Topics in the News: Disabled Rights
Marianne Williamson on Social Security
: Apr 8, 2019
Raise cap on income & we can avoid privatization
Social Security was created to insure that our seniors can live in dignity without fear of poverty. Workers pay into a fund during their prime years, then get regular payments back when they stop working.Social Security has worked well for
generations to reduce poverty among seniors and the disabled. It is under attack today by Wall Street banks and related financial "service" entities who want to privatize it for no other reason than to tap into another new and huge source of income
and bonuses.
To that end, opponents of Social Security have claimed over the last few years that it is running out of money soon. It is true that there could be problems with Social Security funding down the line, but they are quite easily
solved by making modest changes, such as raising the cap on income subject to Social Security payroll tax. That simple modification can keep the system solvent indefinitely, without reducing benefits.
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: 2020 presidential campaign website Marianne2020.com
Julian Castro on Tax Reform
: Feb 15, 2019
Senior/disabled property tax freeze favored wealthy
Castro was the first council member to advocate for a ballot measure to permanently freeze San Antonio's property taxes for seniors and disabled, even though the city already exempted the elderly from the first $65,000 of their home's value, and the
first $12,500 of a disabled resident's home value. Rather than propose raising these thresholds, Castro favored a blanket freeze. This would chiefly benefit residents in the city's North Side, where property values were higher.
Castro balked at raising property taxes. The 2009 budget cut them by less than 0.2 cents. When one council member suggested raising them in 2010 to avoid service cutbacks, Castro demurred. "I'm very comfortable leaving the property tax rate
where it's at," he said. "We have made significant spending cuts over the last couple years and that has served us well during this budget year." By the time he left office, property taxes in the city hadn't gone up for more than twenty years.
Click for Julian Castro on other issues.
Source: Jacobin Magazine on 2020 Democratic primary contenders
Stacey Abrams on Civil Rights
: Sep 1, 2017
No discrimination, including against LGBTQ
We must demand that our workplaces never discriminate based on a person's race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, or immigration status. A proud LGBTQ* ally,
Stacey co-sponsored civil rights legislation in Georgia, fought against "religious freedom" legislation, and co-signed bills to prohibit employer termination of LGBTQ* Georgians based on their status.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial website StaceyAbrams.com
Stacey Abrams on Families & Children
: Sep 1, 2017
We must help our most vulnerable citizens
As a state, we must deliver critical services to those who have physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities as well as mental illness. As Minority Leader, Stacey has co-sponsored legislation to support
our most vulnerable residents, from kinship care legislation to expanding legal protections for seniors. As Governor, Stacey will continue to advocate for policies and funds to serve these communities.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: 2018 Georgia Gubernatorial website StaceyAbrams.com
Stacey Abrams on Civil Rights
: Aug 17, 2017
No discrimination, including against LGBTQ
We must demand that our workplaces never discriminate based on a person's race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, or immigration status. A proud LGBTQ* ally, Stacey co-sponsored civil rights legislation in
Georgia, fought against "religious freedom" legislation, and co-signed bills to prohibit employer termination of LGBTQ* Georgians based on their status.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: 2018 Georgia Governor website StaceyAbrams.com
Stacey Abrams on Social Security
: Aug 17, 2017
We must help our most vulnerable citizens
As a state, we must deliver critical services to those who have physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities as well as mental illness. As Minority Leader, Stacey has co-sponsored legislation to support
our most vulnerable residents, from kinship care legislation to expanding legal protections for seniors. As Governor, Stacey will continue to advocate for policies and funds to serve these communities.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: 2018 Georgia Governor website StaceyAbrams.com
John Kasich on Welfare & Poverty
: Apr 25, 2017
Champion the underdog, those discounted by society
I'd always been a champion of the underdog. I got that from my parents. So, as I became a leader of our great state, I became more of a servant to the people, rather than just being a strong force for change, particularly around issues that had to
do with people who lived in the shadows. The mentally ill, the drug-addicted, the working poor, the developmentally disabled--these are the folks society tends to discount and dismiss, yet I felt a tremendous sense of responsibility toward them.
