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Friday Alert February 15, 2008
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or
Two D.C. Events Spotlight
Bush Budget Cuts for Seniors
The Alliance
joined the American Federation of Government Employees and
Americans United for Change on Monday in calling on lawmakers to
fully fund the Social Security Administration (SSA) and pass
legislation giving Congress more control over the agency's
operations. H.R. 5110, the “Social Security Customer
Service Improvement Act,” introduced by Rep. Brian
Higgins (D-NY), would eliminate the President’s
power to change SSA’s budget request, demand justification
for the closure of Social Security offices 180 days before the
shutdown occurs, and require Congress to be notified 90 days
before the agency's workforce plan is changed. The bill
would also provide SSA with Commissioner Michael
Astrue’s full funding request, as
President Bush’s proposed budget
shortchanged the agency by $100 million. “We must
keep local SSA offices open to offer easy access to seniors who
can't travel longer distances or deal with the maze of automated
phone calls,” said Edward Coyle,
Executive Director of the Alliance. On Tuesday, Alliance
Executive Vice President Judy Cato spoke at a
U.S. Capitol event with Senators Kent Conrad
(ND), Robert Menendez (NJ), and Debbie
Stabenow (MI), as well as students. Ms. Cato
articulated multiple problems with the Bush Budget which will
affect seniors, including: Medicare cuts of $556 billion over
ten years; Medicare means-testing; and only funding LIHEAP, the
low-income home heating assistance program, at approximately
half of its authorized funding level. “Means-testing
undermines the social insurance nature of the Medicare program,
raising costs for seniors who are dependent on it. Over
time, that would lead to more middle-class seniors like myself
paying higher premiums,” said Ms. Cato.
President Bush Signs Stimulus
Bill; Rebate Checks Begin in May
The
President signed a multibillion-dollar economic package on
Wednesday that means $300 to $1,200 rebates for many American
households. Rebates are set to go out beginning in May,
and will include seniors living on Social Security. Most
taxpayers will receive a check of up to $600 for individuals and
$1,200 for couples. Seniors earning at least $3,000 and
who owe little or no taxes would get $300 for singles, $600 for
couples. Those making more than $75,000 and couples with
income over $150,000 will get smaller checks. Rebates to
seniors and disabled vets were scaled down from $500 under the
original Senate package after the president personally lobbied
against including them, according to Sen. Max
Baucus (D-MT) and the publication
Politico.
HHS Secretary Leavitt Warns
of Future Medicare Cuts
The President is
planning to propose legislation to revamp not only Medicare, but
health care generally, in response to a statutory requirement
that it submit a plan to Congress to rein in Medicare
spending. The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) established
a “trigger” requiring that when the Medicare
trustees project the program will be more than 45% funded by
general government revenue, as opposed to Medicare’s trust
fund, for two years in a row, the President propose legislation
to reduce Medicare spending. The trustees issued their
second consecutive warning in April, and Health and Human
Services Secretary Michael Leavitt told a House
panel at a Wednesday hearing that the proposal required by the
trigger provision would be submitted before February 21.
Democrats at the hearing angrily accused the administration of
trying to kill off the Medicare program, according to CQ
HealthBeat. “You suggest we rely on the private
sector, but conveniently fail to point out that system costs
taxpayers far more than traditional Medicare,” said Rep.
Pete Stark (D-CA), Chair of the House Ways and
Means Committee.
Alliance Backs Campaign to
Improve Retiree Housing
The Alliance
continues to support the Building Justice campaign, led by the
Sheet Metal Workers and Painters unions, which seeks to improve
the quality of new homes and the working conditions for those
who build them. The campaign is targeting Pulte, a builder
whose Del Webb "active adult" communities account for 45% of the
company's overall revenues. A new report, available at www.poorlybuiltbypulte.info,
seeks to call attention to the impact of poor working
conditions. Last summer, representatives of the company
sprayed high-power water hoses on community activists picketing
an Arizona worksite. “Many of these properties are
targeted at senior consumers - this is an opportunity for
retirees committed to social and economic justice to demand a
higher standard,” said Ruben Burks,
Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Alliance Loses Two Great
Friends: Rep. Tom Lantos, Marge
Gullett
Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-CA), 80, a guardian of human rights around the world since
his election to Congress in 1980, died of esophageal cancer on
Monday. The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee and founder of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus,
Rep. Lantos was the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in
Congress. “Tom Lantos had a 100% lifetime voting
record with the Alliance; he was a fierce advocate for the
rights of seniors, and he always stood strong for what he
believed in,” said George J. Kourpias,
President of the Alliance. We are also sad to report that
Marjorie (Marge) Gullett, wife of Illinois
Alliance president Hal Gullett, died on
February 7 after a struggle with cancer. She was 77.
“She was a beautiful person and loving wife and
mother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gullett
family,” continued Mr. Kourpias.
Regional Conferences 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.
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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