"Raising the retirement age would inflict further hardship among a group of workers who are likely to face health and economic problems in their 60s." –Doug Hart, President, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans
"Of all the lies and confusion that still surround the Affordable Care Act, perhaps the greatest is that it is bad for seniors." - Dave Meinell, President, Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans
"My father died when I was three. Because of Social Security (survivors) benefits, my Mom, my younger sister and I survived." – Diane Fleming, DC Alliance Member
"We fear that Congress will balance the budget on the backs of the 98 percent, which is working Montanans and retired Montanans. We simply cannot afford these devastating cuts to vital services such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," –John Forkan, President, Montana Alliance for Retired Americans
"Along with national parks and Social Security, Medicare is one of the best ideas we Americans have ever devised." -Tim Cunningham, New Mexico Alliance Member
"Seniors have earned and deserve their Social Security checks, and they shouldn't have to go to Congress every 10 years and beg for the program to be renewed." –James Parent, Alliance for Retired Americans Regional Board Member
"Today's retirees paid Medicare and Social Security taxes in every paycheck we ever earned. Now that we are retired, these programs help us to be able to stay healthy and pay our bills. They are the promise we make to people who worked hard all their lives, and we need to keep that promise for today’s workers." –Tony Fransetta, President, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans
"Today's seniors want to lower the budget deficit. We do not want a large debt to be the legacy we leave to future generations, but we should not punish people who have paid Social Security taxes all their lives." –Jim Moore, President, North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans
"Social Security should remain what it has been for 77 years – a solid, reliable way that generations of workers have been able to retire with dignity, economic security, and peace of mind." –Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
"The fight for Social Security and Medicare is part of a larger fight for justice and fairness"—Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
"The health insurance reform helps not just seniors, but also middle-class families and young Americans, who are just starting to see the benefits. Don’t let Republicans take all that away." –Don Rowen, President Emeritus, Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans
"Honoring the promise of Social Security and Medicare should not be a partisan issue. Honoring the contributions that we make throughout our working years so that we may feed and clothe ourselves, keep a roof over our heads and those of our family, there is no reason for that to be a hotly contested partisan issue." –Edward Coyle, Executive Director, Alliance for Retired Americans
"We need to make sure that people who need Social Security to make ends meet will have it, and not fall victim to ill-informed and unnecessary cuts to these vital programs."
–Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
Community Advocacy Network
Mission Statement
The mission of the Community Advocacy Network of the Alliance for Retired Americans is to bridge the missions of the Alliance itself to community-based organizations. The Alliance for Retired Americans fights to ensure social and economic justice and full civil rights for all citizens so that they may enjoy lives of dignity, personal and family fulfillment and security. The Community Advocacy Network will strive to broaden this fight to include not just our retired union brothers and sisters, but all older Americans with whom we share the brother and sisterhood of humanity, of a common cause.
The Alliance and Community Advocacy Network believe that all older and retired persons have a responsibility to strive to create a society that incorporates these goals and rights, and that retirement provides them with opportunities to carry this torch in new and expanded ways. The Community Advocacy Network, therefore, will serve as a driving force to enroll and mobilize senior and community activists into a nationwide grassroots movement advocating a progressive political and social agenda - one that respects work and strengthens families.
The long-term goal of the Community Advocacy Network is to become an umbrella for progressive activism among older Americans. By bringing community-based organizations together to fight for vital political and social issues, the Community Advocacy Network will foster a culture of community and activism among seniors across America.
In pursuit of these values, the Community Advocacy Network will:
- Build a strong organization of seniors with a viable structure, ample resources and clear objectives - a structure compatible with that of the labor movement and community-based groups at local, state and national levels.
- Create programs and membership organizations designed to promote a commitment by retired workers and older persons to the concept of lifelong activism, of continued fidelity to the notion that every American deserves a dignified retirement.
- Encourage all segments of the senior population to act with unity on legislative, political, and policy issues of importance to retirees and their families in order to maximize their influence on federal, state, and local governments and on private organizations that affect their interests.
If you would like a "how-to" packet of information about reaching out to your community neighbors, please contact the national Alliance for Retired Americans at (888) 373-6497 or e-mail us at ARAgrassroots@retiredamericans.org.
Partner
In fulfilling this mission, the Alliance is pleased to partner with the National Committee for Grandparents for Children's Rights, http://www.grandparentsforchildren.org/.
The National Committee of Grandparents for Children's Rights was established to form a coalition of concerned grandparents, citizens, and agencies united to create one powerful voice and to network with groups throughout the nation that share our goals. Their mission is to advocate and lobby for substantial and urgent legislative changes that protect the right of grandparents to secure their grandchildren's health, happiness, and well-being. Brigitte Castellano, a member of the Alliance's Executive Board, is Executive Director of the organization.
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