For example, once we balanced the budge in our state, we were able to expand Medicaid--angering a lot of people in our party--and in the fallout, I said something that got a lot of attention. I said, "when you get to Heaven,
St. Peter is not going to ask you if you balanced the budget. He's going to ask you what you did for the poor. And you had better have a good answer."
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: Two Paths, by John Kasich, pp. 157-8
Stacey Abrams on Government Reform
: Apr 11, 2017
Head of a voter registration group; focus on minorities
Republican Brian Kemp, who as secretary of state is Georgia's top elections official, and Democrat Stacey Abrams, the House minority leader and head of a voter registration group, have long sparred over election policy.Kemp advocated for stricter
voter ID laws to prevent what he called the threat of illegal voters casting ballots and Abrams contending those new rules could disenfranchise minorities, the disabled and the elderly.
But they clashed the sharpest during the 2014 after Abrams new
voter registration group, the New Georgia Project, announced ambitious goals to register 800,000 minority voters within a decade. The group said it submitted 86,000 voter registration forms during the 2014 cycle, but Kemp's office argued that tens of
thousands of applications had not been properly submitted. The voter group supported a coalition that sued Kemp's office again in 2016 over the cancellation of nearly 35,000 registration applications from 2013 to 2016 due to mismatched information.
Click for Stacey Abrams on other issues.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution on 2018 Georgia governor race
Bernie Sanders on Social Security
: Nov 15, 2016
I helped create the Social Security Caucus
As a staunch defender of Social Security, I helped lead the fight against Republicans, and some Democrats, who wanted to cut this program--which is life and death for so many seniors and people with disabilities.
Working with seniors' organizations, I helped create the Defending Social Security Caucus.
The other senators in the caucus and I took on the Bowles-Simpson Commission, billionaire Pete Peterson and his organization,
and a whole lot of other groups that wanted to cut Social Security in one way or another. In the end, barely, we managed to prevail--and Social Security was not touched.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: Our Revolution, by Bernie Sanders, p. 45
Kamala Harris on Homeland Security
: Aug 31, 2016
Champion a robust VA for our Veterans
With more than two million Veterans, California has more Veterans than any other state, and we owe them the support and care they earned while wearing our nation's military uniform. Over the years, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been
plagued by scandal and budget crises, resulting in disgraceful levels of service and irresponsible delays in providing medical care and disability benefits.As Attorney General, Kamala formed a working group to fight scams and other predatory conduct
uniquely targeting service members, and secured enhanced protections for active-duty and Veteran homeowners during the foreclosure crisis.
In the Senate, Kamala will champion a robust VA for our Veterans.
She will fight to ensure that when Veterans leave military service, they have the support they need to readjust to civilian life, including proper physical and mental health care. It's unconscionable that 22 Veterans take their own lives each day.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: 2016 California Senate campaign website, KamalaHarris.org
Kamala Harris on Social Security
: Aug 31, 2016
Oppose entitlement cuts; strengthen these safety nets
Strengthening Social Security & Medicare: Social Security and Medicare are the bedrock of our social contract. Together, these safety net programs keep millions of seniors and people living with disabilities out of poverty.
While some in Washington have voted to balance the budget on the backs of seniors, Kamala would oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and believes we need to strengthen these safety nets.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: 2016 California Senate campaign website, KamalaHarris.org
Bernie Sanders on Health Care
: Jul 26, 2016
Combat Big Pharma's greed on drug prices
Millions of seniors, disabled vets and others are struggling with the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs. Americans pay the highest prices in the world for their medicine. Medicare must negotiate drug prices with the pharmaceutical industry
and that drug companies should not be making billions in profits while one in five Americans are unable to afford the medicine they need. The greed of the drug companies must end.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: Speech at 2016 Democratic National Convention
Elizabeth Warren on Welfare & Poverty
: Apr 12, 2016
Strong safety net is needed now more than ever
The modern economy can be perilous, and a strong safety net is needed now more than ever. Strengthen disability coverage, retirement coverage, and paid sick leave.
