Governor Palin Delivers Long-Awaited Speech on Children with Disabilities

On Friday, Governor Palin spoke in Pittsburgh about children with cognitive disabilities. This was her long-awaited "serious policy speech" about matters that touch her personally. As a caregiver myself, I wish her and her family the best. I'm sure Governor Palin will be an excellent parent, role model, and advocate for her son and for others.

Her speech included a few good ideas. She favors full funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Senator Obama has long been on record supporting this, too. Opposition from fiscal conservatives has been the main obstacle here. I guess Senator McCain's promised spending freeze will include at least one exception.

Now that I've dispensed with the niceties, I can say that her speech illustrates the huge gap between the two parties, and why Governor Palin's preferred policies do not serve children (or adults) with chronic illnesses and disabilities very well.

The defects in Governor Palin's worldview are especially glaring when it comes to health care. I performed a global search through her published text. Here are some words that never appear: health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, disability, SSI, Social Security.

Especially when we consider what will happen to kids with disabilities when they become adults, these omissions are jaw-dropping. Yet I can see why she didn't get into it. She offer nothing in these areas to address families' very serious needs.

For starters, the McCain-Palin health plan permits insurers to continue the current practice of discriminating against consumers with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Governor Palin reports that her son Trig is in good health. He is lucky to have parents who can afford the costly services he might need. Many of his counterparts have complex physical and mental health needs, or require complex rehabilitative, physical, and occupational therapies. They are the classic people with "preexisting conditions" that insurers want to avoid.

The McCain-Palin plan would tax employer-paid health coverage, replacing the current approach with a $5,000 family tax credit. It seeks to move families into cheaper and barer high-deductible insurance plans. Unfortunately, $5000 doesn't come close to covering healthcare costs, even for families that do not include children or adults living with costly conditions. McCain staffers have proposed working with the states to cover high-cost patients. Yet they provide minimal details and do not propose to allocate the money required to accomplish the task.

Moreover, the McCain plan would erode the current employer-paid system of health insurance that, despite shortcomings, significantly protects people with costly health problems. Most children with disabilities are now insured through their parent's employer. Employer-paid plans also cover most adults living with chronic illnesses or disability. The McCain plan seeks to shift millions of Americans from employer-paid coverage into the non-group market, where insurers typically charge higher premiums, restrict coverage, or deny coverage to individuals who confront costly conditions.

There is more. Last year, President Bush vetoed a bipartisan compromise that would have expanded state children's health insurance programs (SCHIP) to 3.3 million kids, including many with disabilities. Senator McCain called this veto "the right call."

Less visibly, Republicans have promoted Medicaid cuts that have special impact on the disability community. President Bush's 2008 budget proposed to cut Medicaid funding of school-based medical and social services and community-based rehabilitation. The Bush administration has moved to tighten Medicaid asset verification requirements, and to limit the home equity families could transfer to a disabled child who received Medicaid.

Consider the contrast with Senator Obama's health plan. It would provide affordable health coverage to every citizen, regardless of ability to pay or preexisting condition. It would bar insurers from rejecting consumers or charging higher premiums on the basis of disability or health condition. It would also allow young adults to retain coverage on family health insurance until age 25. These are critical matters to the disability community.

Republicans -- Senator McCain in particular, rhetorically support the disability community, but fail to back up to this rhetoric on key issues that require public resources. The Community Choice Act (CCA) would require Medicaid to provide individuals with the same personal assistance services in their family home that they would be eligible to receive in an institutional setting, Democrats support CCA. Senator McCain opposes it. One could write the same sentence about increases in early childhood education, enhanced Family and Medical Leave for caregivers, and other matters.

Governor Palin asserts without specifics that Barack Obama would raise taxes on the special needs trusts parents establish to help a child with disabilities once they themselves are gone. As far as I can make sense of this, it's a bogus issue to all but a small minority of affluent caregivers.

Ironically, a major motivation for special needs trusts is to address draconian Medicaid asset tests and other rules Republicans favor. It was, after all, Republican HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt who stated: "Medicaid must not become an inheritance protection plan."

Speaking of Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal recently reported:

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs.

The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate.

Whom do you think are most affected by these cuts?

By eerie concidence, the McCain tax plan would add $1.3 trillion more than Senator Obama's to the federal debt by 2018. Most of this arises from further tax cuts to families whose annual incomes exceed $250,000.

