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SIERRA VISTA — AARP believes health care and financial security are the two most pressing domestic issues our country faces.
And now those two issues are the focus of the organization’s newly launched national campaign, “Divided We Fail,” a public outreach effort that aims to rally millions of Americans into one solid voice committed to change.
On Friday, Lupe Solis, the AARP associate director of advocacy for Arizona, was in Sierra Vista to hold a community forum addressing the importance of being heard for the sake of legislative changes.
Forty-six million Americans are uninsured, Solis told the seniors gathered at the Oscar Yrun Community Center. And 1 million of those are Arizonans.
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“We know that the health care system is broken,” she said. “AARP wants to push hard to pressure legislators into badly needed health care reform. We need common-sense, nonpartisan solutions that will help improve our country’s health care system.”
Solis urged attendees to learn the issues and join AARP’s movement by going to the Web site at www.dividedwefail.org.
AARP’s 38 million members must mobilize to demand change, she said.
“We want to make health care issues front and center,” Solis said.
Solis appealed to the seniors to tell their stories, which would be posted on the AARP Web site. The plan is to use the stories to pressure legislators.
“Spread the word. Encourage your family and friends to visit this site and be heard,” Solis said. “Viable solutions can only be developed if we all get together and share information.”
Ideas receiving the most discussion are those that would increase government involvement in health care, as in a universal, government-operated, tax-funded system.
“Most of our congressmen are owned by the health care industry,” one woman stated. “Our congressmen push for policies that benefit the medical industry because they’ve been bought out.”
She recommended posting every politician’s contributions so voters could see how votes or policies might be influenced.
Other comments included offering incentives to those leading more healthful lifestyles.
The shortage of health care professionals, always a topic of discussion, was one of the concerns that the group discussed.
Financial security is another worrisome problem seniors face.
“It takes just one major illness or injury to plunge someone in financial ruin,” Solis said. “Health care and financial security go hand in hand.”
Because of concerns about Social Security’s viability, AARP is committed to pressing for legislation that would strengthen Social Security for future generations.
Know what positions candidates are taking on different issues, Solis urged. Go to the Web sites and look at what they are proposing. It’s important for voters to communicate with their legislators.
As AARP takes its “Divided We Fail” message to communities throughout America, the organization vows to rally individuals, policy makers and business leaders. Candidates’ positions will be publicized so all Americans know where the politicians stand on critical issues.
“Our campaign might be ‘Divided We Fail,’ but together we can accomplish a lot,” Solis said.
AARP believes that Americans have the right to know how our leaders plan to accomplish the following:
• Ensure affordable, quality health care for all.
• Encourage personal responsibility by making it easier to save for retirement.
• Strengthen Social Security for future generations.
• Work to bring people together in a bipartisan way to achieve solutions to these questions.
For information or to join the “Divided We Fail” movement, go to www.dividedwefail.org.
HERALD/REVIEW reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.
AZ Taxpayer wrote on Sep 1, 2007 10:52 PM: