Friday Alert   September 11, 2006
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. -  Washington DC, 20006 - (202) 974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or

SPECIAL NATIONAL CONVENTION REPORT

Retirees Gathered in Washington Vow Aggressive Campaign to Mobilize Seniors
As the November 7 elections draw near, nearly 600 Alliance activists from across the country gathered in Washington last week to map out an aggressive grassroots campaign to educate and mobilize seniors around threats to Social Security and Medicare.  At the convention, members of the Alliance heard from leading policy makers and political strategists, attended workshops on building grassroots power in their local communities, and visited Capitol Hill to share their concerns with their elected officials.  Delegates to the convention also adopted policy resolutions in support of national health care coverage; strengthening the Supplemental Security Income program serving those with low incomes and with disabilities; and, among others, greater use of early voting, voting by mail, and absentee ballots.

George Kourpias, Ruben Burks Re-Elected to Lead Alliance
Alliance members re-elected George Kourpias as their President, and Ruben Burks as Secretary-Treasurer.  Both will serve four-year terms.  Noting seniors' mounting frustration with many of their elected officials, Mr. Kourpias said, "America's seniors say enough is enough.  To us, November 7 is not just Election Day, it's Judgment Day."  Mr. Burks added, "We want to protect Social Security from being destroyed through privatization. And we want to make Medicare work for the people it's supposed to work for - America's seniors - instead of the CEOs of the big drug and insurance companies."  Delegates also elected the following community-based board members: John Bloch of Vermont, Barbara Matteson of Arizona, Shirley Bierly of California, Judy Cato of Maryland, Brigitte Castellana of New York, and Shane Fox of Texas.  Congratulations to all of those elected.

Activists Deliver Donuts to Capitol Hill Offices
Driving home the theme that the massive gap in prescription drug coverage known as the "donut hole" hurts Medicare beneficiaries, the nearly 600 members of the Alliance in attendance delivered donuts on Thursday to the Capitol Hill offices of their U.S. Senators and Representatives.  The bags of donuts were emblazoned with stickers saying "Rx Donut Hole No Treat for Seniors."  On their visits to congressional offices, Alliance members urged support for House and Senate legislation to fill the coverage gap, as well as for bills to extend the enrollment period without penalty and to allow seniors to more easily switch drug plans.

Social Security Rally Draws Large Crowd
Also on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Alliance members showed up in huge numbers for a rally to stop the privatization of Social Security.  Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, along with Senators Max Baucus of Montana, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan addressed the enthusiastic crowd.  From the House of Representatives, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California was joined in giving remarks by fellow California Rep. Xavier Becerra, as well as by Reps. Leonard Boswell of Iowa and Charlie Rangel of New York.  Thank you to "Americans United" for help with the logistics.

Conventioneers Inspired by Several Notable Speakers
Earlier at the convention, Rep. Pete Stark of California addressed the delegates and said it was time for national health care.  He urged Alliance members to continue their campaign to fix Medicare Part D.  Rep. John Dingell of Michigan received the Alliance Leadership Award for a career dedicated to the health care and economic justice of retirees.  Political commentator Mark Shields reminisced of a time when partisan politics and spotlight mongers did not interfere with legislative accomplishments.  Speaking of the current political climate, Shields warned, "Those in power are totally divorced from those in peril, and that is wrong."  Political commentator and consultant Paul Begala told the story of his 93-year-old grandmother who started out with nothing, but later found herself standing beside President Clinton in the White House, partly because her membership in the Communications Workers of America union had enabled her to climb the ladder of success. 

Edward McElroy, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), described AFT's shared goal, along with the Alliance, of increased activism, and their "Count Me In" program.  Penny Lee of the Democratic Governors Association, J.B. Poersch of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Karin Johanson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee broke down the 2006 political landscape.  At the Gala Banquet on Thursday night, Helen Berger received the President's Award in memory of her late husband, Marty Berger, who was President of the Pennsylvania Alliance.  Bob Welsh, Chief of Staff to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, described his and President Sweeney's vision - as architects of the Alliance - of labor standing shoulder-to-shoulder with community leaders on retiree issues. 

Alliance Executive Vice President Pedro Rodriguez reminded delegates of the need to make sure that the Alliance continues to be perceived as an organization that outsiders would like to join.  Alliance Executive Director Edward Coyle laid out the biggest accomplishments of the last five years, including the chartering of 27 states and the 3.6 million-member network that has been put in place nationally, and the goals and implications for the next five years.  Thank you to all of these speakers and the many others who helped to make the convention a success.

Calling All Seniors Willing to Travel
Alliance President Kourpias has put out a call for Alliance members who are willing to live in key Congressional Districts during the last four to six weeks of the 2006 political campaign.  Expenses would be covered.  Please e-mail gkourpias@retiredamericans.org or dial 1-888-373-6497, option 4, if you are interested in volunteering.

Become part of a progressive grassroots movement! Join the Alliance: www.retiredamericans.org/join