February 15, the Miami Herald published an op-ed written by Bobbie Brinegar, Executive Director for OWL-The Voice of Midlife and Older Women:
Accountability is a key element of leadership.
Shareholders, employees and customers expect business executives to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions or for their failure to act. Effective leaders understand this and act accordingly.
Why wouldn’t we hold our government leaders to this same standard?
For more than 1,000 days, Congress has failed to meet one of its most basic responsibilities — passing a concurrent budget resolution.
For 15 straight years, appropriations bills have been late. On Oct. 1, 2011, the government’s 2012 fiscal year began quietly without the spending bills necessary to fund the government. Despite this situation, there hasn’t been accountability in Congress for this failure to act.
It’s time to end rampant congressional dysfunction. We must incentivize responsibility and create and enforce consequences when accountability is lacking.
If Congress doesn’t pass a budget on time, members of Congress should not get paid until they do.
This basic concept is the foundation of the No Budget, No Pay Act introduced in the House and Senate in December.
The bill will go before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee mid-March.
The No Budget, No Pay Act is one of a dozen no-nonsense proposals by No Labels, the citizen-based movement of Republicans, Democrats and Independents who advocate for common sense ways to make Congress work.
It’s time for our elected leaders to signal to the public that they’re serious about cutting through gridlock and performing their duties.
Deciding how much money the government takes in and how much it spends is the most fundamental responsibility of Congress.
It establishes priorities for the coming year, sets a spending ceiling and provides federal agencies an opportunity to plan for effectiveness. And it provides a baseline to evaluate performance and is a critical measure of whether the federal government is functioning.
The short-term stopgap budgets Congress habitually adopts continue the spending patterns of the past year, with little or no change. This prevents strategic planning and contributes to runaway deficit spending.
People on the far left and far right represent just a fraction of the American public, but they exercise power well beyond their numbers for a simple reason: They get involved.
We simply can’t afford this. We elected these members to lead. We need to make sure they do.
Friday, OWL announced that it would support the Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 by the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC).
Launched in September 2010, NBCC has set a goal to work towards a cure for cancer by January 1, 2020. “For decades, we’ve been fighting cancer with hope. For decades the lives of our daughters, mothers, and friends have been in the hands of hope. It isn’t working,” states the website.
To sign up or for more information, click here to visit the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) website.
OWL-The Voice of Midlife and Older Women recently sent a letter to Congress regarding a survey about menopause and women’s knowledge surrounding the life stage:
January 30, 2012
Dear Member of Congress:
We are writing to call your attention to and update you on an important women’s health matter that has major implications for women’s quality of life and health, yet gets very little public discussion.
Recently, OWL– The Voice of Midlife and Older Women – conducted a survey about women’s knowledge about menopause and the amount and type of information available to them about this major life stage. Our survey identified a glaring information gap about this important health topic with many women, particularly younger women, lacking even basic information. Among the highlights of the survey findings:
• Nearly 70 percent of younger women (age 30-44), many of whom could shortly experience initial symptoms, say they don’t have enough information about menopause;
• Two-thirds of younger women say they do not know most signs and symptoms of some of the most serious and life-altering symptoms of menopause;
• Nearly a quarter of younger women – 24 percent – say they have more information about symptoms and treatments for erectile dysfunction (ED) than menopause.
Our survey also found nearly universal support for an effort to provide women better information. Specifically the survey found:
• 90 percent of women of all ages support a publicly available, Web–based menopause education program that includes information about how to manage and treat menopausal symptoms.
Women need to be educated about this juncture in life earlier so they can know what to expect and can plan for how they’d like to approach their symptoms. Getting reliable information earlier will mean better health and higher quality of life outcomes for women in the future.
As you develop your 2012 health care policy work plans for the next session of Congress, we urge you to add the issue of menopause education to your agenda. Addressing the significant education gap on this major women’s health issue will help millions of women and is strongly supported by your constituents.
In his State of the Union address to Congress, President Obama presented a number of proposals for strengthening the economy. OWL supports the President’s efforts in the following key areas:
Job Creation & Job Training – create more high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs, reform our tax laws to discourage sending jobs overseas and encourage creating jobs at home, and spur job-training partnerships between businesses and community colleges; and,
Equal Pay for Equal Work – abolish pay inequality, which costs women lost wages, reduced pensions, and reduced Social Security benefits.
On the subject of retirement security, President Obama stated that he was “prepared to make more reforms” on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security as a compromise to Republicans for closing tax loopholes and ending tax cuts for the wealthy. OWL remains concerned about the President’s willingness to make cuts to the lifeline programs that provide critical safety nets for millions of Americans. We urge the President not to sacrifice the security of current or future retirees and to take these programs off the bargaining table.
“The goal is as simple as it is profound: to empower half the world’s population as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace in countries threatened and affected by war, violence and insecurity. Achieving this goal is critical to our national and global security.”
—The U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security
Building on this recognition and the ongoing work of America’s diplomats, development experts, and military, today President Obama released the first-ever U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security, and signed an Executive Order directing the Plan be implemented. Together, the Executive Order and National Action Plan chart a roadmap for how the United States will accelerate and institutionalize efforts across the government to advance women’s participation in preventing conflict and keeping peace.
