Health Care Advocates Call on Voinovich to Support Affordable Health Care for All
Wednesday, health care advocates gathered from around the state concerned that the affordability standards in the U.S.
Senate Finance passed version of health care reform do not go far enough. On the heels of the Senate Finance
Committee's historic vote, advocates delivered their message and hundreds of signatures on postcards to U.S. Sen.
George Voinovich urging his support of affordable health care for all.
At a Statehouse press conference and rally prior to a meeting with Voinovich, Cathy Levine highlighted the historic
importance of the Senate action on health care reform.
"No issue before Congress could be more important than ensuring that cancer survivors, those with chronic conditions,
and those whose wages are stretched to pay for food and shelter have access to the richest health care system in the
world," said Levine, co-chair of Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage (OCHC). "We ask Sen. Voinovich to support health
care reform that gives all Ohioans access to high quality, affordable health care."
Joining the rally and meeting with Voinovich were health care advocates from across the state, many motivated by their
own personal experiences. Anne Creech, a two-time cancer survivor, traveled from Toledo to share her story. After
dropping her employer-based insurance at her employer's request, Creech struggled to find affordable coverage in Ohio's
individual market as a cancer survivor.
"I pay $500 each month for a high deductible insurance plan that excludes coverage for cancer screenings and other tests
I need," said Creech. "I am putting off important preventive screenings because I cannot afford to pay for them out of
pocket."
The issue of affordability is especially important to the age group just below Medicare eligibility, advocates pointed out.
Those aged 50 to 64 often face coverage exclusions or higher premiums because of pre-existing conditions and
age. "That is a key reason why 13 percent of adults age 50-64, or 7.1 million adults, were uninsured in 2007 - a figure
that is growing rapidly in our current difficult economy. Even those with insurance often struggle with high premiums and
cost sharing obligations that can make health care unaffordable."
George Sonnichsen, an AARP volunteer, called for fair treatment for older Americans: "We must prevent insurers from
denying coverage or charging higher rates based on age or health status and subsidies must ensure that coverage -
including both premiums and co-pays and deductibles - is affordable for everyone."
Health care reform is also an important issue to the faith community. The United Methodist Book of Discipline calls health
care "a basic human right," and states that it is a "governmental responsibility to provide all citizens with health care."
Alicia Rivers, a commissioned deacon in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and a member of the
leadership team of Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage spoke to the faith community's responsibility in the health care
reform debate.
"Health care for all is not an option from a faith perspective, but rather a necessity. We are called to care for persons as
God cares for them, providing out of abundance rather than scarcity. Access to care is not a privilege but a right for all,"
explained Rivers. She continued, "We call on Sen. Voinovich, who is known as a man of faith, to make affordable health
care for all Ohioans - and all Americans - his legacy."
According to OCHC, the Senate Finance passed bill includes the some safeguards for consumers but the coalition wants
the Senate to adopt affordability provisions that go further to protect consumers - such as those which provide premium
credits on a sliding scale basis to individuals and families with incomes up to 400 percent Federal Poverty Level.
Ron
A message from the Black Professional Network:
President Obama Launches White House Internship Program
Dear Colleagues:
On February 26, President Obama launched the White House Internship Program for his administration and announced that applications are currently being accepted for the summer of 2009. Those selected to participate in the program will gain valuable job experience and an inside look at the life of White House staff while building leadership skills.
“This program will mentor and cultivate young leaders of today and tomorrow and I’m proud that they will have this opportunity to serve,” said President Obama. “I look forward to working with those that are selected to participate and I want to commend all who apply for their desire to help through public service to forge a brighter future for our country.”
In addition to normal office duties, interns will supplement their learning experience by attending a weekly lecture series hosted by senior White House staff, help at White House social events, and volunteer in community service projects.
The 2009 Summer Internship program runs from May 22 to August 14 and the submission deadline is March 22, 2009.