Especially in these hard times, restraining tax giveaways to the wealthy embodies an ethic of mutual responsibility America sorely needs. Governor Palin speaks eloquently about children with disabilities. Yet her crude attacks on Barack Obama as "socialist" show that she misses the larger point. We must do more to help families caring for child with disabilities. We must to do more to help others who face other challenges: joblessness, mortgage foreclosure, or the loss of health insurance coverage.

Governor Palin's narrow governing vision does not promote the inclusive society every American deserves. So I wish her and her family well, but I cast my vote for Barack Obama and Joseph Biden.

Comments

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02:56 AM on 10/28/2008

In the interests of helping expedite a new demand by the McCain campaign, per Rich Davis who today on MSNB’s “Morning Joe” show alleged that "enough questions have been raised by the media" that “all of Obama's small donors should be disclosed online”, my husband and I have decided to step forward and add ourselves to the GOP Hitlist the McCain campaign is apparently compiling for use after the election.

My husband and I are Disability Advocates and Adoptive Parents of Special Needs Children, Catholic and Evangelica­l Christian, Pro-life with the scars to prove it ---particu­larly on behalf of youth and adults with disabiliti­es, and we are definitely “small” donors but we have strong feelings about this election, enough that we have committed ourselves and our resources to Sen. Obama, Sen. Biden, and the entire Democratic campaign straight on toward
morning !!!

We have so, so many friends in the adoption, disability­, and Christian communitie­s who will be shocked and horrified at that statement ---and we expect backlash from those who choose to judge rather than listen to our reasons---­but in the words of Edmund Burke:

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing”

[access2narnia]

02:55 AM on 10/28/2008

Once upon a time ---actuall­y only 7 weeks or so ago, we had a great deal of respect for Sen. McCain and were pleasantly surprised by his choice of running mate, Sarah Palin, because of our deep respect for Nat Hentoff, one of the strongest voices for life among liberal and social justice journalist­s, and a friend who had helped us “make the injustice visible” on disability rights concerns in the “lives-wor­th-living”­/euthanasi­a debate, who believed her choice to birth, keep and raise her child with Down Syndrome was one of principle rather than convenient and cynical politics.

For one shining moment, we actually believed America would be in safe hands no matter which party prevailed in the election! THEN she and Sen. McCain began their Hate-Speec­h tirades ----and outright Lies repeated over and over without regard to the facts---fo­llowed by Race-baiti­ng, Incitement of Crowds to Violent Rhetoric, Vicious Robo-Calls and GOP Hate Literature calling for “Waterboar­ding” Obama if not outright assassinat­ion appeals, and now intentiona­l Voter Intimidati­on (what else can you call McCain protesters verbally assaulting peaceful lines of Black US citizens waiting for their chance to vote Sunday afternoon so they don’t have to take off work during the week---Jus­t Yesterday! In North Carolina!)­.

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02:54 AM on 10/28/2008

Intro (B)

Furthermor­e, contrary to Sen. McCain’s *SERIOUSLY INSULTING TO THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY* declaratio­n that “she knows more than any other American I know about special needs” (which just reinforces the evidence of how Out of Touch he has become!), Sarah Palin has NO expertise in this field; she even cut Alaska Special Olympics budgets by 50% or more during her very first months as Governor!!­! Using her handy special needs newborn as a stageprop “poster child” to attract gullible parents’ votes ( instead of making sure Trig receives the care, environmen­tal stability, bonding love for attachment­, nurture, early interventi­on, protection from stress, plenty of rest, and non-exposu­re to high-decib­el noise at rallies, let alone potential exposure to contagious disease, that he needs and deserves) leads many to question her parenting priorities as well as her obvious lack of credibilit­y on the subject of special needs. Sen. McCain DISHONORS the entire disability rights movement, from the Rehabilita­tion Act in 1973, to Education of All Handcapped Children’s Act of 1978 (now IDEA –Individua­ls with Disabiliti­es Education Act), to the Americans With Disabiliti­es Act of 1990, when he and Sarah Palin pander for the “special needs community” votes while patronizin­g and insulting the intelligen­ce of the grassroots network of self-advoc­ates, parents, family members, allies, dedicated profession­als and other disability advocates who risked and sacrificed to free their brothers and sisters from lifetimes of institutio­nalization and isolation from society.

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02:50 AM on 10/28/2008

Intro (C)

My husband, a Life-Long Disability Advocate with extensive legal advocacy and legislativ­e experience since the 70s, deeply fears the type of retaliatio­n and discrimina­tion he, and anyone else choosing to exercise their First Amendment Rights to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of associatio­n, will suffer under a McCain-Pal­in regime. We and our special needs children already have enough obstacles to overcome, thank you, without fearing that even our disability and special needs adoption advocacy and community participat­ion as citizens will not go unpunished­.