While OWL acknowledges the need to address the long-term deficit, we believe cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would be disastrous to millions of Americans who are already struggling with dwindling retirement savings and rising healthcare costs. 44 million Americans are on food stamps. This is reprehensible and serves as a powerful indicator of where we are as a country. We must urge our leaders to shift their focus away from cuts to these lifeline programs toward job creation now. In the coming months, Congress will be faced with the challenge to demonstrate leadership by working to ensure Americans have both meaningful and well-paying jobs.
At this crucial time, your support matters more than ever. And as 2011 draws to a close, we’re asking for your generous contribution to help us build upon our advocacy efforts in the coming year.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AT WORK
2011 was a busy and productive year for OWL. Our Mother’s Day report on healthcare was extremely well-received and continues to be in demand by decision makers. Our Mother’s Day campaign included a Capitol Hill briefing and resulted in over 15 national partnerships. We’ve contributed to White House policy discussions and have been regulars on Capitol Hill. And we’ve been strong advocates for critical legislation such as the American Jobs Act and the Affordable Care Act.
OUR CHALLENGES IN 2012 AND BEYOND
2012 promises to be an even busier year for OWL. In the midst of a difficult economy and threats to our retirement security, we will continue the battle to preserve and strengthen Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and to ensure access to affordable quality healthcare. As Congress considers legislation that supports job training and extends unemployment benefits, OWL’s 2012 Mother’s Day campaign will be right in step, highlighting innovative solutions to employment obstacles women face as they age.
But we can’t do it without your help.
SUPPORT OWL TODAY
Your gift will ensure that OWL can continue to be a strong and effective voice for the 74 million women in America age 40 and over.
Now, more than ever, your support will make a difference.
Thank you,
Margaret H Huyck, President & Bobbie Brinegar, Executive Director
TO DONATE:
Online: Click on “Contribute” on the right side of the page. Fill out your information and submit.
Mail:Click here to download the year end appeal form. Fill out and mail to: 1625 K Street, NW Suite 1275 Washington, DC 20006
I am a 67 year old woman who is a recipient of both Social Security and Medicare, and I am very grateful for both. I have no doubt that I would be either dead or homeless without them.
I never actually retired intentionally; I more or less slid into it sidewise. Six years ago I was laid off from a nice full-time job with good benefits, and I naively believed I would easily find another job. But I had no idea of the economic buzz saw coming straight at us, and I also didn’t really understand the ageism I was about to experience.
As I was called for the occasional interview, I began to notice actual rolling of eyeballs when I walked in. I knew I had put on weight and I had stopped dying my hair, but I still felt as strong and as competent as I ever was. But they clearly were not interested in working with someone as old as I, and it got pretty depressing. I found a part-time job with a senior non-profit organization, and while I still struggled, I survived.
When I turned 62, I decided to apply for Social Security. I was driving a 1987 Dodge truck that was on its last legs, and I knew with both incomes I could buy a better used car, which is what I did.
Of course, I also had no health insurance. In a way that was good, because at the time my job had me advocating at the state capitol on behalf of single-payer health care, and I found that telling my own story was a lot more effective than just repeating facts. I found myself fuming when legislators spouted that “we have the best health care in the world.” My response was “You may, senator. I have no health care.”
But of course, at the same time, I lived in constant fear that something bad would happen to me: a health attack, a broken bone, whatever. I am a bit of a hypochondriac anyway, and this kind of pushed me over the edge. Every little twinge sent me into a panic, and then I panicked over stressing about how the panic was impacting my health. You can easily see how this could drive you insane!
It didn’t, however, and much to my surprise I lived to turn 65, and to apply for and receive Medicare. I have never been so relieved in my life!
Of course, we all know that Social Security should be one leg on a three legged stool, as experts like to describe it. The other two legs would include a healthy savings account, and/or another pension, like a union job used to give you, or a 401K retirement plan. You could also have a fourth/fifth leg, perhaps a husband or partner with their own income and Social Security. You might also have a paid off house and car(s), as many seniors used to have.
So now here I am with a small pension, no house and car repossessed a year ago, no job and not much hope of getting one, and a monthly Social Security check of about $1200 (after Medicare deductions) per month to pay for rent, food, insurance, utilities, etc.
And we have a whole crop of legislators who think it is a good idea to raise the eligibility age for both Medicare and Social Security. And while they labor to make that happen they add insult to injury by calling us Greedy Geezers.
Of course, I can’t say that I have made no mistakes in my life; I certainly have. However, I wonder if I am the leading edge of a whole horde of newly retiring Baby Boomers, many of whom will be in a similar predicament.
And I suspect that many have no idea what the future holds for them.
I sure didn’t!
Margie Metzler, serves on the OWL National Board of Directors while she lives in San Jose, CA.
Yesterday, President Obama released a proclamation declaring November National Caregivers Month.
Assistant Secretary for Aging, Kathy Greenlee released a statement honoring this important month:
“I join President Obama today in recognizing November, 2011 as National Family Caregivers Month. This is not only an opportunity for us to honor the millions of family members, neighbors and friends who provide care for their loved ones during times of need. It is an important opportunity for caregivers to recognize themselves.
