October 13, 2008
Wall Street is crumbling, and so are 401(k)s. The California budget was slashed, with the governor and the Legislature targeting programs for the elderly. Health care costs are soaring. And one presidential candidate scares them.
That was the focus of a litany of complaints at a convention for retired Californians, held Sunday in San Francisco. Speakers and members of audience decried the dying of the American dream they said they had all lived for - and the futures they envision for their children and grandchildren.
So the gathering at the Cathedral Hill Hotel by the California Alliance for Retired Americans served as an opportunity to vent - and to organize.
"We were all told by our parents, 'You're going to be much better off than we were,' " said George Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans, the umbrella group for the California alliance that held its annual convention Sunday. "We were. We are better off than our parents were. But what about our kids and grandkids?"
At the forefront of concern for California retirees was a series of cuts made to solve the state budget crisis. The budget slashed funding to adult day care and Alzheimer's programs, and eliminated tax rebates for low-income renters and homeowners. It also slashed Medi-Cal funding for the poorest of seniors.
"It's the most ill-conceived budget in my memory," said Nan Bresmer, president of the California alliance. "Why are we treated so badly? Don't we deserve better?"
"Yes," shouted some 300 seniors.
The belt is tightening on those who are least able, said Diana Madoshi, 63, who lives in a senior apartment complex in Rocklin (Placer County).
"Our needs are increasing, but it's frightening because the support network is diminishing," Madoshi said.
The organization says it is nonpartisan. But all of the speakers Sunday afternoon ripped into the Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, who they fear will seek to privatize Social Security, given his past statements and votes.
Three months ago, at a town hall meeting in Denver, McCain said, "We are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed."
The "disgrace" comment has been a bitter pill for many seniors, who have long been paying into the system, believing that future generations would support them when they got old, said Kourpias, whose organization has 3.5 million members.
Kourpias said that the national organization was putting campaign workers in every battleground state. Referring to the fate of Social Security and Medicare, Kourpias added, "I really believe this might be our last chance."
More
Information on US Social Security Issues
More Information on US Private Pension Issues
More Information on Trade Unions and Pension Issues