And for heaven's sake, get rid of the awful banker-backed bankruptcy law, so that when things go wrong, families at least have a chance at a fresh start.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: The Two Income Trap, by Elizabeth Warren, p.xxii
Bernie Sanders on Social Security
: Feb 11, 2016
Lift cap on wealthy: at $250,000 program lasts 58 years
We should lift the cap on taxable income coming into the Social Security Trust Fund, starting at $250,000. We expand Social Security by $1,300 a year for people under
$16,000, and we extend the life of Social Security for 58 years. The wealthiest people will pay more in taxes. I will do everything I can to expand Social Security benefits, not just for seniors, but for disabled veterans, as well.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2016 PBS Democratic debate in Wisconsin
Bernie Sanders on Social Security
: Oct 18, 2015
Criminal to not have COLA increases for seniors
The Social Security administration said that there would not be a COLA [cost-of-living adjustments] for our seniors and disabled people. That's only the third time in the last 40 years. I think that's absurd.
Prescription drug costs have gone up. Seniors are paying more. We need to change the formula and we've got legislation in to do that, to ascertain what real cost of living is for seniors.
And I am going to fight very hard. You've got millions of seniors trying to get by on $13,000, $14,000 a year making choices between medicine and food.
That is criminal. And we've got to change the formula by which COLAs are depended--are created so that seniors get a fair shake.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: ABC This Week 2015 interview by Martha Raddatz
Bernie Sanders on Social Security
: Oct 13, 2015
Defend against chained CPI, and expand Social Security
Q [to CLINTON]: Senator Sanders would expand Social Security. What's wrong with that?CLINTON: I fully support Social Security, and will defend it against continuing Republican efforts to privatize it.
Q: Do you want to expand it?
CLINTON: I want
to enhance the benefits for the poorest recipients of Social Security.
SANDERS: When the Republicans in the Congress and some Democrats were talking about cutting Social Security and benefits for disabled veterans, for the so-called chained CPI, I q
founded a caucus called the Defending Social Security Caucus. When you have millions of seniors in this country trying to get by--and I don't know how they do on $13,000 a year--you don't cut Social Security, you expand it. And the way you
expand it is by lifting the cap on taxable incomes so that you do away with the absurdity of a millionaire paying the same amount into the system as somebody making $118,000. You do that, Social Security is solvent until 2061 and you can expand benefits.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2015 CNN Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas
Larry Hogan on Jobs
: May 5, 2014
Raise the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2018
Legislative Summary: Incrementally increasing the State minimum wage rate to $10.10 beginning July 1, 2018; authorizing specified employers to pay employees under the age of 20 years a specified wage under specified circumstances;
requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to increase reimbursement of community providers serving individuals with developmental disabilities; requiring the
Governor, in specified fiscal years, to include in a specified budget proposal specified funding increases. Legislative Outcome:
Passed Senate 34-13-0 on April 5; passed House 87-47-7 on April 7; signed by Gov. Hogan on May 5.
Click for Larry Hogan on other issues.
Source: Maryland legislative voting records: HB 295
Elizabeth Warren on Government Reform
: Apr 22, 2014
Instead of voter suppression, do everything to help register
MA (along with many other states) had taken some heat for not following a federal law designed to make it easier for people to register to vote. The National Voter Registration Act requires states to offer people the chance to register to vote when they
get a driver's license, which is why the law is usually called "Motor Voter." Seems sensible, and that part of the law was working pretty well. But since not everyone gets a driver's license--especially the disabled, elderly, and urban poor--the same law
required states to invite people to register to vote when they applied for social services, such as veteran's benefits or food stamps. That's where MA had dropped the ball.[During the 2012 election], MA was finally mailing out half a million
voter registration cards. This issue is a direct shot at democracy. In many states, the Republicans have made voter suppression a regular part of their arsenal, chipping away at early voting. African American voting, student voting, you-name-it voting.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: A Fighting Chance, by Elizabeth Warren, p.251-2
John Kasich on Government Reform
: Feb 21, 2014
Require complete & sufficient ID on absentee ballots
SB 205 revises the law regarding the mailing of absent voter's ballots, permitting election boards to discard votes cast where an absentee ballot identification envelope is "incomplete," in addition to the current language of "insufficient."
