Here's Why This is So Important...
While at Divided We Fail we relish in seeing the number of Americans who have signed our pledge grow more and more each day, the reason that number is already up to 811,994 is because there are real-life, personal human stories to back up the magnitude of health care and financial security issues in our country right now. Take Kathy, from New York, for example, who tells DWF:
"Last year at the age of 42 I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I have a six year old and a one year old. For obvious reasons, I can no longer work and my husband, who works full-time, and I are having a difficult time taking care of our family. My health insurance only covers about two-thirds of my costs (which is not terrible) but now I am trying to figure out how to pay for a live in nanny so she can help me take care of the kids, cook, clean and drive me to doctor appointments. One of us has to keep working so my husband is doing all that he can do. We were doing fine before the cancer hit but now we are floundering."
It's harrowing stories like Kathy's that wake us up as to how far-reaching these issues really go. You can hear more touching tales from your fellow Americans in our new Average American ads on YouTube.
Divided We Fail wants to hear your stories, as well! Tell us why you're making health care and financial security your top priorities for Election 2008 at http://www.capitolconnect.com/dividedwefail/reg_share.aspx. If not a story, then at the very least sign the Divided We Fail pledge at http://www.aarp.org/issues/dividedwefail.
TAGS: Divided We Fail, health care, financial security, pledge, Average American, YouTube, DWF, AARP, ShAARP Session
Comments
John Ambrosio says:
I'm so glad that AARP has the Devided We Fail website, because this is were we, the regular people of America, have a voice. And that voice goes to the people who rule over us, which is our government! For too long now we let our whole entire government just get away with all of their very bad decisions, and now our whole nation is paying the ultimate price! We now practically live in a new guilded age were just 10% of americans are so rich with our nation's money they own 90% of all the wealth! Meanwhile somany of us regular americans are just struggling to make ends meet with what ever little money we have. And while their are some americans that own so many homes that they can't count them, many other american can barely even afford one little home that must be shared by a whole family. Then as the price of food continues to go way up our government thinks it's perfectly fine to subsidies the richest and wealthiest farmers with our hard earned tax money. And since these farmers don't at all need our money they simply use it on their own self-fulfilling pleasures. And our government just continues to waist all of our hard earned money on the big failed banks on wall street along with the never ending war in Iraq. And our countries monstrious deficit just keeps on getting larger which younger americans like myself are expected to someday payoff! But every one in our government just waists time arguing with each other untill they get tired of doing that and then decide to take a long recess while our country still suffers. Now after eight years with probably the worst congress and president ever to run our country this nation is a total mess! So we the regular american folks must unite and trully take back our government and country, because we definately will fail if were devided!
11/18/08 8:45 PM
Bill says:
I am an older American that has worked hard for my money all of my life. Sometimes 2 and 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet. I thought that I finally was on the right track to retirement with almost $200k in retirement savings this year. With almost 8 years to retirement, I thought with careful investment and frugal living I would be able to retire in 10 -12 years. But, now with the global crash due to the stupid policies of the past Democratic regimes and the failure of the last Republican stint to see beyond their noses, I have less than $100k in retirement and no prospects of getting it back in the near future.
I feel that the major issue is that the government needs to get out of the bailout business and clear the way for the investors and business leaders to rebuild the American economy.
I see now as a perfect time to outlaw the unions and cut out this middleman and the inflationary effect that it has had on our economy. Let the automakers fail or go into conservatorship and end their affiliation with unions once and for all. The other automakers that are producing cars here in America are doing well and that is because they are strangled by the union albatross around their necks. The union is poised to take another big bite out of our economy with the EFCA bill that is before congress. If this passes, it will be the end of our economy as we know it. The unions have become an overbearing self serving task master for industry who only seek to increase their coffers and will pay off any politician to get their favors. How do you think the coming administration was able to get into power? Only through the unified power of the corrupt rallying efforts of the unions and ACORN's fraudulent voter efforts.
If you want to assist us senior citizens, you will drop the capital gains tax to zero for the next 10 years and reduce the corporate tax structure in half. You will also have to cut the unnecessary fat out of the government offices and return us to a leaner government and allow us the personal freedoms that have helped us to create the great nation that we enjoyed in the last half of the last century. Through innovation and investment we can create green answers to the environment and the economy that are consumer driven and free market based which is the only true way for us to preserve our future.
Quit making us take your welfare, clear the way for us to see opportunities and get out of our way if you want to see a return to true economic prosperity
11/19/08 7:56 AM