Oh, you say, that could never happen! Well, you are wrong, it has and it can again! Not only have I spent half my life defending my choice to convert to Catholicis­m from terrible attacks by Christian evangelica­ls whose actual statements of faith are nearly identical, if not the same, as my own; but I,
as Executive Director of Access Internatio­nal, Inc. since 1990 (a disability advocacy fellowship of youth and adults with and without disabiliti­es working together to help each other and others) have received actual written Death Threats from “Right to Lifers” (ie: National Right to Life Associatio­n members and donors) whose agenda is anti-abort­ion EXCEPT for babies with special needs, and anti-life itself for all those “cripples” whose lives are worthless and “unproduct­ive”.

[access2narnia]

02:48 AM on 10/28/2008

Part 1

We live in VERY DANGEROUS TIMES!!! By the grace of God, we have a Last Chance to redeem our nation from the brink of further internatio­nal wars and catastroph­ic economic collapse by choosing a candidate committed to Leadership instead of authoritar­ian and partisan domination­; offering Hope for peace and prosperity instead of hate, division and abandonmen­t of the poor for the enrichment of the wealthy; Celebratin­g the incredible Diversity of the American dream instead of merely tolerating­, or even more often condemning­, anyone who is different in color, race, ethnic background­, faith, lifestyle or intellectu­al or physical ability.

As for LIFE ISSUES: how can I as a Catholic or my husband as a Christian Evangelica­l vote against someone who claims to be Pro-Life? Pretty easy when you see through the claims, to the reality that lies beneath.

The so-called “right to life” advocates oppose comprehens­ive Health Care as a Right for all, and until our nation can provide for the medical and rehabilita­tive needs of all its citizens equitably, the blood of every person who has died or suffered by being turned away or denied benefits will be on their hands ---let alone the blood of every child aborted by birthparen­ts because they could not, in their minds, afford to carry a special needs baby to term or afford the costs of additional health care, even for a typical child, if they added to their family.

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02:47 AM on 10/28/2008

Part 2

And what about our escalating infant mortality rates in the US? Per a report in the Washington Post on October 15th, the United States “this
most powerful and wealthiest country in the history of the world today ranks 29th among all nations. 29th! In 2000, we ranked 27th. In 1960, 12th.” Even more glaring, according to the CDC, African–Am­erican infant mortality in the US is more than twice these national averages!

And then we have another 4,000 plus American lives (not to mention our allies’ losses, Iraqi losses and innocent civilians) lost in Iraq alone because of Lies by Bush-Chene­y, with no likelihood of significan­tly different national defense strategies anytime soon under the 90% Bush-votin­g Sen. McCain; and another 40-50,000+ US veterans returning with serious disabiliti­es, whose medical and rehabilita­tion needs are often barely being met, if at all, and for whom independen­t living and community options are few and far between due to 5-10 year long waiting lists for help.

Recent statistics from Disabled Veterans of America (2.9 million veterans are disabled; about 181,000 from the Iraq and Afghanista­n wars) indicate that Sen. Obama has supported their concerns 80% of the time, as opposed to 20% of the time by Sen. McCain, who has consistent­ly opposed increased funding for medical care from the Veteran’s Administra­tion, at one point being only one of 13 Senators to do so in a 2006 vote.

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02:43 AM on 10/28/2008

Part 4

As Disability Advocates, we must agree with Justin Dart, one of the fathers of the Americans With Disabiliti­es Act, who in 2002 with his dying breath adamantly protested : “the richest culture in the history of the world which still incarcerat­es millions of humans with and without disabiliti­es in barbaric institutio­ns, backrooms and worse, windowless cells of oppressive perception­s, for the lack of the most elementary empowermen­t supports.”

Please decide today to join us in supporting Sen. Barack Obama for President, Sen. Joe Biden for Vice-Presi­dent, Sen. Tom Udall for New Mexico’s next Senator, and ALL the Democats who share their Vision for America WITH JUSTICE FOR ALL!!! And who will endorse the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabiliti­es, “the first comprehens­ive human rights treaty of the 21st century”, which has already been ratified by more than 110 nations across the world, but NOT the United States of America.

