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Friday Alert January 4, 2008
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or
Sen. Obama, Former Gov.
Huckabee Win Iowa Caucuses
Sen.
Barack Obama (D-IL) and former Gov.
Mike Huckabee (R-AR) won the Iowa caucuses last
night, gaining victories in the first contests for the
Democratic and Republican nominations for U.S. President in
2008. “The high turnout shows how engaged and
enthusiastic Americans are about this year’s presidential
election,” said George J. Kourpias,
President of the Alliance. In November, the Leadership
Council on Aging Organizations (LCAO), a coalition that includes
the Alliance, had sent a questionnaire concerning aging issues
to all candidates seeking the Democratic and Republican
presidential nominations. Three of them, Sen.
Hillary Clinton (D-NY), former Sen.
John Edwards (D-NC) and Sen. Obama, responded,
and their replies are now posted on the LCAO website at www.lcao.org/survey_answers.htm.
Number of Open U.S. House
Seats Climbs
Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-CA) and Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) announced
this week that they will retire from Congress, bringing the
number of open House seats for the 2008 Congressional elections
to 25. Republicans currently hold 19 of the 25.
“Rep. Lantos has been a great supporter of seniors.
He has a 100% lifetime score on the Alliance’s Voting
Record, and he will be missed,” said Edward
Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance. Last
month, Rep. Jim McCrery (R-LA), the ranking
member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee - which
has jurisdiction over Social Security, Medicare, trade, and
taxation - announced his retirement. According to The
National Journal, the GOP is in real danger of losing eight
open seats: those in Rick Renzi's 1st
District in Arizona; Jerry Weller's 11th
District in Illinois; Jim Ramstad's 3rd
District in Minnesota; Jim Saxton's 3rd
District and Michael Ferguson's 7th District in
New Jersey; Heather Wilson's 1st District in
New Mexico; and Deborah Pryce's 15th and
Ralph Regula's 16th districts in Ohio.
None of the six Democratic open seats is considered comparably
vulnerable. Each open seat has the potential to push
Republicans further back from the 16-seat net gain they need to
re-capture the House.
Coupons Now Available to Aid
Transition to Digital Television
This past
Tuesday, 33.5 million $40 coupons became available to help
consumers buy converter boxes for older television sets that may
not work after a February 18, 2009 switch to digital
broadcasting. At that time, viewers who do not have cable
or satellite programming services or own a digital television
set and who still use over-the-air antennas to receive signals
will stop receiving a picture. An estimated 14.3 million
households still count on over-the-air broadcast television for
information, and older Americans are among the most likely to
fall into this group. With a two-per-household limit, no
shortage of coupons is expected. The boxes, which will be
found at most retail electronics stores, are expected to cost
between $50 and $70 before the coupon. To obtain a coupon,
customers can apply online now at the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration website, http://www.dtv2009.gov, or
through a special 24-hour hotline, 1-888-DTV-2009
(1-888-388-2009). “Taking advantage of this program
will ensure a relatively smooth transition from analog to
digital television without seniors missing any important
information,” said Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Loss of Independence is
Seniors’ Worst Fear
Eighty-nine percent
of America’s seniors want to age-in-place and are willing
to use adaptive technology allowing them to maintain their
independence, according to a study commissioned by Clarity and
the EAR Foundation. Clarity is dedicated to developing
solutions to help people with low vision retain their
independence, while the EAR Foundation provides support services
promoting the integration of the hearing- and balance-impaired
into mainstream society. In a recent survey reported in
the online publication Senior Spectrum, seniors rated
loss of independence (26 percent) and moving out of their home
into a nursing home (13 percent) as their greatest fears.
Death was listed as a fear by only 3 percent of the respondents
questioned for the research study, entitled Aging in Place
in America. Seniors cited three main threats to their
independence: health problems were the main consideration,
followed closely by memory problems and the inability to
drive. Most seniors surveyed viewed themselves as
extremely independent due to the fact that they receive no
assistance from their children. Most seniors also stated
an openness to new technologies, like sensors, that would help
them avoid nursing homes. Despite the boomers’
parents’ belief that they receive no support from their
children, 63 percent of the boomers surveyed stated that they
are providing some kind of assistance to allow their parents to
age-in-place. Much of the assistance reportedly provided
by boomers was with household maintenance, transportation,
medical issues, help with financial decisions and financial
support.
Regional Conference Rapidly
Approaching
The national Alliance will hold
its first regional conference of 2008, March 24-26 in Las Vegas,
NV. The Western Regional Conference will provide a forum
to work with other activists in the region to learn how to
increase grassroots advocacy, get seniors and retirees
registered and voting, and educate federal, state and local
legislators on the issues that concern retirees and seniors,
including prescription drugs, Medicare, Social Security and
retirement security. Join us to set the course for the
Alliance and for a country that cares about workers, retirees
and their families. For copies of the official
registration form for any of the four regional conferences, call
1-888-373-6497, email Joni Jones at jjones@retiredamericans.org,
or visit our website at www.retiredamericans.org.
Locations and dates for later conferences are:
Northeastern Regional Conference, April 17-18, 2008 in
Philadelphia, PA; Midwestern Regional Conference, April 28-29,
2008 in St. Louis, MO; and Southern Regional Conference, June
4-5, 2008 in Orlando, FL.
New Poll Available on
Alliance Website
With Iowa having kicked off
the voting for the 2008 election cycle, Alliance members in the
other 49 states can now vote as well - in the latest Alliance
website poll! Tell us which domestic issue will be most
important to you personally in the 2008 elections. The
choices, designed for retirees, are Social Security, Medicare,
Prescription Drugs, General Health Care, and
Other.
Become part of a progressive grassroots movement!
Join the Alliance
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Alliance for Retired Americans 815 16th
St, NW Washington, DC 20006 www.retiredamericans.org
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