ADA Youth Lobby Week
As our nation celebrated its 229th birthday Monday night, members of Congress from across the country flew to their districts to interact with their constituents and take in the festivities at home. When they return from their brief, week-long break, the firestorm around whoever President Bush nominates to fill Sandra Day O'Connor's seat on the Supreme Court will rightfully dominate the headlines and column space. While replacing the swing vote on numerous civil, workers' and regulatory rights is a matter of national importance, it is inevitable that other issues will be drowned out of coverage.
Certain issues, however, should not fall out of the national spotlight. During last year's election, nominee John Kerry and other Democratic politicians campaigned around the country urging Congressional action on the monumental health care crisis that is dividing our nation. Also, recognizing the transforming economy and changing rates of inflation, Democrats fought hard for legislation increasing the federal minimum wage. While the election was lost, it would be negligent for our representatives to ignore these mounting problems to our nation's working poor.
Today, 47 million Americans (equal to the population of Washington State, Oregon, and California combined) are without health insurance, limiting them to only the most rudimentary health coverage paid for after the fact by American taxpayers. This health coverage is usually too little, too late, as patients most in need receive barebones care at the last possible minute. Due to problems like this, America, while having some of the most advanced health care technology in the world, still has a higher infant mortality rate than Cuba and a lower life expectancy than Thailand. Alongside this crisis, working families are paying more and more of their income for health care costs.
Working families' income is also being constrained by a federal minimum wage that had not been adjusted for inflation in nine years. In the intervening time, members of Congress raised their salaries seven times, every time to keep up with inflation, but has yet to find the energy to address the problem for the working poor. Every time that Congress has raised the minimum wage, the small business lobby scares the public with stories of mass lay-offs, but in every occasion the American economy not only survived, but was strengthened.
Americans for Democratic Action stands firmly behind both improving our nation's health care system and improving the lives of working families struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage. ADA's Youth Lobbying Week will organize on Capital Hill the last week of July. We're looking for any 18-24 year olds concerned about the growing gap between haves and have-nots in this country and ready to take action on vitally important bills in front of the 109th Congress. All participants will meet with their Senators and Representatives to lobby on behalf of essential legislation; if you're interested, call (202) 785-5980 or email us at lobbyweek@adaction.com. As politicians across the country celebrate America, we must act to make this country work for all of its citizens.
Certain issues, however, should not fall out of the national spotlight. During last year's election, nominee John Kerry and other Democratic politicians campaigned around the country urging Congressional action on the monumental health care crisis that is dividing our nation. Also, recognizing the transforming economy and changing rates of inflation, Democrats fought hard for legislation increasing the federal minimum wage. While the election was lost, it would be negligent for our representatives to ignore these mounting problems to our nation's working poor.
Today, 47 million Americans (equal to the population of Washington State, Oregon, and California combined) are without health insurance, limiting them to only the most rudimentary health coverage paid for after the fact by American taxpayers. This health coverage is usually too little, too late, as patients most in need receive barebones care at the last possible minute. Due to problems like this, America, while having some of the most advanced health care technology in the world, still has a higher infant mortality rate than Cuba and a lower life expectancy than Thailand. Alongside this crisis, working families are paying more and more of their income for health care costs.
Working families' income is also being constrained by a federal minimum wage that had not been adjusted for inflation in nine years. In the intervening time, members of Congress raised their salaries seven times, every time to keep up with inflation, but has yet to find the energy to address the problem for the working poor. Every time that Congress has raised the minimum wage, the small business lobby scares the public with stories of mass lay-offs, but in every occasion the American economy not only survived, but was strengthened.
Americans for Democratic Action stands firmly behind both improving our nation's health care system and improving the lives of working families struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage. ADA's Youth Lobbying Week will organize on Capital Hill the last week of July. We're looking for any 18-24 year olds concerned about the growing gap between haves and have-nots in this country and ready to take action on vitally important bills in front of the 109th Congress. All participants will meet with their Senators and Representatives to lobby on behalf of essential legislation; if you're interested, call (202) 785-5980 or email us at lobbyweek@adaction.com. As politicians across the country celebrate America, we must act to make this country work for all of its citizens.
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