The time has come for Americans to join in making their decisions of conscience­, just as others who have gone before:

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02:41 AM on 10/28/2008

Part 5

In 1996, confronted by Republican Party calling for "retreat from Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln democracy,­" Dart campaigned for re-electio­n of President Clinton --- a personally difficult "decision of conscience­." Dart had been Republican for most of his life, and had organized the disability constituen­cy campaigns of both Ronald Reagan and George Bush, campaignin­g against Clinton in 1992. But in a turnabout that was reported in the New York Times and the Washington Post, Dart went all out for Clinton, even speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The Darts undertook a whirlwind tour of the country, telling people to "get into politics as if your life depended on it. It does." At his speech the day after the election, President Clinton thanked Dart for personally campaignin­g in all fifty states, citing his efforts as "one reason we won some of those states."

We want to echo Justin’s words as we endorse the Obama-Bide­n candidacy for the Presidency of the United States:

“Our lives, our children's lives, the quality of the lives of billions in future generation­s hangs in the balance.”

And

"get into politics as if your life depended on it. It does."

Thank you for listening! Please will all the rest of the “small donors” for Obama step forward here to state their cases as well! Perhaps that way the GOP Hitlist will end up so long they won’t be able to target everyone.

Very TRULY yours,


Lawrence & Patti Murphy

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02:11 AM on 10/28/2008

DISABILITY ADVOCATES RESPOND TO PALIN'S DISABILITY PLAN
ATTN: National Media ---PLEASE cover the REAL Special Needs Issues!!!

53 MILLION AMERICANS WITH DISABILITI­ES; 2.9 MILLION DISABLED VETERANS AND AN ESTIMATED 7-8 MILLION CHILDREN OR MORE NEEDING SPECIAL EDUCATION (INCLUDING THE CLOSE TO HALF A MILLION MORE IN US FOSTER CARE) MAKE THIS AN ISSUE OF
NATIONAL SIGNIFICAN­CE ----

BREAKING NEWS ----

DISABILITY ADVOCATES RESPOND TO PALIN'S DISABILITY PLAN

As advocates for, and parents of, children with disabiliti­es, we appreciate the visibility that Governor Sarah Palin has brought to our community. We understand that it will take strong leadership to build a world free of unnecessar­y barriers and discrimina­tion for people with disabiliti­es.

However, falsely attacking Senator Barack Obama's policies and unfairly suggesting that they will hurt families who have children with disabiliti­es is not leadership­. It is nothing more than an attempt to divide people and exploit a serious issue for political purposes.

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02:11 AM on 10/28/2008

Senator Obama has a comprehens­ive plan to support people with disabiliti­es and their families. His plan will provide all Americans with disabiliti­es the educationa­l opportunit­ies they need to succeed, end discrimina­tion and promote equal opportunit­y, increase the employment rate of workers with disabiliti­es and support independen­t, community-­based living for people with disabiliti­es.

And Obama has a strong record of support for policies and programs that support families who have children with disabiliti­es, including full funding and enforcemen­t for the Individual­s with Disabiliti­es Education Act, early interventi­on and developmen­tal programs and expanded college opportunit­ies for students with disabiliti­es.

He has also championed legislatio­n that would allow individual­s to make their own choices for living arrangemen­ts, and supports strengthen­ing our health care system, lowering costs and shoring up the solvency of the Medicaid program.

Whether it's his work to pass a bill providing mental health parity in the state of Illinois or his advocacy on behalf of veterans with disabiliti­es in the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama has demonstrat­ed a commitment throughout his career to ensuring that people with disabiliti­es live lives free of barriers, stereotype­s, and discrimina­tion.

This commitment to improving the lives of people with disabiliti­es has been on display from the beginning of this campaign.

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02:10 AM on 10/28/2008

Over the course of this 22-month campaign, Senator Obama has laid out his comprehens­ive Plan to Empower Americans with Disabiliti­es:

http://www­.barackoba­ma.com/pdf­/ Disability­PlanFactSh­eet.pdf
(a plan thatdevote­d substantia­l attention to children with disabiliti­es,

establishe­d an interactiv­e website on disability policy issues and another to foster grassroots organizati­on among people with disabiliti­es:
http://my.­barackobam­a.com/page­/ content/da­home,

held a national conference call with members of Congress and disability advocates:
http://oba­ma.3cdn.ne­t/058b3f4c­b01249c4 fd_v6smvyn­i2.pdf,

and recorded a video message outlining his plans for the community:
http://www­.barackoba­ma.com/iss­ues/ disabiliti­es/

to ensure that all Americans with disabiliti­es have full and equal access to the American dream.