ACLU-Ohio opinion on this bill: While SB 205 does make some positive improvements for voters with disabilities, it fails on several fronts to make voting easier for Ohioans. One of the most concerning aspects of SB 205 is the addition of the
word "incomplete" in reference to a voter's absentee ballot identification envelope. Giving discretion to a few election officials to define exactly what this word means is likely to result in more ballots not being counted. Additionally, this language
is overly broad and could violate federal law.
Legislative outcome: Passed Senate, 22-10-1, on Nov. 6, 2013; passed House, 60-38-1, on Feb. 19, 2014; signed by Gov. Kasich, Feb. 21, 2014
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: ACLU commentary on Ohio legislative voting records: SB 205
John Kasich on Government Reform
: Feb 21, 2014
End simultaneous registration and early voting
SB 238 shortens the early, in-person voting period by eliminating the week-long window where voters may simultaneously register to vote and cast an early in-person ballot (otherwise known as "Golden Week")ACLU-Ohio opinion on this bill:
SB 238 moves Ohio election administration in the wrong direction. Eliminating "Golden Week" and shortening the early voting period will needlessly complicate the voting process and place additional burdens on voters. Voters with disabilities, seniors,
the homeless, new residents, people with a lack of transportation, among many others, have utilized Golden Week as a flexible way to register & vote simultaneously. While the bill's sponsors may point to concerns over possible voting irregularities,
there is almost no evidence to justify those fears.
Legislative outcome: Passed Senate, 22-10-1, on Nov. 20, 2013; passed House, 59-37-3, on Feb. 19, 2014; signed by Gov. Kasich, Feb. 21, 2014
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: ACLU commentary on Ohio legislative voting records: SB 238
Donald Trump on Social Security
: Dec 5, 2011
Disability Racket: $25B in fraudulent disability filings
The top estimates are $2,340,000,000 in Medicare fraud over a decade--or 16% of America's entire national debt!Then there's the disability racket. Did you know that one out of every 20 people in America now claims disability? That adds up to $170
billion a year in disability checks. Between 2005 and 2009, it is estimated that $25 billion were eaten up in fraudulent Social Security Disability Insurance filings. On and on, scam after scam it goes; as always, taxpayers are the ones getting stiffed.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p. 77
Barack Obama on Health Care
: Oct 30, 2007
Added 20,000 children to Illinois healthcare
Obama also has a record of success on health care in Illinois. He sponsored the legislation expanding Kid Care and Family Care that added 20,000 children to the state health insurance program. Obama was a cosponsor of the
Senior Citizen Prescription Drug Discount Program Act, which enabled senior citizens and the disabled to obtain prescription drugs at discount rates. Obama also cosponsored smaller reforms such as SB989, which allowed
Medicaid money to care for mentally or emotionally disturbed children as outpatients rather than the far more expensive option of institutionalizing them, and
SB1417, which required all insurance companies operating in Illinois to pay for screenings of colorectal cancer.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.148
Elizabeth Warren on Health Care
: Oct 15, 2007
Medical problems cause 750,000 bankruptcies each year
Should you purchase a disability insurance policy, just in case? Or long-term care insurance? When everyone is healthy, the thought of disability can seem like a remote possibility, a bad dream that strikes others, not busy families
with young children. But the fact remains: Medical problems send three-quarters of a million families to the bankruptcy courts each year. So think about more insurance. If you never use it, then count yourself lucky.
Click for Elizabeth Warren on other issues.
Source: The Two Income Trap, by Elizabeth Warren, p. 166
Barack Obama on Civil Rights
: Aug 26, 2007
Strengthen the Americans with Disabilities Act
Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this
landmark legislation. One of the most devastating aspects of Hurricane Katrina is that most of the stranded victims were society’s most vulnerable members, including Americans with disabilities.
Too many states and cities do not have adequate plans in place to care for special-needs populations. Obama passed legislation to require states to properly plan the evacuation of special-needs individuals.
Obama understands that children with special needs require meaningful resources to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Obama is a strong supporter of increased funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: 2008 Presidential campaign website, BarackObama.com “Flyers”
Joe Biden on Jobs
: Aug 9, 2007
No job discrimination by sexual orientation
Q: Currently, there is no federal law protecting individuals from job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. As president, would you support and work for passage of a federal bill that would prohibit job discrimination
based on sexual orientation an gender identity?A: Senator Biden opposes employment discrimination of any kind--including race, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation. He has consistently supported the Employment Non Discrimination
Act to prohibit employment discrimination on basis of sexual orientation.
