Members of a Springfield activist group held a sit-in this week at U.S.

Rep. Tim Johnson’s office to protest tax breaks that they say benefit only the very wealthy. While Johnson’s current district doesn’t include Springfield, a new district redrawn last year will do just that. Action Now Springfield traveled to the Republican congressman’s office in Champaign ahead of a crucial vote in the U.S. House on extending the tax cuts passed under former president George W. Bush. Protestors urged Johnson to support President Barack Obama’s tax plan, which would extend tax cuts for families making less than $250,000 a year. “We all know trickledown economics doesn’t work,” said Springfield resident Sonya Trader, who attended the sit-in. “When the rich get big tax cuts, the money stays in their stock portfolio and never trickles down to the rest of us. Rep. Johnson should extend the tax cuts for the middle class, not the rich. That’s fair. This means putting more money in the hands of consumers who will buy local goods and services.”