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Friday Alert
Friday, July 25, 2008(Alliance for Retired Americans)
Alliance Members Tell John McCain
Social Security is not “A
Disgrace”
Alliance members from
coast to coast spent the last week combating
Sen. John McCain’s recent
comment that Social Security is an “absolute
disgrace” and calling on the Senator to return
his own Social Security checks. Speaking
at a July 7 town hall meeting in Denver, Sen.
McCain said, “Americans have got to understand
that we are paying present-day retirees with
the taxes paid by young workers in America
today. And that's a disgrace. It's
an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be
fixed.” Yet, media accounts reveal that
despite McCain’s views toward Social Security,
he received $23,157 in Social Security benefits
in 2007, an average of $1,929.75 each
month. “Forty-two million Americans
receive Social Security benefits – these are
our nation’s elderly, our widows and widowers,
and our young children who have seen a parent
die. Helping them is not a disgrace,”
said Alliance Executive Director Edward
F. Coyle in a telephone press
conference with leaders of labor and other
progressive groups to discuss Sen. McCain’s
statement. “Social Security has kept
millions out of poverty, and is one our
nation’s greatest success stories.”
Earlier this week, the Alliance also launched a television advertising campaign responding to the comment; the ads can be viewed on the Alliance’s website, at www.retiredamericans.org. The issue ads ran this week in Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, coinciding with Sen. McCain’s visit to Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday; the Pennsylvania Alliance, working with area seniors and community groups, held a protest event that day to spotlight the Senator’s position on Social Security. Alliance members also mobilized with events in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; Henderson, Nevada; and Portland, Oregon to denounce McCain’s comments and call on elected officials to say whether they agree Social Security is a “disgrace.” Coyle added, “The Alliance intends to make McCain’s comments a major issue for every elected official in 2008. We will keep you updated as more events are planned, and we encourage members everywhere to join us in standing up for Social Security.”
General Motors Cuts Health Benefits
for Salaried Retirees
This week,
General Motors Corp. (GM) announced to its
97,400 salaried retirees that group health
benefits will no longer be provided to those
eligible for Medicare. The changes, which
go into effect January 1, will not affect the
retirement benefits of hourly wage
retirees. GM is working with San
Francisco-based Extend Health to assist these
retirees in choosing Medicare plans.
Beginning on September 22, appointments will be
available to speak with “certified benefits
counselors.” Other resources being
offered to the retirees include: an extended
open enrollment for Medicare beginning one
month early on October 15; private information
sessions which insurers will be prohibited from
attending; and a $300 taxable contribution to
their pension plans to help offset the cost of
the new plans. According to The
Washington Post, other auto manufacturers
are likely to make similar changes to retiree
health benefits in the near future.
Additionally, GM may try to cut the same plans
for hourly retirees when their next union
contract is negotiated in 2010. “The
Alliance will fight for our retirees with every
tool in our chest,” said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the
Alliance. “We will be watching, and stand
ready to defend our brothers and sisters if
manufacturers try to erode benefits
further.”
No Surprise: Obama and McCain to
Target Specific Age Groups in Swing
States
Recent polls reported in
U.S. News and World Report show that
voters continue to be divided significantly by
age group in choosing the next President, with
younger voters now significantly less likely to
say they will vote than they were in
March. In general, the presumed
Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack
Obama, leads the presumed Republican
nominee, Sen. John McCain,
almost entirely due to his performance among
younger voters – a lead of as much as
2-1. The nominees are likely to work
especially hard to court seniors in six swing
states with unusually high percentages – 25% or
more – of voters ages 60 and up: Florida,
Pennsylvania, Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, and
North Dakota. “Because seniors go to the
polls so reliably, their votes will matter
wherever they live,” said George J.
Kourpias, President of the
Alliance.
Community Advocacy Network
Flourishes More than Ever
Sarah Meek has joined the
Alliance as the Community-Based Field
Organizer, working with the Field Mobilization
Department to support and grow the Community
Advocacy Network (CAN) groups throughout the
country. Ms. Meek comes to us from
Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked with the
Georgia Council on Aging, developing
collaborations with grassroots rural and urban
seniors, organizing actions at the state
capital, presenting trainings for grandparents
raising grandchildren, and fundraising for new
projects. Among the community-based
leaders with whom she will be working are three
recently recognized Alliance Executive Board
members: Reverend Louis B.
Jones is the Pastor of the Pilgrim
Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. His
church has taken the lead to revitalize
Washington, and conducts a number of programs
to provide job training assistance and other
community services. Rosario
Holguin currently serves as California
Alliance Vice-President representing
Community-Based Organizations. She has
also worked on a number of Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) efforts to target
Latino and Women’s political education.
Jo Etta Brown has a lifetime
of community-based leadership, and has had
extensive experience in advocating for
affordable housing and community
development.
IRS Urges Retirees and Veterans to
File for Economic Stimulus
Checks
Starting on Monday, the IRS
began sending a second set of information
packets to 5.2 million people who may be
eligible for an economic stimulus check, but
who have not yet filed for their payment.
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 includes
funds for seniors who do not earn income
through current employment, if their Social
Security benefits, Veterans Affairs (VA)
benefits, and railroad retirement benefits
totaled at least $3,000 in 2007. Those
who qualify for a stimulus check will receive
one by the end of 2008, as long as they file a
tax form by October 15, 2008.