politics

5 Reasons to Care About Medicaid Expansion

Posted on 05/15/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

PoliticsNine states have passed Medicaid expansion this year, with another 15 on the brink of extending health coverage to more hard-working citizens. Why is Medicaid expansion, which would extend Medicaid health coverage to people who earn about $15,000 a year (138% of the federal poverty level), so important? Here are the top 5 reasons: 1. 50- to 64-year olds: Medicaid expansion will provide health care coverage to tens of thousands of hard-working Americans between the ages of 50 to 64. Many …

My Lunch With Lady Thatcher

Posted on 04/8/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

Legacy | PoliticsIn the early 1990s I presented Margaret Thatcher with an award at a convention in Florida. We both wore navy-and-white polka-dot power suits. I only realized that Britain’s former prime minister and I were dressed alike moments before we were supposed to go onstage. I didn’t have time to rush back to my room in the massive Disney World hotel and change. Trying to make the best of it, I said, “Lady Thatcher, I admire you so much that I …

Arkansas Requires Picture ID to Vote, Overriding Veto

Posted on 04/2/2013 by | General News | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBy Andrew DeMillo, The Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) Arkansas legislators passed a law Monday requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, overriding Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of the bill, which he called an expensive solution to a non-existent problem. The Republican-led state House voted 52-45, largely along party lines, to complete an override that started in the GOP-controlled Senate on a 21-12 vote last week. Only a simple majority was needed in each chamber. Related: Can …

In the Senate, a Symbolic Thumbs-Up for Older Americans

Posted on 03/25/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsBernie Sanders, a feisty Independent from Vermont who often votes with his Democratic colleagues, scored a modest — if largely symbolic — victory for older Americans as the Senate pulled an all-nighter last Friday to debate and vote on budget amendments. Sanders, who chairs the Senate subcommittee that deals with aging-related issues, sponsored an amendment to the budget resolution backing the Older Americans Act that was approved by unanimous consent. The landmark law, originally enacted in 1965, supports Meals on Wheels …

Are You Giving Up on the News?

Posted on 03/19/2013 by | News, Culture, Sights and Sounds | Comments

Bulletin Today | Politics | Technology | Your LifeThey were our heroes. Woodward and Bernstein brought down a president. The New York Times published “The Pentagon Papers” in the face of government resistance to revealing damaging truths. “Uncle” Walter Cronkite spoke for many Americans when he concluded that the Vietnam War was not winnable. Many in our generation saw the news media as a positive force in society, driving out secrecy and corruption with the “disinfecting” light of information. Today, as a recent AARP poll shows, journalists have …

What Do Pelosi’s Smoke Signals Really Mean?

Posted on 03/15/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | PoliticsAs President Obama’s personal lobbying on Capitol Hill this week seemed to bring him closer to Republican lawmakers as he talked about changes in Medicare and Social Security, Democrats offered the expected pushback. But Obama won unexpected support from House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, usually a leader of the party’s liberal wing. USA Today reported Pelosi as saying that Democrats are open to some reforms, among them requiring wealthier Americans to pay more for Medicare. She also sounded amenable to …

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