Senate Stiffs Seniors on $250 Stimulus!

Retirees Despondent After Senate’s Refusal
of $250 Payment to Seniors

Would Have Helped Many with Life-saving Medications

The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle,
Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans,
in reaction to the Senate’s failure to pass a $250 Economic
Recovery payment for seniors,veterans,and persons with
disabilities.

“Retirees are frustrated and despondent after both President
Obama’s and Sen. Bernie Sanders’ calls for a $250 payment to
help those struggling in this recession have so far fallen
on deaf ears. This proposed act of compassion, had it passed,
would have helped 49 million Social Security recipients,
many of whom have seen their retirement savings and home
values badly shaken by this economic crisis. This helping
hand would have made a real difference in seniors’lives."

“It was bad enough when retirees were told they would not be
receiving a Social Security Cost-of-Living-Adjustment in
2010.  In the worst economy since the Great Depression, it
is unbelievable that Congress has shoveled hundreds of
billions of dollars to Wall Street Robber Barons, yet the
Senate has denied seniors a $250 check.  That amount would
not even cover dinner for one of Wall Street’s fat cats!"

“The purchasing needs of seniors are unique, and often
include medications needed to stay alive.  We insist that
the Senate realize the importance of this $250 payment to
struggling retirees.”

“Alliance members demand that seniors not be ignored, and
will continue their grassroots lobbying in support of this
payment.”

Alliance for Retired Americans - Social Security Did Not Cause Financial Crises

More Debt Commission Appointees Named

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has appointed Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to serve on the President's fiscal panel tasked with developing a plan to bring down the $12.3 trillion national debt.

The President said that the commission can consider everything, including new taxes, spending cuts and changes to Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, in order to reach his goal of balancing the federal budget except for debt interest payments by 2015. Obama is asking Congress to consider the panel's recommendations.

Obama will appoint six people to the 18-member panel and up to four can come from the same party. Leaders in Congress will choose the other 12 members, with three coming from the Republican and Democratic caucus in each chamber.

Reid is the first congressional leader to announce his picks. The majority leader said that he would make sure that the panel's recommendations, which are non-binding, receive votes in the Senate. Both Baucus and Conrad are noted centrists, a group of lawmakers that has made debt and deficit issues a priority.

Obama last week selected former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) to head the panel. Now, the president has named former Clinton White House budget director Alice Rivlin; Service Employees International Union President Andy Stern; former Young & Rubicam Brands CEO Ann Fudge; and Honeywell CEO and Chairman David Cote to fill remaining slots, an administration official said.

"I would like to say to the panel: Social Security's long-term solvency can be resolved by relatively modest adjustments, and without cutting benefits," stressed Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance for Retired Americans. To see the Alliance's latest document on Social Security, which refutes opponents' charges that today's budget problems are due to Social Security, click HERE

Indiana Middle School Madness - Just Saying No Is Not Good Enough

Remember the mindlessly petty authoritarianism of middle school and how it shaped your attitude towards those in power for the rest of your life?

If so, you will have sympathy for little Rachel Greer, a charmingly clean cut seventh grader at River Valley Middle School in Jeffersonville, Indiana. No I am not making it up, there really is such a place. And right now, Rachel, if she knew about such things, must be thinking she's in a Gulag rather than school. Well, that's not exactly correct, since she's been suspended for a week and is not in school where she belongs.

You see, Rachel violated the school's zero tolerance drug policy by looking at, touching and handing back another kid's prescription medication, according to news reports from WHAS-TV.

In short, when the other kid handed the drug to her, Rachel did what she had been taught; she said no and handed it back! And that, according to school administrator, Marty Bell, in a draconian interpretation of the school's drug policy, constituted "possession" and just good enough.

"Someone hands them a pill or a drug or something like that and they say well I said no I didn't participate. Well the act of saying no is not to be there, not to be involved in the handling the you know they didn't have to put their hand out," says Marty Bell of Greater Clark County Schools.

Bell says students and parents have to sign off on their policy so they know the rules.

Greer's mother, responded that her daughter's punishment isn't good policy. "We're teaching our kids if you say no to drugs you're going to get punished, it's not right."

Mrs Greer, we agree it is not right. And we think it is part of the reason why a whole generation of people with high school and college educations do not know the difference between there and their, your and you're, or how to properly make change or how to write in cursive.

We think Mr. Bell is a prat better suited to administering a prison rather than "teaching' our kids!

TEXAS Primary Today--VOTE (Our Suggestions)

VOTE TODAY

Polls close at 7:00 pm:

We have made no endorsements at this point, however, we do recommend voting in the Democratic primary as none of the Republican candidates offer any progressive credentials!

While we are not yet issuing formal endorsements, we do have several recommendations for contested statewide races.

Governor: Bill White > The most experienced candidate with good name recognition - Electable over Perry in the upcoming general election!

Lieutenant Governor: Ronnie Earle > While I cringe at adult men who carry a diminutive into their adult life, Mr. Earle deserves consideration if for no other reason than he has carried forward investigations into both Tom DeLay's and Kay Bailey Hutchison's alleged wrongdoings.

Agriculture Commission: Hank Gilbert > Hank is probably the closest thing to a real democrat and real Texan in any of the races. Certainly more qualified for office than his rival; political dilettante, Kinky Friedman.

Commissioner of the General Land Office: No Preference > Either Hector Uribe or Bill Burton would serve well in this office and we have no clear preference despite Burton's slight edge in experience.

Watch Out Conservative & Blue Dog Democrats : The Progressives Are Coming!

The internal fight between core-value progressives and the middle of the road, "take what they'll let you have" Democrats has now taken form in a race for one of Arkansas' Senatorial seats.

Conservative Democrat, Blanche Lincoln, who did so much harm and aroused the ire of progressive Democrats during the health care reform process, is being challenged in that state's Democratic primary by a prominent and much-liked Democrat with impeccably strong progressive credentials, Lieutenant Governor, Bill Halter .



Halter has already captured the support of many progressive groups including; Progressive Change Campaign committee, Moveon.Org, Democracy for America and Daily Kos. His campaign is coordinating a fund-raising campaign with these groups targeting $500,000 this week.

This is an important match-up to see if progressives have gained the strength to return to the core values of the Democratic Party over the more pragmatic who claim they have to be more conservative in order to win.