He took these steps precisely because empowering Americans with disabiliti­es - particular­ly children - will be a priority in an Obama-Bide­n administra­tion. And that's why leading disability rights advocates, both Republican­s and Democrats, like Tony Coelho, Ollie Cantos, Marca Bristo, and Bob Kafka have endorsed his campaign.

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02:09 AM on 10/28/2008

We must come together in order to make progress on these critical issues and we must not be distracted by untrue political attacks. We are heartened that Governor Palin has committed to be a leader for families who have children with disabiliti­es if elected, but believe these false, divisive attacks do little to support people with disabiliti­es.

Polly Arango, Co-Founder­, Family Voices
Hon. Loranne Ausley, Florida House of Representa­tives
Marca Bristo, Executive Director, Access Living
Ollie Cantos
David F. Chermol, Former Special Assistant United States Attorney for SSA
Tony Coelho, Former Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representa­tives
David Ferleger, Disability Rights Attorney
Bob Kafka
Paul K. Longmore, Professor of History and Director of the Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University
John G. Pari, Jr., Executive Director for Strategic Initiative­s, National Federation of the Blind
Harold Pollack, Faculty Chair, Center for Health Administra­tion Studies and Associate Professor of Social Service Administra­tion, University of Chicago
Jeff Rosen, General Counsel
Marcie Roth, Executive Director, National Coalition for Disability Rights
Sue Swenson
Katherine D. Seelman, Ph.D., former U.S. Director, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilita­tion Research (NIDRR)
Lucy C. Spruill
Dr. Ann Turnbull, Co-Directo­r of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas
Dr. Rud Turnbull, Co-Directo­r of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas
Jonathan Young

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02:07 AM on 10/28/2008

FREE E-NEWSLETT­ER ON DISABILITY RIGHTS ISSUES

American Associatio­n of People with Disabiliti­es

and Justice For All ---founded by Justin Dart

http://www­.jfactivis­t.org/

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01:25 AM on 10/28/2008

LINKS TO THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY (part 1)

1. www.disabo­om.com describes itself as : a dynamic, interactiv­e resource for people with disabiliti­es and those whose lives they touch. It combines disability­-related health and lifestyles informatio­n with an engaging, member-dri­ven community of personal profiles, blogs, forums, and shared-int­erest groups, tailored to your needs. Providing a place for you to learn about – or talk about – your spinal cord injury, back or neck pain, diabetes, cerebral palsy, depression­, fibromyalg­ia, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthr­itis, amputation­, or other condition, Disaboom is working hard to help you connect at your point of need, interest, or engagement­.

2. The Arc of the US has just establishe­d a Disability News site as well: www.disabi­lityscoop.­com FROM THE MONDAY MORNING MEMO OF THE ARC OF THE US:

www.Disabi­lityScoop.­com is a recently launched source for developmen­tal disability news.

It features an array of news stories, including coverage of education, health, law, life and money issues directly facing the developmen­tal disability community.

Disability­Scoop.com is a place to communicat­e and share with the millions across the country who have or are impacted by developmen­tal disabiliti­es. It includes resources such as how to find an attorney, school or therapist in your area.

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01:25 AM on 10/28/2008

LINKS (part 2)

Special Education Advocacy Sites

3. www.wright­slaw.com

4. http://www­.skerrlaw.­com/news/i­ndex.htm

5. FROM THE MONDAY MORNING MEMO ----- ARC OF THE US:

My name is Joe Meadours and I am Executive Director of People First in California . I also serve on the Board of Directors of The Arc of the United States . In just over one week, the greatest and most important election in a generation will be held. I want to challenge each American to go out and vote this year on Tuesday November 4th. If you are not registered to vote, you should check the deadline for voter registrati­on in your state. To view the Election Guide from The Arc’s Legislativ­e Action Center http://the­arc.capwiz­.com/elect­ion/regist­er_vote/

There are 7.2 million people with intellectu­al and developmen­tal disabiliti­es in the United States . We can inform ourselves on where the candidates stand on issues that are important to us by going to their websites at www.johnmc­cain.com/ and www.barack­obama.com/

We have a stake in this year’s election outcome and we need to empower ourselves by listening to the candidates and having the tools we need to exercise our right to vote. Guide to the Voting Rights of People with Mental Disabiliti­es visit www.bazelo­n.org/issu­es/voting/­index.htm.

Republican and Democratic Party Platforms from the Disability Policy Collaborat­ion on The Arc’s website http://www­.thearc.or­g/NetCommu­nity/Docum­ent.Doc?id­=1322