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Group Demands Jobs, Contract For 'American Dream'

LUTHERVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- Marylanders dissatisfied with the way Washington is working are demanding jobs and signing what they call a contract for the American Dream.  Political reporter Pat Warren reports they're taking copies to their Congressmen.

Willing to work hard, playing by the rules but still can't find a job?  David Payne says he's holding this sign on your behalf.

"I want the American Dream to be the same for them as it was for me," he said.

It's for your benefit Charlie Cooper says that he signed a contract for the American Dream and for you that Pat Kelly is calling on Democrats to grow "a brain and a spine."

"This sign means that we Democrats have to stop being so nice.  We're very nice people, we're all-inclusive, we listen to everybody's opinions and we say, `Yeah, I understand.'  We don't say, `Wait a minute, you're wrong!'" Kelly said.

They gathered outside the Baltimore County office of Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger Wednesday morning.  The US credit downgrade and Congressional gridlock has pried the ordinarily stay-at-home crowd out of their seats and into the streets.

"We need to have all the Congress and Senate to get together and say to themselves, `Let's stop this bickering, let's stop this say the Democrats did this and the Republicans did that.'  We need to get together and our priority is to bring this country back to where it was when I was a boy," said Mike Vivirito.

As well as protect those golden years.

"And my own little sign here says damn it, I earned my Social Security and my Medicare and I am entitled to it," Kelly said.

Reached by phone, Ruppersberger agreed.

"I can tell you this, we're not going to hurt seniors," he said.  "And one of the most important issues we have to deal with that we have lost sight of is we have to create jobs."

These demonstrations are organized by a civic action group called moveon.org.

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