Murray Stands with WA Families, Small Business Owners to Talk About How Wall St. Reform Will Help Them; Discusses Her Amendment Prohibiting Use of Taxpayer Funds for Wall St. Bailouts

(Washington, D.C.) – Today,
U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined with families and small business owners
at Izilla Toys in Seattle to discuss the importance of tough legislation to
reform Wall St. and protect Washington state families. Murray laid out her
principles for tough Wall St. reform, and discussed an amendment she is co-sponsoring
that prohibits the use of any taxpayer funds for Wall St. bailouts.

“For far too long the
financial rules of the road have favored Wall Street executives over Washington
state families,” said Senator Patty Murray. “We can never again let the
risks and irresponsible behavior of Wall Street hurt Main Street this
way.  It’s time to put progress before politics and people before Wall
Street. And I will never vote for a bill that allows taxpayer money to pay for
Wall St. bailouts.”

The amendment that Senator
Murray has co-sponsored with Senator Boxer states in simple terms that no
taxpayer resources will be used to bail out or prop up any failed company.

Senator Murray spoke
on the floor twice in the last week about the
need to reform Wall St. and protect Washington state families and helped to
bring Wall Street Reform legislation to the Senate floor for debate this week,
despite repeated Republican resistance. 

“My wife and I were always
used to working hard and playing by the rules, so the irresponsible practices
of the banks and credit card companies during the crisis seemed predatory to
us,” said Jude Larene, owner of Izilla Toys in Seattle, who joined
Senator Murray to discuss Wall st. reform today. “Small businesses like
mine can be a part of the solution to the recession, creating jobs that put
people back to work. But only if we reform the bad practices on Wall Street
that got us into this mess.”

Also joining Senator
Murray at the press conference to share their stories were:

• Jude Larene, owner of
  Izilla Toys in Seattle;
• Dusty Hoerler, unemployed
  member of Local 32 Plumbers and Pipefitters;
• Gus Ramos, senior citizen
  who had to find new job after financial collapse;
• Devin Glaser,
  schoolteacher at John Stanford International School facing foreclosure.