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Friday Alert May 12, 2006
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or
With Part D Deadline on Monday, Still
Work to be Done
President Bush spent three
days this week in Florida promoting the Medicare Part D
prescription drug plan and touting its success. In a last
minute push to get more people signed up for a plan before the
May 15 deadline, Bush and other administration officials claimed
to have made history by providing a benefit that "sounds too
good to be true." However, a new CNN poll found
that only 30% of seniors think the plan is working.
Additionally, while Bush and Congress adamantly refuse to give
beneficiaries more time to choose the best plan, a New York
Times/CBS poll reports 81% of those 65 and older support a
deadline extension.
While some measures,
such as eliminating the late-enrollment penalty for low-income
seniors, have been accomplished in an attempt to appease
critics, there is still much work to be done to overhaul the
drug program. A recent Families USA report shows that only
24% of the 7.2 million people eligible for low-income subsidies
have been approved, partially due to an asset test and
insufficient information about the benefit. "Congress
should recognize that more has to be done to reach those most in
need, so they do not suffer any more as a result of this flawed
drug program," said George J. Kourpias,
president of the Alliance. "The deadline must be
extended."
Deficits Up, Poll Numbers
Down
According to The Washington
Post, GOP lawmakers and strategists, who have reviewed a
series of polls released recently, said the results "confirm
what they are hearing from voters: Conservatives are demoralized
and defecting in worrisome numbers." The latest Associated
Press poll found that Bush had just a 52 percent approval rating
among conservatives, and only 33 percent had a favorable opinion
of the Republican-run Congress. The article went on to say
that disaffection over spending and immigration has caused
conservatives to desert President Bush and the Republican
Congress in large numbers in recent weeks. A
USAToday/Gallup poll released this week showed
President Bush's overall approval rating at 31 percent, the
lowest of his presidency.
Despite the
polls regarding deficits, the Senate doled out additional tax
cuts for millionaires. The extension of these tax benefits
for the wealthy was the cornerstone of a $70 billion package of
tax cuts the Senate adopted, 54-44, on Thursday. The House
had voted, 244-185, for the $70 billion in tax cuts on
Wednesday. However, Republicans in the House still lacked
the support to adopt a fiscal 2007 budget resolution as the week
drew to a close. "Many Republicans appear to have joined
Democrats in finding the Congressional leadership's fiscal
policies unfair and irresponsible," said Edward
Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance.
Employee Free Choice
Act
According to the website
CommonDreams.org, the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA),
the first major attempt to reform labor law since the 1970s, now
has 216 co-sponsors in the House - just three shy of an
outright majority - and 42 co-sponsors in the Senate, nine
short of a majority. The legislation, H.R. 1696 in the
House and S. 842 in the Senate, promises to take what is now a
"nasty, bruising, and hopelessly lawyer-dominated organizing
process" and simplify it by merely having a majority of
employees sign union cards. In addition, by requiring
mediation if 90 days pass without a contract, EFCA provides
mechanisms to prevent employers from starting a war of attrition
against workers once they have selected a union. EFCA also
contains protections for workers including treble back pay for
the discriminatory discharge of union
organizers.
If passed and signed into law,
the legislation would mean better conditions for the working
poor, minorities, women, immigrants, and blue-collar white
males. More Americans could then follow their own
self-interests and join unions, "re-igniting economic populism,"
improving access to health care, closing the wealth gap, and
increasing voter turnout. "With this many sponsors, the
legislation could be passed despite the uphill battle," said
Ruben Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Alliance.
State Chapter News
A
Capitol Hill rally to extend the deadline, held in Washington,
D.C. on Wednesday, drew hundreds of seniors, along with dozens
of Senators and Members of Congress, including Senate Minority
Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
(D-CA). Alliance members from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and
Maryland/Washington, D.C. led the charge. The rally was
coordinated by Americans United for Change, together with the
Alliance. Tomorrow, May 13, the New Mexico Alliance for
Retired Americans will hold their informational Health Care
Symposium in Albuquerque. The Texas Alliance will host its
founding convention in Austin on the following Saturday, May
20.
More Details on Alliance National
Meeting
The National Membership Meeting is
coming up September 5-8, 2006 in Washington, D.C. Members
of the Alliance will gather around the theme of Fighting for
Retirement Security, as well as elect a president and
secretary-treasurer. At-large members will elect six
individuals. Nominations must be sent to the Alliance for
Retired Americans Nominations Committee, 815 16th Street, NW,
Washington DC 20006, postmarked by August 4. Nominees must
be members in good standing of the National Alliance. Any
self-enrolled member may attend the meeting and is eligible to
vote. Sponsoring organizations may send as many delegates
as they choose. To register for the meeting, log onto www.retiredamericans.org
or call 1-888-373-6497.
Did You Know...
The
PBS show Frontline will air Can You Afford to Retire?
on Tuesday, May 16 at 9 PM. The program examines the
future of retirement and pensions in the United States in the
wake of bankruptcies, stock market fluctuations, and pension
cuts during the past few years, and includes input from the
Alliance. Featured in depth are workers and retirees at
United Airlines. Learn more about the program and find
your local listing at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/retirement/#press.
Become part of a progressive grassroots movement! Join the Alliance:
www.retiredamericans.org/join |
