Democrats Abroad (DA) honors the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces; their service deserves our deepest gratitude and respect. Government policies must reflect the interests of those who are serving and those who have served, including their families. This caucus will work within DA to achieve this.
∙ Provide support for visits to wounded/recovering warriors and caregivers at overseas U.S. military hospitals in conjunction with like-minded external organizations;DA Global Veterans & Military Families Caucus Leadership:
News
VMF April 2023 Newsletter
April 2023 |
Newsletter |
VOL. 3, NO. 4 |
To view in PDF, click here
“Social Security and Medicare are a lifeline for millions of seniors. Americans have been paying into them with every single paycheck since they started working. So tonight, let's all agree to stand up for seniors. Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare.”
-President Joe Biden
Editor’s Message —
Greetings! We are facing an aging crisis and what is being done? The retirement age continues to increase as does the age for Social Security eligibility. In the U.S. military, after 20 years of service, with no specific age, members can retire with a full pension. This could be something to consider for the rest of the U.S. population. France increased the retirement age from 62 to 64 (by 2030). This was passed March 17th. Massive strikes across the country continue. In France, there is a 35 hour work week and very generous vacations with a minimum annual leave of 5 weeks although many get 6 to 10 weeks, besides paid public holidays and an end of year bonus equal to a 13th month of pay! (Similar benefits exist in many European countries.) The average U.S. vacation time is two weeks! N.B. Congressman Takano has reintroduced the 32 Hour Workweek Act. Time to contact your U.S. Representatives to support this bill.
Life expectancy in France is currently 82 while in the U.S., it has decreased to 77. Why? The Social Security Fact Sheet lists outdated information on U.S. life expectancy: It has 81 for men and 84 for women. Life expectancy is a huge concern in the U.S. Working conditions and health care need to improve to benefit American quality of life.
Terese Sarno
Editor
Please join our caucus to show your support for the U.S. military!
VMF March 2023 Newsletter
March 2023 |
Newsletter |
VOL. 3, NO. 3 |
To view in PDF, click here
The Inflation Reduction Act is a historic legislative achievement that lowers costs for families, combats the climate crisis, reduces the deficit, and finally makes the largest corporations pay their fair share. For the first time, Medicare is able to negotiate the price of certain high-cost drugs, a month’s supply of insulin for seniors is capped at $35, Medicare beneficiaries pay $0 out of pocket for recommended adult vaccines, and seniors’ out of pocket expenses at the pharmacy will be capped at $2,000 a year. And thanks to the President’s actions, including a historic release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, gas prices are down more than $1.60 from their summer 2022 peak.
“We are the only country that has emerged from every crisis stronger than when we entered it…That is what we are doing again.”
-President Joe Biden
President Biden's State of the Union Address
Editor’s Message —
Greetings! President Biden’s State of the Union message highlighted the incredible advances that our country has made even under adverse conditions. We are however still battling pressure on curriculum choices including library books. The First Amendment guarantees access to information and ideas in schools. The bans and legislative action being taken in some states are infringing on those constitutional rights.
NEA: DeSantis blocking AP African American Studies hurts all students
DeSantis pushes ban on diversity programs in state colleges
“Preparing students with more knowledge, not less, is essential for an America that prides itself in having a free marketplace of ideas. This is why it is outrageous to see DeSantis and some other elected officials working to substitute their personal political ideology for well-developed, educator-led curricula. Gov. DeSantis is neither an educator nor a historian…A full and honest curriculum facilitates the core goals of public education: promoting democracy by preparing children for citizenship and cultivating a workforce that can compete in the global marketplace.”
–Becky Pringle, National Education Association President
“Of the books removed from Duval County, Florida, more than 30 were by Latino authors and illustrators or centered Latino characters and narratives. Among these were ‘Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa’ by Veronica Chambers and Julie Maren, ‘Sonia Sotomayor (Women Who Broke the Rules Series)’ by Kathleen Krull and Angela Dominguez, and Winter's Clemente book.”
What can we do? Contact our legislators. Protect our First Amendment rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Charter schools have long been a problem in our country and they drain the funds that should be used for public schools. Taxpayer money should not fund what are essentially private schools nor should they be used to fund religious schools.
Urgent: Tell Your Legislators to Stop Funding the Charter School Programs (CSP). Charter school enrollment during 2021-2022 decreased by over 5,000 students yet the charter lobby is requesting up to a half billion dollars yearly.
What can we do? Contact our representatives today. It is time to defund the federal Charter School Programs and to support increased funding for our true public schools.
Let’s “finish the job”!
Terese Sarno
Editor
Please join our caucus to show your support for the U.S. military!