Q: Many gay & lesbian people serve in the federal government but do not receive the same health insurance and other employee benefits of married couples. Do you support domestic
partner coverage for gay and lesbian employees of the civilian federal workforce?
A: Senator Biden believes that federal employees in legally recognized, committed relationships should not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: 2007 HRC/LOGO debate--written questionnaire
Mike Pence on Civil Rights
: May 4, 2007
Voted against expansion of hate-crime protection
The House of Representatives voted on Thursday to extend hate-crime protection to people who are victimized because of their sexuality. But the most immediate effect may be to set up another veto showdown between Democrats and President Bush.
By 237 to 180, the House voted to cover crimes spurred by a victim's "gender, sexual orientation, gender identity" or disability under the hate-crime designation,
which currently applies to people who are attacked because of their race, religion, color or national origin. Pence called the bill "unnecessary and bad public policy."
While he finds racism and sexism "abhorrent," Mr. Pence said, the bill's language is so broad that it could encroach on free speech.
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: New York Times, "Hate Crime," By David Stout
Mike Gravel on Health Care
: Mar 24, 2007
Phase out Medicare and Medicaid over time
Q: What is your plan for providing preventative and diagnostic services for health care for our seniors, people with disabilities and all Americans?A: One of the facets of my plan would be to keep in place Medicare and Medicaid and phase them out over
time. Because plans to put everybody on Medicare aren’t going to fly financially and just can’t be met. We are in deep economic difficulty and in debt. So when you talk about the seniors, this is where you have these health regional boards where in that
region they’ll be defining what goes into these various vouchers. And they’ll change every year depending upon your personal history as you get older. We know it costs less for young people and it costs more for old people. That’s just the nature of the
situation. So I don’t have any magic to take care of the seniors. All I can say is I can set up a structure that will have checks and balances where they’ll have a better say, they’ll have a better say than they have today.
Click for Mike Gravel on other issues.
Source: SEIU Democratic Health Care Forum in Las Vegas
Hillary Clinton on Social Security
: Feb 17, 1999
Social Security protects families, not just retirees
Like many Americans, I got my Social Security card when I was a teenager and applied for my first job. Then, of course, I didn’t understand that my wallet-sized card represented a commitment that every American could grow old with dignity. I also didn’t
understand that Social Security is not just for the elderly-and not just for retirement. Nearly 1/3 of its beneficiaries are either disabled, widows, widowers or surviving dependents. Social Security is a family protection system.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: “Talking It Over” column
Hillary Clinton on Families & Children
: Jan 6, 1999
Help “sandwiched” parents care for elderly plus kids
Millions of Americans take care of aged or disabled loved ones every day. Record numbers remain at home with family and friends, putting more and more working adults in the position of nurturing their children while, at the same time, nursing their aging
parents. We call this group the “sandwiched” generation.
There is no simple solution to the problem of caring for our aging and disabled loved ones. These initiatives offer a solid first step, and I am gratified by the support they
have received from diverse advocacy groups and members of both political parties.
The senior boom is one of the most important challenges our generation and our children will face in the coming century. It is up to us to prove that the infirmities of
age need not be the indignities of age. It is up to us to protect our children and grandchildren from the unsustainable burden of caring for us. It is up to us to do everything in our power now to lift the quality of life for every American family.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: “Talking It Over” column
Jesse Ventura on Education
: Jan 1, 1999
Mainstream disabled students
The best chance disabled students have for productive adult lives comes from being mainstreamed among other students. My daughter Jade is living proof of that. She has a disability, but we have made sure that she has gotten the same kind of exposure as
other kids her age. There are a few exceptions; there are students whose special needs are such that mainstreaming won’t work for them. But in the majority of cases, mainstreaming should be supported, encouraged, and facilitated for disabled students.
Click for Jesse Ventura on other issues.
Source: Ain’t Got Time To Bleed, p. 30
Page last updated: Apr 15, 2019
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