Those interested in applying to the White House Internship Program must be:
· US Citizens
· Eighteen years of age on or before the first day of the internship · Enrolled in a college or university (2-4 year institution) or must have graduated from college in the past two years
Interns will be placed in a departmental office for their internship. Below is a list of departments in the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President where interns could be placed.
· White House Department of Scheduling and Advance · The Office of Cabinet Affairs · The White House Communications Department · The White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs · The Office of the First Lady · The White House Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) · The Office of Political Affairs · The Office of Management and Administration · The Office of White House Counsel · The Domestic Policy Council · The White House Office of Presidential Personnel · Office of the Vice President
More information on the White House Internship Program, including application instructions, can be found at: www.whitehouse. gov/about/ internships.
Today the real work begins. President Obama has called on us to rebuild our great nation. Bringing a large, populous, wealthy nation to the next level is our task. We must not be overcome, for the hour is late and time is short. Until campaign season in 2012, we are on a new mission: to achieve our destiny as individuals, as communities, as a nation, and as a world. We are all one people today, but the road ahead will be long and arduous.
Cincinnati Obama 2008 is becoming Cincinnati Supports Our President. I invite mailing list members to create a forum for discussing local solutions to the many problems we face. God bless President Obama, and God bless America!
January 19, 2008
Obama for Change Volunteer Victory Celebration at Zanzibar on the Waterfront 9pm-5am
700 Water Street, SW Washington, DC 20024 Tel: 202-554-9100 contactus@zanzibar-otw.com
$85.00
The longest political campaign ever -- ever! -- is finally at a close. Today we close the gap between Hope and Change when we go to the polls and Vote. This is not only our right, it is our duty to ourselves, our families, our communities, our great nation, and our evolving world. Tomorrow is the dawning of a new era -- and a new age of America. Today we vote, on the first day of the rest of our lives.
God Bless America,
Paul/Qaliqo
Are you worried that McCain's smears may be gaining traction in your state or district? I've been worried about Ohio, so I wrote a series of replies to fight back. Please feel free to use one of my letters as a model and send your own letter-to-the-editor of a local paper. Time is running short: many papers have cut-off dates for election-related letters, so do it TODAY! Small town papers are a better bet for getting printed than big-city dailies that receive tons of letters. Also, those "pro-American" towns might need some balance about now. Find lists of newspapers here: http://www.50states.com/news/ and here: http://www.usnpl.com/It's always wise to check in advance if your paper has a length limit. They often don't tell you this on the website, so a quick phone call can save wasted time. Most will accept letters by email, so ask for the editor's (or relevant person's) direct address, too. Always include your address and phone number. They will not print these, but may call to verify that you are the sender.At the bottom, I've included a list of the papers where I sent my letters, so if you live in Ohio--don't duplicate! That would make a really bad impression. Please leave a comment to let others know where you've sent a letter. Of course, you can also revise any of these letters in your own words.
270 Words:Dear Editor:John McCain is a great American who deserves better than to see his Presidential campaign run into the ground by careless and unscrupulous advisors. To deflect attention from the economy, they declared their only hope was to go negative. But in focusing on questionable associates from Mr. Obama's past, they've laid their own candidate open to the rattle of skeletons in the closet. Independent journalist Murray Waas broke a story last week about William Timmons, who heads up McCain's presidential transition team. Founder and "Chairman Emeritus" of Timmons & Company, which calls itself "Washington's premiere lobbying and consulting firm," William Timmons conducted a 5-year project for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Two underlings who served on the project later pled guilty or were convicted of acting as unregistered agents of the Hussein government.The lobbying campaign was dedicated to easing international sanctions against Saddam in the mid-1990s. The sanctions aimed to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction. Timmons produced regular talking points that were reviewed by Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and circulated to American officials. Timmons and his associates also positioned themselves to take advantage of a lucrative oil deal, once their lobbying efforts paid off and sanctions were lifted. All this took place at a time when Iraq was considered a rogue state and sponsor of terrorism. Timmons' activities could hardly stand in sharper opposition to John McCain's views of Saddam's regime. It is tragic that ignorant advisors to the campaign would allow such an association to develop. If the focus on smears and distractions continues, we must expect to hear more about unsavory links like these.
[[I sent this letter to the following papers. Do not duplicate!
to The Advance Reporter (Wms Co., OH) The Sandusky Register, OHThe Progressor Times, Carey, OHBellefontaine Examiner, OHCelina Daily Standard, OHThe Piqua Daily Call, OHThe Mount Vernon News, OH
Are you worried that McCain's smears may be gaining traction in your state or district? I've been worried about Ohio, so I wrote a series of replies to fight back. Please feel free to use one of my letters as a model and send your own letter-to-the-editor of a local paper. Time is running short: many papers have cut-off dates for election-related letters, so do it TODAY! Small town papers are a better bet for getting printed than big-city dailies that receive tons of letters. Also, those "pro-American" towns might need some balance about now. Find lists of newspapers here: http://www.50states.com/news/ and here: http://www.usnpl.com/It's always wise to check in advance if your paper has a length limit. They often don't tell you this on the website, so a quick phone call can save wasted time. Most will accept letters by email, so ask for the editor's (or relevant person's) direct address, too. Always include your address and phone number. They will not print these, but may call to verify that you are the sender.At the bottom, I've included a list of the papers where I sent my letters, so if you live in Ohio--don't duplicate! That would make a really bad impression. Please leave a comment to let others know where you've sent a letter. Of course, you can also revise any of these letters in your own words. THANKs and FIGHT THOSE SMEARS! YES WE CAN!
290 Words:Dear Editor:Senator McCain is not well served by advisors trying to "turn the page" on economic problems by focusing Mr. Obama's questionable associates of years past. The $200 donation Obama once accepted from Bill Ayers pales beside the $112,000 McCain took from Charles Keating—later convicted of fraud in the Savings and Loan collapse that cost taxpayers $124 billion. Now Democrats are also raising McCain's relationship with G. Gordon Liddy, who remains proud of his role in undermining the rule of law at the highest level. Convicted in the Watergate break-in, Liddy also admitted to conspiring in murder and kidnapping plots. This history should have dissuaded McCain from speaking on Liddy's radio show, praising his "patriotism," attending fundraisers in his home, and accepting thousands of dollars in donations. Earlier this year, McCain sought the endorsements of Rev. John Hagee and Ohio's own Rod Parsley, only to repudiate both after embarrassments came to light. Hagee boasts a long history of anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic views. Parsley made a series of derogatory statements about Islam, at a time when we need cooperation from Islamic countries like Pakistan. This misstep tarnished McCain's effort to reach out to Christian leaders.Governor Palin's checkered career raises still more red flags. Her history of support for the Alaskan Independence Party, which wants to secede from the United States, hardly fits the theme of "Country First." Video of Palin's 2008 address to the party's convention has been widely viewed on-line. Nor are her unrepudiated links to African exorcism and the Jews for Jesus likely to appeal to mainstream voters.John McCain has received very poor advice. In light of unsavory connections like these, I am afraid his campaign's decision to smear Obama's past associates will prove another ill-advised political gamble.
Napoleon NW Signal OHThe Bellevue Gazette, OHThe Findlay Courier OHVan Wert Times-Bulletin, OH Sidney Daily News, OH Shelby Daily Globe, OHThe Kenton Times, OH
346 Words:
Dear Editor:
When Barack Obama was 8, a man he'd never met conspired to bomb public targets to protest the Viet Nam War. Fast forward many years—Obama and William Ayers, now a university professor, wind up in the same big city and serve on a charity board together. Yes, Obama once appeared at a candidate forum in Ayers's home, but he never consulted Ayers on any policy issue and never shared his radical politics. He denounced the acts of 40 years ago as "despicable."Sarah Palin thinks this minor association, which has been discussed in the media numerous times, demands attention now that John McCain is down in the polls. But is it wise for the pot to call the kettle black?Palin's association with her husband is certainly closer than any link between Obama and Ayers. Todd Palin attended state Cabinet meetings normally closed to the public and received copies of government correspondence. So voters should consider his 7-year membership in the Alaska Independence Party, a group that refuses to put "Country First." The AIP's founder, Joe Vogler, stated that, "The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government." He resented the federal Clean Water Act, which prohibits pollution of Alaskan rivers; he condoned violent resistance. Vogler's greatest fame came in 1993, when he was scheduled to address the United Nations to denounce United States "tyranny" and demand Alaskan secession. The islamist government of Iran agreed to sponsor his anti-American tirade. Sarah Palin's association with this group is so close that she twice attended the AIP annual convention, courted their political support, and in 2008 delivered a governor's address to the membership. She praised their "important role" in state politics and urged them to "Keep up the good work." (Video is readily available on-line.) The current AIP chairwoman stated that Palin "sounds just like Joe Vogler." Sarah Palin's support of this fringe movement is much more relevant to questions of fitness for office than the ancient history of any "washed-up domestic terrorist"—John McCain's words—who happened to live in Barack Obama's neighborhood.
[[I sent this letter to:
Wapakoneta Daily News, OH, Troy Daily News, OH, The Bryan Times OH Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune, OH Mansfield News Journal OH Norwalk Reflector, OH
Friends,
In Ohio, voting began on September 30th. Have YOU voted yet? If you haven't what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the lines to get long, the weather to turn cold and snowy or for your polling place to run out of ballots? All of these things have happened before and there is no reason for them to occur again if you vote TODAY! Remember, change begins with YOU.
PLEASE USE THIS SAMPLE LETTER, COPY AND EDIT, TO CREATE YOUR OWN--SEND TO NEWSPAPERS IN YOUR LOCALE OR REGION. THE FOLLOWING LETTER IS 267 WORDS LONG. MANY PAPERS HAVE A LIMIT OF 200 OR 300 WORDS, SO CHECK BEFORE SENDING. ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR NAME, SIGNATURE (if sending by snail m ail), ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER. THEY WILL NOT PUBLISH YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION, BUT MAY CALL TO VERIFY THAT YOUARE THE AUTHOR.
PLEASE USE THIS SAMPLE LETTER, COPY AND EDIT, TO CREATE YOUR OWN--SEND TO NEWSPAPERS IN YOUR LOCALE OR REGION. THE FOLLOWING LETTER IS 280 WORDS LONG; MANY PAPERS HAVE A LIMIT OF 200 OR 300 WORDS. ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR NAME, SIGNATURE, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER. THEY WILL NOT PUBLISH YOUR CONTACT INFO, BUT MAY CALL TO VERIFY THAT YOU INTENDED TO SEND THE LETTER.
As a veteran of the (give BRANCH OF SERVICE AND years served), I am dismayed at John McCain's misleading attempts to portray himself as an advocate for vets. In each year from 2003 through 2007, while thousands of servicemen and women came home with devastating injuries, McCain cast votes against our health benefits. He opposed increased funding for medical care even though the cost would have been met by closing corporate loopholes, rather than raising taxes on citizens or taking money from any existing program. In 2008, he disregarded 30,000 signatures from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) to back the new GI Bill. He voiced opposition to the bill but conveniently avoided the vote rather than go on record with this unpopular position. Then, on the campaign trail last spring, he had the gall to praise its passage, as if he'd actually sponsored it. Talk about a flip-flop! At a Colorado town hall meeting in July, McCain claimed that he has "received every award from every major veterans' organization in America." On the contrary, he receives low grades from the IAVA, Disabled Veterans of America, and has voted nay on 15 key issues supported by Vietnam Veterans of America. McCain was notably silent on the topic of veterans--other than himself--at the Republican Convention, saying not one word about how he would care for those coming home with burns, missing limbs, and PTSD. Elsewhere, he has made plenty of noise about the "debt we can never repay" and the scandalous conditions at Walter Reed hospital, but his failure to put money where his mouth is deserves much of the blame. His record speaks louder than his rhetoric.
