Washington - Following is a statement by SEIU President Mary Kay Henry regarding the first day of the Republican National Convention, including the party's platform which convention delegates voted on late Tuesday.

Mitt Romney and the RNC's platform is a reverse Robin Hood approach to government that begs reason and common sense. It claims to save Medicare by gutting it, modernize Medicaid by slashing it, ensure retirement security by outsourcing Social Security to Wall Street, and protect taxpayers from Wall Street greed by deregulating big banks. The platform demonstrates a basic lack of understanding or even empathy for the daily lives of hardworking people. Instead, it envisions a nation in which the rich get richer and working people have few opportunities to get ahead.

"The Romney-Ryan plan, rubber stamped and trumpeted during the convention's first day in Tampa, is wrong for working people and stands in stark contrast to President Obama's more inclusive vision for the future."

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