Each day, caregivers take on the ultimate responsibility of providing care to a family member or friend with a long-term, chronic or disabling condition. Ironically, many family members do not see themselves as caregivers, nor do they identify themselves as needing assistance in their role. Instead, they see themselves as loving daughters and sons, spouses and partners, or parents, siblings and friends doing what anyone would do in their shoes.
The Administration on Aging (AoA) has long recognized these sacrifices. Through the Older Americans Act, AoA administers programs and services designed to support older adults and their caregivers. Included among them is the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), which assists family and informal caregivers by providing them respite from their daily tasks and access to services, counseling, training and other supports. We remain committed to administering the programs that make a difference in caregivers’ lives, and working with Congress to reauthorize the Older Americans Act, which makes that possible.
This year, we celebrate National Family Caregivers Month by honoring the incredible commitment, dedication and sacrifice of family caregivers. We encourage each and every caregiver out there to do the same.”
To read President Obama’s proclamation, click here.
On October 18, the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of OWL-The Voice of Midlife and Older Women hosted Victoria Reggie Kennedy, widow of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The event, Influencing Public Policy: The role of midlife and older women, was co-hosted by the Gerontology Institute at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Victoria Kennedy is an attorney and respected leader on issues that affect the lives of women, children and families. A powerful advocate for the enactment of healthcare reform, Mrs. Kennedy was with President Obama at the White House as he signed the landmark healthcare legislation into law in March 2010.In 2011, Mrs. Kennedy was appointed as a Distinguished Professor and Mentor at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Left to right: Edris Kelley, Beverly Johnson, Victoria Kennedy, Ellen Bruce
November 3, 2011 Sewall-Bellmont House & Museum Cost: $15.00
Join OWL as we co-host the event: The Fight to be Heard from Susan B. Anthony to Hillary Clinton.
Women in America have not always been encouraged, let alone allowed, to speak in public. Join us for this interactive, moderated discussion where speakers examine lessons learned from the past and assess the current climate in which more and more women are making their way into the public arena. Learn tips and tricks for communicating with audiences and encouraging others to be “well-spoken women.”
Speakers will include: Representative Tammy Baldwin Ann Lewis, No Limits Foundation Chris Jahnke, author of The Well-Spoken Woman
Yesterday, the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, of which OWL is a member of the Steering Committee, sent a letter to Senators Patty Murray and Jeb Hensarling urging them not to consider any cuts to Social Security, as they decide what to include in a deficit-reduction package. This would include changes to the way cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) would be calculated, which would result in benefit cuts to Social Security, SSI, Veterans and other federal programs.
Furthermore, they included, Social Security is projected to run a $69 billion surplus in 2011, has an accumulated reserve of $2.7 trillion, and it can pay all benefits in full and on time for the next quarter of a century. Social Security’s projected long-term shortfall is manageable in size and still decades away. The campaign urged Congress to address it after the committee has concluded its work and that it should be done through the normal legislative process with full participation of the American people, as it has always been done.
For the full letter, click here.
For more information on the Strengthen Social Security Campaign, click here.
The White House Office of Public Engagement will be providing state-by-state updates this week on the American Jobs Act.
See your state on the list? Make sure to call in for the latest updates. Click on the image to enlarge.
“The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working.” —President Barack Obama, September 8, 2011
For more information about the American Jobs Act, click here
It’s that time of the year: Annual Medicare Open Enrollment. This year, there is one important change to remember:
Medicare Open Enrollment starts earlier on October 15, 2011 and ends December 7, 2011. In addition to enrolling during this period, you also have an opportunity to drop or change your Medicare health and drug coverage.
Need More Information on Medicare?
Review “Medicare & You”
Visit the Medicare & You website to download a copy of the handbook. Click here for the website.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
All current enrollees of Medicare will automatically receive a copy of this handbook in the mail. The handbook is also available in Spanish.
Visit the Medicare website
Medicare’s website has an abundance of information that is helpful to beneficiaries. The information covered includes:
1) A tool that allows you to compare plans
2) Access to a medicine worksheet to assist with the drug plan selection process
3) Cost of premiums
4) How to get personalized help
Take advantage of all the information and materials that are available to you. Some Medicare materials are available Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian.
Click here to view a list of the materials that are available to you on the Medicare website.
Do not forget to mark your calendar for October 15 and enroll in Medicare on time!
The Office of Public Engagement and the Domestic Policy Council will be holding a conference call on Thursday, October 6 with Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and others, on the American Jobs Act and its impact on non-profit and faith-based organizations. Please find the invitation and dial-in number below, and feel free to share this information widely with anyone in your networks who might find it useful.
Here is the call-in information: Date: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Time: 4:30 PM EDT Dial-in: (800) 230-1059 Title: Please tell the operator you wish to join the “American Jobs Act Call.” We recommend calling in 10 minutes in advance.
This call is off the record and not for press purposes.
For more information about the American Jobs Act visit www.whitehouse.gov/jobsact and see the fact sheet on President Obama’s plan.
2011 Mother's Day Report
Council of Champions