on Ohio’s main streets. That’s why he says the Ohio banks he represents work hard to improve local communities.
"I think if you go to almost any bank across the state of Ohio you will see it actively engaged today in economic development helping it preserve and create jobs," says Van Buskirk. "I know we work on a variety of consuls around the state of people trying to attract new employers to Ohio and trying to help the employers that are already there survive and expand and begin to hire people."
The protesters say they will continue their efforts throughout the coming weeks.